REALLY long-range 6.5x55SE data help, please.

tac · Apr 19, 2017

A fellow shooter over here in UK is determined to shoot his 6.5x55SE rifle out to not just 1500 yards, but hopefully, a full mile.

Is he f**ting in the thunder, or has he any hope of achieving his aim, so to speak?

He is, of course, a keen handloader, but knowledge of shooting this round at such a distance is way over my pay scale. He has the choice of any bullet you might mention, BTW.

He is also looking to find a scope that has sufficient magnification and clicks to enable him to do it.

On a budget of around $1K.

TIA

tac

11Charlie · Apr 19, 2017

Holy bubblegum!!! Make sure you get a video of that when he does it.

Thats way out of my pay scale as well. @Ura-Ki might be able to help :s0092:

Goosebrown · Apr 19, 2017

Scope? He needs a good one and at LEAST a 20 MOA base 30base would be better. I ran numbers on Burris' ballistic calculator:
(I have a Burris XTR II F-Class scope and I love it. I think it has 70 elevation built in to the scope and the extreme bases can give you an additional 30 before the correction of a 20moa rail)(That clocks in at $1300 or so.)

(Dope Card | Burrisoptics)

RANGE VELOCITY ENERGY PATH DROP DRIFT TIME ZERO ADJ
(Yards) (FPS) (FT-LBS) (Inches) (Inches) (CLICKS) (SEC) (MOA)
1300 1247 483 -601.31 -647.45 80 2.091 44.2
1400 1173 428 -746.56 -796.93 89 2.339 51.0
1500 1112 384 -917.05 -971.86 98 2.603 58.5

It doesn't go to 1760 yards or whatever a mile is, but from this data you can interpolate roughly. with a 2900 fps muzzle velocity and a 140gr boattail match bullet at sea level you are going to be just about exactly at 1000fps at 1 mile and that means a destable bullet probably.

Could he do it? Maybe. With something like a 1000" bullet drop. Good luck to him. People occasionally do this with 308 and the 6.5 is superior in all regards.

If he's going to place a bet, I would not worry about betting heavily against him.

For a mile he needs more velocity like a 6.5 SAUM

6.5 SAUM 4S Load data

That might give you as much as 3100 fps at muzzle for the same bullet?

300 Win Mag is pretty solid too. Maybe 308 Norma mag which is getting a big new popularity here with tactical shooting out to a mile.

Jamie6.5 · Apr 19, 2017

If he wants to Ackley the chamber on a high-end 26"(+?) 1:8 twist barrel, and buy a copy of Quickload so he has somewhere to start with powders like MRP, MagPro, RL 23 & RL26 etc., and then spend the bench time, he MIGHT get there.
But he's asking for a lot.
And there's bullets available that get him into the same BC category with the 250-265gr .338 Lapua, so I s'pose it's possible.

Did I mention that he's asking a lot of that little cartridge?

Ura-Ki · Apr 19, 2017

I saw a fella down in Texas shoot 2000 meters with a STOCK CG-80 in 6.5X55 Swede!!!
Holy Bubblegum, thats a far bit longer then I woulda thunk, but doing the math for a 140 gr bt match king, it's going trans sonic at just about a mile. Observations show the bullet was still stable at 2000 meters as the paper had a perfectly round hole through it! I have no idea what he used other then that CG with it's 29 in barrel, but I had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure I actually saw it! FYI I have also seen a .243 get a full mile accurately, so i know it's with in the realm of possible!

Jamie6.5 · Apr 19, 2017

Ura-Ki said:
I saw a fella down in Texas shoot 2000 meters with a STOCK CG-80 in 6.5X55 Swede!!!
Holy Bubblegum, thats a far bit longer then I woulda thunk, but doing the math for a 140 gr bt match king, it's going trans sonic at just about a mile. Observations show the bullet was still stable at 2000 meters as the paper had a perfectly round hole through it! I have no idea what he used other then that CG with it's 29 in barrel, but I had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure I actually saw it! FYI I have also seen a .243 get a full mile accurately, so i know it's with in the realm of possible!

CG80 owners play by their own set of rules.
I'm still kickin' myself for passing on a couple of those.

erslll · Apr 23, 2017

I don't have experience with the 6.5x55SE but the newer Hornady ELD-M and ELD-X bullets work great in my 6.5 CM. They have the new 147 grain that would probably be perfect for the bigger cased x55.

As for a scope under $1k, Sightron would get my vote. Although don't expect miracles, that is a long way to see (clearly) with a scope in that price range.

tac · Apr 23, 2017

Thanks, Gentlemen, for all the comments and advice. This guy here is stuck with his 24" heavy barrel Tikka, and I don't know what for bullets, but we CAN get Berger and JLK brands here, as well as all the usual stuff. We just have to travel a good bit, that's all. He's given up responding now, so we are left guessing what he's going to do with the advice we've gotten out of you and from my pals over on gunboards, Leon and milprelib.

If anything comes of it, I'll be sure to let you know.

Thanks again.

tac

11Charlie · Apr 23, 2017

Dang life getting in the way of getting to the range. I can't wait to shoot my Tikka

Goosebrown · Apr 23, 2017

Sightron is a good choice. My team mates question its durability because of something about he turret adjustments but many use them. Good choice on the lower end of the scale