6.5x55mm

The 6.5x55mm cartridge has a smaller bullet diameter and lower free recoil than other full-power service rifle cartridges like the .30-06 Springfield and 7.92x57mm Mauser, but thanks in part to its relatively roomy case with an uncommon 12.2 mm (0.480 in) diameter bolt face which was designed for loading long, heavy 6.5 mm bullets, has proven more successful than other first-generation smokeless-powder military cartridges of similar caliber.s

Suggested Use

• Deer
• Black Bear
• Sheep / Goat
• Elk

Performance

The 6.5x55mm cartridge is highly esteemed as a hunting round in Europe (particularly in Scandinavia), and North America. It is used for harvesting most kind of game including reindeer and moose in Scandinavia, while in most other countries it is used for taking deer and other medium-sized game. Sportsmen who favor the round laud the combination of low recoil coupled with the cartridges inherent accuracy and superb penetrative qualities due to the high obtainable sectional density. Despite its enduring popularity amongst a devoted niche of American sportsmen, U.S. rifle manufacturers have, for the most part, ignored the cartridge. There are, however, at present at least two mainstream American arms manufacturers, Thompson Center, and Ruger producing a sporting rifle in chambered for the 6.5x55mm.

European rifle makers including Blaser, CZ, Sauer & Sohn, Steyr, and Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH offer sporting rifles chambered for this cartridge, as does the Finnish arms manufacturer SAKO/Tikka, and Japanese manufacturer Howa, while ammunition manufacturers such as Norma, Lapua, Prvi Partizan, RUAG Ammotec, Remington Arms, and Hornady offer loadings of the 6.5x55mm round that are designed for use only in modern hunting rifles that can tolerate higher chamber pressures.

Because 6.5 mm bullets have relatively high ballistic coefficients, the 6.5x55mm has seen success in long range target matches of 300 m (328 yd) - 1,000 m (1,094 yd). The 6.5x55mm cartridge was widely used in biathlon competition until 1975 (when it was replaced by the .22 Long Rifle (.22 LR) rimfire cartridge), because of its inherent accuracy and historical popularity with the Scandinavian nations who have dominated this sport.The 6.5x55mm was and is used for 1,000 yd (914.4 m) target shooting disciplines like F class and benchrest. The cartridge is also used by Scandinavian target shooters that use the Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle) as their competition rifle. Metallic Silhouette shooters also use the 6.5x55mm. In fact, in North America the 6.5x55mm was the third most frequently mentioned caliber for hunter rifle at the Metallic silhouette Nationals