Sako and 6.5x55 are an unbeatable combination. You can hunt any game with it.

I find it hilarious that people pretend like 6.5 Creedmoor is a new idea. 6.5x55 is basically the same thing, just in a long action. 6.5x55 is literally one of the first smokeless powder cartridges ever developed (~130 years old) and it has effectively identical external ballistics to 6.5 Creedmoor.

That is a very nice rifle, the wood looks excellent. And the 6.5 X .55 Swede has taken a lot of deer where I am from, in Southeast Texas.

The heavyweight bullets at such moderate speeds are very good for game heavier than deer. Bullets such as this at moderate speeds usually penetrate heavy game well. Some are possibly too strongly constructed for proper expansion on small deer at the velocity range shown here.

I may have commented before, but your rifle is classic looking with the high-gloss Leupold scope. A great combination to launch 6.5x55 Swedish rounds. Thank you for the review. Your weather looks identical to November weather here in Western Washington State. Cheers.

The 6.5 x 55 is a good all round choice for big game. Here in Canada I have harvested, moose, elk and deer with it. The ammunition I reload is usually Norma 140 gr partition or a Barnes tipped TSX. I use a Mauser 98 or 96 custom rifle or my Tikka T3, both rifles are very accurate.

That’s a lovely old SAKO you have there. One of the best rifles of their time.

I used to load my 6.5 x 55 with a Sierra 120 gr Bullet. Cannot remember the powder but I was pushing the bullet between 3000-3100 ft per sec. Killed a hog at over 400 yards and woodchucks at 250 yards with Sierra 85 gr at 3600 ft per sec. ( Winchester Featherweight Model 70 )

Very interesting and well-done video, IMHO. A classic cartridge to go with your classically beautiful rifle!

Good looking rifle with an excellent cartridge! Glad to see you have open sights on it as well. Cheers!

Hi just found your videos,great videos Tack!!

My M94 and M96 both like the heavy bullets, Sellier and Bellot 156gr SP for the M96 and 160gr Hornady RN in the M94. Devastating on deer. Happy Huntin.

As usual a very interesting and enjoyed video. Thank you for sharing. Dennis

3 shot groups have always been the norm for me. Good to know that there are heavier bullets to use in my gun. Kinda thought I was stuck with 140 max.

Hello from Sweden 🇸🇪

I use a CG63 myself. The round was developed at 160gn @ 2600fps

Beautiful Sako AV, thanks for sharing it with us! I bought my first 6.5x55 in the mid 1990's when I was pretty young still and have had several since. I'm in Canada so they weren't very common back then here. Currently have a Tikka T3 that my wife uses, very accurate with everything. With heavy bullets it has done very well with the 156 gr Norma Oryx and Lapua Mega 155 gr. I have a Tikka T3 260 Remington that is sighted in with the 156 gr Norma Vulkan right now, also very accurate at just over 2600 fps. The Norma bullets and Lapua Mega bullet are much better on game than the Hornady bullets.

I found your video to be very interesting. I recently purchased a Tikka Hunter in 6.5x55 SE and have been developing loads for hunting. While various 140 grain bullets have shot very well from my Tikka, the best groups I have obtained are with the Hornady 160 grain bullets you tried. I am using Winchester StaBall 6.5 powder and the average velocity for my load is just over 2500 feet per second.

The real Swedish Mauser actions M94,96,38 built by Carl Gustaf and Husqvarna used a special high quality tough Swedish steel that was better than any German steel. Even the “Swedish” Mausers built in Germany were required to use that steel. Those actions were proof tested to almost 63,0000 psi. With those actions the hand loaded 6.5x55 will leave the 6.5 Creedmoor in the dust, especially with 140 grain and heavier bullets because the bullets can be seated farther out to take full advantage of Swede’s case capacity. I have one of the “Sporterized by Kimber of America Inc., Clackamas OR. USA.” Carl Gustafs Stads M96 built in 1914. Barrel cut to 22”, lathe turned down to a medium sporter contour to eliminate the old military mid-barrel hump. Mounted in a Ramline synthetic stock. Not as aesthetically pleasing as that SAKO but with classic form and very serviceable. It came with a Tasco 2-10x40, which I upgraded to a little bit better something else. All numbers match. Came to me with a bunch of ammunition about 5 or six years ago for $500.00 USC. Great 1MOA shooter even with inexpensive PPU ammunition. For those of you who don’t know the story about the Sporterized by Kimber Swedes you’ll have to look that up. Happy hunting boys and the!😊

Rene og fine bilder, emn fryd å se!

