BTSniper new 6.5mm match grade dies!

[BT Sniper]

Think I may have to test out some 47-47.3 grain loads with the new bullets in the Shilen barrel, see if I can find a load that will shoot well in both rifles so I don't have to load separate rounds for both.

Heck... by the time I find the perfect loads I'll be threw the 5lb jug of RL-22 powder and have to start all over again

BT

[BT Sniper]

Wind was calm all day today so I figured I would try the bullets out at 600yrds and try the 47-47.3 grain load with the Shilen today. Once I got everything loaded and up to the range the wind started to blow but I did manage to get some good shooting between the gusts.

You know, years ago I went to a gun show, walked up to a table and bought some primers and RL-22, the guy asks what I'm reloading for, I tell him 6.5x55 with 140 grain bullets. He says "ah yes, 47.5 grains" just rattled off the top of his head. I didn't think much of it at the time but wouldn't you know.... the 47.5 grain load has been my dad and I's standard hunting load for more then 20 years now in our old M94 Swedish Mousers.


So wouldn't it figure after all this time and all my experimenting here to find out that the most accurate load again was dang near that same 47.5 grain load!


Here is what I came up with at 100 yrds today with my 142 grain match bullet out of the 26" barreled Shilen 6.5x55. I'm still getting the one flier that ruins a great group, I'm starting to think it might be the load spitting out one odd ball like that? I'm hoping there is a magical load between that 47.0 and 47.3 load, that is the next and possibly last ting I will try before I simply load them all up and go shoot for fun and practice. I loaded some 140 grain Hornady SSTs for fouler shots. That is the group you see in the lower part of the target.




And I got a chance to stretch the legs of the 28" CBI barreled 6.5x55 with the 48.7 grain load and my bullets at 600 yrds. By this time of the evening the wind had picked up to 5-10mph so I was fairly pleased with a 7 7/8" nine shot group, that's 1.3MOA! and out of the 9 shots I had 5 fail to ignite, I got to fix the trigger, it's a problem I caused and will be able to easily fix. But I was able to chamber 4 of the rounds and touch them off on a second attempt, again it takes steady nerves to pull the trigger and hold any accuracy on a round your not sure is going to lite off. So in that regard I guess I was pretty pleased. I entered the drop data for the Nosler 140 grain custom comp bullet at my velocity of 3080fps to get a drop for 600yrds. Think it said 10.5MOA, I was shooting slightly up hill and dialed in 10.25MOA worth of elv. Looks like I could have dialed maybe another .75 moa of elv and been pretty close. The wind was blowing from left to right which explains the grouping right of target.







So far I'm very pleased with the results, more practice should tighten the groups up even more. Great part is shooting 142 grain .264 match grade bullets for 7 cents a piece instead of having to buy them for 40 cents each. Finally I feel like I am saving money in this shooting and swaging hobby.

Brian

[BT Sniper]

The 6.5mm match grade boat tail die set that shot the group pictured below is now available for purchase! The same bullets I have been shooting with great success in this entire thread!






Good shooting and swage on!

Brian

[Utah Shooter]

Wow. You are almost to the price of the best carbide die makers.

[BT Sniper]

It is a 7.5s ogive with a .062 meplat and 9 degree boat tail, just happens to be a near exact match to the Nosler Custom Competition 140 grain 6.5mm bullets.

Thanks Joe, I can always count on you for your positive and uplifting support.

Brian

[BT Sniper]

Got a new BTSniper 6.5mm bullet to have some fun with, a very close match this time to the SMK 142 grain bullet. This one has an 11s ogive, .062 meplat and a 9 degree boat tail.

Here is a look at it on the right next to my 7.5s ogive on the left. Obviously a sleeker bullet with better BC that should do well with long range accuracy.




Here is a look at the two 6.5mms next to my 130 grain 6mm vld bullet just for fun. All of them made with same jacket, reduced for the 6mm of course.

[BT Sniper]

Found a lot of pics to go with this thread, in time I'll be able to insert pics to go with exact post.....

[BT Sniper]

Revising a thread from a while ago....

Put the 6.5x55 28" CBI barrel back on the savage action and took it out with some of 141 grain 11s ogive boat tail bullets made from RCE jackets on Tuesday.

Load details was.... New Lapua brass, CCI BR2, RL-22 at charge of 46.5-48.5 grains.

I was actually making some 152 grain boat tail 6.5mm bullets from drawn down 5.7 brass and since I had the dies out and set up I grabbed some of the RCE jackets to make bullets from. Turns out that the core used to make a 152 grain 6.5mm bullet from 5.7 brass makes a 141 grain 6.5mm bullet with the RCE jacket. I bleed the cores and cleaned them, then proceeded to seat cores in jackets right out of the bag from RCE in my RCE Hydro press, then took the seated cores and jackets to the Lee Classic press to point form. I point formed in two steps, partially forming the nose in the first step then re-dispersing the lube on the bullet while also giving the bullet a 1/2 turn rotation (idea to even out any runout which there should be zero anyway). I find the point forms up better and more complete doing it this way in two steps.

With about 200-300 bullets made I loaded them straight from the swage die into the new Lapua brass, I only wiped teh lube from the bottom of the bullet so as not to contaminate the powder while careful to leave the lube on the remaining barring surface of the bullet. I have a theory that our swage lube may just reduce the copper fouling. I maybe able to prove this but will take a bit more testing. May improve accuracy too.....

Anyway.... loaded the rounds with a .010" jam into the lands. I have found many high BC bullets lately to shoot very well loaded on, or slightly jammed into the lands.

Conditions where very tricky on Tuesday with variable wind direction and wind speeds from 5-15mph.

The gun needed to be sighted in and after three shots at 50 yrds I was zeroed. I dialed up 4 moa and 1 moa into the wind and took aim at the steel target set up at 400 yrds with my 6.5x55, 141 grain pills loaded at 46.5 grains of RL-22. I was thrilled with a first round hit just below the bull and was in disbelief when the remaining 3 rounds only appeared to make the splash on steal bigger.

While conditions stayed the same I proceeded to fire the next two loads at the paper targets at 400. The 47.5 group was nothing spectacular but the 48.5 group was just as amazing as the 46.5 group apeared to be.

Both the 46.5 and 48.5 loads produced groups at and slightly under 1" at 400 yrds! I may have just found my F-Class gun, round and bullets! I had dreams of the 178 grain 6.5WSM but this 6.5x55 looks to have potential, burns less powder and easy to shoot!





46.5 grains on steel at 400 yrds, only had cell phone for pic and haven't figured out how to upload to computer yet but you can see the results.









48.5 grain results on paper at 400 yrds.


I was very pleased! Especially for the swirling winds I was dealing with.

46.5 grain load averaged 2898 fps.

47.5 was 2969 fps.

48.5 was 3037 fps.

I had loaded up additional rounds all the way up to 50.5 grains but not sure I'll need them


Now to stretch these 141s out there a bit further come the next time I get out to do some shooting!

Swage on!

BT

[hockeynick39]

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!! Love my 6.5x55 SE. Most people just can't get it in their heads that with modern actions and barrels, this OG round will get up and boogie!!! Good luck and stay safe!