AJC1
Member
The SE ammo is higher pressure for modern actions. Do you shoot the high pressure stuff in your sweed???
6.5 sweed ammo selection.
- Thread starter AJC1
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Gun-Reck
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Have been shooting PPU, and was reloading the brass with Speer 140 gr. at essentially .30-06 (M2) pressure.
Then Norma dumped their Professional line, and the SE loaded 140 gr. Partition showed up at rivertownmunitions.com on clearance, for less than component cost.
Then Norma dumped their Professional line, and the SE loaded 140 gr. Partition showed up at rivertownmunitions.com on clearance, for less than component cost.
Gun-Reck
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- May 16, 2023
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- 598
It was actually developed by the Norwegians, but adopted by both, in different service rifles.
So it is simply the 6.5x55mm to me.
db_tanker
Member
I built a 6.5 on an old long action savage I had collecting dust with a Shaw #4 contour barrel at full length (26")
First off...no recoil
Mostly handloading but I got a box of some Lapua ammo and I was reminded of how nice Lapua is.
I've been stuck in the house due to heat here in Texas but with the cooler months coming I'll be back out playing around with heavy loads since I know that savage action can take a bit more than an older small ring.
I do know I was disappointed when I shot some of the wood practice ammo...I was hoping for SOMETHING at 25 yards but nada.
First off...no recoil
Mostly handloading but I got a box of some Lapua ammo and I was reminded of how nice Lapua is.
I've been stuck in the house due to heat here in Texas but with the cooler months coming I'll be back out playing around with heavy loads since I know that savage action can take a bit more than an older small ring.
I do know I was disappointed when I shot some of the wood practice ammo...I was hoping for SOMETHING at 25 yards but nada.
OP
OP
AJC1
Member
For older than dirt cartridges 6.5x55 and 7 mouser are still quite good. Give them modern pressure limits and it would be game on...I built a 6.5 on an old long action savage I had collecting dust with a Shaw #4 contour barrel at full length (26")
First off...no recoil
Mostly handloading but I got a box of some Lapua ammo and I was reminded of how nice Lapua is.
I've been stuck in the house due to heat here in Texas but with the cooler months coming I'll be back out playing around with heavy loads since I know that savage action can take a bit more than an older small ring.
I do know I was disappointed when I shot some of the wood practice ammo...I was hoping for SOMETHING at 25 yards but nada.
marksman13
Member
I shoot mostly the Hornady Superformance 140 SSTs through my Ruger No. 1 and M77 MKII.
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Riomouse911
Member
Mine is a CZ 550 American in 6.5x55SE, so no worries about shooting the Euro high pressure stuff for me. I have several boxes of Sellier & Bellot and PPU ammo, along with some PMC, Winchester, etc.
But I usually just reload. I have used 140 gr PSP bullets from a couple of makers over a nice dose of RL-22. No needmor for a Creedmoor, this is one pleasant shooting and accurate set up!
Stay safe.
But I usually just reload. I have used 140 gr PSP bullets from a couple of makers over a nice dose of RL-22. No needmor for a Creedmoor, this is one pleasant shooting and accurate set up!
Stay safe.
OP
OP
AJC1
Member
That's one nice rifle.
Riomouse911
Member
Thanks. The prior owner took good care of it.
I got it, the Leupold scope and three and a half boxes of ammo for a SONG!
Apparently some local gun collector got in trouble for a domestic violence incident. As a condition of his plea, the Judge allowed him to consign his gun collection rather than order them all destroyed. He chose a LE-centric shop to sell his stuff, which was a nice collection of hunting guns and the like, but the customer base goes for the latest tactical stuff, striker guns, Staccatos, AR’s, etc. They had no idea what they were passing by on the way to their next purchase.
This gun literally sat for months and months at $750 before I stumbled in and saw it and a Redhawk .41 Magnum on the wall. I offered $425 for the rifle, which probably had 10 shots through it to sight the Leupold scope in. The manager called the guy, who took it (attorney bills stacking up I guess).
I came back ten days later to pick the rifle up and the Redhawk and a Win 70 featherweight 7x57 was still there. Since I had the 7x57 bracketed by this gun and my .270, I offered $350, which was half of the $700 tag, and he took that, too.
Every once in a while you are in the right place at the right time.
Stay safe.
Speedo66
Member
There was a joint Norwegian-Swedish commission that developed the cartridge, from what I read.
Also, keep in mind at the time both countries were ruled by the Swedish king.
The Krag-Jorgensen was the rifle the Norwegians chose. We probably would have been better off choosing that cartridge for our Krags also instead of the .30-40.
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The original military ammunition operated at 3000 atmospheres, which is about 43,300 psia. That pressure level is appropriate for the primitive steels in these WW1 era rifles, and there was little to no military necessity to bump up the pressures.
