Which 6.5?

[1187Shooter]

The Model 7 is a great rifle, for sure... there are a couple on GB right now,in .260, one has a nice, classic Mannlicher stock.
I think though, that I'm going to rule out the .260, if only for the better selection of factory ammo and good brass for the other two 6.5's.
That will help with rifle selection quite a bit.

[tygar]

What difference does that make? Your reloading right, so factory ammo is a non factor for whatever cal you get.

Brass selection is, by far, better for the 260 using 308 based cases. Necking up 243 is a non factor as it is one easy pass thru the die.

[Texas by God]

Too bad the 6.5X57 Mauser never got popular in the USA. That would be the one. Best, Thomas.

[1187Shooter]

All things being equal, it really wouldn't make much difference, but in the event I would get behind in reloading or sizing etc. I have more options if I want to grab the gun and go kill something, or take the family to the range etc.
Besides, at this point, one of them has to go, and as even as the playing field is, the availability and variety of factory ammo is a pretty good criteria.

[Texas by God]

I'm with tygar on the .260 brass being easiest to obtain. You could just shoot .243 ammo through it to form brass. But it seems you've dropped it- so I say Swede. The Creedmore will only be the IT cartridge for a time- then fade. 6.5X55 has been with us for 122years for a reason. Good luck!

[bruce drake]

The Creedmoor cartridge is effective due to new powders mostly. I don't think it offers anything over the Swede with the 140-160gr bullet weights but I personally think it performs best with 100gr and 120gr bullets that the older Swede Mausers aren't setup to shoot as well with their tight rifling pitch. The 260Rem is the compromise cartridge between the two mentioned earlier. It handles the 120-140gr bullets best but can shoot a 160gr if you need to.
The only drawback I see on the 6.5x55 is the wider cartridge base (.480" vice .473") which makes finding quality brass a matter of committing to purchasing Norma, Lapua or Prvi as the American companies don't make the brass properly in my opinion which leads to lessened case life due to case stretching.

[HollowPoint]

According to my load manuals all three of the 6.5 cartridges have basically the same ballistics values for given bullet weights. Depending on barrel length, none of the above mentioned 6.5 chamberings really excels over the other. Heck, in some loading instances they all can come close to the ballistics of the 6.5x284 Norma.

Bruce Drake mentioned the difference in the specs of the case dimensions. I have found this to be true. I am now the proud owner of two 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser chambered rifles and once I've fired new brass out of either gun, that brass is no longer interchangeable; even after full length resizing. I shoot Norma brass out of the more modern Tikka 6.5x55 and Privi brass out of the K31. It's not really a problem for me; it's just something you have to keep in mind if you decide on this chambering.

I have become enamored with the 6.5x55 Swede. It's a very light recoiling round, brass is still easy to get, pressures are low, and it's a very accurate round.

HollowPoint

[Yodogsandman]

The Creedmoor cartridge is effective due to new powders mostly. I don't think it offers anything over the Swede with the 140-160gr bullet weights but I personally think it performs best with 100gr and 120gr bullets that the older Swede Mausers aren't setup to shoot as well with their tight rifling pitch. The 260Rem is the compromise cartridge between the two mentioned earlier. It handles the 120-140gr bullets best but can shoot a 160gr if you need to.
The only drawback I see on the 6.5x55 is the wider cartridge base (.480" vice .473") which makes finding quality brass a matter of committing to purchasing Norma, Lapua or Prvi as the American companies don't make the brass properly in my opinion which leads to lessened case life due to case stretching.

I disagree with these statements. Nothing against the 260 Rem, though. It's a great cartridge.

I have two 6.5 Swedes, a model 38 and a model 96. Both rifles shoot 95 or 100 gr bullets in tight little groups, along with the 140 grainers, too. I never did try 120 gr or 160 gr bullets, no need to.

I've never used Norma, Lapua or Prvi, just American made brass. Never had a hitch. The only 6.5x55 cases that I've discarded had 21 full power loadings on them.

[tygar]

Just to see, I just checked Midway & there are 20 different 260 loadings offered from 100-142.

No shortage there.

Creedmoor had 13 from 120-142

The 6.5-55 had 23 from 100-140

Ammo supply does not seem to be an issue. I never check as I almost always reload.

The x55 tops out under 2700, the Creedmoor just over 2700 & the 260 2750.

The 6.5-284 & 6.5-06 are substantially more powerful than any of the 3. They are both 3k calibers.

I need to be careful, I might talk myself into the 260 instead of the Creedmoor. Not really as I have both the 06 & 284, so will want the Creedmoor due to its big edge in accuracy.

FWIW. I don't see the Swede comparing.

[1187Shooter]

Just to be ornery I did the same search at Midway; your numbers are indeed correct. However, scrolling through the offerings reveals further details...


6.5 Creedmoor (13) one of which is Temporarily Unavailable
260 Remington (20) 7 Out of Stock-No Backorder, 1 Temporarily Unavailable
6.5x55 Swedish Mauser (24) 1 Temporarily Unavailable, 1 Unavailable-Limited Production, 4 Out of Stock-No Back Order, 4 Special Order


So actually the edge goes to the Swede for in stock, on the shelf options, by two over both the .260 and Creedmoor, and it seems those two are once again tied...
That's only one retailer, though. The story could be quite different elsewhere.


