Reloading tips for 6.5x55 swede and .45acp?

mustang66maniac · April 19, 2009, 09:55 PM

So I'm tired of spending almost $30 for a box of 20 rounds any time I want to shoot my Helga (M96). I used to reload with my dad back in the day but I'm really thinking of getting back into it just for the savings. I've been hanging onto my used brass and I have a decent collection to start with now. My main objective here is cheap accurate ammo, mainly for target shooting. Anybody have any tips on what bullets, powder and primers to start with? Of course I will be using a reloading manual, but which recipe would you suggest i use first to get a good baseline? I'm not necessarily interested in mushrooming effect or fragmenting, just a good accurate round.

Also, it seems like it will be pretty hard to save much money at all by reloading my own .45acp rounds, is this an accurate assumption? I've been doing some rough estimates and I can buy cheap ball ammo from my local gun shop for around 37 cents a pop. It seems like when I go to the range my brass flies into the unknown and gets mixed with a number of other calibers and brands or ammo. I'm guessing this is what is really going to make a difference in saving money, is that right? Am I just going to have to dig through the buckets of brass to try to find good brass to use? It doesnt seem like i'd be saving much money at all if i keep buying new brass. How much do you guys average while reloading .45acp fmj rounds for recreation?

Thanks a bunch for any help you could throw my way, I'm looking to expand on this hobby of shooting, but I want to be smart about it and make sure I'm improving the cost and benefits of it.

**Unclenick** · April 19, 2009, 10:04 PM

Saving on brass is the big saving. Get a music stand or make a frame from plastic plumbing pipe and hang a length of plastic door screen from it and position it so your brass hits it and falls down so you can find it.

I not only reload but cast bullets from alloy I have thus far accumulated for free. That puts .45 ACP at about $2.50 a box of 50 reloads using 4.5 grains of Bullseye. About 4 cents per reload and maybe a cent for brass amortization.

Sevens · April 19, 2009, 10:10 PM

If you are saying that you haven't kept a pile of .45 brass and that you don't reasonably think you can keep the brass you do sling from your pistol while on the range... and (in summary) you'll be buying new .45 brass for all your .45 reloads, then yeah, you'll never save any money loading .45! Of course you won't. There's no caliber you can rationally handload and save money if you aren't reusing all your brass..

But you are currently paying $18.50 a box for your .45, and I'm paying about $6 a box for mine, and I'm not casting my own bullets. The bullet casting guys are paying half as much for their boxes of .45 ammo.

Right now is a tough time to get in to reloading. Much like finding ammo, you should have gotten in last summer before fall moved in and the election season made everyone buy everything up. Right now, reloading tools are scarce and prices are rising... powder, bullets and especially primers are worse than the tooling.

Wildalaska · April 19, 2009, 10:40 PM

Helga will like 44 grains of RL22 with a 210M primer and a 140SMK. My OAL is 3.150 and I use Lapua cases so you will have to adjust for your rifle. Chrony and go for 2575 MV, thats Swedish ball velocity

WildswedesarehotAlaska TM

ForneyRider · April 19, 2009, 10:46 PM

6.5 Swede is available in bulk military, you may want to compare prices to reloading for plinkers.

Experimenting with OAL and powder charge will make big difference after choosing a quality bullet. After that, the changes are subtle to accruracy, like weight sorting components, uniforming primer pockets, deburr flash hole, etc.

6.5 is great caliber as there are lots of Lapua, Sierra Match King and other match bullets. Sierra (SMK) are really pretty cheap compared to premium hunting bullets. They are also available in bulk.

Buying 8lbs of rifle powder would be cheaper in long run.

A lb of W231 has lasted a looooooong time in my 45 ACP. ~5gr and 200gr or 230gr bullets.

Pick up range brass, buying used brass is the way to go. Neck-size the 6.5 to make it last longer.

Doing group buys can help with shipping and haz mat charges.

mustang66maniac · June 7, 2009, 11:00 PM

I'm guessing "RL22" is Alliant Reloder 22?? Please excuse the newb question

Wildalaska · June 7, 2009, 11:15 PM

RL22 is Reloader 22.....