I am going to claim, that no matter what pressures you are running in your Swedish service rifle, you are not going to disable one of these:
There have been enough reports of blowups with old military actions, rechambered to later high pressure cartridges, that it does not make sense to soup up 6.5 Swede rounds in Swedish service rifles. What you risk is that the receiver seats will peen, because the load is excessive for the soft surface, and that will result in a kaboom.
I am sure this is what happened with with these military actions.
the Spanish "308" cartridge was a special low pressure cartridge made to be fired in these old, converted, small ring Mausers But did buyers know that? The operating pressure of a 308 Win cartridge is above the proof pressures of these small ring Mausers. Opps!
I am going to claim the steels used in the single heat treat and double heat treat M1903's is no better than the steels used for rail road spikes and cheap rebar.
Occasionally you will see something like this posted on the web
However, in a modern rifle, made of 4140 steels, don't worry about loads in the region of 50 K psia to 60 K psia. The action will handle those pressures. Cut your loads when you pop primers, pierce primers, expand primer pockets, and have sticky extraction.
When loading for this rifle, I started at ball equivalent loads and went up. They all shot great.
The ball equivalent load from a 1950's American Rifleman was 43 grs IMR 4350 with a 140 grain bullet.
I tried IMR 4831 and that shot very well.
the rifle loved Sierra Matchking bullets
Something else about Norma ammunition and Europe. Europeans have this long tradition of guilds and proof houses. Laws in Europe are also more restrictive than the US, but Biden is doing everything in his power to catch and surpass them! One of the differences is that before sales between individuals can be complete, the firearm in question must go through a proof house. The entire purpose for this is to weed out old, defective firearms. What is left tends to be modern weapons that can fire higher pressure ammunition, than what the old relics used. And if an old relic survives the proof test, it is considered good. Ammunition manufacturers such as Norma can then sell ammunition that uses the cartridge total potential.
But American's do not have a proof house system, and ammunition manufacturers run the risk of an individual using high pressure ammunition that is inappropriate for an old relic. So American ammunition tends to be toned down for the old service cartridges.
I am going to claim, that no matter what pressures you are running in your Swedish service rifle, you are not going to disable one of these:
There have been enough reports of blowups with old military actions, rechambered to later high pressure cartridges, that it does not make sense to soup up 6.5 Swede rounds in Swedish service rifles. What you risk is that the receiver seats will peen, because the load is excessive for the soft surface, and that will result in a kaboom.
I am sure this is what happened with with these military actions.
the Spanish "308" cartridge was a special low pressure cartridge made to be fired in these old, converted, small ring Mausers But did buyers know that? The operating pressure of a 308 Win cartridge is above the proof pressures of these small ring Mausers. Opps!
I am going to claim the steels used in the single heat treat and double heat treat M1903's is no better than the steels used for rail road spikes and cheap rebar.
Occasionally you will see something like this posted on the web
However, in a modern rifle, made of 4140 steels, don't worry about loads in the region of 50 K psia to 60 K psia. The action will handle those pressures. Cut your loads when you pop primers, pierce primers, expand primer pockets, and have sticky extraction.
When loading for this rifle, I started at ball equivalent loads and went up. They all shot great.
The ball equivalent load from a 1950's American Rifleman was 43 grs IMR 4350 with a 140 grain bullet.
I tried IMR 4831 and that shot very well.
the rifle loved Sierra Matchking bullets
Something else about Norma ammunition and Europe. Europeans have this long tradition of guilds and proof houses. Laws in Europe are also more restrictive than the US, but Biden is doing everything in his power to catch and surpass them! One of the differences is that before sales between individuals can be complete, the firearm in question must go through a proof house. The entire purpose for this is to weed out old, defective firearms. What is left tends to be modern weapons that can fire higher pressure ammunition, than what the old relics used. And if an old relic survives the proof test, it is considered good. Ammunition manufacturers such as Norma can then sell ammunition that uses the cartridge total potential.
But American's do not have a proof house system, and ammunition manufacturers run the risk of an individual using high pressure ammunition that is inappropriate for an old relic. So American ammunition tends to be toned down for the old service cartridges.
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eastbank
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2009
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- 5,021
Bcwitt
Member
I always used std pressure (45k or so) w that one. Why mess w perfect?
I have used PPU factory ammo and I reload with PPU brass, PPU139gr bullets and Hornady 140gr bullets using AA4350 and Varget. Still working to see which one is best but seems to be a tie right now. I don't exceed the loading manuals instruction for old Swedes which I believe is 46K CUP.
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I like the 550. It's a hoss of a gun with that action, and I love the set trigger once you get it adjusted so that it's connected to your brain waves and fires when you just think, FIRE.
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