Casting for 6.5x55 Swede. Best mold?

[mkj4him]

I’m thinking a typical 140 ish grain bullet. Gas checked of course. Looking to powder coat and shoot higher velocity. Please share suggestions and your results if already ventured down this road.

Thanks.

[Wisest.fool]

I'm also interested. I have pushed 30 caliber to 3100fps with no leading, but I've not had good luck with smaller 22 caliber. with the smaller caliber I still had no leading, but lost accuracy at 2500fps. 6.5 being middle of the road there I would be curious what others have tested/observed.

[wwmartin]

I have the Lyman #266673 mold (150grn listed) and have some cast, sized, and lubed. I haven't emptied enough factory loads emptied get a good start with reloading them in cast. Sometime ago (year's ago) there was an extensive post on cast in the 6.5. I thought it was here. Maybe someone remembers.

Bill

[mkj4him]

I'm also interested. I have pushed 30 caliber to 3100fps with no leading, but I've not had good luck with smaller 22 caliber. with the smaller caliber I still had no leading, but lost accuracy at 2500fps. 6.5 being middle of the road there I would be curious what others have tested/observed.DAAYUUM! what are you shooting that fast and what is your recipe? I have high hope to push standard 140 PC CB in the Swede to typical jacketed bullet velocity.

[Wisest.fool]

smokes powder and COWW with 2% tin from pewter(so some more copper and antimony) water quenched then sized/gas checked (Hornady) before pc and ice water quenched again then sized again.

300 win mag. 200gn lee 2r. it was a max load which should have yielded around 2850fps. however I have found that PC lead rounds when shot using jacketed data in rifles tend to fly around 7-10% faster. so 2850 turned into 3100. I advise caution as I was starting to see signs of pressure. It was near the top of a ladder test. What is even more impressive was that it was accurate. 3200 fps started leading.

side note- the lee 230 5r drives me nuts because if I use jacketed load data for subsonic the 7-10% faster lead PC rounds makes them supersonic. but in my AR if I load them down to subsonic with PC lead bullets from the load data then the bolt doesn't quite make it far enough back to catch the next round.

[mkj4him]

That’s broken it and not leading too!
I hope to see similar results In my various rifles. Especially out of my 280 Remington. The 280 Remington it’s only 100 to 200 ft./s less than a 7 mm Magnum. I’m starting to wonder if the powder coated bullets might help break that threshold for the 280.?

[mkj4him]

Still hoping someone would chime in here with a mould suggestion for the 6.5 mm Swede

[ukrifleman]

286793

I get good results with the RCBS 140gn silhouette bullet in my M96 Swede.

I have tried the Lee cruise missile both in 170gn and cut down to 150gn, but neither comes close to the RCBS.

ukrifleman.

[JMax]

I used the NOE Hunter in my Norwegian Krag with great success until a fellow had to have it and piled cash infant of me, now it has a new home.

[Eddie1971]

I have this one for my 1899 Oberndorf M96 that has a great bore. I can size mine down to .266, after powder coating and gas checking. Shoots great and like jacketed trajectory with 31 grains of IMR 4895 or 4064.

https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/264-6-5mm/268-140-fn-bm3/268-140-fn-bm3-4-cavity-gc-brass/

[mkj4him]

Saw that one. Too bad they are sold out. Seems like everything is sold out.

[Maven]

This one works well if it fits your bbl. and if the bbl. is in VG condition: https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/264-6-5mm/268-134-fn-al4/ I used to load it with 9 - 10 gr. of Unique or 13 - 15gr. IMR 4198 to get outstanding accuracy from my "as issued" M 96 @ 50 yd. At 100 yd., 2 m.o.a. was certainly possible, but my eyes were better then.

[mkj4him]

This one works well if it fits your bbl. and if the bbl. is in VG condition: https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/264-6-5mm/268-134-fn-al4/ I used to load it with 9 - 10 gr. of Unique or 13 - 15gr. IMR 4198 to get outstanding accuracy from my "as issued" M 96 @ 50 yd. At 100 yd., 2 m.o.a. was certainly possible, but my eyes were better then.

I guess I don’t understand how to use these bullets with lube grooves all the way up the shank. How deep do you seat them and are you lubing the entire bullet?

[mkj4him]

286793

I get good results with the RCBS 140gn silhouette bullet in my M96 Swede.

I have tried the Lee cruise missile both in 170gn and cut down to 150gn, but neither comes close to the RCBS.

ukrifleman.

Everyone is out of everything. I was able to place the RCBS bullet on back order with Brownells but that’s about it. No telling when they will get them in.

[Maven]

How deep you seat the Loverin type that I referred to or the bore rider that ukrifleman mentioned depends on your rifle's throat. In either instance, you want the bands or nose, respectively, to be lightly engraved by the rifling, but not so much as to pull the bullet (and make a mess!) if you decide to eject the unfired round. Also, I usually filled all the lube grooves on the Loverin type, but would certainly consider wiping the bore riding nose with [a finger covered with] liquid alox or your favorite lube.

[rtyler8140]

I haven't done any loading for the 6.5x55, but have loaded for 6.5x50 and 6.5x52 using the Lee cruise missile, noe 268-134-fn, and Lyman 266469. The noe and Lyman both shoot well for me over Unique and 2400. The cruise missile was acceptable in the 6.5x50 but not the 6.5x52. Alloy is coww, water dropped. Boolits are gas checked, powder coated and sized to .269.

[magdump]

Start by reading everythin Larry Gibson has done with the 6.5 swede. Here is a sample
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?388899-6-5x55-cast-boolit-loading&highlight=larry+gibson+swede