Rifle Cartridge Review: 6.5 x 55 Swedish 

You get almost all newer European hunting rifles in 6.5x55, at least in Europe. Tikka T3, SAKO, mauser, Sauer, Blaser and bergara. You also get Remington 700, Howa Hauge.

In the mid 1990's a firearm knowledgeable friend talked me into buying a near mint Swedish Mauser M38 short calvary rifle made by Husqvarna in 1943 from some very fine Swedish steel. Best $90 I ever spent. At first I didn't realized what a great rifle I had. After a bit of cleaning and having a good gunsmith do a few minor tweaks I added a aftermarket scope mount that nondestructively mounts to the original rear iron sight with a long eye relief scope and it shoots like a $2,000 dream gun and its 80 years old. At 100 yards my shots often overlap on the targets. I've been slowly buying tools to start reloading and I like my 6.5 X 55 caliber. And because of all the 6.5 calibers there are many very good bullets available.

The rimless 6.5X55 Swedish cartridge developed in the 1890’s was, in my opinion, the best of the early smokeless military cartridges. Compared to the 8mm and 30 calibre rounds the Swedish cartridge was flat shooting with mild recoil and more than enough terminal ballistics for military purposes.

Imagine how many dinners the 6.5 Swede has brought to the table!

Thanks for your post. I've owned a 6.5 x 55 model C96 Swedish rifle for about 20 years. It shoots great and is one of the best constructed military surplus rifles I own.

I have a Howa 1500 in 6,5x55. it shoots great. taken lots of blacktail deer, hogs & coyotes with that round. started with a 96 mauser when i was a kid. im in my mid 60's now & still shooting one. im a true fan.

Interesting, thank you. I've hunted with the 6.5x55 for many years and taken more than a hundred deer with it, it just works. If you want to compare it to the Creedmoor have a look at Norma ammunition. They're ballistically identical except the Swede does it at CIP 53,000psi and the Creed at 63,000psi. The Creed was a marketing victory that perhaps will be left behind by the 6.5prc but I know which I'll stick with!

Interesting story about the Swedish Mausers: Mauser sent 500 to Sweden for their testing. They were chambered in 7x57, Paul Mauser was hoping that the Swedish military would adopt that cartridge. It would have been a lot easier for Mauser. But the Swedish military wanted their 6.5x55. Back in the late 1990’s, I had a chance to shoot one. It was a 1894 Swedish carbine in 7x57 made in the Mauser factory in German. I wanted to buy that rifle so bad, but the owner told me that he would never sell it.

I have Carl Gustaf 1900 in three different calibers: 6,5x55, 30-06 and 9,3x62. My favorite is the 6,5x55. Shot moose, deer and wildboars with it effectivly same as the 30-06 but lesser meat loss.

I have a very nice Model 96 Swedish Mauser in this caliber and have lowered for it. Through the magic of tool and die men where I used to work I made a scope mount that utilized the sight mount without alteration to the gun. This old gun is wonderful and shoots at about an inch at 100 yards. Loads not extensively developed either. Truly very nice! Impressive for 1896 era weapon. I love it!

Here in scandinavia 6.5x55 are almost more commen then 308. I wish that more brands made rifles in that caliber

I like both groups. I own 2 creeds, .270, 6.5 prc ,30.06,7.o8 and a 1915 Carl Gustav in 6.5x55. My favorite is the Swede with a nice sporterized stock and short barrel. Shoots as good as any modern rifle and less recoil than a Creedmoor.

6.5 Swede is better! I don't care about either one... but if I was forced to get one I guess I will get the 6.5 Swede

I have both and enjoy shooting my Model 96 Mauser more than my modern chassis 6.5 Creed. There is something about shooting a gun, built in the early 1900's that makes me smile.

