6.5x55 swede ammo advice

[AOK]

I'm new to Mausers but have started reading a little after seeing a half dozen in a local gunshop. Very neat, nice looking rifles and from what I've read very flat shooting and accurate. I've also read that one should be careful not to use hot modern loads in these old rifles. So. my question is what factory ammo is safe to shoot in these old rifles or does one have to reload? The shop had Hornady, and several other choices (can't remember what). What's safe to shoot? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Paul

[jon_norstog]

AOK,

I have been loading and shooting 6.5 Swedes for close to 20 years. They are great rifles, I've never seen a bad one. for milsurp ammo I like the Swedish "Prikskytte" (sp?) ammo. Supposedly it is match grade ammo, though I have always gotten more accuracy from my own haNDLOADS.

The swede is missing the safety lug and gas venting features of the '98 Mauser, but it is a very well made weapon. They used Swedish steel, which has a bit of nickel in it, even in the DWM-manufactured weapons.

Any commercial ammo will be OK in your rifle. Any load published in any reloading manual will be OK in your rifle. If your ammo makes the bolt sticky, stop shooting. Otherwise you're fine. Weigh your charges if you ARE throwing them from a measure.

A Swede, off the rack, will outshoot any RemWin you can buy, out of the box.

Good luck!

jn

[buttebob]

Most factory ammo should be safe. Standard factory ammo, no matter the caliber, is usually loaded down for the weakest gun still available. Such as 45-70 in Trapdoor Springfields, 8mm Mauser for old .318 bore rifles, 45 Colt for old Colt SAA, and 6.5x55 in Swedish Mausers.

[AOK]

Great thanks for the help. The shop bought a big collection for someone they had about 6-8 swedes in 6.5x55, maybe 6 48's?, and a few others in 7mm. From what I've been reading sounds like one of the swede 6.5x55 is for me, accurate with moderate recoil.
Thanks again guys.

[Stephan]

Several makes of 6.5x55 available...Remington soft points for one..should be plenty safe as far as pressure.

The 6.5 was also chambered in Krag rifles..so commercial ammo is fairly modest.

[dave]

The 96 Sweds have been chambered in 9.3x57, and 9.3x62. The 9.3x57 was made 1927-37, 13,500 made. The 9.3x62 was made 1942-43, about 228 made. These rifles were made by the same company that made the military rifles, (Husqvarna) but they were sporters! The action is plenty strong for any 6.5x55 cartrigde you will ever buy! I'm surprised no one came up with the 'ol 'small ring' warning! Mod. 70 Win. is a small ring, as is the rifle it was designed from, the '03 Sringfield.

[Liam]

My favorite caliber - in my Swedes and my Norwegian Krag.
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u23/Liam_068/krag2.jpg

[gulliver62]

I shoot the Privi 139g FMJ and then reload the brass (140g Nosler CC).

[elfego baca]

My favorite handload for my Swede is a 150 grain cast bullet from a Lyman mould. The charge is 17.0 grains of SR4759.

elfego

[mike33]

Priv-Partizan ammo is good stuff i shoot 139 gr bullet cheapest place i found is Aim Siuplus. Decent people to do business with.