Which mold for a swede 6.5X55

[UweJ]

Hi folks

I just bought a swede 6.5X55 (Mauser) and am looking for a mold to shoot at 100 and 300 meters. I´d appreciate any information. So far I was just shooting and smelting for handguns and am just getting started with riflesn
Thanks in advance
Uwe

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi, The standard bullet weight for the 6.5 is 140 grains. I wound up buying the RCBS version which had just (then) been classified as a special order number. It was pricey then (a decade ago) and now the price has gone way thru the roof. If you can afford it, its a well made mold and worth it, but there are other versions of 6.5 around, starting with Lyman who makes 2....the 266469 @140 grain and the 266673 @ 150 grain. The 469 is a Loverin design and has been around for a long time. Saeco also makes a 6.5, but it has only one grease groove and I don't know if that design would provide enough lube, particularly for the 300 meter range. Saeco quality is also good. You can find it listed in the Midway catalogue. I haven't cast or shot any of these, but many users have reported good results from the 469. In developing a load for my 6.5 with the RCBS mold and using a good lube in all of the rings,, I have found that bullets need to be at least medium BHN hardness...WW and maybe a bit more (with some tin added) if possible and driven at moderate velocities...1400-1700 fps. Running them hotter/faster risks and often results in bullet deformation and yawing/wild shooting. The 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser is a cartridge capable of fine accuracy, but with cast bullets it requires some close adjustment/fine tuning in order to get it. Not hard to do, but some patience is required. Best of lucjk and good shooting. LLS

[44mag1]

Ive had great success with the lyman 266469 in my 6.5 with 13.5 grains of alliant steel. Ive had trouble pushing this bullet fast so I stay with the loads that give the best accuracy and dont try to hot rod it.

[mtgrs737]

I have two Swedes and both have oversized bores so you should start by sluging your barrel to find out the groove diameter. Mine go a bit over sized at .266" - .267". I have a Lee 170 gr. oversized mould I got from Midsouth Shooters supply that casts an oversized bullet and a six Cavity Lee mould that throws a 130 gr. bullet at .269" diameter that is working very well for me. I also sent Lee a new set of their collet dies to modifiy to size and seat the larger diameter bullets. Buckshot was kind enough to make me a bullet sizing die at .268" diameter and a top punch for my Lyman 450. I shot a 1.3" group with it at 100 yards on the first try with the 130 gr. bullets and 11 grs. of Unique. Good luck!

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/8B8B8013CDC151A/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/B55472729A707A9/standard.jpg

.............I don't know how much help I'm going to be since most ALL my work with the 6.5x55 has been done with moulds that are no longer available with the exception of one.

LEFT Photo

1) An old Lyman 122gr HP
2) A Lee group buy done 8-9 years ago. 140grs.
3) Another NLA Lyman 268645 @ 150grs
4) A Lee group buy initiated here at Cast Boolits, but now carried by Mid-South Shooters Supply as a special order. It weighs about 168 to 170grs.

RIGHT Photo

On the left is another Lee group buy I did about 3 years ago. About 130grs
On the right is the Special Order (#4) boolit. In the photo, both are seated to engrave.

Like most any other cast boolit design with few exceptions, if you fit the boolit to the barrel and experiment with your loads those Swedes can do some superb shooting. In the bottom right photo you'll notice that neither slug has all it's lube grooves filled. I never noticed so much with the shorter Loverin design but early users of the 170 grainer reported some lube issues. Some were only filling 2 of the 4 grooves.

I have no experinece with modern bore rider designs from RCBS or Saeco in the Swede. The 140gr design above had a nose fat enough to engrave really well, so isn't quite a real bore rider.

.................Buckshot

[grouch]

You need to know your bore diameter. If it is .266 or smaller, I like C.B.E's .266132, a nice tapered Loverin design with a .260 nose and rear bands .266+. It does well in my Swedish Mauser.

Grouch

[UweJ]

Thanks for the input folks , I´ll let you know how well I can do with my new Swede.
Again thanks
Uwe