I believe tikka still chambers it in the t3x hunter. It’s still a great cartridge with modern powders. Thanks for the video

The 6.5x55 is still around because it's a great cartridge and there are many old Swedish Mausers still in circulation and being used. The 260 Creedmoor is just a modernized version of this cartridge - higher operating pressure so of course, gives another 100-150 fps velocity. To me, that's great. It's a huge compliment to the Swedish round really. I just found and ordered a M38 (1907 vintage so is a re-configured 1896) - I love the rifles and cartridge. The Swedish Merchant fleet kept these rifles on hand and there are accounts of them dispatching polar bears with the original 156 grain round nosed loading. Polar bears are huge and have a reputation for being hard to kill. Probably because it's hard to aim and shoot when your pooping your pants lol

I had Pac Nor put a 6.5x55, 26" on my Rem 700. I shoot the 127g Barnes ttsx at 3150 with R#26 and cci 250 primers, groups are 3/8", and 3200 fps is what I consider a max load but the load at 3150 is a tad more accurate. I am using Lapua brass. In the long-throated Swiss guns, the 140g Sierra btsp is a stone-cold killer on deer and hogs.

Have a sporerized M96 that is probably one of the nicest looking hunting rifles you will ever see. It is a CG with a 1912 receiver date and with Federal 140gr Power-Shok (moly coated looking ones) and the Nosler Trophy Grade 140gr AB, under 3/4 MOA all day long. All this comm ammo is loaded at 2650fps which is not a problem for this old man. Deer and hogs drop in their tracks and felt recoil is barely noticeable. Love this gun and rarely hunt with anything else. I don't need 2800fps but I know there are hunting conditions where folks do. Bore is still bright and shiny and is a dream to shoot. If I were ever to replace it, it would be with the 260 remington, not the creedmore.

4:11 "Is it a round today?" Yes it is.

If you buy factory ammunition pressure kept low so it can be shot from old military riffles. For loading for 6,5x55SKAN which is made for modern CIP tested Guns with higher pressure rating. With SKAN loadings one gets 900+m/s velocities for 8-9g bullet. It is absolutelly screaming. Due lager case volume one can get much otter loads with 6,5X55SKAN compared to 6,5Creed

C&Rsenal has a LONG video on how the Swedes arrived at this cartridge. Long range precision rifle shooting is an important part of Swedish history. A Swedish general was told his army was outnumbered two to one. When asked how he'd handle that issue, he replied, "We will shoot twice and go home." LOL. It would be interesting to see a 6.5 x 55 AI.... Side note: just bought a box of 143gr Nosler Accubond long range for my 6.5PRC. Going to be interested to see how it shoots.

I love my Swedes. I have 2. First zero group was one ragged hole.

Mine is a Mexican Mauser (SR, 98 pattern), with a 6.5 Swedish Mauser barrel.

I have an 1896 Swedish Mauser VFR which had a shot out throat. I suspect that it was a really accurate target rifle which probably had almost 100k rounds shot through it. I happened to have a CG80 target barrel with beautiful rifling. They are extremely accurate but that 110 year old high grade vanadium steel was some of the toughest steel that I have ever worked on I had to machine some off the original barrel which actually chewed up a Chinese made carbide bit so I could remove that barrel. I was greatly impressed by that Swedish steel on a rifle made in 1907. They were heavily used in Swedish competitions with the target style apertures and globe sights. My sights are like something off an Anschutz.

It's staggering that the US market hasn't taken the 6.5x55 in a modern rifle, to its heart. Negligible recoil, brilliant accuracy, and enough clout to kill everything up to moose at any sensible distance. But a modern action is very different an army surplus Swede. This is the magic round. For one rifle owners - look no further. My Sako Classic 6.5x55 is it, and all about it.

Did someone miss the memo? The 6.5 Creedmore is now obsolete, having lost it's position as "Cartridge De Jour" with the advent of the highest of the high, the 6.5 PRC. The PRC is now the official cartridge de jour, thus relegating the 6.5 Creedmore to the dustbin of greatest cartridges past. Let us all worship the highest of the high, the 6.5 PRC...until next year, when the next "greatest round of all time, now and forever" arises.

Thank you and Id LOVE to have more Swede videos! I want another rifle but want to try and find a modern gun where I can spice up the loadings over US factory loads.

