NOE-269-145 6.5x55 Sweedish Mauser (long rifle)

[sixpointfive]

I have gathered all the necesary items to finally load for this fine sweed. All I was short was the bullet mold but one of the fine gentlemen on this forum sent me some bullets to try. I am hoping to buy my own mold at some point in the future when available from NOE.

Anyway I am looking for an accurate load around 1800 fps using 2400 powder with the NOE and the 266469 bullets. I see the data in my Lyman manual but I am just asking what people are seeing in their rifles.

Thanks,

Matt

[Dutchman]

Guess you've missed all the information on twist rate in the Swedes. You'd be much better off and you'll sleep better if you keep to 1,500 fps maximum. Using 266469 .266" I got 1,500 fps with 10.5 grs Unique. You might also try 13 grs 2400. The twist rate is 1:200mm and much faster than other period military rifles (about 1:7.8 inches).

Free piece of advise.. Don't try and re-hash all the discussion about shooting Swedes faster than 1,500 fps. If you take the time and read the archives you'll learn it is a very contentious subject that will give you heartburn. Most everybody else will avoid the subject because they're tired of the issue. Find happiness @ 1,500 fps. Trust me on this.

In looking at some earlier posts I see I already gave you this 1,500 fps advise and you're either ignoring it or denying it.

Dutch

[45 2.1]

Anyway I am looking for an accurate load around 1800 fps using 2400 powder with the NOE and the 266469 bullets. I see the data in my Lyman manual but I am just asking what people are seeing in their rifles. Thanks, Matt

You'll find 2400 does well at close to the maximum charge for the boolit. With what your looking at that would mean about 1800 fps or so. Small headed cases, undersize boolits and sloppy necks will kill accuracy with the Swede.... guaranteed. That's why nobody but a few says they get accuracy above 1500 fps. Do you homework and fit the cartridge to the chamber and good things happen. The current Lyman Handbook lists loads into the 2100 fps range.... do you really think they would give out loads that don't work? Of course, this is a very contentious subject on this forum.... find out for yourself or just do what everybody else does.

[sixpointfive]

I am happy with 1500 FPS, just shooting metal plates at 50 and 100 yards. I will give it a whirl thanks. I just never ran a gas checked rifle round that slow. I cast and load for a few like 8mm mauser, 30-30, 7.62x54 and 30-06 all around the 1850-1950 range with great accuracy.

[sixpointfive]

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

[zomby woof]

17.0 4198 with a tuff of dacron works nice.

[Larry Gibson]

Dutchman is correct. With that long nosed bore rider you will have much better accuracy and more sleep sticking to around 1500 fps with 2400 in the 6.5 Swede. With a Loverin style bullet and slower powders you can push to 1800 fps and bit farther....if you get anal and do everything right. Up to you what you want to do. A lot of fun can be had with your bullet at 1500 fps anyways.

Larry Gibson

[sixpointfive]

I am measuring 3.022 to the lands so plan to run OAL.3015. Do you guy run t the lands or a few thousanths back?

[Larry Gibson]

I am measuring 3.022 to the lands so plan to run OAL.3015. Do you guy run t the lands or a few thousanths back?

Ideally you want the front driving band just off the leade or just kissing it. As you can see the throat on 6.5 Swedes is quite long. Thus the bore riding nose of your bullet is bore diameter and is unsupported in the throat.....there be the problem with such bullets as they can easily bend or obturate unevenly in the throat. A 129/130 gr Loverin design will fit most milsurp 6.5 Swede's perfectly. They fit the throat diameter and with the front driving band kissing the leade the GC remains in the case neck at the base. Thats why they can be pushed a little faster and hold accuracy.

Larry Gibson

[sixpointfive]

Just noticed, can't crimp with Lee bullet seat die. It tries to swage bullet instead.

[Larry Gibson]

Just noticed, can't crimp with Lee bullet seat die. It tries to swage bullet instead.

Welcome to the frustrating world of loading cast in the 6.5 Swede...........

Larry Gibson

[462]

In my experience, cast boolit reloading dies require a mix-and-match approach. When it comes to seating dies, Lee's are the least cast boolit friendly, while Lyman dies are the most friendly. However, if you find it necessary to crimp rifle boolits, Lee's collet crimp die is the best.

[sixpointfive]

One must crimp cast bullets a bit to get put the bell you put in it when expanding case mouth

[462]

Other than for the Winchester Model 94's tube magazine, for which I use a Lee rifle collet crimp die, I don't crimp any rifle boolit. I use Lyman M-dies, to expand the case neck and mouth, so there isn't any flare or bell that needs to be ironed out. Now, I have a Lee universal flaring die, that is being used temporarily for one cartridge, and that's another matter if one is not careful.

[sixpointfive]

I do not really crimp cast bullet rifle cases/ I just taper the case mouth for easy chambering.

[Nrut]

Get yourself a custom expander from Buckshot or (?) the same size as the boolit you are seating..
Then you won't need to crimp..
If the expander is to large, and it shouldn't be as as there will be some spring back in the case neck, then chuck up the expander in a drill and polish it down a bit..

[Larry Gibson]

The only time I crimp 6.5 Swede bullets is when I use the loading technique profferred by 45 2.1 and *******. They deemed it necessary. All my regular 6.5 Swede cast loads are not crimped and I do not remove the case mouth bell/flare either.

Larry Gibson

[sixpointfive]

Fired 1.5" groups at 50 yards with 11.5 unique

[sixpointfive]

1555 fps

[dromia]

Be happy and content.

[sixpointfive]

I am happy and content. I need to move out to 100 yards and see how it does.

[sixpointfive]

I cannot get the bullet to feed reliably from magazine to chamber

[DanM]

Just noticed, can't crimp with Lee bullet seat die. It tries to swage bullet instead.

Yep, most Lee seating dies for bottleneck carts won't crimp even enough to close up the case mouth bell. Maybe they want sell more of their fine factory crimp dies. This is fixable. Just grind off a little length from the bottom of the die and re chamfer. I find that grinding off the original chamfer to a square edge and then re chamfering is usually enough to allow the case mouth to get up to the crimp area of the die which is still there, but unreachable because of the extra length of the seater die body. I am not advocating the crimp. I usually don't crimp, but it saves time if you want to close up the bell in one step with the seating die. This is not the fine machine work that our members are used to, I just use a bench mounted belt sander to shorten the die and chamfer the outer edge. The inner edge I chamfer with a stone point in a drill. Works fine. Most of my lee bottleneck seating dies have received this treatment.

BTW-I found that 120gr boolits were MUCH easier to shoot well in my swede than 140s.