6,5x55/AA2460

[Lukas_K]

Bought two Tikka T3s in 6,5x55, about to start loading for the caliber.

 

Have plenty of AA2460 (Lovex D073-5). By plenty I mean enough to last me several years and quite a few thousandts rounds... used it with 155 heads in 308 with great success before.

 

Anybody has recipes for Lapua 139grs Scenars with the about-mentioned powder? Target loads to reach 1000m.

 

I do realize it might be slightly fast for the caliber/bullet, but with the availability of powders here (waiting times mean you´re forced to buy what´s in stock, which usually is a different powder everytime -> start load dev all anew), I´m hanging on to my stockpile. Wold be easier to re-stock myself to lighter bullets if need be.

 

Thanks, Lukas

[Laurie]

DO73.5 is a poor choice for the cartridge, too fast burning and overly high bulk density. The result is a low fill-ratio (~75% of the roomy 6.5's capacity used) and modest MVs, (~2,680 fps from a 24-inch barrel with a 55,000 psi PMax load).

 

Of your local powders, SO70 would be best suited. SO71 is a bit slow burning but with a compressed load would also work well. QuickLOAD suggests MVs around 2,750 fps with 55,000 psi loads.

 

That's not to say that DO73.5 won't work. The long gone Portuguese FNM historic military rifle cartridges all used modest loads of some relatively fast burning and very fine-grained ball powder. The 6.5X55 version nearly needed a torch to see the powder inside the case. It frequently produced 'funny' results though - poor case obturation in the chamber, large 'gas dents' in the case shoulder, and hints around the historic rifles community of a very occasional massively over-pressure event.

[Lukas_K]

Hello Laurie, thanks for the experienced point of view as usual. My QL goves me roughly the same numbers; it becomes more interesting if I coat the bullets, which would make the powder more usable. Experimenting will be necessary, but for now, it seems doable within certain borders.