Just looking for input on a 6.5x55 "modern" rifle.

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jrdolall

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I have, and regularly hunt with, a sporter Swede but I am thinking about getting a modern rifle in the same caliber. I AM NOT interested in any of the similar calibers 6.5 CM as I already have more than enough different calibers in my safe.

I am looking to get an affordable rifle so something under $800 for the gun. Howa, Tikka, and a host of others make the guns in this caliber but I wanted to solicit opinions from people that actually have them. I know Tikka has a plethora of guns in the caliber so any input about the differences in the different styles they have would help in my search. I looked at their website and will do a lot more research before I make this purchase. I will probably have a local LGS order me one since I never see them around here.
 
One of my favorite calibers

I've shot, reloaded for and owned 6.5X55mm rifles for over 50 years, starting with a Swedish Cavalry Carbine that my Grandfather customized into one sweet hunting rifle, to one I just finished a while back that was a full custom Mauser: Schneider barrel, McMillan stock, Blackburn bottom metal, etc., etc. If I were in your shoes I'd look for a Ruger Model 77 in that caliber. They made a run of them a few years back and the one I had was a sub-MOA rifle with almost any factory fuel I used in it. It particularly liked Federal Fusion 140 grain ammo. The gun had NOTHING done to it and shot like a laser.
Keith
 
Tikka does chamber a lot of rifles in 6.5x55, but Beretta does not import all models of them into the states last time I checked (two years ago). As I understand it there's some legislation/regulation/policy that makes it very expensive for Beretta to import each caliber of any given model of rifle into the states. So, even though Tikka may chamber a particular model in 6.5x55, it's not necessarily available here.

I've heard bad things about Howas in 6.5x55, something about them using the 30-06 sized bolt head instead of the proper bolt head, but I have no personal experience with Howas in that caliber (I do have a Weatherby Vanguard I like very much).

I have a CZ527 (in 7.62x39) I really like, but their 6.5x55 uses the 550 action, so I can't offer much help other than saying my CZ has decent wood/fit and finish.
 
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For someone to say that Beretta doesn't import Tikka's in 6.5x55 is laughable. I bought one the first of this year. I had to wait a few months to get it, but it was worth it.

For a handloader the 6.5x55 in a modern action beats the "superstar" 6.5CM and the beloved 260 REM by a decent margin. However full power data for the swedish is hard to come by.
 
Bud's has 4 models & 2 lefty 6.5x55 Tikka models today . I see Tikka 6.5x55 regularly there .
 
I currently have a Tikka T3 Hunter (wood stock) in 6.5x55 and, like my other two Tikkas, I love it. I shot my deer with it this fall with a 140 grain Sierra Game King and IMR 4831. I like the feel of the Tikkas and they all shoot as good as any production rifle I have ever had.
Here's the Tikka I bought last year: http://www.eurooptic.com/tikka-t3-hunter-65x55-jrta351-with-rings.aspx
But Here's the one I would buy today if I was looking for one now: http://www.eurooptic.com/tikka-t3-l...22-7-16-barrel-with-8-twist-mpn-jrte351a.aspx


I had a CZ 550 American I bought new in 6.5x55. It was a well made gun and shot very well, too. It was a very heavy gun for its size. The stock was "over weight" and made it feel more like a club than a rifle. A friend fell in love with it and gave me an offer I couldn't refuse, so it found a new home. I do not miss it.

A friend of mine has a Remington 700 Classic in 6.5x55 that he won in a raffle a few years back. I have tried to make a deal with him on it but so far, no dice. He isn't really a gun guy, but he is a hunter and says the Remington is just what the doctor ordered for the desert mulies he hunts.

Personally, I don't think you could go wrong with a Tikka. I have a .270 and a .30-06 as well as the 6.5x55 and all shoot as well as any off-the-shelf rifle I have ever had and better than a couple of custom rifles I have had built.

Good luck in your quest and Merry Christmas!
 
You might find a 1994 Rem M700. They chambered their "Classic" in 6.5 x 55 in that year.
The Howa 1500 comes in it. Legacy Sports lists it at $732.
The CZ 550 American did. Discontinued in 2013.
As did the Ruger M77R Mk. II, Sako 75 Deluxe and Win M70 Classic Featherweight(that is out of your budget range).
 
