6.5 Creedmoor ,6.5x 55 swede ,260 Remington

[ratherbefishin]

I’m not sure about the US,metric cartridges don’t seem to be as well known there as in Canada so availability of ‘European’ ammunition in the US might be more of an issue there than here.I have never had a problem buying Swede 6.5 x55 ammumitionhere,But haven’t checked US stores

[Firstblood]

Oh the old ballistic engineers creating calibers that just simply work with nothing more than paper and pencil. I agree that there are a few old calibers such as the 65 swede that are hard to beat becuase they work just so darn well. With all the technology and data we have developed new guns and new calibers, but that just led to the "hunters" who "hunt" game at 1000+ yds...... most deer hunting is pretty close and the swede kills it. All this talk of tradex mausers and I want to buy a 6.5 now, picked up a 9.3x62 mauser which probably came through tradex many moons ago and and blown away by the efficiency of a nice old gun. I have a few old friends who all hunt with the swede and have for many years, that should tell me all I need to know but I still venture into new hip and cool calibers becuase why not.

[BCBRAD]

All 3 a suited to the same game. The 6,5 CM is a true short action cartridge, the 260 Rem is a short action cartridge with constraints (have to deep seat long/heavy bullets to maintain 2.8"), the 6.5x55 is a medium action cartridge.

The type of rifle or activity should dictate the cartridge chosen.

[ratherbefishin]

285 gr of soft lead poking along at about 2200 FPS is going to hit like the hammer of Thor..you want ‘thump’ - get a 9.3...I mainly hunt deer and the 6.5 x 55 excels at it - if I hold it straight- which is likely why it has outlasted many new whiz bangs that the gun writers say we ‘just gotta have’..I remember revealing my ignorance many years ago when I picked up my Swede from Joe Gibault who had bent the bolt for me and told him I ‘needed’ a bigger rifle because I was going on a moose hunt...Joe said’ you can shoot your 6.5 ,stick with what you know, put one shot behind the shoulders, sit down quietly for 20 minutes then go and gut your moose- it will likely be about 50 yards away..ps- the Tradeex guys are good people to deal with ,honest and always unlike some dealers,always understate the condition of their rifles..

[albravo2]

i blame ratherbefishin for my Tradex purchase of a 6.5x55. Very nice gun, tight M96 action and bright barrel. Just starting to work up a load for it now.

Anybody have a load they will share? I have 130 grain Sciroccos and Accubonds. H4350, IMR4350, RL19, RL22... I have 140 Accubonds and 143 &147 ELDX too, but I think it is well suited to the 130 grain pills.

[ratherbefishin]

I actualy found the 6.5 x55 swede is not picky what you feed it ,shoots well.I mainly use Privi Partizan ammunition (about $ 30 a box) and anything I hit falls down.I’d take it over a 243 any day,way more versatile,I shoot 140 gr bullets which are widely available in factory ammunition but the 160 gr round nose was what was used for moose in Sweden /Norway .Norma was known for making premium ammunition for these European calibers and I pick it up at gun shows whenever I see it .Pricy though. These old Swedes ,well known in Europe are probably the best kept secret in North America and the 9.3 x62 was known as the ‘farmers gun’ in South Africa