If Lapua doesn't make brass for it, I will not use it.
You will never go wrong with a 260. It has the power to drive the heaviest bullets up to 2900 fps. It is easy to make work, it has reasonable barrel life and it is inherently accurate.
I would not suggest AI/Mystic versions because you don't need it, it wears barrels while fire forming, and it will reduce barrel life by one quarter to one third. If you were a hard-core F-Class shooter, well maybe. The extra velocity will be a small asset to long range shooting, but you will be barrel shopping again much sooner.
Forget the Creedmore.... If you go to a local gun store, there is virtually no way you will find brass and it is not as powerful as the 260. You WILL find cheap brass for the 260, if you want (just don't tell anyone hear, but we all do it) and there are dozens of proven combinations. The 260 with a 140 Berger is deadly on gophers or on ICFRA targets at 1000 yards
The6.5X47 Lapua can be an exceptionally accurate cartridge with very good barrel life, but it lacks the horsepower to do a good job with the 139-142 bullets that absolutely rule the long-distance arena.
Remember the Law of Parsimony....
Given the number of F Open shooters with the 260Rem that CAN'T reach 2900fps without all sorts of issues, I would not say it is easy to achieve. Low 2800's is where the 260Rem will thrive with the 140's. Certainly not a bad place to be.
The 260Rem is dead easy to work with and offers bore life no better nor worse then the improved variants. Within 100 to 200rds in the same barrel and a 260R run hot due to match conditions could easily be worn before an improved one shot under less demanding situations.
The useable difference in case volume is approx 2 to 4 gr of H4831SC. Very small indeed but that is enough to let the 260improved/Mystics get over 2900fps and the stand 260rem under.
Case forming can have no wear on the bore using the COW method. Or you can do your forming while practising. Net bore loss ZERO.
Brass life with the improved variant is superb and if you can anneal, the cases will outlast your barrel(s). I have gone through 7 barrels and still have the vast majority of my brass.
Depending on the set up and pressures of the standard 260R, you may face case trimming every few firings (outside neck turning not a bad idea at the same time). Eventually, that will erode the case web and it will fail.
Does it really matter? Only if your expensive cases need to get tossed faster then you would like.
The Creedmore is a solution to a problem only mag fed shooters will care about AND apparently sales have been pretty good. Performance is IDENTICAL to the 260Rem and it is a nice case design (but rip off of another from the 70's).
No rifle maker has jumped on the 6.5X47L to build rifles but some are building Creedmores. The AR crowd seems to be going gaga for this chambering in 308 based rigs.
So between the Creedmore and the 6.5X47L, no brainer, the Creedmore wins handily for market acceptance.
As for availability of components, no more so then finding Lapua brass at your corner hunting store.... NOT. Specialty products are sourced from specialty suppliers.
Hrn is the only supplier of Creedmore brass at this time but tons of it can easily and inexpensively be made from good old 22-250 cases. THIS you should be able to find in pretty much any store with reloading supplies.
So the "right" answer has more to do with application then anything else.
Build a hunting rifle and you really need to look hard at the amazing 6.5 Swede. 125yrs old for some very good reasons.
an F Open rig in a 6.5, the improved 260Rems really do work superbly and have WAY better bore life then the 6.5X284 which they mimic (up to 50% better). In this application, 100fps DOES matter.
for a mag fed hunting, tactical, high power rifle, the Creedmore does have some solid pluses vs the standard 260Rem. BUT performance from either will be the same. Decision will be on case shape prefered, bullet weight desired, and mag length used.
Short mags will favor the Creedmore. Long mags will favor the 260Rem or Swede.
I go by a simple rule - " There is no replacement for displacement "
How fast to do you want to go?
Jerry