WildandVNisVihtavuoriAlaska TM

snipecatcher · June 7, 2009, 11:20 PM

Both my M96 and the Tikka T3 shoot quite well with 38 grains of RE22 + Sierra Matchkings. I get about 2100 FPS out of the Tikka.

exercion · June 8, 2009, 08:34 PM

I've used RL-19, RL-22, and H4831SC in my Swedes. I get the best velocity from the RL-22 in my military Swedes behind either 140gr SMK's or 140 AMAX. Another great bullet for them is the 139 Lapua (they know a thing or two about the 6.5's there in Scandinavia). I use Lapua brass for competition loads, but have also used S&B and the NNY headstamped Privi Partisan brass that I match prep (flash hole debur, primer pocket uniform).

I use 46gr of RL-22 in my military Swedes, with no pressure signs. There are some interesting bits of research available elsewhere online. I do turn it up a bit when I run moly-coated pills.

Eric

pbratton · June 8, 2009, 08:56 PM

I have to say that since I started reloading, I have become one of the biggest brass scroungers ever.

I find that I stop and look at anything shiny on the ground at the range. And no matter the caliber, it goes in the bag...

I count bending over to get brass off the ground as exercise.

One thing I've learned though, the range gives brass and the range takes brass. One day you find more brass than you brought with you, the next you're going home a little light.

David_S · June 9, 2009, 12:47 AM

I have been working up hunting loads for my Sako M995 in 6.5x55 (23" barrel) and recently passed the following info to a friend starting the process for a Tikka. (ADI AR2209 is equivalent to Hodgdon H4350. I believe ADI make this powder for Hodgdon)

1) 129gr Hornady SST (Stock #26202) - Main long-range hunting load (Chamois)

ADI AR2209 powder, Federal primers, Lapua renecked cases, LOA of 77.2 mm seated 0.6mm off lands.
Loads tested 44.6gr to 45.7gr. NB: Max rec charge is 45.5gr. Results are shown in diagram below.

Best results so far are 45.2gr which gives a muzzle velocity of 2,670 fps and an MOA of 0.6 when tested at 100yds. When sighting in at 200 yards my son shot two 3/4" 3-shot group.

This load still needs to be checked for stability between 44.9 and 45.4gr and with varying seating depths but looks pretty good. This is our proposed main hunting load.

2) 140gr Hornady SP - Alternative hunting load (Red deer)

ADI AR2209 powder, Federal primers, Remington new cases.
Loads tested 40gr to 44.0gr. NB: Max rec charge is 44gr. 2mm off lands. LOA approx 77.5mm. Results are shown in diagram below.

Best result 40.0gr MOA=0.5. (not chrono'd - probably low velocity) but appears there may be another "hotter" load around 44.0+. We need to test this and various seating depths.

We are also experimenting with an 85gr Sierra Varminter using ADI AR2206H (Hodgdon 4895) but have not got that far with it. Best result so far is with 44.0gr MOA=1.0 with velocity of 3,115 fps but this needs further development.

Like you I am new to reloading but soon realised that you have to keep accurate records and work systematically, hence the spreadsheet graphs.

I hope this data is of use.

David

PS The quarry - a lone chamois spotted at 6,000' last month.

mustang66maniac · June 9, 2009, 02:19 PM

Thanks David!

The Lovemaster · June 10, 2009, 07:28 AM

Hi Mustang,

I reload for my Swede. I either brass online or get PRVI ammo from Midway for a decent price.

Welcome to the dark side. I love reloading.

