6.5 Rifle Choices

[Alpha1]

If you had £1200 ish to spend ideally on a 6.5x55 rifle all though it's proving difficult to find one in 6.5x55 at the moment they all seem to be in 6.5 Creedmore. What would you buy what's the latest kid on the block besides the ruger precision. Suggestions on barrel length etc would be good. I'm looking at Varmit types not sporting rifles and not milsurps.
You have to be able to reload for the caliber and components must be readily available. It must not be a barrel burner I will be using it at 100 and out to 600 yards I will not be shooting it competitively. After a google search I am more confused than ever.
I will need to get a variation so there is no mad rush. Im currently liking the Bergara offering but I can only see it in .308 or 6.5 Creedmore. The 6.5 Creedmore cartridge is a total unknown to me by the way as is the 6.5x47.

[Laurie]

You'll find little to nil RPR type rifles ('Blackticools') in 6.5X55. First, 6.5X55 isn't regarded as 'cool' by most potential blackticool buyers (indeed a fair proportion of them likely wouldn't recognise a 6.5X55 cartridge if they saw one or have even heard of it), and secondly 'Blackticools' are all manufactured as short-action rifles and this cartridge needs a long one for magazine fed repeating use. You'd be lucky to sell an RPR type model with a long action even if you gift-wrapped its box in fivers.

So factory 6.5X55s, historic Scandinavian service rifles aside, comprise 99.9% sporters of one variety or other, and most originate in Scandinavia (S&L, Tikka, Sako) a few limited past runs of special Remingtons and similar aside. Parker-Hale made some very nice M81s and suchlike in the calibre, many many years ago and they don't come onto the market very often nowadays.

The sole factory exception I can think of off the top is the Sauer STR 200 DBM equipped competition rifle again made for Scandinavians (in 6.5X55 and 308 Win) and pretty rare here, especially in 6.5. Most others are custom or rebarrel gunsmith jobs for range use.

There was some discussion on FB-UK a year or two back re getting an STR 200 or buying a secondhand one in Denmark, Sweden or Norway and importing it into the UK, likewise barrels for same as our Sauer importer doesn't list them. I quite fancy one myself, but only as a long-barrel 6.5. (They're available in three barrel lengths IIRC and it's a QD DIY barrel change job.)

[dromia]

CG 63.

[Alpha1]

You'll find little to nil RPR type rifles ('Blackticools') in 6.5X55. First, 6.5X55 isn't regarded as 'cool' by most potential blackticool buyers (indeed a fair proportion of them likely wouldn't recognise a 6.5X55 cartridge if they saw one or have even heard of it), and secondly 'Blackticools' are all manufactured as short-action rifles and this cartridge needs a long one for magazine fed repeating use. You'd be lucky to sell an RPR type model with a long action even if you gift-wrapped its box in fivers.

So factory 6.5X55s, historic Scandinavian service rifles aside, comprise 99.9% sporters of one variety or other, and most originate in Scandinavia (S&L, Tikka, Sako) a few limited past runs of special Remingtons and similar aside. Parker-Hale made some very nice M81s and suchlike in the calibre, many many years ago and they don't come onto the market very often nowadays.

The sole factory exception I can think of off the top is the Sauer STR 200 DBM equipped competition rifle again made for Scandinavians (in 6.5X55 and 308 Win) and pretty rare here, especially in 6.5. Most others are custom or rebarrel gunsmith jobs for range use.

There was some discussion on FB-UK a year or two back re getting an STR 200 or buying a secondhand one in Denmark, Sweden or Norway and importing it into the UK, likewise barrels for same as our Sauer importer doesn't list them. I quite fancy one myself, but only as a long-barrel 6.5. (They're available in three barrel lengths IIRC and it's a QD DIY barrel change job.)

That sort of scuppers that project then. hmm looks like I need a plan B.

[BooBoo]

If you're set on 6.5 then you have several really good choices in both off the shelf and semi custom.

