Just bought 1896 sweedish mauser

[sixpointfive]

Always wanted one so finally got one yesterday. The rifle was covered in cosmoline. Once I got it cleaned up I found a bright shiny bore and beautiful rifle.

What I am wondering is what is the best cast bullet to run in this rifle? Also I am going to need the folowing:

6.5x55 dies
6.5 gas checks
bullet mold
cases
bullet sizer

[Old Iron Sights]

Check out the group buy section. There's a GB currently winding down. Due to the profile, there aren't many mold choices in this caliber.

[shredder]

I LOVE the Swedish Mausers. So beautifullily made and such good shooters. FWIW, my best load has always been the Hornady 140 over 44 grains of IMR 4350. Mine never shot cast worth a hoot, 1900 vintage with a well worn bore, but really piles up the jacketed in the bullseye. Most of all have fun shooting an old classic.

[Trailblaster]

Always wanted one so finally got one yesterday. The rifle was covered in cosmoline. Once I got it cleaned up I found a bright shiny bore and beautiful rifle.

What I am wondering is what is the best cast bullet to run in this rifle? Also I am going to need the folowing:

6.5x55 dies
6.5 gas checks
bullet mold
cases
bullet sizerYou did good ,Swedes are excellent rifles.Mine shoots 140 Sierrra HPBT over 36.7 grains of IMR 4895 real well.Good shooting...

[ukrifleman]

70638I use the 6.5 Swede, 170gn mould from Mid-south Shooters Supply (made by Lee) in my M91 Carcano with good results.
As you can see, I had 1 mould cut down to throw 150gn bullets.
ukrifleman.

[Smoke4320]

congrads on the Swedish mauser .. I have one that is a tack driver with Nosler 120 BT's Still trying to get a 6.5 mold ... and lee push thru sizer

[PS Paul]

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/ByFireArm/Accurate%20loading%20of%20cast%20bullets%20for%20t he%206.5%20Swede.pdf

Take a look at this article by Larry Gibson. Although I was NOT in a position to do all the "intensive case prepwork" Larry speaks to, I DID take his suggestion on the Lyman 266455 mold. It is light at 130 gr., but I've enjoyed it so far. still haven't yet worked up that "magical load" yet, but that's part of the fun, eh?

You'll love this rifle, despite some of the "controversy" surrounding this caliber and rifle in years past on the forum.....

There is also a really good article entitled "Hunting With Cast" by Waksupi on the same Catpics site. You might just take a peek at that too? Waksupi speaks to the 6.5 as what he considers the "minimum" in a deer-hunting rifle for cast boolits. Super-informative, the Castpics site associated with Castboolits is a terrific source of info I've used a lot.
PSP

[snaketail]

120gr for distance out to 200 yards, 160gr for longer shots. Made my 96 into a silhouette rifle and it was impressive. Great caliber for nearly everything.

[Hang Fire]

70638I use the 6.5 Swede, 170gn mould from Mid-south Shooters Supply (made by Lee) in my M91 Carcano with good results.
As you can see, I had 1 mould cut down to throw 150gn bullets.
ukrifleman.

Do you have the specks as how much was milled off to obtain the 150 grainer?

[PS Paul]

That 150 gr. looks to be just about the thing, eh? Very interesting.....

[rjathon]

Veral Smith at LBT made me a mold that throws a .268" bullet that weighs 143 gr cast with WW. It shoots sub MOA with 16 or 20 gr 5744.

[helice]

The Swedes are really great guns. They are so effective on game and so light on the shoulder. I mounted an old model JP muzzle brake on my first Swede. It was pretty cobbled together with no matching numbers and a sawed off stock. With the brake it was mild like a .223 and it shot better than I could hold it. The kids liked to shot it cause it was really mild in recoil in spite of the steel butt plate. My brother has it for his grandkids to shoot.