Love my M94 Norwegian Krag, M96 Swedish Mauser, and Tikka T3 in 6.5x55SE. Need the Tikka T3 Varmint version now, may just do a rebarrel. Good luck and stay safe!!! 😉😉😉

I just had a 1903 springfield chambered in 6.5x55 sweede. I had the choice to build a 6.5 creedmore instead. I am happy with my chhoice.

Ruger came out with a Ruger Hawkeye African in 6.5X55 and I was lucky enough to get one about 5 years ago. Beautiful rifle. I also have a Winchester M70 Classic Featherweight in 6.5 X55 that shoots little cloverleafs with RL22 and 120 grain Barnes TTSX bullets. Crazy thing is that it shoots Nosler 140 grain AB in little cloverleafs same powder charge just an inch higher at 100 yards. Talking under 1/2 “

I have the Norwegian model 1897, 6.5×55, same as the 30 40 Craig ,side magazine ..... Shoots very well....nice iron sights.... And stabilizes a heavy 156gr round nose, I haven't used it for 20 years ... Bought it for $100..... I was considering it for deer season....I think it has a 1:8 rifling twist.... thanks for the video

The Swede is one of six cartridges that I routinely hunt with. I happen to be a great fan of 6.5mm catridges.... with 35s and 30s being second and third place holders!

I have a barreled action in 6.5 x 55 Swede, Mauser action and E B Sawyer barrel, never been in a stock. This winter I hope to stock it in curly maple and the use it. Once I became knowledgeable about the cartridge it will be my choice for many applications. Thanks for the review.

They also had the rifles made in Germany with Swedish steel

I load the sweed for my styer sm12,,hand loads are far more on par with 270 ,blows 6.5 creed out of water without any case stretch. Will not pub my data but start at snipers hide ,a Lotta data their.

The Swedes were way ahead of their time. Superior steel for their actions. A real sweet shooter.

I love the sweed, built one with a Broughton barrel in 26 inches on a BRNO ZKK 600 action, ( its the modern control feed CZ . CAN LOAD much higher pressure than old sweed mauser, equal to 6.5-284 speeds and modern-day bullets like 143ELDX OR BERGER just make me smile. Half inch 5 shot group the whole day long.

My father have a heavy Husqvarna piece that take 6,5 x 55. It's the best gun I've ever hunted with and the bullet has never strayed from the crosshair

Oldies but goodies!

The Swede is a very effective hunting cartridge. Personally harvested Canada moose, elk and deer with this caliber. I use customized 38, 96 and 98 Mauser rifles and have a Tikka T3 in this caliber. One of the 96 Mauser's consistently shoots half MOA at 100 metres, with the original barrel. Great cartridge that I am very fond of as a hunting or target rifle.

There are so many older cartridges like this one that would definitely benefit from modern research and development.

I have two 6.5x55 rifles. One I turned the bolt handle down. Added a scope. Put a pope crown on the barrel .put a sorter stock on it. It shoots beautiful. A friend used it and killed his first buck deer.

I have just bought a 6.5x55 tikka t3x super varmint and being reloading s.k.a.n loads and I'm up 100 to 200ft on the Creedmoor luv it. 300m 130grain pill vaporize a roo,s head, and the reason we have the kangaroo and emu on our shield is they cant walk backwards but they do when they are hit with this 2 steps backwards and ass over neck stump 😄😁

I running a Tikka T3x Sporter with 6.5x55 and its just a beast :)

Hm. Plz take to heart that since like 30yrs back our volunteer movements made a deal with Sauer to produce the STR. STR for Scandinavian Target Rifle.( The CG-63 et al before it) Mainly focused for 300m shooting using diopter only. This due tradition more than anything really. However.. This a modern take rifle though will withstand pressures our old Mausers did not, leaving the CM left in the water end of story. The STR in turn, for long range and extended long range, is to this day a formidable rifle. A true competition rifle right out of the box, price of it kept within realms by the common Scandinavian NRL´s. Yep. Keep one me too...

