The 6.5x55 Cartridge
Creedmoor’s Grandpa
On left is an old favorite deer rifle of Dave’s, a Remington 700
Mountain Rifle in .280 Rem. with Swarovski scope. On right is
the new favorite, a Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 with Nightforce NXS
2.5-10x42 scope.
The 6.5×55 is one of the all-time great classic cartridges. Even so I probably would never have tried it except for a combination of circumstances.
My friend Barrie Gwillim was one of the best riflemen I ever knew — a collector, hunter, handloader and competitive marksman. He was one of those rare individuals — one meets so few in a lifetime — with the gift of being able to live a hundred percent in the moment, to derive the maximum enjoyment from even the most mundane events.
From left — 6.5x55 Swedish, 143-grain Hornady ELD-X; ,270 Win.
145-grain Hornady ELD-X; .270 Win. 150-grain Berger VLD Hunting;
7x57 Mauser 150-grain Nosler Accubond Long Range; .280 Rem.
245-grain Barnes LRX BT; .280 Rem. 150-grain Hornady ELD-X.
Bon Vivant
We used to drive around back country roads, ostensibly varmint hunting but mainly to talk guns and shooting. Sometimes we’d pull over to sit on the tailgate with coffee and sandwiches we had made. I remember how Barrie would relish a sandwich, savoring each bite (“Is this ever good!”) as though it was some great chef’s signature dish. Meanwhile I’d be thinking, “Good heavens, man! It’s baloney and cheese on store bought bread!” I guess I don’t have the gift.
Around 1966, when Barrie would have been about 21, a department store advertised the “new improved” model 70 for (as I recall) around $130. Previously, like most of us, he had owned military surplus rifles but this was his first opportunity to own a modern sporting rifle.
When he got to the store, he found the new rifles were sold out. A helpful clerk said he’d search in back and see if possibly one had been overlooked. After a long wait he emerged carrying a dusty box marked “Winchester.” The clerk apologized, saying all the new models were sold and all he could find was this discontinued model, tucked away and forgotten, a pre-’64 Featherweight in .270 Win. And, he offered to knock $20 off the price…
One hears a lot of talk about shot-out barrels. My experience has been most barrels die of neglect, not from overuse. Barrie was meticulous about cleaning the bore but after a decade or so accuracy began to fall off so he had the model 70 re-barreled to 6.5×55. Incidentally, the gunsmith asked permission to section the .270 barrel and found it worn smooth for about eight inches ahead of the chamber.
My friend died in 2012. The favorite Winchester 70 Featherweight 6.5×55, of course, went to his oldest son. I had some experience with 6.5mm cartridges including 6.5×54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer, a light Savage .260 Rem. and a model 70 Westerner in .264 Win. Mag. When it became obvious the 6.5 Creedmoor was not a passing fad, I bought one, a Weatherby Vanguard, and was impressed by the excellent accuracy, light recoil and highly efficient bullets.
The Creedmoor, so I’ve read, is a modern version of the old 6.5×55. Well, I like old things and old ways. A local dealer had a Tikka T3 in 6.5×55 on sale. It’s become a trusted and regularly used hunting rifle, maybe out of loyalty to my old friend and also because it is simply an excellent cartridge.
Dave’s old friend and baloney gourmet Barrie Gwillim, shown
here demonstrating the standing hunting position. Rifle is a
pre-’64 Winchester 70 .30-’06.
Beginnings
The 6.5×55 was adopted by Sweden and Norway as a military cartridge in 1894, the year Coca-Cola was first offered in bottles, 11 years before the first airplane. With its short neck and 25.6-degree shoulder angle, it is a modern-looking cartridge. The official European designation currently is 6.5×55 SE. “SE” is the ISO two-letter abbreviation for Sweden. In America it is often called the 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser or 6.5×55 Swedish.
In its early days, the 6.5×55 was loaded with a round-nose 156-grain bullet. This long bullet needs a fairly fast twist to stabilize. Original barrel twist was 1-220mm, or 1 in 8.66″. My T3 has a 1-8″ twist, which seems to be the Tikka standard for all its 6.5mm cartridges. It is well-suited to current 6.5mm bullets with high ballistic coefficients. A plus for handloaders is the availability of 6.5×55 Lapua brass. I won’t say Lapua is the best but I will say I know of nothing better.
The 6.5×55 has a couple of negatives for American shooters. One is the limited selection of factory ammunition, especially compared to the seemingly endless choices in 6.5 Creedmoor. Factory ballistics of the 6.5×55 are relatively modest in deference to the many older military surplus rifles still in use. The selection of rifles chambered to 6.5×55 is rather limited. Remington, Ruger and Winchester make a run of 6.5×55 rifles once in a while but they seem to end up as cult classics.
In my T3 I load the Hornady 143-grain ELD-X bullet with its impressive G1 ballistic coefficient of 0.625 (G7 BC is 0.315) to 2,700 fps muzzle velocity with Alliant RL-22 powder. The long action and magazine let me load to an overall length of 3.25″. In the strong T3 action with Lapua brass, higher velocity could be achieved but frankly, I see no point. I like the light recoil and moderate report, and the slick Hornady bullet provides all the downrange performance I need. And on that note, I’m going to make myself a baloney and cheese sandwich. Yum!
