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6.5x55 Swedish vs 6.5 Creedmoor: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

This page puts 6.5x55 Swedish and 6.5 Creedmoor side by side using only our own ammo guides, 6.5x55 Swedish ammo (5 loads) and 6.5 Creedmoor ammo (54 loads), plus the cartridge specs SAAMI publishes in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, its centerfire rifle standard. The guides copy bullet weights, velocities, energies and test barrels from maker product pages (checked Nov. 3 and 5, 2026). We don’t rate or rank cartridges, and we don’t subtract one maker’s velocity from another’s, because their test barrels differ.

How to read this page: every number is copied from a maker page or from SAAMI, and a test barrel length sits next to every velocity (or says the maker lists none). A dash (—) means the maker has no load in our tables for that cartridge. Fire only the cartridge your rifle’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 (approved Feb. 10, 2025), as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our 6.5x55 Swedish and 6.5 Creedmoor guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	6.5x55 Swedish	6.5 Creedmoor
SAAMI name	6.5X55 SWEDISH [6.5X55]	6.5 CM
Drawing issued / revised	07/28/1993 / 12/03/2021	06/17/2009 (no revision date in our guide)
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	51,000 psi	62,000 psi
Crusher pressure	46,000 CUP	Not established
Cartridge overall length	2.755 in min to 2.955 in max	2.700 in to 2.825 in
Case length	2.165 in (−.020)	Not in our 6.5 Creedmoor guide
Bullet diameter (as SAAMI prints it)	Not yet verified	Not in our 6.5 Creedmoor guide
Bore / groove diameter	Not yet verified	.256 in / .264 in
Twist and grooves	1 in 8.00, 4 grooves (marked optional)	1:8 twist, 6 grooves
SAAMI reference velocity	Not yet verified (the PDF text does not clearly pair each weight with its velocity)	2,840 fps for 127 gr, 2,940 fps for 129 gr and 2,690 fps for 140 gr, measured 15 feet from the test barrel
SAAMI velocity test barrel	24 in standard rifle test barrel (SAAMI’s general statement; not among its listed exceptions)	24.000 in with a 1:8 twist and 6 grooves

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Each line groups one maker’s loads that share a test barrel, so a velocity is only ever shown with the barrel it was measured in. Ranges are bullet weight and muzzle velocity as the maker page prints them. Do not read across makers: their barrels and bullets differ. For how barrel length moves velocity, see our barrel length vs velocity data.

Maker	6.5x55 Swedish loads in our table	6.5 Creedmoor loads in our table
Federal	test barrel not listed: 3 loads, 140 to 156 gr, 2,500 to 2,650 fps	test barrel not listed: 21 loads, 95 to 156 gr, 2,675 to 3,300 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 1 load, 140 gr, 2,550 fps	test barrel not listed: 6 loads, 120 to 140 gr, 2,675 to 2,945 fps
Hornady	24 in test barrel: 1 load, 140 gr, 2,735 fps	24 in test barrel: 11 loads, 95 to 147 gr, 2,690 to 3,300 fps
Berger	—	26 in test barrel: 6 loads, 130 to 156 gr, 2,680 to 2,850 fps 20 in test barrel: 1 load, 153.5 gr, 2,700 fps
Nosler	—	24 in test barrel: 9 loads, 90 to 142 gr, 2,600 to 3,300 fps

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

Where one maker sells the same product line in both cartridges, the loads are listed side by side exactly as the maker pages print them. We match lines by the maker’s own product-line name in our guide tables. Compare only within a row, and check the test barrel in each cell.

Maker line	6.5x55 Swedish	6.5 Creedmoor
Hornady Superformance	140 gr SST® Superformance®, 2,735 fps, 2,325 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 85507	129 gr SST, 2,950 fps, 2,493 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 81496 120 gr CX, 3,050 fps, 2,479 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 814904
Remington Core-Lokt	140 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 2,550 fps, 2,021 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29140	140 gr Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt, 2,700 fps, 2,266 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 27657

What the sources say when you choose

These are points taken from the figures above, each with the page it rests on. They are not recommendations or scores.

If pressure rating is your question: SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure of 51,000 psi (transducer) plus 46,000 CUP (crusher) for 6.5x55 Swedish and 62,000 psi (transducer) (SAAMI establishes no crusher pressure) for 6.5 Creedmoor. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.
If bullet weight is your question: The 6.5x55 Swedish loads in our table run from 140 gr (Federal Fusion Rifle F6555FS1) to 156 gr (Federal Fusion Rifle F6555FS2). The 6.5 Creedmoor loads in our table run from 90 gr (Nosler Varmageddon 65175) to 156 gr (Berger Elite Hunter 31070). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest muzzle velocities in our table: for 6.5x55 Swedish: 2,500 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Fusion Rifle F6555FS2) and 2,735 fps, 24 in test barrel (Hornady Superformance 85507). For 6.5 Creedmoor they are 2,600 fps, 24 in test barrel (Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond Long Range 60105) and 3,300 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Varmint & Predator V65CRDVM95). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without subtracting.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: SAAMI says all standard rifle test barrels are 24 in long. Many maker pages list a different barrel or none, as the tables above show. A shorter barrel than the one a maker lists will likely give lower velocities than the box; see our barrel length vs velocity data. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 and the maker pages linked above.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each: case length 2.165 in (−.020), cartridge overall length 2.755 in min to 2.955 in max for 6.5x55 Swedish; and cartridge overall length 2.700 in to 2.825 in for 6.5 Creedmoor. Check the cartridge named in your rifle’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Not yet verified

SAAMI case length and bullet diameter for 6.5 Creedmoor are not recorded in our guide, and SAAMI bullet, bore and groove diameters for 6.5x55 Swedish are not recorded either (the PDF text does not pair each figure with its label clearly).
Check any 6.5x55 load against your rifle’s markings and a gunsmith before shooting it in an older military rifle, as our 6.5x55 guide notes.
Winchester and other makers not shown in a column are not in that guide’s table (see the “Not yet verified” section of each guide), so a dash means no load in our table, not that the maker sells none.
Some SAAMI fields are not recorded for 6.5x55 Swedish and 6.5 Creedmoor in our guides (marked above); we have not filled them from other sources.
Prices, recoil, accuracy and hands-on results are not in our data, so this page says nothing about them.

See the full tables in our 6.5x55 Swedish ammo and 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, plus 6.5 Creedmoor vs 6.5 PRC, 6.5 Grendel vs 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 vs .308 Win, the SAAMI maximum average pressure table, the barrel length vs velocity data, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases, all comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for 6.5x55 Swedish and 6.5 Creedmoor?

SAAMI lists 51,000 psi (transducer) plus 46,000 CUP (crusher) for 6.5x55 Swedish and 62,000 psi (transducer) (SAAMI establishes no crusher pressure) for 6.5 Creedmoor, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Which test barrel do the makers list?

It varies by maker and load. SAAMI says standard rifle test barrels are 24 in. Our tables show the barrel each maker page lists next to every velocity, and many pages list none.

Which is better, 6.5x55 Swedish or 6.5 Creedmoor?

We don't rate or rank cartridges. This page copies maker-page figures and SAAMI specs side by side, and it does not cover price, recoil or hands-on results.

Where do these numbers come from?

From our own ammo guides (6.5x55 Swedish ammo and 6.5 Creedmoor ammo), which copy maker product pages, and from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

SAAMI specs side by side

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

What the sources say when you choose

Not yet verified

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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