Personally, I have great fun out with the FCSA on field firing ranges with a 260 rem barrel on an AI AT. I bought it as the 308 with 260 spare barrel... and the fact is that I have pretty much only shot the 6.5. That's out to 1100 plus where it will repeatedly knock down a fig 11 ETR with 123 scenars across varying wind conditions.

I also have a 6.5x47 Mik Mak build on an AI chassis - stupidly accurate! This was built with F Open in mind.

That said, I shoot with buddies owning 6.5 creedmoor on Ruger RPRs - again, one very accurate gun for the money.

Personally, I really like the Sabatti - the trigger is lovely and the barrel is like a scaffolding pole, but funds or lack of prevent this at present.

Tacticool basically equals a short action... and there are three choices as above that fit the bill.

:flag5:

[Ovenpaa]

6.5CM, 260Rem, 6,5x47 Lapua, 6,5x55SE/SKAN plus all the other vogue offerings all have one thing in common, they use the same range of projectiles for the most which means ballistically they are going to be very similar once the projectile has left the barrel. My choice (Today) would be the 6,5X47 Lap followed by the .260 Rem however tomorrow things might change and their positions be reversed. What I can say is the 6,5X47 Lapua is remarkably easy to load for and cheap to feed.

My personal favourite right now is the 6,5x54MS.

[Dellboy]

https://www.guntrader.uk/guns/rifles/ho ... ion/6-5x55

[Dellboy]

as above 1500 howa brand new for £999

ive got 2 1500's one in 308 and one in 223 and both in grs stocks (arctic wolf i think ) there better than me .....

[Alpha1]

CG 63.

All my milsurp stuff has gone Adam except for the mas and a No4 I have had from day one and I only keep them out of sentimental value I can not hit jack sh-t with them.

Now a days when I look through the sights I want to actually be able to see the target I am shooting at and not just a black fuzzy mass

[Alpha1]

If you're set on 6.5 then you have several really good choices in both off the shelf and semi custom.

Personally, I have great fun out with the FCSA on field firing ranges with a 260 rem barrel on an AI AT. I bought it as the 308 with 260 spare barrel... and the fact is that I have pretty much only shot the 6.5. That's out to 1100 plus where it will repeatedly knock down a fig 11 ETR with 123 scenars across varying wind conditions.

I also have a 6.5x47 Mik Mak build on an AI chassis - stupidly accurate! This was built with F Open in mind.

That said, I shoot with buddies owning 6.5 creedmoor on Ruger RPRs - again, one very accurate gun for the money.

Personally, I really like the Sabatti - the trigger is lovely and the barrel is like a scaffolding pole, but funds or lack of prevent this at present.

Tacticool basically equals a short action... and there are three choices as above that fit the bill.

:flag5:

6.5CM, 260Rem, 6,5x47 Lapua, 6,5x55SE/SKAN plus all the other vogue offerings all have one thing in common, they use the same range of projectiles for the most which means ballistically they are going to be very similar once the projectile has left the barrel. My choice (Today) would be the 6,5X47 Lap followed by the .260 Rem however tomorrow things might change and their positions be reversed. What I can say is the 6,5X47 Lapua is remarkably easy to load for and cheap to feed.

My personal favourite right now is the 6,5x54MS.

After reading up and a couple of google searches I understand now. I get the fact they are all short actions but I want a 6.5x55 I promised myself one and I promised myself when I could afford it I would have exactly the gun I had all ways hankered over. So obviously I need to go down another route to get what I want. I have cleared out a lot of stuff to make way for my 2018 bucket list and I am going to fill that bucket list while I can afford it. So if I have to acquire a long barreled action and customise it then that is what I will do. It may be just a matter of buying a varmit jobby then replacing the stock with some thing exotic.
I have a short action in my cabinet the could be rebarreled in any of the calibers quoted in the previous posts but that's not in my remit at the moment.