April 19, 2009, 09:55 PM	#1
mustang66maniac Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2008 Location: Sac, CA Posts: 143	Reloading tips for 6.5x55 swede and .45acp? So I'm tired of spending almost $30 for a box of 20 rounds any time I want to shoot my Helga (M96). I used to reload with my dad back in the day but I'm really thinking of getting back into it just for the savings. I've been hanging onto my used brass and I have a decent collection to start with now. My main objective here is cheap accurate ammo, mainly for target shooting. Anybody have any tips on what bullets, powder and primers to start with? Of course I will be using a reloading manual, but which recipe would you suggest i use first to get a good baseline? I'm not necessarily interested in mushrooming effect or fragmenting, just a good accurate round. Also, it seems like it will be pretty hard to save much money at all by reloading my own .45acp rounds, is this an accurate assumption? I've been doing some rough estimates and I can buy cheap ball ammo from my local gun shop for around 37 cents a pop. It seems like when I go to the range my brass flies into the unknown and gets mixed with a number of other calibers and brands or ammo. I'm guessing this is what is really going to make a difference in saving money, is that right? Am I just going to have to dig through the buckets of brass to try to find good brass to use? It doesnt seem like i'd be saving much money at all if i keep buying new brass. How much do you guys average while reloading .45acp fmj rounds for recreation? Thanks a bunch for any help you could throw my way, I'm looking to expand on this hobby of shooting, but I want to be smart about it and make sure I'm improving the cost and benefits of it. __________________ "aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines" -Enzo Ferrari

April 19, 2009, 10:10 PM	#3
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,755	If you are saying that you haven't kept a pile of .45 brass and that you don't reasonably think you can keep the brass you do sling from your pistol while on the range... and (in summary) you'll be buying new .45 brass for all your .45 reloads, then yeah, you'll never save any money loading .45! Of course you won't. There's no caliber you can rationally handload and save money if you aren't reusing all your brass.. But you are currently paying $18.50 a box for your .45, and I'm paying about $6 a box for mine, and I'm not casting my own bullets. The bullet casting guys are paying half as much for their boxes of .45 ammo. Right now is a tough time to get in to reloading. Much like finding ammo, you should have gotten in last summer before fall moved in and the election season made everyone buy everything up. Right now, reloading tools are scarce and prices are rising... powder, bullets and especially primers are worse than the tooling. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

April 19, 2009, 10:46 PM	#5
ForneyRider Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2007 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 725	6.5 Swede is available in bulk military, you may want to compare prices to reloading for plinkers. Experimenting with OAL and powder charge will make big difference after choosing a quality bullet. After that, the changes are subtle to accruracy, like weight sorting components, uniforming primer pockets, deburr flash hole, etc. 6.5 is great caliber as there are lots of Lapua, Sierra Match King and other match bullets. Sierra (SMK) are really pretty cheap compared to premium hunting bullets. They are also available in bulk. Buying 8lbs of rifle powder would be cheaper in long run. A lb of W231 has lasted a looooooong time in my 45 ACP. ~5gr and 200gr or 230gr bullets. Pick up range brass, buying used brass is the way to go. Neck-size the 6.5 to make it last longer. Doing group buys can help with shipping and haz mat charges. __________________ When all is said and done, there is a lot more said than done.

June 7, 2009, 11:00 PM	#6
mustang66maniac Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2008 Location: Sac, CA Posts: 143	I'm guessing "RL22" is Alliant Reloder 22?? Please excuse the newb question __________________ "aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines" -Enzo Ferrari

