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A 308 / 7.62 x 51 magazine is about 71mm internally , a 6.5 x 55 round ( cartridge case with bullet loaded ) 139gr bullet is around 71mm .A 6.5 x 55 round won't fit a 308 mag. . A M55 Tikka is a short action typically for .243 / 308 and their derivative rounds . I am struggling to understand how a different mag would fit unless new bottom metal was fitted perhaps modified from an M65 , all very odd .I'd like to see some photos of the mag. and the bottom of the action . All the early Tikka M55 and M65s are superb rifles , my M65 super sporter is a long action but with a short mag in 308 , you appear to have the opposite , who knows ?
Enjoy your excellent rifle .

If you have a look at my earlier posts there are pictures of the magazines I got with the rifle they are original M55 magazines. As I said before I can use the magazines but that will restrict me to a cartridge over all length of 2.940. If I load each round individually I will be able to seat the bullet out to a longer over all length. But we will see. Once I have a range day I will give it a whirl but that could be a couple of weeks away. But I live in hope.
(By the way mm means nothing to me I still work in pounds shilling and pence.) I am to old to learn all this foreign stuff.

I found a part box of 6.5x55 Lapau scenars. They are 9grams this converts to 138.89grains so we will call them 139grain.
With the stoney point over all length gauge they come out at 3.1540.
I also found a box of 140grain Sellier and Belliot they are a different profile to the Lapaus. The Lapaus are a lot sharper point so I was not surprised when the Selliers and Belliot came out at 3.0850.
As I have said before loading them to fit the magazine means I am restricted to 2.940. How much of a difference will it make loading to the shorter length over 500 yards for instance.
Some one asked for pictures of the bottom of the magazine well.

Another picture of the magazine well and the 5 round magazine in place.
I'm looking forward to building some ammo for this baby can not wait to shoot her.

I had it out on the range to day unfortunately I could only shoot over 25 yards. Not much of a challenge for the rifle it shoots great.
The rounds I loaded to fit the magazine worked Ok they cycled through the 5 and 10 round magazines no problem.
I single fed some longer rounds re loaded to fit the chamber and they were very promising. All in all a good result. I am just hoping for a longer range to give it a proper outing. We have one more range this year booked in November if it does not get cancelled I should be able to shoot it out to 300yards.
I would very much like to shoot it alongside my Steyr SSG and see how it compares for accuracy. I live in hope.
One thing I did notice the Stainless barrel seems to get hot vey quickly and takes a while to cool down is that normal for a stainless barrel.

Stainless is a poor conductor of heat especially when polished , a matt black finish cools quicker .

Sand blasted and painted is a good way of cooling it a bit however so it shooting more slowly. What is the muzzle diameter?

Chapuis wrote:The M55 is a single stack mag and the M65 is double stack. You could get both M55 and M65 in .308w calibre, the benefit of the M65 was that it was a 5 round mag as opposed to the standard 3 round mag of the M55 and it could be loaded from the top as it was not necessary to remove the magazine to load it.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll10 ... 90ab53.jpg

3, 5 and 10 round mags for the M55.

I also wouldn't have thought that the M55 action would take the 6.5x55 round but I may be mistaken.

Michael, you've lifted my photograph without attributing it to me - I find that pretty necky.

DL. wrote:

Chapuis wrote:The M55 is a single stack mag and the M65 is double stack. You could get both M55 and M65 in .308w calibre, the benefit of the M65 was that it was a 5 round mag as opposed to the standard 3 round mag of the M55 and it could be loaded from the top as it was not necessary to remove the magazine to load it.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll10 ... 90ab53.jpg

3, 5 and 10 round mags for the M55.

I also wouldn't have thought that the M55 action would take the 6.5x55 round but I may be mistaken.

Michael, you've lifted my photograph without attributing it to me - I find that pretty necky.

My sincere apologies Sir, I am guilty as charged.
I hope that I haven't caused offence by doing so and that you will accept this as a sincere form of flattery as frankly I have not come across any other photographs that demonstrate it better.
Once again my apologies and I acknowledge that the least I should have done was to attribute them to you.

Hi Everyone,

Seriously old (but really useful thanks) post resurrected.

After some help on a Tikka M55 I've seen an advert for (but not seen on the flesh yet so to speak).

Can any of you Tikka M55 owners help me out on this one:
I understand that they are a magazine fed action (normally 3 or 5 rounds). Can they be single loaded from the top without taking taking the magazine out?

Many thanks.
Keith

Have it on 'fairly good authority' that you can