Very interesting and informative video, greetings from Florida And you have a new subscriber

Very nice rifle

Nice rifle and calibre.. Kind regards 🇨🇦 New Brunswick

I loaded the 9,1 gram Nosler in my 6,5x55 Finnbear for the use over 100 meter and the 160 grain Hornady roundnose for the use under 100 meter. The load was adjusted so the projectile for the Nosler hit the center at 200 meter and the Hornady hit the center at 100 meter with the same aime. I loaded the magasine with the Hornady because the range was normally allways about 50 meter. No dear took more than one step after the meeting with the 160 grain. The Nostler was only fired one time at the hunting. My Sako finnbear is my dream rifle. Using the 6,5x55 is just fantastic to shoot with and hitting everything i aime at. The recoil of the 6,5x55 is long - like the 30-06 but milder and it is one of the best choice at close range up to 50 -150 meter for animals up to 200 kilo in my opinion. The Hornady 160g RN make a open shot canal to bleed out quick and the projecktile hold high rest % at a reasonable speed.

Thanks for the Splendid Video! I have recently built my 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser from an old surplus Karl Gustav laying around that I have had for many years, without firing. I chose to build on a Boyd's At-1 stock, which I made pillars for in my lathe, glass bedded, and free floated the barrel, and had the original bolt professionally bent down, due to my not having a heat sink for this application. I left the original 29" barrel length, hopefully to gain a bit of velocity in my challenges at the range from the popular 6.5 Creedmoor. My concern is the original 1-18.6 twist rate being a bit slow, but maybe compensated for by the barrel length? I chose a caliber specific scope from Cabela's for the 6.5 Creedmoor, lapped in the steel scope rings and have laser initially bore sighted. I also have 50 original Swedish, Berdan primed 160 gr rounds that I pulled the bullets from to obtain the brass for loading my 140 gr choices of bullets, to be converted to boxer style primers after initial firing. I have always admired the high quality and attention of proper function of all Swedish products, so figure my Gustav will keep me very pleased, especially on my retirement low dollar budget. I am surprised of the accuracy for the non ballistic style round nose bullets. You rifle is absolutely beautiful also, as the smooth action is far superior to my surplus, military unit. This video now has me anxious to try my newest addition and see how it compares to the so trendy Creedmoor that all say I should have, but built a 7mm-08 for another rifle to compete with those specifications. I'm too old to care about trends, just appreciative of 5/8" groups at 300 yards with all of my rifle calibers so far, including a 270. Hoping you hunting ventures serve you well.

I’ve gotten great results with H4831 and the Hornady 160 in my 6.5x55 Ruger M77. Less than one MOA at just over 2500 fps. Very impressive!

cool!

I've had a rifle (rifles) in 6.5x55mm for around forty-five years. I've wanted one even longer. They have an excellent reputation for hunting. 6.5x55mm cartridge was originally designed with a 10 gram bullet. In Imperial terms, this is 154 grains, but using 160 grain bullets - as in U. S. ammunition is not that much different. The twist rate of the barrel is chosen on that basis. Bullets should be chosen with purpose in mind. 10 gram bullets are a bit 'over' for squirrels or bunnies, and 120 grain bullets are rather 'under' for elk or large bear. Typically heavier bullets are used for long range accuracy, requiring a faster twist than lighter bullets. One notes several of the factory heavy cartridges provide groups the size - roughly - of the four pasters of the aiming point. Consider the target or 'kill zone' of the target. Also consider the distance of the expected shot. One does not require a group of impacts under 0.25 inches at 1000 yards (or metric equivalent) to properly, humanely take a deer.

