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> Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.
Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.
@ 11:52 pm (GMT) |
John SmithI am reloading my M96 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser with 46.5 gr of RL22 powder and a 140 grain Nosler Partition bullet. My hunting is for deer in open grasslands and for elk in conifer forests. This October I dropped a legal doe with a chest shot at a distance of about 100 yards. She didn't take a step. Would anyone care to comment on the reload I am using? |
Replies
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@ 07:54 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.Sounds like a good load John. The 6.5mm 140 grain Partition is a bullet I highly recommend in the Knowledge base. |
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@ 02:33 am (GMT) |
Guy MainlandRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.Hi John, I'm not a reloader so can't offer an opinion on your load, but I have a husqvara in the same calibre and just starting off with hunting. I'm curious as to what sort of muzzle velosity you're getting? Roughly how big was the doe you smacked over? I'm trying to find the best factory ammo for my swede, I'm trying hornaday superformance with sst projectiles. I wonder how they would compare to your load? |
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@ 03:57 am (GMT) |
Austin MillerRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.I've hunted with my Swede for almost 12 years and I'd feel confident taking an elk. As long as you load it to its potential with a quality bullet and place the shot where it should be, the 6.5x55 should get the job done. I think how confident/comfortable one is with his rifle is important. I'm confident in my skill with my Swede, but I also know it's (and mine) limitations.Good luck and have fun! |
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@ 04:51 am (GMT) |
spar beckerRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.I hope the 140 partition shoots better for you than it did for me. Totally horrible out of 2 dif guns. I did not try other powders. I got the Sierra 120 gr ProHunter to work wonderfully since that is the wieght I was wanting to shoot. Contrary to the article on this site, that bullet performs great. I have several kills from 170 to 280 yds. Base of neck shots to rear of shoulder shots with no more than 40 yd run. If one cant find a shot deer in 40 yds, one needs not to hunt. I may be hunting texas game now, but I grew up hunting the rocky mountains in B.C. Kootenay region. The Swede rocks! |
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@ 03:58 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.Hi Spar, in the Knowledge base, I wrote that the 120gr Prohunter kills in a no fuss manner. I don't see how that contradicts your findings.I have shot several hundred head of game (even that's an understatement) with the Swede up to the size of wild bull cattle. I am very thorough with my testing. I still use the Swede, my Swedish Mauser is very dear to me. Each cartridge has its strengths and limitations. By addressing any limitations I find, the goal is to help hunters exploit the full potential of the cartridge. When I was a young man, I read about the Swede and developed the impression that it was a death ray, a slayer of large heavy game. I did not think about the fact that each different type of bullet would produce a different result. Back then I was very much interested in trophies and on one occasion was utterly disappointed when my 140gr Interlock bullet lost most of its energy on the shield of a very large wild boar. He got away, I guess he eventually died based on where the point of impact was (square on his shoulder) but I lost his trail after about 200 yards in the bush. Given the same situation today, I would drop him in his tracks with a Partition. If I could not get the Partition to shoot, a double cannelure 140 grain .264 WM CoreLokt would do, or a 120 grain Barnes or perhaps a corebonded bullet if nothing else would shoot. As far as heavy game go, once your mag is empty and all you have left between you and death is 1 yard and your Buck knife- impressions are formed very quickly with memories that don't pass so easily. I don't think it is fair to say that if an animal cannot be tracked within 40 yards, the person should not be hunting. If you are hunting way up high on the ledges of the Rockies and an animal breaks into a dead run, then falls into a ravine and onto an inaccessible ledge (or becomes wedged in a ravine), there is the possibility that it cannot be retrieved. This is also a concern for those who hunt Thar in the South Island of New Zealand. This is why I try to go into details of lengths of dead runs- for alpine hunters. When I write, I have to think about the needs of many people, many different types of hunters, styles of hunting and species of game. It is no easy task. |
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@ 04:01 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.Spar posted this but it got lost during upload so I will re-post below:Understood. The 120 sierra ProHunter is not a knock em down in their tracks bullet on deersized game. If I were hunting back home in the Rockies and there was risk of a tumble like you described, I would be using no less than a 160 gr in the Swede, but more than likely be using nothing less than a 30 cal of some sort (308 and up). Big dif in deer size from back home, to here in Tx. Spar. |
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@ 04:15 am (GMT) |
Kimmo EngmanRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.From my experience moose with lungshot run up to 150m much depending on their speed before the shot and if they have air in their lungs. We always have tracking dogs so we dont need a fast drop. |
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@ 04:36 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.That is very similar to performance on European Moose. The late Graeme Henry (NZ Rod and Rifle) studied the distances Moose travelled after being lung shot with the 139gr Vulcan. Animals ran from 150-300 metres. When Henry questioned locals, they stated that this was quite normal and acceptable. Teams of guys would use ropes to haul a carcass to where it could be picked up with a Tractor. Henry noted that hunters on a lower income (Finland) were using the 6.5 while those who could afford it were moving to the .30-06 which was becoming the most popular cartridge in Finland (around 1984). At this time, the .308 Norma mag and .358 Norma Mag were also showing great prowess. But for many, the Swede was still favored, as much as any of us favor a national or traditional cartridge.Thanks for sharing your experience and methods of tracking. Please keep your camera handy when you are out next, some autopsy photos would be greatly appreciated. |
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@ 09:34 am (GMT) |
Kimmo EngmanRe: Suitability of my 6.5x55 reloads for deer and elk in Washington state.That is for swedish moose carcass weight ~300kg for a bull. To get a noticeable shorter drop distance from 6,5*55 you have to use a 9,3*62, 338wm or similar. |
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