Does the 6.5 x 55 fit in a short action?
Or a long action? THX
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Long, same as 8x57 or 7x57. You can go a tad shorter than 7.62x63 aka. 30-06. 0 -
Thanks 0 -
roswellnative,
Actually, with regard to the Swede's and Paul Mauser's design, the original action is an intermediate length. Many manufacturers had short, intermediate and long actions available, some even added a 'magnum' length as well. Sako is one of the very last holdouts that intelligently continues to produce actions in lengths that are useful for most cartridges without having to reduce powder capacity by squashing a bullet deeper into the case just to make magazine length.
The 6.5x55 cartridge can be handloaded to a short action magazine length by simply making sure that the overall length doesn't exceed the length of 2.800" or somewhere in that neighborhood. This places medium weight spitzer shaped bullets about 1/2" into the case or about 0.200" below the neck/shoulder junction. This loading conformation is not uncommon in other cartridges especially when the longer, heavier bullets or the VLDs are used in standard magazines.
The .260 Rem., a more readily accepted American version of the 6.5x55, is supposedly the better selection for short actions since it uses the .308 Win. case as a parent. However, when loaded with the same bullets to the same overall length for the magazine, the bullet protrusion into the .260 case is only 0.015" shorter, a mere 15 thousandths shorter.
Another example is the 6.5 Remington Magnum cartridge which has twice failed to capture the American public's attention. The Rem. Mag. case is 2.170" long with the Swede case being 2.165", a difference of only 5 thousandths. Yet the Rem. Mag. was chambered in short action rifles by Remington from the factory. Maybe this isn't such a good example because of the lack of success but it does demonstrate the ability of using a short action if absolutely necessary. I am not suggesting that this is the proper action size for this cartridge by any means. However, American manufacturers, in their brazen stupidity, insist upon using only two action lengths then stuffing every conceivable cartridge into just those two. The compromises are aggravating to say the least.
Anyway, the proper action length is intermediate but if you're stuck using any of the common actions available today, you should use a long action in order to get the broadest bullet selection from reloading. The best solution though is still the pre-1957 Mauser actions which are readily accessible through the Gunbroker auctions.
Best.0 -
As nn noted, long action if you intend to go with a standard American made action and long bullets. Do that if you ever intend to shoot long bullets from that case. However, if you never plan to shoot long bullets from that case. A short action will work just fine.
Remington put the .257 Roberts, the 6mm Rem and 7x57 in short actions and they work well with the shorter bullets. This is fine if you are a 'one load guy' who always chooses lighter(shorter) bullets and seeks above average velocity. My dad with his .257 is that way. Edit: He uses 87 gr. bullets exclusively. One gun, one load. He pitched a fit when I started using...OMG[:0]...100gr. bullets in his 1-12" twist rifle. It worked well. Accuracy improved even. But, no way was he going to change.[}:)][:D][:D]
The point to that little sidetrack is if you plan to shoot 85 and 100 gr. bullets at above average velocities, a short action might work better for you. You will lose the flexibility of having an all around cartridge though. I found this out by getting a tighter twisted, long action .257 and proceeded to use everything from the 60 gr. all the way up to the 125 gr. Wildcat bullets. All the Mauser cases have that kind of flexibility. They need a longer action to work from to get that, though.
I'll reiterate what nononsense said, the perfect length action for that case is the intermediate length Mauser action. They are extremely strong and just better suited to the flexibility you might want from the 6.5x55. Even though chambered and throated to the maximum distance/accuracy bullet you have, they will still shoot all the rest of the bullets very accurately. Provided they are given enough twist to stabilize the longest bullet you choose to shoot.
Or, even with an intermediate action, you can build a 'one bullet platform' to launch the one bullet that most suits your needs.[;)]
-Good luck with your choice0
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