As far as function its top notch. As far as accuracy it seems to depend on your rifle and you. I've found it to be pretty good in my turnbolt and I don't really shoot the straightpulls for accuracy so I can't answer that one. The privi does function in the PE57 quite well and the only thing I notice different about it compared to the GP11 is the point of impact is a little lower at 200yds. Groups are a little bigger....not much.

Frank

 

Rather use the Prvi because it is reloadable with boxer primers.

 

Yes indeed and it’s good brass.

 

It’s almost as good…close enough for the first firing…then reload w/ 168 bthp and R17 for as good or better than GP11.

 

100 yd shooting...immaterial difference. 1000yd shooting you need GP11 or reload PRVI brass with the St. Marie load..and if you dig real hard you'll find what that load is. Where PRVI begins to show less accuracy is at 300 yds and its the quality of bullet and the powder charge they use. 100 to 200 yd shooting, the PRVI will serve you well. If you don't reload, PRVI brass sells fast and you can recover some of your money back. Offer 100 rds of 1x fired PRVI brass here on GB trader and get whip lash how fast it sells.

 

As Milprileb noted, Prvi 7.5x55 is fine for 300 yd range work, although POI will likely differ from GP11. "Tacfoley" has chronographed PPU 7.5x55 and it is slower than GP11. I've also observed windage deflection, usually shooting somewhat more to the right than my GP11 zero. This can be a PITA since windage adjustment of the Swiss Straight pulls is a bit touchy and best done with the correct armorer's tool. So it's better to stay with one ammo type or the other rather than switch between them on a regular basis. This is much less of an issue if you use the Swiss Products diopter or NDT scope mount, since windage adjustment is easy.

Prvi 7.5x55 brass is fine for reloading. I like the Berger 175 gr VLD Target for my reloads, over Rel 17 or Vihta Vuori N160 according to the Berger reloading manual's data.

 

As touched on by Leon, I took advantage of one our club's spiffy LabRadar sets to chrono some PPU stuff after a young nouveau riche guy turned up with 300 rounds of PPU a while back. Today, here in UK that's over $360-worth of ammunition.

We shot it in my K11 and K31, both in astoundingly good condition, even after 33 years of ownership by yours truly. His K31 turned out to be a .30-30 conversion, that nobody, including the gun dealer had noticed - it had been sold to him as a 7.5 Swiss K31. The first thing I'd noticed were the proof stamps, as we examined his new possession. So far it remains the only one I've ever seen here.

However, that's another story that cost the dealer a lot of time and trouble here in UK, with the odd take on gun registration that prevails.

Vo averaged out to an even 200 fps slower for the PPU in both pieces. POI compared with the real deal - yes, we hade a very few rounds of GP11 to use with which to compare them - showed about 2" drop at 100m. PPU is a lot more genteel to shoot than the rather vigorous GP11, unless you shoot Papa Pierre's home-grown load, that is. Nearest thing to the real thing I've ever tried.

 

...

Vo averaged out to an even 200 fps slower for the PPU in both pieces. POI compared with the real deal - yes, we hade a very few rounds of GP11 to use with which to compare them - showed about 2" drop at 100m. PPU is a lot more genteel to shoot than the rather vigorous GP11, unless you shoot Papa Pierre's home-grown load, that is. Nearest thing to the real thing I've ever tried.

Mods: this needs to be posted as a sticky, e.g. "POI differences between GP11 and PPU 7.5x55."

 

If put up as a sticky, pls omit Leon's reference to Vhit powder. He's always trying to slide Finn or Swede into any firearms discussion. Otherwise, Leons comments are spot on.

I developed a load that mirrored the GP11 but I then tried the St. Marie load and found it was the answer. It had higher velocity , no pressure signs and 1 to 2 inch smaller groups a 1000 yds than my hand load which was pretty darn good but.....St Marie was clearly better . In the parlance of current generation .."Its the Schnitz".....yeah you know what word
I can' use.

Leon gave me the St Marie Load, much appreciated but I don't want his head swelling about this . .

 

If put up as a sticky, pls omit Leon's reference to Vhit powder. He's always trying to slide Finn or Swede into any firearms discussion. Otherwise, Leons comments are spot on...

Re Vihta Vuori N160 loads; from the Berger reloading manual. Go complain to them.

 

In my rifle clean bore GP11 at short ranges 100yds an less i can average less than 1 inch groups starts openin up gets dirty...Lower P.O.I. usually means lower velocity.or lighter bullet. ..Handloads oft times Equall to or slightly, Very slightly..better. With GP11 brass. I Have some hornady frontier brass..i like better then PPU brass.Ive gotten more reloads out of it. Dont know why. Had try 284 win brass. I should clarify, reformed 284Win brass.. Thicker less volume. Ejects out of swiss long rifle perfectly..down back of shirt collar. Hotter then a 2 dollar pistol..little to small of rim dia My k31 & K11 carbine..Just my Range time with it.. Group therapy. Have to have it.

