I don't have either. The 75 fps increase is reported by people on the hide. As I said in the OP I'm considering a 6.5 build.
What is your intended use of this rifle?
I think you could flip a coin between between the 260 and the 6.5x55 and come out a winner either way.
The 6.5x284 or the 6.5-06 would give a substantial increase in velocity, at the cost of shorter barrel life. If this is purely a hunting rifle that will see limited use, the 6.5WSM or 264 win mag are also good bets, but, again, at the cost of shorter barrel life.
Good luck on your project.
I think you could flip a coin between between the 260 and the 6.5x55 and come out a winner either way.
The 6.5x284 or the 6.5-06 would give a substantial increase in velocity, at the cost of shorter barrel life. If this is purely a hunting rifle that will see limited use, the 6.5WSM or 264 win mag are also good bets, but, again, at the cost of shorter barrel life.
Good luck on your project.
It's gonna be a lr shooter to give me more trigger time and less sore shoulder than my 338 lapua.
I have a 6.5x55 and a 6.5x284, like them both. They are very accurate, I love the 6.5s. A friend has a 6.5x55 AI that he shoots in 1000 yard matches, don't think you could get it from him. Another friend just built a 260 AI, he hasn't shot it yet. I don't know how he can stand it.
w00t! Hopefully picking up my donor rifle this weekend. Found a great deal on a 1970 Remington 700 BDL in 30-06. Should be really cool. I could even use the action to do an M24 if I wanted.
Well, got a rifle headed my way. Didn't end up finding a BDL, but got a pretty good price on a 1974 made ADL 30-06. Probably gonna go with CDI Precision DBM setup and a Manners T2 or T4 stock.
I think I'm gonna shoot it some with the iron sights. I've never done that on a rifle like this. Sounds like fun!
That will make you a nice donor. I went with 260 because I have a **** ton of 308 brass and I can use the same AI mags for my 260 as my 308. My 591 AICS 260 should be done in a week or two it has been a long process cant wait to shoot it.
Dustin
Dustin
Kinda thinking about an M24 build with the 7 digit serial long action. Still in 6.5 Swede 
For an off-the-shelf 'sporter-syle' rifle, you might take a good look at the LSI / Howa. Now offered in 6.5x55.
http://www.legacysports.com/products/howa/index.html
Some of them have a Hogue rubber stock rifle in this caliber which looks like a really appealing all-purpose semi-lightweight rifle, and somewhat budget-y. I'd get it in sand color myself (the stock) - they're offered in 3 colors. 22" bbl - can get it in stainless or blued.
If I was gonna go custom, then I'd probably go ahead and be a bit oddball and 'customize' the chambering, too, to 6.5-284 Norma, or 6.5mm-'06 A-square, or 6.5-WSM, if sticking with a 6.5mm.
The 6.5x55 is indeed a small step up from a .260 rem, just as .260 rem is a small step up from 6.5x47mm or 6.5 Creedmoor. Every little bit of case capacity helps when you're trying to push the performance while keeping pressures down. As we know, both 6.5x55 swede and 7x57 mauser can be loaded significantly hotter in modern bolt actions than the off-the-shelf saami-spec stuff is, safely. In their dumbed down form, these two rounds are equivalent to their higher-pressure counterparts (.260 and 7mm-08). But hotrodded a bit, some more velocity can be coaxed out pretty easily while stilll avoiding pressure signs - and there's reload info available for this on the net, if you're willing to trust it. Or just experiment yourself, slowing working up.
WHEN I build my heavy custom long-range bench rifle -- my "interdiction" rifle if you'll allow the cheesiness
-- (but it's way down low on the priority list), it will almost certainly be in one of these chamberings: 6.5mm-'06 (now standardized by A-square, thankfully), 6.5mm WSM (a fairly new wildcat), or 7mm WSM (a standardized but quickly-dying round). Honorable mentions go to 6.5-284 and .280 Rem. Leaning toward 7mm WSM for bullet variety and better barrel life at the expense of more recoil. Yeah, barrel burners arguably, but that's not a concern if you're not shooting hundreds or thousands of rounds a year, like the hardcore practical guys or benchrest guys. Mine's just for fun, for a few dozen rounds a year. Those high-volume shooters (I dunno - you may be one of them, or plan to be ???) are the ones that need/want the milder rounds of 6x47 and creedmoor. YMMV.