Norma Oryx 160gr factory load is super accurate in my Blaser R8, it groups 1/2 MOA easily. The Oryx is a bonded premium bullet for the heavier game. Superior choice than the Norma alaska or the Norma Vulcan.

I love the high BC bullets. It's why I prefer the 6.5x55 over the 6.5 creedmoor. Unfortunately, I think Norma discontinued a number of these in the US in favor of just pushing the whitetail and evostrikes. Cant get the Alaskans or Oryx anywhere. I did get a number of boxes of the 140gr partitions, which they also discontinued. Those are lights out. Shoots cloverleaf for me. The only high BC factory loads I can find are the Federal 156gr and the Lapua 155gr Megas. The Megas are awesome.

Fantastic rifle and caliber. If you don't mind I would like to ask you a question open to anyone who is willing to contribute. I have been offered a "New in Box", unfired, Sako AV in 30-06 Springfield. I have other sako rifles (not AV's but 85 and L61r) and I am not particularly interested in the caliber, but since it is NIB it caught my attention. The price is about what I paid for my sako 85 in 2016. It it were a L61r (the old model) or a 7mm rem mag I would grab it quickly but since I am not particularly interested in the caliber, I am hesitant as to buying it or just pass. I know it is a very personal question but ... any advice for or against the AV models ? Thx

Can I ask you the barrel length on that rifle? 570 mm?

I like the roundnose bullets

Om du ønsker tettere samlinger, ville jeg ha satt på et kikkertsikte med høyere forstørrelse, kanskje opp mot 24x

Is competition big in Sweden? Is the 6.5 more popular than the 7.5??

I always laugh when people state a 3 shot group isn’t proof of an accurate rifle. I’ve been hunting for 40 years and have never fired more than 3 rounds in a row. A five shot group would be necessary in a target rifle because during a match you’re definitely going to fire at least 5 rounds so you will need to know how that rifle reacts when the barrel heats up.

I wish I could find brass in 6.5 x 55 for reloading. Here in America 6.5 x 55 has been scarce to impossible to find for over two years.

The 160gr bullets appear to be keyholing. Meaning they are starting to tumble. Good grouping though.

It would be cool if these bullet companies would put a plastic ballistic tip in these bullets .. Nice 'scope... looks to be a fixed power ('old school'). The real velocity is best taken at 100m (if you dare).

Would you consider threading and suppressing your sako?

I know 6.5x55 is popular in Europe, but I've just never seen why.

I'm pretty sure 160 gr was the original bullet weight....

🇦🇺😎👍🏁

IMO you're giving away a lot of penetration, accuracy and flatness of trajectory with those loadings. Try 120 gr. TTSX, RL-19 and a COAL of 2.80". Seems like crazy talk from some kook on the internet I know but give it a try.

WHAT WAS THIS LOOK LIKE 100 METERS // ON END YOU TALK ABOUT TREES AND LIKE 300 OR A BIT LESS METER OR MORE TO TARGET / SO WHAT WAS DISTANCE YOU FIRED AT TARGETS

I built my AR 10 using a 26 inch Pac Nor super match barrel I chambered in 6.5-284 Norma so I only hunt large game with it using reloads of the 156 grain Norma Oryx and Vulkan bullets. Both of these bullets go clean through deer and don't explode like Hornaday bullets and all of the other U.S bullets with lead cores turn into lead bombs.

I have the same rifle in 6.5x55 , I hunt with it every year and use both lapua mega and Sako Gamehead 156g ammunition. My rifle shoots those about as good as yours shot the oryx. I’ve had good accuracy with Sellier and Bellot 156g soft points as well but haven’t been as impressed by it on game as the other two mentioned. I’m in Canada and primarily hunt whitetail deer.

i get small 3 shot groups with rem 140 gr corlok 2550 fps out of a 1901 mfg carl gustafstads bork bork bork. (that's swedish chef muppet speak, for 3/8" at 100 yd). reduce your load one grain and you will see similar, i suspect. the old CG has 1-8" rot, maybe stabilizes the long ones better.