My whitetail rifle is a 6.5 x51mm (aka .260 REM). Savage did the Model 11 right by giving it a 1:8” twist and a magazine that will accommodate 2.880” c.o.l.. It is an excellent whitetail choice. With StaBall6.5 powder and a 130 gr Swift Scirocco II bullet I can get 2,860 fps MV.

You can buy ammo for the modern 6.5x55 in scandinavia, they sell different ammo for the old wepons here. You can reload to 61-63k psi before you run into pressure signs.

It’s a great cartridge, for sure.

I got an older Winchester 70 XTR in 6,5 Swede, it's an awesome rifle in an awesome caliber. I will have a 6,5x55 in my gunsafe for the rest of my life.

The 6.5 Swede is among the top competitors among militaria rifle competitions. The 6.5 Creedmore is a necked down .308. The Japanese discontinued their 6.5 Arisaka because the Chinese had 8mm Mausers. In response, the Japanese took a necked down 8 Mauser case to chamber a .303 bullet.

I've been hunting with the 6.5x55 in a Tikka T3 Hunter since 2007. It's put a lot of meat in the fridge, and several racks on my walls.

Love the 6.5 x 55 and it is a true classic. You can do a video on the 35 calibers. Great calibers that we seem to be losing. The 35 whelen and the 358 winchester are great non magum hunting rounds that are getting harder to find. Both are great for anything in North America. Hate to see us lose these calibers.

I started with a creedmoor, but since I already had most of the reloading components, I picked up a sporterized M94 carbine and put it back in a military stock. Just recently picked up a sporterized M96/38 and did the same, with an old Pecar Berlin 4x scope. Kind of a mix and match WW2 sniper inspired build, not really an M41B clone or anything. Swedish Mausers and Swiss straight pulls are by far the best condition, and best shooting milsurps out there.

6.5x55 is always based on standard action….never in a short action….which is great for loading heavy long target bullets

had sporterised 96 mauser many years ago, I never felt under gunned with it, accurate and hit pretty hard to.

I had one it was trash but I loved the cartridge. Found a nice one for my wife and bought it for her. Whoops a .243 and is a nice round.

I have one 1898 13:43 action left in my chest, it’s going to receive a 6.5 x 55 barrel. In the early days, there weren’t any decent hunting bullets for it., my dad had a Swede. He read my audit, and 308. I have heard him say on several occasions he wished that he hadn’t done it and just hold onto it, but we never know. Oh, and by the way, the recoil isn’t very bad.

I wouldn't change anything about my sako finnlite 6:5/55 swede pushing 140g sp,flat hard hitting and does exactly what it says on the tin👍

i became interested in the swede in about 2010. Build a Savage target rifle and then proceeded to build another hunting rifle and then stumbled on a tikka. I'd count in among my favorites

Thank you for this video celebrating this cartridge. I have a m/96b made in 1922 - beautiful and accurate. I wish Sako made their S20 in 6.5x55.

The ammo is still available an made by Remington , Winchester and Norma at $1.20 a round with 140 , 150 grain bullets

I've got a Tikka T3X that thinks it's a target rifle and I've got absolutely no reason to shoot anything else..... It just works 👍

One of the attributes that often gets ignored when comparing cartridges such as these is case design regarding ease of feeding. The newer cartridges employ straighter cases in order to bump case capacity. This is fine but it makes feeding more difficult/ less reliable. Cartridges such as the Swede, 30-06, 300H&H, 270 Win, 208 Win, 243 Win, 300 Savage, and etc, all chamber easier, offering silkier, more reliable feeding because their case walls taper, the shoulders are shallower and the case diameter-to-length ratio results in a “longer” cartridge form. Modern cartridges such as the 7x61 S&H 1952?), Super Short Magnums, the 6mm bench cartridges, and etc. suffer from binding and reliable feeding round after round because their case walls are straight, shoulders abrupt, and the diameter-to-length ratio is akin to a cube or dice. When hunting dangerous game, if necessary, I’ll sacrifice 100 fps for a cartridge that feeds reliably every time. This is why the 300H&H, 375H&H, and etc are still prolific in the world-wide hunting community to this day. There’s nothing worse and more dangerous than a cartridge that will hang up because its straight walls and fat case-to-length ratio won’t let it slick into the chamber like butter. Does a short, fat case (powder column) offer more reliable and consistent burn? Yes. Do I care when hunting at ethical ranges? No. Do I care when shooting F-Class? Yes.