Regardless, I think I am going to look hard at the Creedmoor, if only because of the short action and that big edge in accuracy you just mentioned... that alone is a big seller.
Not to say if a nice Swede jumped out in front of me, looking for a home at a great price, I wouldn't take pity on it and take it in... I may pick one up anyways down the road.
For now I'll start looking at my rifle options, then optics.

[bruce drake]

I disagree with these statements. Nothing against the 260 Rem, though. It's a great cartridge.

I have two 6.5 Swedes, a model 38 and a model 96. Both rifles shoot 95 or 100 gr bullets in tight little groups, along with the 140 grainers, too. I never did try 120 gr or 160 gr bullets, no need to.

I've never used Norma, Lapua or Prvi, just American made brass. Never had a hitch. The only 6.5x55 cases that I've discarded had 21 full power loadings on them.

Have you fired those short light bullets past 100 yards? at 300, I'll shoot the heavier bullets in my 6.5 Swede versus the lighter pills. I keep those 100gr and less weight bullets for my 6.5 Grendel which they perform excellently.

Hornady Brass is my personal not-like in American 6.5x55. Same load in Prvi and Norma no issues at all. same load - visible case expansion about the cartridge web at the base of the brass. Winchester buys Prvi brass for their Metric loads so I consider the brass European. I've not fired Remington 6.5x55 loads as my local gunshops don't carry the Rem line in that caliberand I refuse to pay nearly $40 a box at Gander Mountain for the 140gr Core-lokt load they carry.

[Scorpion8]

Too bad the 6.5X57 Mauser never got popular in the USA. That would be the one. Best, Thomas.

PPU makes and imports 6.5x57 ammo into the US but you'd probably have to special order some. My LGS has it, but no in full-season supply quantities. Another easy handload task from plentiful 7x57 brass.

[Yodogsandman]

Have you fired those short light bullets past 100 yards? at 300, I'll shoot the heavier bullets in my 6.5 Swede versus the lighter pills. I keep those 100gr and less weight bullets for my 6.5 Grendel which they perform excellently.

My club only has a 100 yard range. The only 300 yard shot I've taken was on a flat out running coyote, saw the snow blow up at it's front feet just before it jumped over the stone wall at the edge of the field.

[HollowPoint]

Just to see, I just checked Midway & there are 20 different 260 loadings offered from 100-142.

No shortage there.

Creedmoor had 13 from 120-142

The 6.5-55 had 23 from 100-140

Ammo supply does not seem to be an issue. I never check as I almost always reload.

The x55 tops out under 2700, the Creedmoor just over 2700 & the 260 2750.

The 6.5-284 & 6.5-06 are substantially more powerful than any of the 3. They are both 3k calibers.

I need to be careful, I might talk myself into the 260 instead of the Creedmoor. Not really as I have both the 06 & 284, so will want the Creedmoor due to its big edge in accuracy.

FWIW. I don't see the Swede comparing.

Most loading manuals list these calibers with 24" barrel or less; with the exception of the 284. The 6.5x284 is generally listed with a 26" or longer barrel. This difference can translate into the higher velocities that make the other 6.5 cartridges seem more anemic. Depending on the load and barrel length, the differences are really not that great. If you're hunting with any of the above, any prey that gets tagged with one certainly won't know the difference. On top of all of that is the fact that many of the loaded round listed by midway and others are powered down for safety reasons. In the case of the 6.5 Swede, there are loads for the older WWII era rifles and there are loads for the more modern guns.

All of this is really not that important. I'm more than sure that which ever one you chose, it will be a good rifle. If it's not, then that give us an excuse to buy yet another one in a different chambering.

HollowPoint

[lmcollins]

I will hit one no one has mentioned. Make a 98 up into a 260, and have the throat extended to hold something like 140 Partition loaded to the base of the neck.

The 260 has almost the case room of a Swede, and the brass is always available. You should be able to shoot anything from 120 to 140's easily. Very good brass is always available from the best makers.

[CPL Lou]

I own 2 - 260 Remingtons, a Savage Lightweight Hunter and a Savage Long Range Hunter.
Both are incredibly accurate, though the lightweight needs a few minutes to cool after a couple of shots to keep groups tight.
Both have 1 in 8" twists and stabilize anything the Swede will.
Using IMR 4350 powder seems to give me the most accurate and consistent groups with all bullet weights.
My only complaint is finding brass at a reasonable price, so I'm looking into forming brass from 308 or 7mm-08 brass.
Also, Remington factory ammo is total garbage in this caliber ! Best group with that junk from my rifles is +/- 3'' at 100 yards !
Nosler ammo is very accurate, but a bit pricey.

CPL Lou

[Texas by God]

In like rifles- I seriously doubt there is an accuracy advantage to any of the three. But if all are loaded to the same pressure the Swede should win the velocity/energy race based on capacity. I would be happy with any of them. Keep us posted.

[1187Shooter]

Looks like it's going to be the Ruger American Predator. When it's all said and done the RAP seems to be the best value.
Just remembered I have the old Simmons 6.5-20x44 off my 30-06 in my closet. It isn't fancy, just a simple duplex reticle hunting scope... but it has good, clear glass and it holds zero like it should. I'll probably pick up a nice set of rings and maybe a Boyds stock since I'm saving money on the optic.

[tygar]

Doesn't that have a 20" brl? You need something with 24-26 to fully realize the potential of those cals.

[1187Shooter]

It's listed as a 22".