6.5x55,barnes 130 gr. flat base, vihtavuori 550 or 560

[moosenuggets]

has anyone tried this combination yet? I need a suggestion for the amount of powders as data seems nonexistant. Thanks.

[BILLY D.]

hi moose

cal sibley shoots a lot of vv 550 & 560. hoprfully he'll see your post. looking in the barnes manual they suggest rl-19, 43.5--47.5 and h4350, 42.0--46.0 grains. nothing on v/v powders.

from the v/v manual they suggest n-550, 37.1--40.7 and 560, 44.1--47.5 grains. now those loads are with a sierra bullet. i suggest you start low with the barnes bullet and work your way up. barnes bullets do cause pressure spikes if you are not careful. also if you fiddle with oal, barnes bullets tend to shoot better farther away from the lands.

i shoot the barnes 120 grainer in my swede with 48 grains of rl-19, 2790fps and .75 groups. i used it to harvest my antelope year before last. one shot kill.

good luck

[Cal Sibley]

Hello moosenuggets,

The closest bullet I use to yours in weight in the Hornady 129gr. PSP. It's not a particularly streamlined or attractive bullet, but shoots fairly accurately. I use Rel-19, 48.0grs with it. It groups around .6" (5 at 100yds.). My best results come with VV550 and 560 and preferrably Lapua Scenar bullets. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[Cossack]

(If) you're starting from scratch with Barnes have a gander at their 120 Triple Shock. I'm using Varget tho, with very good accuracy.