Thread: 6.5X55 ADI 2208 load help! Please

I am helping a friend to reload for his 6.5, he has done it in the past(long time ago) and lost his load data for it. Pulling out one of his old reloaded cartridges I find out it was done with 2209 and now he only have available 2208.
Projectile is Hornady 140gn Interlock.
Helping question, can someone give me some advise in a start load so I don't need to "re-do" a full load development again? I have the ADI book but a "solid" starting load will be appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Mac

You probably have this data.

http://www.adi-powders.com.au/handlo...Swedish+Mauser

Rather than rely on suggestions from the internet just use the manufacturers recommendations and re do the load development.

Its probably going to be easier to simply buy some 2209 and replicate the original load.

Ok, here i go again… First of all, thank you to you all who somehow jump in this thread and somehow help me with my question, i actually learn a bit from it.
After a few tries and failure i am here agin with maybe few more questions. I primarily need to let you all know what are the "initial" equipment and condition(if i can say anything about it), the rifle in question is a Carl Gustav in 6.5X55SE, age and rounds count is unknown to me, rifling looks good in "MY" view however i can't say anything regards the throat or any internals, crown is fine, rifle has been "sporterised" with a syntetic stock, the owner has been shooting 140r Hornady interlock as long he can remember with hand loads somehow very "dodgy" to me as every one of the 5 rounds i pull off was completely different charges, so anyway…
I did few loads as suggested here with the projectiles in case and the ADI2209 in the old brass he had kept, the results was absolute "crazy" the POI was a big guess shooting was wild, some rounds hit 5" to the side and 3" low, other 2" high and 3-4" to "some side". then i found 3 charges that sounds promising and i work some loads with different seating length, boom! the accuracy "improved" but just enough to call that "workable", my friend bought new Norma brass to take off the "brass" variable, i bought 2 different boxes of ammo(Federal Fusion and Winchester SuperX 140Gr) to try and check the accuracy with those… "tragedy", everything went down hill again, group around 3-4" and somewhere around the "bullseye" but nothing close to group "tighter" with both ammo, ammo worked out so i got in "control" of the shooting working the "shooter" variable, nah! i did shot like "crap", not that i am a good shooter but really horrible.
I did prepper the new Norma bras and reload it with the 3 most "probable" charges and bullet seating length, shot it this afternoon and the charges were quiet good with the SD at around 15 avg, however once again the groups were not great, the best was the one with SD at 7.6 and group around 4" with spread horizontal in the same line.

My question, is the throat "erosion" so significant that will cause this much trouble? would be the rifle twist not appropriate to the bullet weight or the seating should be Jammed right in? should i push the charge up(as i am not near the highest recommended by ADI)?

Well, i am sure i have more questions but i think i had enough for now or my brain "work load" will be too much.

Thank you in advance.

Mac

I had 7 Swedes at one time none of them ever shot that bad in fact they all shot extremely well Hornady 140gr Interlocks shot as good as anything else Sierra 140gr Gamekings is another good bullet I seat them to 3.140"
if 2209 is not working try 2213sc or H4831 push the load up to max carefully accuracy is usually 1.5 to 2.0 grains below max,
don't worry about the jump to the rifling it does not seem to matter with the Swedes I had one that the bullet fell out of the case before it reached the rifling but it still shot as good as the others I had,
There could be something wrong with the one you have start with a serious clean and check all the screws are tight, change the stock if you can, I still have a 96 stock if you are close to Tokoroa or know some one passing
through you borrow it.

I wouldn't have thought adjusting ammo would be able to significantly improve groups that are already larger than 3"?

Sounds like an issue with the rifle more than the ammunition to me.

O9 will be better

Originally Posted by longrange308

O9 will be better

Yup, make him get the right powder for the job man

Cheers guys, I probably made my mind, I will make he buy the 09.

Cheers.

Mac

Yet we always got best results with W760 for the 6.5.

Originally Posted by Wirehunt

Yet we always got best results with W760 for the 6.5.

Same burn rate as 2209. But w760 is sooo last year.

Originally Posted by Tahr

Same burn rate as 2209. But w760 is sooo last year.

That being the case I am in the shit then. I am sitting on 11 canisters of 760 just for my 6.5x55.

So, thank you @LJP, @shooternz and @chalkeye for the feedback, i "think" i found the problem… Follow a photo of the action front screw, from here you can make your mind… Boyds Gunstocks has just made another $100 from my friend.

Thank you a lot for the help, i will keep you guys posted.

Cheers.

Mac

They sell zimmer frames to support the 760 so don't stress too much

2209 and 2213sc are better than 2208 for 6.5 i have used 2213sc in all mine but 2209 works well aswell

Originally Posted by Tahr

Same burn rate as 2209. But w760 is sooo last year.

Yet the 120s were marching along at 3000 and it goes through the powder thrower so much easier than 2208.