I have the surplus mausers sporterized 3 of them they are great for the SQUEMISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sold I am going to get 1 in a standard length action maybe rebarrel and chamber an old Remington 721. I want it Classic in a safari style rifle But I don't wanna shootUncomfortable cartridges.270 recoil or less is ideal

I have a 1918 M96/38 it has a shorter barrel as it is a converted 96 sometime late 30s I shot Hornaday Superformance and it is a tack drive with those. The only factory ammo it will fire well.

My 6.5CM is the perfect deer cartridge. Accurate and very effective out to my max range (400yds), it has a mild recoil that makes it fun to shoot. If I want "more," I'll use something actually "more" like my 280AI. The difference between the 260, 6.5CM, & Swede isn't worth a plugged nickel. There is nothing that cannot be killed by one of them that cannot be killed by the other.

I`m a proven and trusted kind of guy. The Swede all the way for me.

I love the 6.5x55. Mine is a River M77. Super accurate and flat shooting with all bullet weights from 100 to 160 gr. Best with hand loads. Not so easy to find cases and head diameter can vary by brand. European cases work best in my experience. If I didn’t hand load I’d probably get a Creedmore or a 260 Rem. But the Swede still rules!

I think many of the velocity hypes from the USA should try the Swede with 156 or 160 grain round nose or semi spitzer bullets, loaded to modern pressures they hit like a hamner at bushvelt ranges.

In euroupe factory loads for the 6,5x55.and 8x57IS are loaded with higher pressures and for modern rifles.

Tikka started making a super varmint, gotta look for it. I think it's a 26" heavy barrel. Thats what im waiting on is them to be available. And 6.5x55 swedish is offered.

The 6.5x55mm is indeed the first (successful?) 6.5mm round. And it's great. The original loading with a 160 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of around 2200 fps (in 1894) did a really good job on belligerents and game. When developed it didn't mean much, but two factors spoiled the harmony: the head size didn't match up with other rifles and the early Mauser bolt action was and is perceived as weaker than the later Mauser '98 action. So reloading data was kept low, to prevent disasters in surplus '94s and '96s. In 1997 Remington announced the .260 Remington cartridge. It could be called - and probably was in the wildcat period - a 6.5-08. The .308 Winchester case necked down to 6.5mm gives performance at a par with the 6.5x55mm AND can be fitted to a 'standard' head size bolt without alteration. My biggest complaint is Remington decided most would prefer the lighter (140 and below) bullets and so made the rifling twist a bit slow for the 160 grain bullets. The Creedmore is pretty much the same as the .260 Rem: the case is shorter and the neck is longer. Frankly, the .260 Remington is the offspring of the Swede. In a medium to short action, and a faster twist, it would be useful for most any game animal in the world, save some large carnivorous types. Odd you mentioned - in your paragraph about 6.5mm - the 6.5(x52mm) Carcano and the 6.5(x50mm) Arisaka rifles. Just for fun, look up the schematic drawings for those two rounds and compare them with the 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schonauer and the Mannlicher designed 6.5x53.5Rmm Romanian or Dutch rifle. Know the head and head spacing are different but look at the main body dimensions. Rather odd it is. Yes, I have a "94 Swede, a '96 Swede, an 1891 Carcano, a Mannlicher-Schonauer, and a Mannlicher designed 1905 Dutch rifle. I don't have a type 30 Arisaka yet, but since I collect rifles of WW1, it's just a matter of time. Oh, i have a CZ (modern sporting) rifle in 6.5 Swede as well. Rather appreciate them all. I did like your discussion. You know what you're telling at least. Keep it up.

