6.5 Creedmor or 6.5 Lapua?

It appears that any consensus here leans towards it being a choice based as much on personal tastes as performance.

Anyone remember the old joke about the guy who tried to decide between 3 girlfriends, as to which one he'd rather marry? He sat down & considered their personalities, education levels, medical and legal histories, preferences on political & social issues, & sports teams, and in the end he decided to marry the one with the biggest boobs....
 
last year I was in the same 6.5 dilemma and finally choose the 260 but with the Ackley shoulders and I formed it from lapua brass

for me feed is not an issue as i single feed only and I choose a long action to accommodate the heavies seated long
 
I am presently making some RPR barrels in both 6.5X47 Lapua and 6.5 Creedmoor and have tested the 6.5x47 lapua with 139 gr scenars and H4350 easily puts them above 2800 fps and very tight groups.
The 6.5 creedmore won't go that fast according to what I have been reading , I would go with the 6.5x47 lapua out of the 3 I have a 260 already and the 6.5x47 lapua was very easy to tune it shot good with everything and also has a small rifle primer.

Don't hesitate on the 6.5x47 it shoots and lapua brass is available for it unlike the creedmoor .
 
From my research the x47 do appear to be the better of the three. Only by a small margin though.
Even though I'm sure all three are excellent cartridges, I'll be going with the Lapua.
 
I have a .260 that likes the 139 Scenars/H4350 combo and I am having the Chou Bros build me a 6.5x47 which, when built, will be a rifle with which I may try and have a go at PRS-like shooting and for which I plan to develop a load using the 123 Scenars/H4350. Heard lots of very goo things about this cartridge.
 
coyote said:
I am presently making some RPR barrels in both 6.5X47 Lapua and 6.5 Creedmoor and have tested the 6.5x47 lapua with 139 gr scenars and H4350 easily puts them above 2800 fps and very tight groups.
The 6.5 creedmore won't go that fast according to what I have been reading , I would go with the 6.5x47 lapua out of the 3 I have a 260 already and the 6.5x47 lapua was very easy to tune it shot good with everything and also has a small rifle primer.

Don't hesitate on the 6.5x47 it shoots and lapua brass is available for it unlike the creedmoor .
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Just curios, what Barrel brand, length, rifling and twist rate you are using to get over 2800fps with 139gr?

by how much over 2800fps?
 
Brianma65 said:
Is one better than the other? Seems Lapua has better ballistics but Creedmor is more popular. Why is that?
Barrel life better in the Creedmor maybe?
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It is not a matter of one being better. They are different and will have a somewhat different purpose. The Lapua has a smaller case at about 47 grains, while the CM has about 53 grains. The ballistics, or down range velocity will be better on the CM, just as a result of having more powder. The Lapua will have the better barrel life with the smaller case capacity. With long low drag 140 grain bullets, they are both going to challenge the length of a magazine of a short action, and may be better for single shot actions.

They are both essentially target cartridges with the CM capable of a bit longer range. Getting good bullets will not be a problem, but like any other off the beaten path cartridge you should consider where you are going to get good brass, and good reloading dies. That might tilt the table in favour of one or the other. My screening for cartridges kind of starts with the bullet. Can you get good ones, can they do what I want. Then how much velocity and as a result case capacity do I need? Next question is where is the brass going to come from. Lapua brass is always a preference. Then I ask, does Forster make Bushing Bump neck sizing dies and Ultra Micrometer seating dies. Or, if trying do keep costs down, does Lee make a collet die set for the cartridge.
 
I have buddies that have both, and I have a 260. Minimal diff. The thing that jumped out at me is the x47 seems to shoot anything - make a load, it works! IMHO its one of those rare cartridges that just naturally shoots wee tiny groups...Not finicky, inherently accurate, and it shoots 140's fine - and if you have your gun throated for such, it will shoot equal to any of the 6.5's in question. My 260 took a bit of work to shoot, as did buddies CM.
My next rifle will be a Stiller single shot x47, or, if i can't get my 260 to shoot 140 hybrids, off goes the barrel and on goes a x47...
 