 

Dunno, we have to use what we can get, and since REACH we can't get Reloder15. I'm not clever like that, not having the ways or means of determining pressure - v - velocity values. Sometimes we get unexpected results, such as when you hit the 'accuracy button' head on, like I did with the 155gr Lapua Scenar and 44gr of 4064 -

Three shots @100m -

Thanks to a bunch of stumblebum jobs-worths in another country, we can't obtain 4064 in Europe now. Apparently, if you sprinkle a quarter pound of it on your morning Cheerios every day for 895 years, there is a slightly enhanced risk of catching leg of the foot, or something.

All I shoot in my Swiss rifles is what I can easily get - Vihtavuori N140 - good for .308Win as well - when shooting 155gr Lapua Scenar. Now that Berger bullets are priced way out of my comfort zone, AND I have to drive over 100 miles to get them, again, I'm stuck with what I can easily find locally. After I've used up the next box of 175s I doubt I'll ever shoot them again - a dollar per bullet is not a comfort to me.

 

Tac: on this side of the pond too we have to make do with what we can find, or more likely, what we have stockpiled. By now it is chiseled in granite that thou shalt load thy 7.5x55 with Rel 17. I still have a supply of Rel 17 so I'm good for now, but REALITY demands creativity, and reports like yours are becoming valuable.

For some time now I've quipped that reloading Swedish 6.5x55 (yeah, I know; Milprileb will be along shortly!) was 180 degrees out from 7.5x55. 6.5x55 is the "Will Rogers" of reloaders since it never met a load it doesn't like, while 7.5x55 seemed to be unusually fussy. But experiments like yours, driven by necessity, show promise of a future with superb 7.5x55 loads using "unorthodox" powders.

Keep up the good work!

 

Yup, Leon has to sneak "Swede" into every thing and here we have a recent example. While I agree with RL17 being ideal and I'm using the same load Leon does ....which he got from St. Marie....as good as it gets in load development I might add ! I do note Varget, IMR and H 4895 and RL15 powders are exceptional powder choices as well.

I load with powders I can get and have not suffered one bit. Granted, I've had to do load development when one powder dries up and another has to be substituted. Not a real chore with K31 but its a PITA for other rifles I own.

6.5 bullets have incredible BC. Its why the now hot sex kitten 6.5 Creedmoor is the rage. Its not new...its a 308 case necked to 6.5 and wildcat reloaders did that decades ago with huge success.

 

Tac, My trademark remark when it comes to reloading is essentially:

Omnes viae Romam ducunt.
All roads lead to Rome

 

Sounds like someone needs to invent the 6.5X55 Swiss. This could help with those who can't tell swederland from Switzerland too, both being 6.5X55 Sw.
I think I've got a couple 6.5 barrel blanks and a bunch of new Privi brass....just need a set of dies and a reamer. What is the standard twist rate in the Swedish rifles for the 6.5?

Frank

 

Sounds like someone needs to invent the 6.5X55 Swiss. This could help with those who can't tell swederland from Switzerland too, both being 6.5X55 Sw.
I think I've got a couple 6.5 barrel blanks and a bunch of new Privi brass....just need a set of dies and a reamer. What is the standard twist rate in the Swedish rifles for the 6.5?

Frank

It might work. There may be need to alter the extractor. GP11 has a head width 0.498" and rim thickness 0.049". 6.5x55 is 0.480" at the head and rim thickness is 0.059".

I shoot a Garand fitted with the Criterion 6.5x55 barrel. Although 6.5x55 is a bit wider at the head than 30-06 - 0.473" - the Garand's bolt face does not seem to mind the difference, since extraction is reliable.

"What is the standard twist rate in the Swedish rifles for the 6.5?" 1 turn in 7.5". the Criterion Garand barrel is 1 in 8". The more modern 140 gr bullet does exemplary well in about 1 in 9", which is the twist rate inthe Swedish CG63 match target rifle.

 

I'm not talking about converting the Swiss rifle to the Swedish cal, I'm talking about necking down the Swiss 7.5 to 6.5. No need to mod any bolts or extractors. It would be another 6.5X55 but different.....
I've got a turn bolt rifle with switchable barrels that I shoot the 7.5X55 Swiss in and it is really accurate. I also shoot 6.5X47 and a few others in the rifle. Making up a new barrel in the modified Swiss cartridge would be really simple, but would it be worth the trouble?

Frank

 

... but would it be worth the trouble?

Frank

GP11/7.5x55 and 6.5x55 are known quantities. A 7.5x55 case necked down to 6.5 in some sort of compatible barrel is terra incognita. It's only worth the extent of your inquisitiveness.

That said, a long .264/6.5 bullet doesn't seem to be overly sensitive to the size and geometry of the case behind it. 6.5x54 Mannlicher is a highly regarded cartridge too. As previously mentioned, 6.5 Creedmoor is the belle of the ball these days. My guess- emphasis on guess - is that your scheme has a good chance of succeeding.

Keep us informed!