History 6.5 x 52 Carcano rimless 1891 6.5x57 Mauser rimless 1893 6.5x53R Dutch/Romanian 1893 6.5 x 55 Swedish rimless 1894 6.5 x 50 Japanese semi rimmed1897 Note Sweden and Norway made slightly different cartridges. The 6.5x55 was round nosed until 1941

The 6.5 *55 is the smalest legal cartrage for moose here in norway.They just updated the law for copper bullets.(120gr 2200J @ 100m) Tikka Sako and Blaser chaber for it.I just got a Tikka T3X. Its like our 308. you will find ammo all over here.Go to VV homepage and see 65.55 SCAN and you will get loaddata for modern actions.

3:00 I would like to make a clarification here. The 6.5 x 55 Swedish would not get a spitzer bullet until 1941. Up until that point it was round-nosed ball.

Can you do review on the Checozlovakian 7.62×45 absolute intermediate cartridge.

I ended up picking up a 1914 m96 for $400 and didn't really know what I got until I started doing research and I honestly think that I won the lottery getting it now I just need to find a diopter for it and I'll be golden

What holds the sweed down is saami speck pressure . I own a zastava LKM70 and load to approx max pressure of 60k . I'm loading 100gr copper and lead and have a load with Vargent at 3268fps . No pressure signs . My next move is to AI it

and if you shoot 6.5 x 55 (a.k.a 6.5 Sweedmoor) from my 1916 Carl Gustav there is damned near 0 recoil.

Just FYI Sweden conquered Norway from Denmark 1814 and forced it into a union. After a referendum 1905 Norway was granted independence. So when the 6.5 55 was created Norway didn't really have a choice in being involved or not.

The working pressures for the Swedish is much lower because of many older rifles. New rifles and Norma Brass you can really turn it up.

the only downside to the swede is that it has a weird head size. Unless you're going to get the bolt machined, you have to re-barrel with the 6.5 swede. Not a down side really. I never turned down a 6.5 swede, and still own three.

The 6.5x55 with a 140 g bullet at factor loads balistics are on par with a 30 06 with a 180 g bullet. It has the sectional density to penitrate deeply enough for big game. The 120g bullet is great for white tail deer. It can shoot a heavier bullet than the 6mm and .243 with much milder recoil than the .308 or 30 06.

Consider this.. A pre 64 M70 Winchester in 300 H&H holds 4 rounds in the magazine and it will feed empty cases without a hitch. Try that with a WSM cartridge that only hold 2. The 300 H&H like all calibers is throttled by the 1925 velocity to keep point of impact the same. Since that time of introduction all calibers maintain that velocity even though pressures are less with modern powders. Easy to duplicate 300 Win Mag velocities if you hand load. The 6.5 Swede is the same. In a strong rifle you can safely exceed the original velocities with today's reloading components. New chamberings are a marketing ploy. The casing is just a brass bottle we burn powder in. We would all be better off with maybe 20 different chamberings and that is it. We could now find ammo for any rifle made years ago. Too many new ones sideline great old ones. It is a race to the bottom.

It took Hornady listening to some of its employees and their competition shooting friends to develop a medium cartridge in 6.5 caliber. This cartridge was specked for an AR platform, with features seen in "improved" cartridges and chambers tolerances kept close to minimum. The bullets intended for the cartridge were the 140-147 grain zone and everything was optimized to make that bullet/cartridge pairing to work as well as possible. The round performed as designed and intended and as it move from the realm of match rifles to the broader public it caught on because you could buy a factory rifle and factory match ammo and it shot incredible groups. Now any Joe could buy production ammo and hardware and make hits at 1000 yards. Now if Remington put the same amount of care and thought into their 260 Remington we would have never heard of a thing called the 6.5 Creedmoor. Yep you can handload a 6.5X55 at slightly faster MV but not many shooters want to handload. When Winchester came out with the 270 and Remington with the 25-06 any chance the 6.5X55 of gaining a following was just eclipsed. Many fine cartridges have not done well for missteps in initial design details or just timing. 6MM Rem had to slow a twist, the 280 was loaded as a low pressure cartridge to safely run in a pump action. The 270, 243 and 7mm REM MAG all sucked the oxygen out of the room so to say and not many other cartridges gained the attention of the average American shooter.