[Dutchman]

Also I am going to need the folowing:

6.5x55 dies
6.5 gas checks
bullet mold
cases
bullet sizer

Add: Lyman M die .26
Lee factory crimp die
Highly recommend White Label BAC lube (beeswax-allox-carnuba) http://www.lsstuff.com/lube/

Norma and Lapua brass are the best and are dimensionally correct. All other brass is of a lessor diameter in the head of the case. Don't handicap yourself by using sub-par cases. Pay the price and buy Norma.

http://www.samcoglobal.com/Ammo-swedish.html Samco currently has Swedish military Lös patron m/14: 6.5x55 Swedish Ball with Wooden Bullet Swedish Mfg. NC/BE. Packed 20 rounds per box, 200 rounds per pack, 800 rounds per case. Wt. #28 Lbs. per case. That's $39.20 + shipping. I've heard they'll ship 2 cases per shipping charge. 1,600 primed cases and pull down powder. Such a deal!

4.9 cents each. The two cast bullet loads below are loaded with this primed brass. Swedish military once-fired (they are NOT reject cases). Powder is a fast pistol powder slightly faster than Unique. I've used lots of it. You can reload Berdan primed cases and these cases are superior quality. I no longer through these empties away.



What I am wondering is what is the best cast bullet to run in this rifle?

left is 266673 153.9 grs @ .266"===== right is 266469 140 gr @ .266". Despite what you will hear about bullet sizing in the Swedish Mauser these two bullets both shoot MOA for me. I would preface that recommendation to restrict their use to rifles with new or like-new barrels and content yourself with 1,500 fps. Unique 10.5 grs and 266469 will yield 1,500 fps average velocity. With 266673 I used 13.5 grs 2400. That's my favorite boolit and favorite powder in 6.5x55 so far.

http://images61.fotki.com/v52/photos/2/28344/1676633/DSCF2107cb-vi.jpg

Ammo testing platform eliminates a huge amount of shooter error. Carl Gustaf m/38 mfg 1915. Tasco 6-18x44 scope. I've owned this rifle since 1969. The bolt handle was forged when I bought it for $65 and since I owned a bunch of other Swedes I succumbed to mounting a scope on it.

http://images54.fotki.com/v1616/photos/4/28344/8945429/DSCF1959p-vi.jpg

My favorite m/96 Carl Gustaf 1905. Scope is NcStar 2-7x32 for handgun. Barrel is like-new. No brass disc in the stock instead it has a piece of paper cover in plastic with the name Eskil Anderson.

http://images14.fotki.com/v218/photos/2/28344/6806565/DSCF1784k-vi.jpg

m/96 rifles with Swedish diopter sights like this Elite target sight can shoot with scoped rifles and in some cases with some shooters can exceed the score of a scoped rifle.

http://images20.fotki.com/v386/photos/2/28344/1676633/DSCF3289x-vi.jpg

It seemed like a good idea at the time :).

http://images57.fotki.com/v512/photos/2/28344/1676633/DSCF3267x-vi.jpg

[Dutchman]

Swedish Mauser military art prints courtesy of yers truly..

http://www.imagekind.com/x-Swedish_art?IMID=9fc6abeb-fe5f-4350-ab9d-4c60fc2fd2b1

http://www.imagekind.com/m-Swedish-Mauser_art?IMID=6570c339-f2a3-493a-8728-4063d60e8819

Stockmakers - Carl Gustaf Gevärsfaktori circa 1900

http://www.imagekind.com/Stockmakers--Carl-Gustaf-Gevrsfaktori-circa-_art?IMID=a7a84b26-83c7-483e-8ebb-da643af6a1c0

http://www.imagekind.com/Swedish-Musketry-School--_art?IMID=d5f62a1a-34b1-4f40-9ff9-e94d3e8649d0

Here's one you won't find anywhere else...

http://www.imagekind.com/FSR-_art?IMID=7d66d81b-b46a-43cc-ad21-a7eb0f49135c


This is what the wooden tip blanks looks like. The muzzle threading program began in 1955. It was instituted because young Swedish recruits had fun shooting each other with these. And they hurt! This anecdote comes from a former sergeant in the Swedish army.