 

Tac, so......... it's One dollar short and three hours late?
That's actually a lot faster than I ever am.
I'm hoping to hear from Pete Ogden by Sunday with the field test results, and of course you will be getting one of those yourself if the field testing is successful.
I am truly interested in that rifle Frank has that has changeable barrels between the two calibers.
That's just a little bit out of my wheelhouse, but if it is exactly as he describes, I may have more than just a little interest in it.
P

BTW, Frank. The 90 PE and PE 57 mounts are coming up soon.

 

My rifle is a Desert Tactical SRS. Here is the web address for the maker.
Firearms » SRS-A2
They make three bolt face types, .473" for the 308 sized stuff, .535" for the Winmag size and .590" for the 338 Lapua size. There is another company that has been making 223 and 300 blackout conversions.

You can make barrels for just about any caliber that has the case head dimensions that fit the bolts. I had to mod a 308 bolt to fit the 7.5 Swiss. I had some friends in Switzerland that were interested in the 7.5 conversion because they get an ammo allowance and had the rifles in hand. It wasn't a tough one to do with this rifle.

Barrel changes require loosening 4 bolts about half a turn and pulling the barrel out. Replacing it with a new barrel requires running the barrel into the receiver, its a slip fit, rotating it to the index lug and then locking the bolt into it. At that point you use a handy dandy torque driver and torque the 4 bolts to 70 in/lb. Ready to shoot. I keep track of each of my barrels for scope adjustments. Zero for each barrel stays the same so I just need an elevation and windage reference for swapping and I'm back on at 100yds. From there I use my strelok program to adjust for range and wind. If you have to change the bolt for a different case head size it adds about 30 seconds to the barrel swap bringing it up to about a minute.

None of the ammo I load for the Desert Tactical gets fired in the straight pulls. All the boxes are clearly marked "DO NOT USE THIS AMMUNITION IN SWISS MILITARY RIFLES. Desert Tactical only." Probably not lawyer proof or even resistant but its a warning. I do load to a higher pressure for the DT because its rated for 65,000psi with the 338 lapua and the bolt thrust is much lower with the 7.5. ..

I probably won't seriously do a 6.5 conversion on the Swiss round but it was a thought. I had no idea the 6.5-284 was that close though so thanks for that info. I'm already shooting the 6.5X47 and it is really accurate and reaches way out there. 1000yds is easy, 1700 is a bit more of a stretch. Not shooting groups, just steel plates.

Think that is about it.

Frank

 

AMA Frank,
With a fist full of dollars and your objective, I am sure that bolt rifle will be a laser beam . Enjoy the ride to success.

If my bucket loader of cash allowed, I 'd go another direction. A Tikka T3 long action modified to have interchangeable barrels in 6.5x55 Swede caliber and 6.5/3006. The Swede caliber barrel is a sure bet here and I'm just curious as can be about the old wildcat 3006 necked to 6.5. I think accuracy of both will be darn close at 1000 yds but the 6.5/3006 might be a barrel burner with very short life if the few molecules of knowledge that exist on internet is to be half credible.

A 6.5 bolt rifle that screams accuracy and kills itself...My pre 64 Model 70 Winchester in .264 Win Mag.

 

My shooting pal, Ewan Campbell, is the UK's one and only importer of Desert Tech firearms. Hard to believe that HE sells three to four times as many as his nearest sales competitor in Germany. But then, we have many more non-professional civilians who shoot game here than Germany does - like I said, hard to believe, eh? For us here, the SRS or even the SRS 'Covert' is made in heaven - a 26" barrel in a rifle less than 36" long......... We do a lot of deer stalking both in and out of utes, mostly Land-Rovers or similar. Such a short piece is a real handling boon.

 

I especially like the fact that with a 30" 338 Lapua barrel and a suppressor my rifle is still shorter than a TRG42 in the same cal with no muzzle brake. With the 16" 338BR barrel and the suppressor its still shorter than a normal remington 700 factory rifle....sometimes short is cool.

Frank

 

Keen to see some pics of your SRS with the 7.5

 

How does S&B 7.5x55 brass compare? I bought two boxes of their factory ammo and have shot up one and haven't tried reloading any yet.

 

I have never encountered S&B 7.5x55, but I have shot S&B .303. Accuracy was excellent, but reloading was not. Disclaimer: .303 is a bitch to reload because cases stretch in generously dimensioned chambers. For this reason many reloaders only neck size, and shoulder bump when needed. But the big bitch with S&B .303 brass is shallow primer pockets. I reloaded some S&B .303 cases and the CCI 200 primers were absolutely flush with the case heads. So I single loaded each round and closed the bolt very gently.

 

I have shoot factory PPU and GP11. Really can't see a lot of difference. Love the PPU brass great for reloading. My reloads are quite a bit more accurate that GP11 and Factory PPU If you reload stay away from the S&B ammo, the brass is the worst I've ever used.

 

As far as I am concerned it’s the worst brass I’ve ever seen.