Bias here, but we have Lapua 6.5X47 Lapua ammunition literally on the way in container from Finland. It is doing well internationally and note coyote's professional(gunsmith and barrel maker) observation that the Lapua brass can take higher pressure than lesser(all) other brass. It was designed with mag-feeding in mind, a complaint with the 6mmBR Norma round

Best regards,

Peter
 
chrismc said:
I have buddies that have both, and I have a 260. Minimal diff. The thing that jumped out at me is the x47 seems to shoot anything - make a load, it works! IMHO its one of those rare cartridges that just naturally shoots wee tiny groups...Not finicky, inherently accurate, and it shoots 140's fine - and if you have your gun throated for such, it will shoot equal to any of the 6.5's in question. My 260 took a bit of work to shoot, as did buddies CM.
My next rifle will be a Stiller single shot x47, or, if i can't get my 260 to shoot 140 hybrids, off goes the barrel and on goes a x47...
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I am of the view that the accuracy "magic" of some of the target cartridges is a little overstated. For example nobody buys an off the shelf bargain priced Tikka or Remington that is chambered in 6PPC. No, the 6PPC will be virtually exclusively found in a high end custom target action, and custom barreled gun, with carefully handloaded neck turned brass. Of course it will shoot well. That said there is some benefit in backing off in case capacity from the big case hunting cartridges. I think on a purely theoretical basis that an excellent 6.5 mm cartridge would be the 6.5 WSSM. In fact I almost built one before I got scared off on the availability of brass issue. It is near perfect scale up of the 6PPC to 6.5 mm.

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The 6.5 CM and 6.5x47 (63K) run approx. 3000 psi higher than the 260 Rem. The small rifle primer pocket in the 6.5x47 will resist enlargement better.

Barrel life ,among other things, is influenced by the powder that is used. Try to find one that has a lower start pressure and longer duration burn that suits your requirements.
 
Well , now that I got rid of a few guns,I can get started with this.
I'm going to start with a Proof CFW 20 inch barrel.

Brownels has the redding dies.

And I'm waiting to see what Insite is offering,for an action.
Though I would like a pierce Titanium, they're to pricy thuogh
 
All are good choices however things like - do you like loading ammo and barrel life come into play. As a general rule, once you get over 3000 ft/s (actually pressure related) you start reducing barrel life significantly.

Here is a calculator which estimates barrel life: http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/excel-formula-predicts-useful-barrel-life/


I think the 6.5 x 47 is the best comprise but you essentially have to load your own ammo. 6.5 CM is probably best is you want to buy ammo however it is harder on barrels.
 
BCBRAD said:
Barrel life ,among other things, is influenced by the powder that is used. Try to find one that has a lower start pressure and longer duration burn that suits your requirements.
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These small cases seem to prefer the double base N5XX Vihtavuori powders over the single base N1XX powders to get maximum velocity. Some believe that the higher energy content of these double base powders are harder on the barrel. Believers of this theory would have to give up a little velocity to conserve barrel life. That said, the barrel life of these cartridges has to be much better than the 6.5x284 option. Barrel life in the end is just a price of long distance performance.

PowderHeatPotential.JPG
 
I've been debating this same thing for months now. 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5x47L. Ended up deciding to go Creedmoor for the ability to get factory ammo and have dope for it if something were ever to happen to my handloads en route to a match down South. That being said, when Lapua releases their 6.5 Creedmoor brass (with small primer pockets!) I'll be using that for my reloads!
 
Rifle barrels are like tires, a consumable item, harder you run them the quicker they wear out.

Looking at the pressure curve for a 260 Rem, Varget at 60K burns 95% of the powder in the first 9.5", while H-4350 burns 95% in the first 18".

Compared to long life cartridges/ barrels like the 308 Win the duration of the burn may have something to do with it.
 
Ron AKA said:
Keep in mind that you are giving up a bunch of velocity over the more typical 28 to 30 target barrels that are used for these cartridges...
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I've been reading guys getting 3000 + out of a 26.
i should be in at,around 2700 to 2800 , out of a 20 barrel.
 
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