CarJunkieLS1 said:
For someone to say that Beretta doesn't import Tikka's in 6.5x55 is laughable. I bought one the first of this year. I had to wait a few months to get it, but it was worth it.

For a handloader the 6.5x55 in a modern action beats the "superstar" 6.5CM and the beloved 260 REM by a decent margin. However full power data for the swedish is hard to come by.
Click to expand...

Tikka has many models (e.g. hunter, lite, lite-stainless, etc...). Pretty much all of them are chambered in 6.5x55 by Tikka, but only a select subset of those models are imported to the US in 6.5x55 by Beretta. The OP said he was going to look at the Tikka website to find rifles chambered in 6.5x55, I was simply letting him know that not all 6.5x55 models listed on Tikka's website are available in the US. I went through this a few years ago when I was looking for some Tikka t3 variety (lite stainless I think) that Tikka chambers in 6.5x55. I couldn't find it anywhere in the US, I emailed Beretta and asked them about it, they said that model wasn't available in the US in 6.5x55 for the reason I listed above.
 
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Sunray said:
You might find a 1994 Rem M700. They chambered their "Classic" in 6.5 x 55 in that year.
The Howa 1500 comes in it. Legacy Sports lists it at $732.
The CZ 550 American did. Discontinued in 2013.
As did the Ruger M77R Mk. II, Sako 75 Deluxe and Win M70 Classic Featherweight(that is out of your budget range).
Click to expand...
The CZ 550 FS (full stock) is still available in 6.5x55.
 
Love the Swede, but in my opinion, the thing that sets the Swede above others in the caliber is the ability to throw 160 gr pills. That means 1:8 twist and a long enough throat. There are several 6.5 x55 rifles that can't handle the 160s, equipped with 1:10 twist barrels. If you can't find a rifle chambers in the Swede that can take the big ones, the I'd look at its ballistic twin, the 260 Rem.
 
question.. exactly whats the difference between a "modern" bolt action in 6.5x55 vs a modified small ring mauser?
 
My son-in-law has a Winchester M70 Featherweight push feed in 6.5X55. It was pretty inaccurate. I glass bedded it and free floated it. Instead of sanding out the barrel channel, I wrapped the barrel with a couple layers of tape, in case he ever wants to bring it back to original. We took it to the range yesterday and it was shooting less than 1". He really likes it. Seems like a nice round.
 
I've heard bad things about Howas in 6.5x55, something about them using the 30-06 sized bolt head instead of the proper bolt head, but I have no personal experience with Howas in that caliber (I do have a Weatherby Vanguard I like very much).
Click to expand...

I heard about that as well as Howa having way too much leade. When I bought my Howa 6.5x55mm in 2012, those problems were things of the past.
 
Well the Howa is probably the cheapest modern 6.5x55 that you can pick up new at $329. Tikka's are substantially more, and I'm not really sure what the Rem Classics go for these days. I had one of the Rem Classics, and it was ok. It had a mile long throat, accuracy was ok and I never could reach my target of 2800 fps with a 140gr without hitting pressure signs. If I was going to get another 6.5x55 and wanted to do it on the cheap I'd go Howa and hope the reported problems with earlier so - chambered rifles had been cleared up. If I didn't mind spending close to $800, I'd probably have to give the Cz 550 FS a try. I believe the FS's have an improved safety over the other Cz 550 models, and what a pretty rifle. On the other hand, it's hard to go wrong with a Tikka.
 
Corn-Picker said:
Tikka has many models (e.g. hunter, lite, lite-stainless, etc...). Pretty much all of them are chambered in 6.5x55 by Tikka, but only a select subset of those models are imported to the US in 6.5x55 by Beretta. The OP said he was going to look at the Tikka website to find rifles chambered in 6.5x55, I was simply letting him know that not all 6.5x55 models listed on Tikka's website are available in the US. I went through this a few years ago when I was looking for some Tikka t3 variety (lite stainless I think) that Tikka chambers in 6.5x55. I couldn't find it anywhere in the US, I emailed Beretta and asked them about it, they said that model wasn't available in the US in 6.5x55 for the reason I listed above.
Click to expand...
When I was in the market a year or two ago there weren't any Tikka 6.5x55s to be found so I ended up with a Sako Finnlight in that caliber. If I had to do it over I'd probably buy the Tikka if available but I guess I do have a better make rifle with more metal and less plastic.
 
