Thinking of Varget too. Is it as temperature & environment stable as the 4350??
Currently trying to finesse this load, I think it will be the winner, with some neck tension work and going to the 136 Scenar-l otm.
40.4 H4350
CCI 450
Scenar 139
2.072"
6.5 x 47 lapua
- Thread starter Otokiak
- Start date
Thinking of Varget too. Is it as temperature & environment stable as the 4350??
Currently trying to finesse this load, I think it will be the winner, with some neck tension work and going to the 136 Scenar-l otm.
40.4 H4350
CCI 450
Scenar 139
2.072"
40.3-.5 using a 140 grain bullet and a CCI450 is a common load being used around the world. Just make sure that you have enough neck side clearance. This is critical on these cartridges. When the original reamers were spec'd out by PTG they had tight necks and this has caused a lot of issues getting the 6.5 x 47 to shoot consistently. More is better actually.
Every rifle of local smith who passed away last year was built with these tight necked reamers and the guys who would neck turn the brass got excellent results but those who won't ran into inconsistent accuracy. Once they were convinced to neck turn all issues went away.
The 140's give less wind drift from our experience over the 130's.
Every rifle of local smith who passed away last year was built with these tight necked reamers and the guys who would neck turn the brass got excellent results but those who won't ran into inconsistent accuracy. Once they were convinced to neck turn all issues went away.
The 140's give less wind drift from our experience over the 130's.
Due to work reasons & my buddys family loss recently I haven't seen him to collect the reloading components but tomorrow we will do so & he will go thru what bullet weights he has, primers & powder & his reload recipe. I do have varget powder. Need to get out & shoot this rifle. Thanks for posting info , reload info etc.
Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
Canada
Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
Canada
My latest barrels are chambered with a reamer very similar to yours. .295 x 175 FB and I use about the same bushing. Your runout is great. Most people I know are using CCI 450's for the best results but your barrel may prefer something else.
Your rifle should shoot extremely well. Neck turn the brass for the best results but your runout indicates that may not be an issue.
Your rifle should shoot extremely well. Neck turn the brass for the best results but your runout indicates that may not be an issue.
Finally got out to shoot this rifle & gotta say what a pleasant surprise as its got hardly any kick, quiet enuff & is so accurate. Love it. Time to do some reloading of more bullets & go shooting again out further than 100 yards.
Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
Canada
Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
Canada
Otokiak Not to hijack your thread but I'm curious about the thoughts of everyone on a load I did up for my 6.5x47. I'm getting sub .5 MOA with a 139 scenar. But... only sitting at 2712fps. Should I push it up a bit and see if I hit another node? Currently using 36.4 of Varget. Looking at the ballistics, the drop at 1000 is 2 moa different but the wind shift is minimal going up to 2800 fps. Thoughts if I should push it and shorten brass life or go with what shoots and long lasting primer pockets?
Last edited:
I am currently using 37.5 grains of Varget under a 140 gr Berger and got just over 2,800 FPS. I am using a 26" tube and actually expect it to pick up a bit of speed as I get more rounds through it (only has 75 rounds currently).
When I was doing mine I had a node right around there as well so maybe you can find a higher one. My internet research, taken with a grain of salt, says that the case with a hotter load will still go 10+ reloadings. My issue is primer flow but I am using CCI 400s but I should have got CCI 450s for the harder cup.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
If the dimensions of your chamber and ammo hold, you have 2 thou clearance per side... that is really tight. NO problem for a SR BR rifle that gets cleaned all the time but can lead to some real problems without constant maintenance.
Also, definitely look into outside neck turning. Brass WILL flow and it will be inconsistent and irregular... measure your case necks with a good tube micrometer and I am sure you will see what I mean. It will not take much to have a case jam into the chamber causing irratic pressure and thus POI.
Personally, I will want a min of 4 thou PER SIDE... or double what you currently have. I outside neck turn and always skim some brass off some cases. With how thick Lapua case necks are, you can thin "a bunch" and still have a very thick necks that will not split. 11 thou is plenty thick and give you the clearance you need.
Easy way to check that you have enough clearance, take a bullet and put it into a fired case. If there is enough chamber/neck clearance, the bullet will fall freely into the case. If there is resistance or will not easily enter, you should consider more clearance.
Jerry
arcticcathonda
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
Honestly, why chase more speed is the relative difference is marginal? If the accuracy is repeatable, you can dope that difference in drop. If you want to chase speed, you are using the wrong bullet. I'd go for a 123gr scenar in that smaller capacity 6.5x47 case. You may be surprised how well that 123gr pushed a little faster flies in comparison to the 139gr....
Why is that? Yeah the Creed has a bit more case capacity but not much. The X47,260 and Creed all run close to each other. With the X47 being the smallest case, but it is very efficient. Guess I went with the 6.5X47 just so I wouldn't be another Creed fan boy. Personally I think the Creed,260 and X47 are all great. Just don't see why the X47 is always left out of the conversation. Think it is because guys haven't tried it and don't know what it's capable of.
Demigod LLC (or something along those lines) did a test of the 3 main 6.5MM cartridges a number of years ago. His conclusion was pick one and fill your boots as they are all pretty much the same. My 6.5X47 is pushing 140grs at 2,800 FPS which is fast enough for me (and I would guess most people).
My decision to go with the X47 was less trimming as the performance between them is pretty much a wash.
I have about half-a-dozen Kreiger barrels chambered to '47 ... pretty well all sporter contours ... with 8:1 twist ... and most are cut to 25". My reamer has a 0.291 NK with 0.180 freebore. Accuracy node using 130gr Berger VLD(H) in all barrels comes in at about 2850 FPS MV which I get with 41.0 grs of H4350 lit by CCI BR-4 primers.
With respect to accuracy comparisons, I believe any "caliber" can be made to shoot (well, maybe not a 30 Carbine from an M1
). In that regard, cases using small primer pockets may have a slight edge depending on the length of the powder colum.
One feature I like about the '47 is the long neck which makes tinkering with a wide variety of bullets easy.
With respect to accuracy comparisons, I believe any "caliber" can be made to shoot (well, maybe not a 30 Carbine from an M1
). In that regard, cases using small primer pockets may have a slight edge depending on the length of the powder colum. One feature I like about the '47 is the long neck which makes tinkering with a wide variety of bullets easy.
Honestly I doubt there is much to choose between the 6.5's. I've had a .260 for quite some time and it is outstanding with 140 JLK's over 42.5 H4350 but for a recent build I went with the 6.5-47 since brass is now available from Lapua, the case uses small (magnum) primers and the case life promises to be exceptional. So far with 123 and 139 Scenars the 6.5-47 is a sub half minute cartridge and appears easy to load for with no need (as yet) to trim brass.
