6.5 x 55 comparison

Lawiswar

Active Member
Please forgive my ignorance. I have recently taken up stalking and I love it but I'm not really that interested in rifles. I just want one that feel well built and will put the bullets where I want them (so far as my ability allows). I've been advised to go for a 6.5 x 55 and so I'm looking at my options. So far I'm thinking Sour 202 or Sako 85. Again, forgive the horribly open question but any thoughts on either of those rifles or others that I should consider in that caliber also tips for moderator and scope for woodland stalking would be welcomed.
Thanks
 
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The Browning 'A' Bolt in .243 will give you all the accuracy and reliabilty you could wish for. Nice looking gun at
very reasonable price too. It is so easy to get carried away with technicalities, keep it simple !!


Brianm
 
If you are not on a budget then a Blaser, Sauer or Sako will all fit the bill nicely. From all the shooting tests i have seen published the Blaser and Sako would just shade the accuracy stakes (with the Blaser just shading it with factory ammunition), but only just. I have a Sako 75 in 6.5x55 that will produce .3" groups with homeloads at 100yds off the bi-pod. There are some good second hand bargains to be had from the fashion victim's trade ins.

On a slightly more stringent budget, do not write off Tikka as they guarantee a better than 1" accuracy with factory ammo at 100yds, the new Browning X-Bolt has a good following and there is nothing wrong with a CZ.

As for glass, buy the best you can, if you are buying the full stalking kit, use it as a bargaining tool and see who will give you the best price on quality gear. It is an old saying, but nonetheless absolutely true, that it is better to spend more money on your riflescope (and binoculars) than it is on your rifle. If you cannot see the deer, you cannot shoot it!! Names that would inspire confidence in me are, Schmidt & Bender, Zeiss, Leica and Swarovski. These are top flight, and the outstanding bargain of them all for me is the 8x56 Hungarian Schmidt & Bender riflescope. I have one myself. If I could afford it I would have an illuminated reticle. If you are going to do any target shooting make sure you get a thin reticle. The standard stalking reticles are designed for stalking in low light and are relatively thick, so they are easy to see. This can make (small) target shooting difficult.

I have just posted about moderators as i have been researching about which one to buy as a replacement for my ageing and very heavy T8. My choice would be the Roedale Light, with the first two baffles replaced with stainless ones. On a Roedale 4 baffle unit this would give you a weight of 235g.

Good shopping!

Simon.

Edit, I have just re-read my post and have realised how nice I have been about Blasers (running joke), and would like to point out that you can only shoot deaf deer with them as you have to clang the straight-pull bolt shut so hard to make it work properly :stir::evil::rofl: Just kidding ;)
 
Dont really want to get involved in an argument but I really think as a person new to the sport and one who does not hand load that you might consider other calibres.
 
Lawiswar,

I was in a similar position to you a year or so ago. I looked at several different rifle models and calibres. I eventually bought a stainless synthetic Sako 85 in 6.5 x 55. Personal preferences aside, I think most people who have owned or tried Sako's acknowledge their quality. That is not to say that Blasers, Sauers and others are not good too, but I doubt you'll go far wrong with a Sako.

The 6.5 x 55 calibre divides opinion. I chose it because I'd used it in my DSC 1 and the two pro stalkers I've stalked with both have it as their estate rifle, which I've used successfuly. It has many good qualities, including accuracy and relatively light recoil. It is not as fast or flat shooting as some. It is perhaps not ideal for large deer at "hill" ranges. Many stalkers prefer different calibres. There isn't a right or wrong answer to the general question of calibre.

As ever, the key to shooting deer efficiently is good bullet placement. I have learnt this in my short time in stalking and have posted as such. Good shooting comes from an accurate rifle / good glass / and a good round for the rifle, but more importantly from practice and confidence. When you make your choice, get out on the range and practice as much as you can.