I currently have 2 Tikkas in 6.5x55 and have had a CZ and a Hiwa in the past. The CZ was a good shooter, but heavy. The Howa was heavy, not a bad shooter, but no where near as accurate as the CZ or Tikka.

One of my Tikkas is blued and the other is stainless, and both current wear synthetic stocks. The blued version came with a wood stock, but I swapped it out for the synthetic, which I prefer on the Tikkas.

I would recommend the Tikka. One of the smoothest actions I have ever seen on a rifle. And guaranteed accuracy out of the box.
 
Corn Picker. Ran into a similar problem last week when I was ordering a Sako Mod 85. I wanted the Set Trigger option and the guy from Beretta said that model was not available in the US.
 
i dont believe theres a more "modern" bolt action than the savage 10/110 series of rifles, without uncommon aftermarket components, savage is about the only rifle youre going to get that is so simple to work on you can even replace the barrel yourself without special tools

if i wanted a "modern" bolt action in 6.5x55, id get a savage in that caliber.. they may not make one in this caliber from the factory but i have seen aftermarket barrels for it, if im not mistaken it would just be a matter of buying a 30-06 rifle, remove and sell the original barrel, buy and install the 6.5x55 barrel
 
While you may not find one in your price range one of the sweetest 6.5 x 55 Swedes I ever shot was a Remington 700 Classic circa 1994. Since it was part of the classic series it was only made a single year and I think that was 1994. I liked the wood and blued steel but to each their own.

Here is an old thread on the caliber, the Tika will always show as a popular choice.

Ron
 
justin22885 said:
i dont believe theres a more "modern" bolt action than the savage 10/110 series of rifles, without uncommon aftermarket components, savage is about the only rifle youre going to get that is so simple to work on you can even replace the barrel yourself without special tools

if i wanted a "modern" bolt action in 6.5x55, id get a savage in that caliber.. they may not make one in this caliber from the factory but i have seen aftermarket barrels for it, if im not mistaken it would just be a matter of buying a 30-06 rifle, remove and sell the original barrel, buy and install the 6.5x55 barrel
Click to expand...

When folks refer to "modern", actions in this context, they mean actions relatively recently produced (last 3 to 4 decades) that benefit from modern imrovements in metallurgy and heat treatment uniformity and QC, (e.g. Actions that you can safely load up to '06 or .308 pressures without risking life and limb) . The Savage is a modern action in that regard, but so are all the other ones being discussed. It's true that you can easily screw a new barrel on a savage, and mine went from a 30-06, to a .338-06, to a .35 Whelen, but in the end its still a savage, and savages aren't for everyone. Personally I would take any of the rifles listed above over a savage because I like the action, function, and fit of all of them better than the Savage clunk, but if you do like Savages, it is certainly a straight forward and cheap way to try different calibers.
 
I have a CZ 550 FS in 6.5 x 55. FS designates that it has a "Full Stock" or Mannlicher style stock which goes all the way to the muzzle as opposed to most rifles we Americans are accustomed to having a "half stock". I really like the looks of the Mannlicher stock rifles , that is why I bought this one. It shoots right at moa with 120 and 140 gr bullets, which is good enough for what I use it for. I have easily killed deer out to 300 yards with this rifle. As it is a full steel rifle with more wood in the stock, it is a bit heavier than the normal sporter rifles. Being a modern action, you can handload to full modern pressures just like you can for any other caliber like 270, 308 or 30/06. My 140 gr handloads clock 2750 fps out of the 20" barrel.

I also have a Tikka T3 Lite in 308 caliber which I like as well. I would expect a Tikka in 6.5 x 55 to group a little tighter than the CZ 550 FS. It might be possible to get 1/2 moa out of the Tikka.

Bottom line - I like my CZ 550 FS quite a lot, find it asthetically pleasing, and have no trouble recommending it.
 
The Sako 75 is a bit more than you are planning. IMHO very nice rifle. Can kill anything for 1000 miles of me in any weather. Buck mark on top and Barnes handloads through the tube.

Enjoy.
Greg
 
I really like my 550 American. The weight doesn't bother me. Really bummed me out when they discontinued that model.
 
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