http://images20.fotki.com/v355/photos/4/28344/9597910/008x-vi.jpg

These are m/12 Kammerpatron, so called "gallery cartrige". Same powder, same case. I don't think these are available in the U.S. anymore. Century Arms sold them for $60 each with free shipping. 1,400 rds. Sitting across the case is another one of my m/96 in this case from Mauser Oberndorf 1900.

http://images20.fotki.com/v113/photos/4/28344/9597910/photo-vi.jpg

http://images15.fotki.com/v1624/photos/4/28344/9895637/DSCF6669cm-vi.jpg

I think this is the only military surplus 6.5x55 you'll find in the U.S. anymore. The cartridge designation is m/94. The projectile designation is m/41. This is standard sniper ammo and can be MOA in a good rifle, 139 gr boattail.

http://images108.fotki.com/v1629/photos/4/28344/9597910/DSCF4032s-vi.jpg

The older cartrige is this with the m/94 projectile, 156 gr round nose. The Hornady 160 gr round nose jacketed is the only bullet available nowadays that mimics this older bullet. The Hornady 160 gr is my favorite for a jacketed bullet.

http://images60.fotki.com/v778/photos/4/28344/9597910/DSCF4033s-vi.jpg

[jonp]

Soooo jealous. 6.5 x 55 is my favorite caliber. I had a real nice Karl Gustaf carbine once with a Monte Carlo Stock. I think it was stamped 1917 with a crown over the name and the year under the name. Bought it a gunstore in Northern New England for $100 because I think no-one up there was interested in that caliber. It was stolen several years later but what a nice gun.

[Dutchman]

I call him: Swedeguy. This guy is Landstormen. These were over age 30 soldiers who were moved into Landstormen units. Each unit was assigned to a regular military regiment and drew their supplies from that regiment. Some brass discs will have an L and that means the rifle came out of a Landstormen unit.

http://images52.fotki.com/v304/photos/2/28344/1676633/Swedeguy2-vi.jpg

Highly secret KGB robo-chuck. These mechanical woodchucks were used to infiltrate American heartland to spy on those members of the Yankee gun culture. They didn't fool me.

http://images60.fotki.com/v370/photos/2/28344/1676633/scan0025x-vi.jpg

[wcp4570]

Dutchman
The price for wooden tip blanks look tempting to recover the brass from. I would like to ask a couple of questions if I my. How do you pull the wooden bullet, with a collet type or kinetic type puller? I have never worked with berdan primed brass before so how do you quickly and effectively deprime the brass? I've seen a YouTube where a guy used water to use hydraulics to eject spent primers. Thanks

wcp

[Dutchman]

Dutchman
The price for wooden tip blanks look tempting to recover the brass from. I would like to ask a couple of questions if I my. How do you pull the wooden bullet, with a collet type or kinetic type puller? I have never worked with berdan primed brass before so how do you quickly and effectively deprime the brass? I've seen a YouTube where a guy used water to use hydraulics to eject spent primers. Thanks

wcp

Run it up into an open die station, grip with pliers, lower ram. Walla..

There is an RCBS Berdan decapper that pries the primer out. But if done correctly the hydraulic method works best for me.

Dutch

[Bucking the Tiger]

Well Fellas, this thread is one of the most entertaining and interesting ones I have seen on here!
I saw the headline, and owning a nice 1896 Mauser 6.5X55, came to look. The photos and information are great. I learned a few things.
I really want to get a mould for my rifle: I picked it out of a stack of Swedish Mausers based on the brass stock disk.It will shoot 1" or less, with Sierra 142 grain Matchkings( off the bench) but casting would make for a lot more shooting.
This caliber is so fun I am tempted to get a CZ 550 Mannlicher in 6.5x55.

[Blammer]

I have 6.5 GC's. :)

[sixpointfive]

Do you guys run these bullets water quenched WW's or towl dry?

[kendwell]

I've got a 38, husky, threaded muzzle... The Swiss Products K-31 Muzzle Break happens to be the same thread... This break also has reputation as a bbl de-resonator, improving accuracy, but likely some function loss because of smaller diameter. Looks cool, tho, and protects the threads.

[shredder]

Great thread. Those photos of the various ammo and little ancedotes are priceless. The only way to get information like that is here so thank you for sharing!