Availability of ammunition is another factor in your choice. My local shop carries a good range of 6.5 x 55 ammunition. It might be worth seeing what availability is like in your local area, otherwise you might have to travel or pick up ammo at gamefairs etc.

Finally, as Flytie says, do not scrimp on the glass. Most modern rifles will shoot accurately enough for the needs of novice stalkers. You, like me, will be taking heart and lung shots at modest ranges. If you try a few different rounds and drop on one that suits it will be up to the job. Glass is another matter. The advice I got when I was starting out was save on the rifle and invest in the glass. I did so and haven't regretted it.

Best of luck with it. If you want to explore the relative merits of different calibres there are plenty of threads on this. If you have an idea of the species of deer you'll be stalking the more experienced members on here will be able to advice you on the finer points.

Cheers,

Bob
 
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Thank you all for your helpful responses. Funnily enough I've gone for the 6.5 x 55 for exactly the same reason as you Dovebob. I've actually only stalked with my friends Sauer 308 and have never missed with it (mostly because I'm damn sure of the shot before I pull the trigger) but I used a 6.5 x 55 on my DSC1 and liked it better. Anyway. food for thought! thanks folks.
 
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A synthetic stainless Sako in 6.5x55 is perfect for your needs.

Once you get some experience and learn your own preferences, you can swap to something more exotic if the mood moves you. If you do, the Sako will be very saleable. You may never need another / better rifle.
 
My advice:

Go to your local gunshop/firearms dealer, and find a good quality 2nd hand rifle/scope combination such as Sako/Sauer with Zeiss/S&B/Swarowski. Make sure it groups and is in good nick, no rust, the foreend doesn't touch the barrel, and the barrel isn't pitted inside. Go for a calibre between .243 and .308, be it 6.5x55, 7mm, 7-08, .270, etc.

If you want to use it for both stalking roe, sika, reds, etc. consider getting bigger than .243 - IMHO, the perfect hybrid-use rifle would be either 6.5x55, 7mm, or .270.

Pick whichever is best value, and make sure that your local dealer stocks a good and continuous supply and range of both factory and handloading ammo for your chosen calibre. You should expect to see Norma and Federal in the mix, and ideally in a few different weights and bullet combinations (particularly Soft Point).

Just my thoughts on the subject if I was to do it again.
 
Right I'm holding my breath as I say this. I'm fairly sure this is going to show me up as very green but here goes. Claret-Dabbler don't the deer see the stainless barrels? Id like a synthetic stock but that shiny metal on top is putting me off.
 
Right I'm holding my breath as I say this. I'm fairly sure this is going to show me up as very green but here goes. Claret-Dabbler don't the deer see the stainless barrels? Id like a synthetic stock but that shiny metal on top is putting me off.

Richard Prior, the doyen of English roe-stalking once said that it is possible to stalk roe wearing a white shirt if you use good fieldcraft, a stainless barrel at 100yds makes little difference. My Sako barrel is a matt bead blasted stainless, but i will have it coated at some time! I cannot say that i can blame losing a deer on it though, my decision would be purely aesthetic.

Simon
 
I have no clue about whether deer can see a stainless barrel, but you wouldn't find me using one that creates any shine or reflection when exposed to direct sunlight,,,esp. the evening sun as that 6 point gold medal buck comes out!

Stainless is not as good looking as blued, in my very humble opinion, but they do appear to be more weather-hardy. A blued barrel that is kicking around on top of a couple of cull deer in the back of an Argo will have the blue stripped off it by the blood in no-time, which will look cr*p if you don't have it re-done, and you have to be wary of rust. Of course, if you take care of it, you can enjoy the nice looks of the blued barrel for many years.

It depends what you want, a working tool that you can rest on rocks, put in the back of the Argo, get soaked in rain, and bang straight in the cabinet; Or a thing of beauty that you will treat very carefully, clean, dry and oil when you get home, which you can take out of the cabinet just to look at now and again, or to give it an extra polish:coat:
 
Don't you believe it stainless rusts................................................... it just stains less then carbon steel ;).
 
