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6.5x55mm
6.5x55mm
Type	Military Rifle
Place of origin	Norway /  Sweden
Service history
Used by	Norway, Sweden
Production history
Designed	1891
Produced	1894
Specifications
Bullet diameter	6.71 mm (0.264 in)
Neck diameter	7.60 mm (0.299 in)
Shoulder diameter	11.04 mm (0.435 in)
Base diameter	12.20 mm (0.480 in)
Rim diameter	12.20 mm (0.480 in)
Rim thickness	1.50 mm (0.059 in)
Case length	55.00 mm (2.165 in)
Overall length	80.00 mm (3.150 in)
Case capacity	3.75 cm³ (58 gr H2O)
Rifling twist	220 mm (1-8.66 in)
Primer type	large rifle
Maximum pressure	380 MPa (55,000 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
100 gr (6.5 g) HP	3,183 ft/s (970 m/s)	2,250 ft·lbf (3,050 J)
120 gr (7.8 g) BT	2,812 ft/s (857 m/s)	2,108 ft·lbf (2,858 J)
140 gr (9.1 g) SP	2,651 ft/s (808 m/s)	2,185 ft·lbf (2,962 J)
160 gr (10 g) RN	2,524 ft/s (769 m/s)	2,264 ft·lbf (3,070 J)
Source: Hodgdon 1

6.5x55mm or 6.5x55mm SE (C.I.P.) (also known as 6.5x55mm Krag, 6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser or 6,5x55mm Mauser) is a rifle cartridge developed in 1891 for use in the new rifles then under consideration by the Swedish-Norwegian Kingdom. The two nations had independent armies and the normal procedure by that time was that the respective MOD's agreed on using the same ammunition and then purchased small arms or ordnance by their own choice. For this cartridge Norway adopted the Krag-Jørgensen rifle, while Sweden adopted a Mauser rifle design.

Development

Early ammunition was loaded with a 10.1 gram (156 grain) long round-nosed bullet (B-projectile) with a muzzle velocity of 700 m/s (2300 ft/s), while later rounds used a 9 gram (139 grain) spitzer bullet (D-projectile) with a muzzle velocity of 870 m/s (2854 ft/s).

Service

Norway

Krag-Jørgensen M1912 Carbine in 6.5x55mm

The 6.5x55mm cartridge was used by Norway in the Krag-Jørgensen rifle and in the Madsen machine gun, as well as in several prototype self-loading rifles.

Sweden

Swedish Model 1896 rifle

Swedish AG-42 rifle

In Swedish service, the 6.5x55mm cartridge was used in the Model 1894 carbine, the Model 1896 and Model 1938 rifles, the Ag m/42 semi-automatic rifle as well as in several light and medium machine guns, like the Browning BAR, Kg m/40,

Bren Gun, FN MAG, Browning M1917, Browning M1919 and Schwarzlose.

Sporting Use

The 6.5x55mm cartridge is highly esteemed as a hunting round in Europe, Scandinavia, and North America. It is used for harvesting most kind of game including elk, moose and brown bear in Sweden and Norway, while in Canada and the United States 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 cartridge's inherent accuracy and superb penetrative qualities.

European rifle makers including CZ, Steyr and Mauser offer sporting rifles chambered for this cartridge, as does the Finnish arms manufacturer SAKO/Tikka, while ammunition manufacturers such as Norma, Lapua 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. These modern loadings should never be used in older military rifles.^{citation needed}

Expanding bullet loaded in a 6.5x55mm before and after expanding. The long base and small expanded diameter show that this is a bullet designed for deep penetration on large game. The bullet in the photo traveled more than halfway through a moose before coming to rest, performing as designed.

The cartridge is also used in the Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle).

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.

Chamber differences

Due to different interpretations of the standard, i.e. the standards of manufacturing using maximum chamber in the Krag vs. minimum chamber in the Swedish Mauser, a small percentage of the ammunition produced in Norway required a heavy push on the bolt handle to chamber in the Swedish gun. After the rumor of this difference first surfaced in 1900, it was examined by the Swedish military. They declared the difference to be insignificant, and that both the Swedish and Norwegian ammunition was within the specified parameters laid down. Despite this finding, the Swedish weapon-historian Josef Alm repeated the rumor in a book in the 1930s, leading many to believe that there was a significant difference. The CIP MAP for the 6.5 x 55 SE is 380 MPa (55000 PSI). SAAMI MAP for this cartridge is 46,000 CUP or 51000 PSI.²

See also

• List of rifle cartridges
• 6 mm caliber

References

1. ^ 6.5x55 load" data from Hodgdon
2. ^ "6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser data" from Accurate Powder

• Accurate Smokeless Powders Loading Guide Number Two (Revised), Book by Accurate Arms Co, Wolfe Publishing, 2000 p. 229
• 6.5x55mm cartridge dimensions
• CIP CD-ROM Edition 2003

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 6 October 2008, at 23:04.

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