6,5x55 Subsonic

S

supersonic

Guest
Would anybody advice me what powder would launch 123gr or 140gr bullet subsonic from barrel 22,5 inches long? I did some testing just once...Velocity was about 400m/s and when I reduced charge further-I could hear just some guses ascaping aroud the bullet and it was stucked at the beginning of rifling. I was lucky,since I was able to get it out easily. Would it have to be lead bullet to achieve subsonic vel.?
Sorry about this question,I have no other source of help.This is just in case, that someone has an experience in this area. Sorry about my english. I live in Europe.
Thanks in advance for any help. Petr
 
Super-

Howdy !

" How low.. can you go ... "

If you want to try really low recoil loads, you might even want to try some Trailboss.

I'm using it for reduced loads in .35 Rem, and results are astounding ( for 100yd paper use ).

With regards,
.357Mag
 
Hi,thanks,I did not know about Trail Boss. But,is subsonic velocity achievable from rifle with jacketed bullets,or lead bullets would have to be used?
Best regards,
Petr
 
Petr you might want to look at Hodgden's website. They have some loads and a method for determining the charge of Trail Boss to use for reduced velocity/recoil loads. The advantage to using Trail Boss is that it's not very dense so a light charge of it fills the case enough that double charging the case isn't possible, unless powder overflowing the case is dismissed.

Don't worry about your English, it's better than our Czech by a long ways!
 
Thanks a lot Larry. It is perfect info.

Best regards,
Petr
 
Super -

Howdy, again !

Sorry I did not get backto you sooner...... I have been reading/writing during lunch @ work.

Yes.. you can shoot both lead and jacketed bullits w/ Trailboss.
I myself am currently working on refining my .35 Rem Trailboss load w/ Remington .35 calibre 150gr PSP.

For Trailboss and especially cast bullet info ( in your case, 6.5 X 55 ), please take a look at
" castboolits " ( and not castboolits.com ) website.

I know they have posted reduce 6.5 Swede loads, before.

You might also consider use of IMR 4759 and/or perhaps even XMR 5744; as these are pretty much proven as "smokeless " substitutes for black powder.

Best of luck in your endeavors !

Regards,
.357Mag
 
My advice would be to pick a different rifle and cartridge for subsonic use. Any load you come up with for a 6.5x55 with a 22.5" barrel using jacketed bullets WILL have large velocity dispersion and poor accuracy. If you must use that rifle then you would do best with heavy cast lead gas check bullets,. TrailBoss is a bulky low energy powder which allows high case fills. It's fairly fast buring and is a good choice for low velocity loads, but it's still not ideal in a case as large as the 6.5x55. which has 57 grains H20 case capacity. Generally you want very small case capacity for subsonics. The ideal barrel length for shooting jacketed bullets subsoinic is typically 8 to 12 inches, though 16 is practical with large bores. Lubricating jacketed or solid bullets helps.

The problem is to get enough pressure to engrave the bullet into the rifling reliably, but then to get rid of the pressure before the bullet accelerates to above subsonic velocity. Its a fine line between sticking the bullet in the barrel and launching it in the 950 to 1050 fps range. Higher bore friction makes that more difficult, Larger case capacity makes it more difficult, a smaller bore makes it more difficult, trying to keep the pressure low makes it more difficult. The advantage of cast lead is that it has much lower engraving forces and much less bore friction, particularly if it's well lubricated.

Rifles which can shoot heavy cast lead subsonic fairly well include most pistol calibers like 45 ACP, 40 S&W, 44 Mag and 50 AE, though they don't handle low drag bullets. If you really want an accurate subsonic rifle with decent range get a bolt action made for the purpose in 300 Whiper, 300 BLK, etc or for more downrange energy in 458 SOCOM. Just about any rifle can be used with light carges of fast pistol powder and lightweight cast bullets to over 100 yards.
 
low velocity load

My advice would be to pick a different rifle and cartridge for subsonic use. Any load you come up with for a 6.5x55 with a 22.5" barrel using jacketed bullets WILL have large velocity dispersion and poor accuracy. If you must use that rifle then you would do best with heavy cast lead gas check bullets,. TrailBoss is a bulky low energy powder which allows high case fills. It's fairly fast buring and is a good choice for low velocity loads, but it's still not ideal in a case as large as the 6.5x55. which has 57 grains H20 case capacity. Generally you want very small case capacity for subsonics. The ideal barrel length for shooting jacketed bullets subsoinic is typically 8 to 12 inches, though 16 is practical with large bores. Lubricating jacketed or solid bullets helps.

The problem is to get enough pressure to engrave the bullet into the rifling reliably, but then to get rid of the pressure before the bullet accelerates to above subsonic velocity. Its a fine line between sticking the bullet in the barrel and launching it in the 950 to 1050 fps range. Higher bore friction makes that more difficult, Larger case capacity makes it more difficult, a smaller bore makes it more difficult, trying to keep the pressure low makes it more difficult. The advantage of cast lead is that it has much lower engraving forces and much less bore friction, particularly if it's well lubricated.

Rifles which can shoot heavy cast lead subsonic fairly well include most pistol calibers like 45 ACP, 40 S&W, 44 Mag and 50 AE, though they don't handle low drag bullets. If you really want an accurate subsonic rifle with decent range get a bolt action made for the purpose in 300 Whiper, 300 BLK, etc or for more downrange energy in 458 SOCOM. Just about any rifle can be used with light carges of fast pistol powder and lightweight cast bullets to over 100 yards.



Hi,

thanks for your valuable advices.

Regards,
Petr
 
Back
Top