Please forgive my ignorance. I have recently taken up stalking and I love it but I'm not really that interested in rifles. I just want one that feel well built and will put the bullets where I want them (so far as my ability allows). I've been advised to go for a 6.5 x 55 and so I'm looking at my options. So far I'm thinking Sour 202 or Sako 85. Again, forgive the horribly open question but any thoughts on either of those rifles or others that I should consider in that caliber also tips for moderator and scope for woodland stalking would be welcomed.
Thanks

I've got no experience of either rifle or the accessories needed for it, but would back the advice to go for a 6.5x55.

I started with a .308 from the 7.62 route..... then felt a .30 cal. was too heavy for Roe ... so I added a .243..... then started worrying that this wasn't enough for red stags..... so I definitely needed a .270 then in vogue ..... but having got this I started reading ballistic drivel which said that the cognoscenti knew that 7mm was the ideal long range calibre ... so a beefy 7mm was the next step ....... then I realised that there was nothing at the bottom end .... so lusted for and fell in love with my .222 which was so quiet and dinky ..... but maybe this had limited range for Muntjac then just coming on stream .... perhaps a .22-250 would be ideal for them .... so I added this as soon as .22 Centrefires were legal in E&W. The last calibre added to the set because it was available for the first time AND I wanted something different :lol: was the 6.5x55. This is such an allround interesting cartridge that I've put more work into it than all the others put together.

Now the point of all this ramble is that if the 6.5x55 had been available in a lefthand action when I started out in the 1980's, rather than from Tikka first in 2000, this would have been the ideal candidate to back up the .308 rather than a .243. The .308 was too much at the time, and wasn't particularly flat-shooting so a much smaller calibre was called for. I'm convinced that the 6.5x55 using 100gr would have matched the .243 for Roe and Red hinds, and the 120gr would have matched the .270's trajectory for stags on the hill. If I needed the bullet weight advantage of 140gr to 160gr in the 7mm for anything bigger then it was there on tap in the 6.5x55 at a speed more suited to the quarry .... thinking of pig and such.:D

If it was possible to go back in time, or I was starting out again the 6.5x55 would cut out at least 3 rifles in .243, .270, and 7mm, and maybe even a fourth in the .22-250. From my perspective and history this is an ideal choice for someone who just wants one rifle in a very accurate calibre that will do almost everything asked of it
 
Went for the stainless synthetic Sako in the end with a Swarovski z6 2.5-15 x 56 scope. Made up with the set up. Thank you all for your advice.
 
That is one seriously nice setup that will do you a lifetime with no cause to ever question the scope or rifle. Of course the downside of that is that you have no excuses! :)

Enjoy the new rifle and scope and I hope it downs plenty of deer for you.
 
You pick a brilliant scope. You won't be disapointed with it. I have the the same scope on my Sako 75 6.5 x 55 wooden stock rifle. But would to change the stock to synthetic.
 
Please forgive my ignorance. I have recently taken up stalking and I love it but I'm not really that interested in rifles. I just want one that feel well built and will put the bullets where I want them (so far as my ability allows). I've been advised to go for a 6.5 x 55 and so I'm looking at my options. So far I'm thinking Sour 202 or Sako 85. Again, forgive the horribly open question but any thoughts on either of those rifles or others that I should consider in that caliber also tips for moderator and scope for woodland stalking would be welcomed.
Thanks

That statement leaves me a little puzzled. The rifle is such an integral part of stalking with the intent to kill game, and so much hinges on it's performance in the trained hunters hands, that it seems to me to be something every stalker should have paramount interest in. Maybe I'm reading it wrong.~Muir
 
I sought of see where he comes from. Hunting is hunting, whether it is with a modern rifle or a sharp stick. Most of us however also derive pleasure from the 'tools' we use in just the same way I'd rather drive a Ferrari than an Ford.
 
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