6.5x55 120 or 140grain

[Alpha1]

Im afraid I can not help you there Ovenpaa may be one of the other guys can.
I have only shot at 600 yards once in my life and I have never shot at any distance over 600 yards. Except for the SSG P1. All of my shooting experience has been with milsurp rifles I own twelve of them.
Its only over the last two years that I have acquired modern bolt actions and I rue the day. The 6.5x55 is a total disappointment as far as I am concerned. I would sell it but my conscience wont let me I would not be able to sleep thinking some one else was going to pull the trigger on it.
My most recent acquisition is a .222 that is most satisfying and helps to lift me out of the doom and gloom after attempting to blow my self up with the 6.5.

May be one of the other guys can help. Actually I would be interested in your experiences with the 123 grain Scenar.

Oh I all most forgot I acquired a .308 target rifle for very little money that now sports a scope and bipod and shoots really well with cast boolits. Good fun and cheap shooting.

[Blobby159]

I have recently started using the 123 grain A-Max projectiles in reloads for my Tikka t3 'Sporter' in this calibre (6.5x55 Swe) and have found that it can keep up with several other club members using 7.62/.308 AI Sniper rifles and quality commercial ammunition. I have yet to try any 123 grain Scenars, but this has been an eye-opener to me as I started with this rifle coming up to two years back and have, till recently been shooting 139 grain Scenars through it with great and satisfying results (to me!).
My rifle has a loong throat and there is bot an awful lot of bullet in the case neck as I like to have projectiles pretty close to the lands, but these 123 grain A-Max bullets certainly have made me a happy chappie out to 600 yards on regular visits to Bisley and an MOD range near Cambridge. About one third being V-Bulls and the rest almost always in the bull, so as you can understand I am quite chuffed!..

I have shot the 139 grain Scenars to 900 yards and again, regular bull-centric shot fall - mind you that last day at that range was a lovely still one, weatherwise..

Try the 123 grain A-Max though, and I am sure you won't be displeased.. [FACE SAVOURING DELICIOUS FOOD]


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[Ovenpaa]

Blobby, I assume you mean Barton Road then? The 6,5x55 with the 139 Scenar is effective out to 1200 at BR :)

Welcome to the forum, why not introduce yourself?

[Alpha1]

Blobby just out of interest what cartridge overall lentgh are you loading to. What powder etc.

[Alpha1]

The samples arrived this morning many thanks. I have had a measure of each type so I have a starting point. I have started a spread sheet and built a few calculations into it for calculating over all lentgh etc. Instead of all the scraps of paper with notes scribbled on them.

[phaedra1106]

No problem :) let me know how you get on with them, the Nosler CC 140's work very nicely indeed in both my 260Rem and 6.5Creedmoor :)

[Alpha1]

I'm going for it. I have a range this Saturday and the following Saturday. I have calculated the over all lentghs and made up rounds using 120grain A max and the three bullet weights you sent me. I'm using new Lapua brass trimmed to a uniform lentgh so we are good to go. I will do some initial test groups this Saturday then go from there.

[Alpha1]

Some thing very odd here. I used a Hornady overall length gauge with a drilled and tapped case to measure some sample bullets sent to me by a very generous full bore member.

All bullets are 140grain
PPU maximum cartridge overall length this is a average of six bullets =2.961
Nosler maximum cartridge overall length this is a average of six bullets =2.923
A max maximum cartridge overall length this is a average of six bullets =2.993

I then started making up my rounds I thought a .020 jump would do for starters. But none of the rounds would chamber. I then started making up dummy rounds and started again.
The A max will chamber and bolt close is OK at 2.963 = .030 jump. OK ish I guess.
The Nosler will chamber and bolt close is OK at 2.863 = .060 jump a lot of bullet in the case
The PPU will chamber and bolt close is stiff at 2.790 = .171 jump. I am not even going to try and use these.

The cases used are all new un fired lapua. I will try the Amax and Nosler but not the PPU. The A max might prove to be OK. I have 120grain bullets as well to try. We will see.

[phaedra1106]

Running the same comparison in my 6.5 Creedmoor I get the following,

Nosler 140gr CC, COAL 2.767", case base to Ogive 1.821"
A-Max 140gr, COAL 2.862", case base to Ogive 1.917"
PPU 139gr, COAL 2.791", case base to Ogive 2.287"

I generally load to .010" under those measurements, my current Noslers are loaded to 2.760" as they seem to prefer a shorter jump in the Ruger.

If your comparator is correctly pushing the bullets onto the lands there is no reason at all why rounds loaded to that COAL shouldn't chamber, and with reducing the COAL by .020" they should definitely fit. It simply doesn't make any sense.

I'd try a "normal" case, cut a thin slot into both sides of the neck and partially push a bullet into it, chamber the round and compare that measurement to the one from the comparator.

[Swamp Donkey]

I keep meaning to try the 123 Amax, do you know hoe it compares to the 123 Scenar out to 6-800 yards?

I can vouch for the 123gr amax Davie, i would say rabbits could, but alas, they stopped breathing. Best shot on a rabbit so far (no pun intended) is 680 yds. They are as accurate as the scenars in the trg.

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