6.5x55 ammo

Ammunition, reloading, shooting, etc
Kooler
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6.5x55 ammo

Post by Kooler »

I have a sporterized Norwegian Krag that I shoot mostly cast bullets. I also have a lot of the Swedish surplus ammo that I have shot in my `96 Mauser. Is it safe to shoot the surplus ammo in my Krag ? Thanks,Kooler.

Whig
Posts: 1992
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2016 12:53 am

Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by Whig »

If you are referring to shooting vintage, old military .30-40 Krag ammo in your Krags, yes, it should be fine. Many of us have shot old military surplus .30-40 ammo in our krags without any trouble. The old loads are fine as far as ballistics and pressures for the Krag action.

But, this depends on a couple things. First, of course, your Krag needs to be functional and without any mechanical issues such as a cracked bolt or damaged chamber or bore. Many old Krags are in great shape but there are a fe out there that shouldn't be shot. Just check it out or have it inspected properly.

The other factor that limits use of old ammo of any sort, especially old Krag ammo, is neck splitting. Many old cases have split necks or the necks of the old brass are weak and will split when shot. This usually isn't a problem as far as safety if it happens but it is not, generally, safe to be shooting old weak rounds. Check them carefully. If they are old re-loads, I would just pull the bullets and dump the powder, check the cases well, and re-load. Keep in mind that old ammo may have corrosive primers and require immediate cleaning of the rifle chamber and bolt and bore after shooting.

I have shot many old rounds in some of my Krags without problems. I do have many with split necks I have found and discarded and I clean them well after using old ammo.

I wouldn't shoot some old ammo because some of the real old stuff is collectible, especially if you have the colorful boxes with them!

Good luck and keep us informed.Image

Ned Butts
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6.5 SURPLUS in Norwegian Krag

Post by Ned Butts »

I would not recommend it. Is it safe probably, maybe.....? Have I done it, yes. Would I do it again NO. I would stick to modern commercial ammo made to SAMMI specs and your own reloads. I do not know of any recent documented failures due to this but it is not worth the risk for the $ savings.

Whig
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Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by Whig »

I do agree, Ned, that it's best to use new ammo. I was answering the question, though, if it could be done.

Older stuff from the 40s and 50s is fun to shoot in Mausers and Hakims and Mosin Nagants, etc. But you sure have to clean them afterwards and there are lots of mis-fires and hang fires and squibs to be cautious with.

I have shot numerous old loads, even some from the 1890s, in my Krags just to see what happened. It's always interesting to test things out. But, as a regular exercise I do not do it. I save my old ammo, as in the picture above, for my Krag collection!

Keep safe!

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butlersrangers
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Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by butlersrangers »

Kooler's, question was specifically about 6.5X55mm 'Swedish' Mauser military ammunition in his Norwegian Krag.

(IIRC - The two countries never had quite identical ammunition).

Since the Swedish Mauser is considered a stronger action, with maybe better metallurgy than early Norwegian Krag rifles, his question is a prudent one.

(The Swedes also made ammo designed for their Ljungman semi-auto rifle. These rounds may have been OK to use in a Swedish Mauser, but, were not intended for the Krag).

There are loadings for the Swedish Mauser and Ljungman that are considered too 'hot' for the Norwegian Krag.

FWIW - I would avoid shooting Swedish Military ammo in a 6.5X55mm Norwegian Krag. I would confine its use to good condition Mausers.

I would shoot limited amounts of commercial, Boxer primed, 6.5X55mm "Swede" ammo in a Norwegian Krag for Hunting/Target use and to have a Brass base for reloading.

I would reload 6.5mm ammo to the lower pressures intended for the Krag.
The Scandinavian cartridge is 'rimless' and does not have that nice extra 'gas seal' (case-rim) in the event of a case failure.
(The rim is a nice safety feature of .30-40 ammo).

Scandinavian shooters are knowledgeable about these rifles and cartridges. From what I've read over the years, they were conservative about pressures in the Krag.

Whig
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Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by Whig »

Never shot the 6.5x55 ammo.

Does anything discussed above not apply in the same manner to 6.5x55 ammo? These comments apply to almost every type of vintage milsurp ammo I have shot in my military firearms.

Old ammo can be corrosive. Old ammo can be damaged and weak. Old firearms can be damaged and not capable of handling any shooting. Pretty general comments.

Are ballistics or pressures of 6.5x55 ammo significantly different than other ammo? Is the Norwegian Krag more dangerous to shoot than the US Krag in chamber or bolt design? I have not shot mine.

Thanks!

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butlersrangers
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Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by butlersrangers »

I am not disagreeing with anything that has been said.

I believe the following to be true:

Swedish 6.5X55mm military ammo is usually corrosive, Berdan primed, and likely develops higher pressures than the ammo that Norway loaded for their Krag rifles.

Cartridge brass gets more brittle with age. Most of the Swedish military surplus ammo in circulation, no matter how clean, is 50 to 60 plus years old. (A failed rimless case allows high pressure gases to more readily escape into the action than a rimmed-case).

The 6.5X55mm cartridge is a dream to reload. Brass, projectiles, Dies, propellants, and data, is readily available. It is easy to make ammo better tailored for a Norwegian Krag.

"Ya pays your money and ya votes your choice".

(p.s. - I don't hesitate to shoot U.S. GI .30-06 ammo, made in the late 1960's, in my M1 Garand or '03-A3. But, that is a different 'animal' and not relevant to the original question).

Ned Butts
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Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by Ned Butts »

The big difference here is two countries and two (or more) different types of actions. The Norwegian Krag is probably slightly stronger than the US Krag in some ways and some models are weaker in others. The European Krags where built with the bolt handle bearing on the receiver as a second "lug" not as a "safety lug" as the US Krag. The Model 1894 Norwegian action had right angles milled in places where the US and 1912 series Norwegians had "curved" millings. The square millings can be more prone to cracking. Even the strongest Krag receiver is not as strong as the weakest Mauser type receiver. Sweden produced ammunition for the stronger Mauser action Model 1896 and later the Ljungman and can be and likely is higher pressure. It is not worth the risk. This is not so much about shooting older ammo as it is about the origins of the older ammo. One other point is the OP asked if it was "safe to shoot", we all need to be very careful how we answer those type of questions due to liability issues.

Bjarne
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Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by Bjarne »

Hi
Back in 1894 the 6,5x55 were developt for combined millitery of Sweden/Norway and the pressurestandars were set to 3500 bar.
Later (1967) the Norwegian rifleasosiasjen(DFS) lowerd the max presure for Kragammo to 3300 bar, and the CIP standard for 6,5x55 is incresed to 3800 bar. Comersiali loded Eropian ammo is loded to CIP, not neseserili to max presure but you will not know.
Swedish surpluss ammo was loaded to the old standards and the most common "M41 prik" have a normal presure of 3200bar
and Kragsafe, is it corrosive, probobly but if you clean and oil your gun it is not more off a problem inn the Krag than it is inn a Mauser.

Ned Butts
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Re: 6.5x55 ammo

Post by Ned Butts »

Interesting information, thank you. I read somewhere when I first got into Norwegians that there was a difference, could have been "Cartridges of the World" or similar book and it just stuck. I will see if I can find that. I still would not advise use military ammo in a Norwegian Krag, esp. the 94 action as other alternatives are available.

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