Even though I love the round, I sold all my 6.5x55 rifles (which were all swede mausers or sporterized swede mausers), but still have one .260 (DPMS LR-260). My DPMS .260 has just an 18" bbl, and of course doesn't have the same accuracy potential as a turnbolt. So I view it as a glorified 6.5 Grendel. It's gonna be (is) dedicated to light, low-pressure loads with so-so BC 120s - I consider it an "intermediate range" rifle, meaning real good to 200, and 'okay' up to 350-ish. My long-range *hunters* (as opposed to interdiction/tactical/precision/heavy/benchrest rifles, which I don't have any of right now) are both in .280 Rem. For hunting big game, 400 yards is a long, long ways. I don't think I'd ever shoot at game past 400 (not counting varmints), even if no wind, and I'm sitting at a bench in the pickup truck bed with sandbag rests, given the potential for wounded game. The Hornady 154 gr SST bullets in 7mm have insanely good BCs, and I plan to see what they can do accuracy- and velocity- wise from my 28" T/C encore barrel in .280. I am 98.44% sure I'm moving to Wyoming in about 10 years to revert back to my inner caveman, so I need a badazz long-range gun for pronghorn, mulies, & elk. Most of Wyoming is desert or semi-desert.
http://www.legacysports.com/products/howa/index.html
Some of them have a Hogue rubber stock rifle in this caliber which looks like a really appealing all-purpose semi-lightweight rifle, and somewhat budget-y. I'd get it in sand color myself (the stock) - they're offered in 3 colors. 22" bbl - can get it in stainless or blued.
If I was gonna go custom, then I'd probably go ahead and be a bit oddball and 'customize' the chambering, too, to 6.5-284 Norma, or 6.5mm-'06 A-square, or 6.5-WSM, if sticking with a 6.5mm.
The 6.5x55 is indeed a small step up from a .260 rem, just as .260 rem is a small step up from 6.5x47mm or 6.5 Creedmoor. Every little bit of case capacity helps when you're trying to push the performance while keeping pressures down. As we know, both 6.5x55 swede and 7x57 mauser can be loaded significantly hotter in modern bolt actions than the off-the-shelf saami-spec stuff is, safely. In their dumbed down form, these two rounds are equivalent to their higher-pressure counterparts (.260 and 7mm-08). But hotrodded a bit, some more velocity can be coaxed out pretty easily while stilll avoiding pressure signs - and there's reload info available for this on the net, if you're willing to trust it. Or just experiment yourself, slowing working up.
WHEN I build my heavy custom long-range bench rifle -- my "interdiction" rifle if you'll allow the cheesiness
-- (but it's way down low on the priority list), it will almost certainly be in one of these chamberings: 6.5mm-'06 (now standardized by A-square, thankfully), 6.5mm WSM (a fairly new wildcat), or 7mm WSM (a standardized but quickly-dying round). Honorable mentions go to 6.5-284 and .280 Rem. Leaning toward 7mm WSM for bullet variety and better barrel life at the expense of more recoil. Yeah, barrel burners arguably, but that's not a concern if you're not shooting hundreds or thousands of rounds a year, like the hardcore practical guys or benchrest guys. Mine's just for fun, for a few dozen rounds a year. Those high-volume shooters (I dunno - you may be one of them, or plan to be ???) are the ones that need/want the milder rounds of 6x47 and creedmoor. YMMV. Even though I love the round, I sold all my 6.5x55 rifles (which were all swede mausers or sporterized swede mausers), but still have one .260 (DPMS LR-260). My DPMS .260 has just an 18" bbl, and of course doesn't have the same accuracy potential as a turnbolt. So I view it as a glorified 6.5 Grendel. It's gonna be (is) dedicated to light, low-pressure loads with so-so BC 120s - I consider it an "intermediate range" rifle, meaning real good to 200, and 'okay' up to 350-ish. My long-range *hunters* (as opposed to interdiction/tactical/precision/heavy/benchrest rifles, which I don't have any of right now) are both in .280 Rem. For hunting big game, 400 yards is a long, long ways. I don't think I'd ever shoot at game past 400 (not counting varmints), even if no wind, and I'm sitting at a bench in the pickup truck bed with sandbag rests, given the potential for wounded game. The Hornady 154 gr SST bullets in 7mm have insanely good BCs, and I plan to see what they can do accuracy- and velocity- wise from my 28" T/C encore barrel in .280. I am 98.44% sure I'm moving to Wyoming in about 10 years to revert back to my inner caveman, so I need a badazz long-range gun for pronghorn, mulies, & elk. Most of Wyoming is desert or semi-desert.