June 9, 2009, 12:47 AM	#11
David_S Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2008 Location: New Zealand Posts: 149	Some 6.5x55 hunting loads under development I have been working up hunting loads for my Sako M995 in 6.5x55 (23" barrel) and recently passed the following info to a friend starting the process for a Tikka. (ADI AR2209 is equivalent to Hodgdon H4350. I believe ADI make this powder for Hodgdon) 1) 129gr Hornady SST (Stock #26202) - Main long-range hunting load (Chamois) ADI AR2209 powder, Federal primers, Lapua renecked cases, LOA of 77.2 mm seated 0.6mm off lands. Loads tested 44.6gr to 45.7gr. NB: Max rec charge is 45.5gr. Results are shown in diagram below. Best results so far are 45.2gr which gives a muzzle velocity of 2,670 fps and an MOA of 0.6 when tested at 100yds. When sighting in at 200 yards my son shot two 3/4" 3-shot group. This load still needs to be checked for stability between 44.9 and 45.4gr and with varying seating depths but looks pretty good. This is our proposed main hunting load. 2) 140gr Hornady SP - Alternative hunting load (Red deer) ADI AR2209 powder, Federal primers, Remington new cases. Loads tested 40gr to 44.0gr. NB: Max rec charge is 44gr. 2mm off lands. LOA approx 77.5mm. Results are shown in diagram below. Best result 40.0gr MOA=0.5. (not chrono'd - probably low velocity) but appears there may be another "hotter" load around 44.0+. We need to test this and various seating depths. We are also experimenting with an 85gr Sierra Varminter using ADI AR2206H (Hodgdon 4895) but have not got that far with it. Best result so far is with 44.0gr MOA=1.0 with velocity of 3,115 fps but this needs further development. Like you I am new to reloading but soon realised that you have to keep accurate records and work systematically, hence the spreadsheet graphs. I hope this data is of use. David PS The quarry - a lone chamois spotted at 6,000' last month.

April 19, 2009, 10:04 PM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,057	Saving on brass is the big saving. Get a music stand or make a frame from plastic plumbing pipe and hang a length of plastic door screen from it and position it so your brass hits it and falls down so you can find it. I not only reload but cast bullets from alloy I have thus far accumulated for free. That puts .45 ACP at about $2.50 a box of 50 reloads using 4.5 grains of Bullseye. About 4 cents per reload and maybe a cent for brass amortization. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

April 19, 2009, 10:40 PM	#4
Wildalaska Junior member Join Date: November 25, 2002 Location: In my own little weird world in Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 14,172	Helga will like 44 grains of RL22 with a 210M primer and a 140SMK. My OAL is 3.150 and I use Lapua cases so you will have to adjust for your rifle. Chrony and go for 2575 MV, thats Swedish ball velocity WildswedesarehotAlaska TM

June 7, 2009, 11:15 PM	#7
Wildalaska Junior member Join Date: November 25, 2002 Location: In my own little weird world in Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 14,172	RL22 is Reloader 22..... WildandVNisVihtavuoriAlaska TM

June 7, 2009, 11:20 PM	#8
snipecatcher Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 314	Both my M96 and the Tikka T3 shoot quite well with 38 grains of RE22 + Sierra Matchkings. I get about 2100 FPS out of the Tikka.

June 8, 2009, 08:34 PM	#9
exercion Member Join Date: May 7, 2007 Posts: 46	I've used RL-19, RL-22, and H4831SC in my Swedes. I get the best velocity from the RL-22 in my military Swedes behind either 140gr SMK's or 140 AMAX. Another great bullet for them is the 139 Lapua (they know a thing or two about the 6.5's there in Scandinavia). I use Lapua brass for competition loads, but have also used S&B and the NNY headstamped Privi Partisan brass that I match prep (flash hole debur, primer pocket uniform). I use 46gr of RL-22 in my military Swedes, with no pressure signs. There are some interesting bits of research available elsewhere online. I do turn it up a bit when I run moly-coated pills. Eric

June 8, 2009, 08:56 PM	#10
pbratton Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 2007 Location: Sugar Land, Texas Posts: 171	I have to say that since I started reloading, I have become one of the biggest brass scroungers ever. I find that I stop and look at anything shiny on the ground at the range. And no matter the caliber, it goes in the bag... I count bending over to get brass off the ground as exercise. One thing I've learned though, the range gives brass and the range takes brass. One day you find more brass than you brought with you, the next you're going home a little light.

June 9, 2009, 02:19 PM	#12
mustang66maniac Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2008 Location: Sac, CA Posts: 143	Thanks David! __________________ "aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines" -Enzo Ferrari

June 10, 2009, 07:28 AM	#13
The Lovemaster Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 416	Hi Mustang, I reload for my Swede. I either brass online or get PRVI ammo from Midway for a decent price. Welcome to the dark side. I love reloading.

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