Perhaps the end is coming for the 6.5x55. The lighter non-lead amunition does not reach the minimum legal weigt for class 1 (Swedish regulation). Unclear if there will be an exemption or how it will work. Some shops advice to chose other caliber. I hope it will be ok also in the future. Thanks for a interesting video!

nice video. what is the name of the cartridge book. Looks cool

I liad my swede with 4350 at 44 gr to get 2880. I load the creed the same way. The creed results in a compressed round. Just barely.

To me the best part of a needs more is the free bore demotions They are thighter than most. I like the 260

I'd love to find a barreled action in 6.5x55 to stock myself.

I think you will find the data for the 6.5x55 se a bit light now with the strong modern actions you can really ramp it up. I have the 6.5x55 and the Ackley version and it's right up the ass of a 6.5x284 in performance.

They should make up loads for modern rifles for the Swede

8,5x55 Blaser

A kind of parallel story, one of the reasons the .357 was invented is because even though .38s could conceivably be loaded much hotter (even hotter than "Plus P") the older guns for which they are chambered couldnt handle it. So a new cartridge came out that cant be chambered in an otherwise identical gun unless it was new enough (and designated as such, of course). This may have been part of the reason for the invention of the 6.5 creedmore size, alongside its easier use in semi auto and shorter actions. One of the most repeated analysis of the 6.5 Swede cartridge is that it doesnt have mich recoil. While this is true, it may not be AS true as people think. One of the reasons for the infinite reports of low felt recoil is that these bullets are usually fired from the 100 year old cavalry guns, weighing close to 9 pounds, equipped with original 30" barrels. Compare that to a pawn-shop, post-64 winchester 30-30 at 7 pounds with a 20 inch barrel. Ive always felt those 30-30s had very manageable recoil. I wonder how much less felt recoil theyd have, with 2 more pounds and a 30" barrel? I've seen sporterized m96 and m38s, with shortened barrels and synthetic stocks, but I've never fired one. Would be interesting to see an apples to apples test. I regret not taking the chance to purchase the Ruger No.1 chambered in 6.5x55. It was at a show and i told myself I'd get it "next time, because nobody buys those". Well, somebody sure did. One more advantage the 6.5 Swede cartridge has: gun shops occasionally have mil surplus ammo for cheap.

Shooting record groups with my mauser 63 1.6 mm at 100 m And 11mm at 300 m

How fast was the Swede? About 130 years ahead of its time. I still have the sporterized version of the Swedish Mauser that my Dad bought in the early '60's. He used it for Whitetail deer. Between my Dad and me, this rifle has taken a lot of deer, and it has been very effective. I'm old school, I also have my Grandads' 250-3000 Savage. Like the old saying goes, If it aint broke don't fix it. lol

Hearing "availability and/or price is going to favor the Creedmoor" over and over while sitting here being a Swede, in Sweden gets a bit old xD... Creedmoor doesn't outshine Swedemoor in either price or availability where I sit. Decent ammo for the Swede sits at about a third to a quarter of the Creed in price and is far easier to get a hold of. I am a bit of a new shooter, and I'm researching which of these two calibers to get and I see "Creed factory ammo is going to outperform the Swede" everywhere. Yet, every old guy at my club/range claims the opposite. Measured numbers from one of the club owners put Creedmoor at about 770-830m/s while Swedemoor at 850-960m/s out of "most rifles", which he has measured firsthand. I'm not trying to deny any numbers, because I sure don't have any firsthand data, but I am curious as to why there is a discrepancy. The most common ammo at the range is Norma Diamond Line 6.5x55, which is stated at their site to shoot at 900ms/2953fps out of a 74cm/29" barrel. My club has a few OG early 1900s Swedish Mausers you can take out and plink with, all outfitted with diopter sights. Quite a fun gun, and surprisingly easy to hit with at 300m despite the antiquated tech. Even for a noob :D. You can quite easily get one on the used market for 150-400 bucks, depending on what sights it has, etc.

They are both great cartridges for their intended purposes.

In a Mauser 98, loaded to max, it rules.