Best 6.5mm Target Chambering?

CyaN1de

CyaN1de

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I have a 6.5mm barrel set aside. I am unsure as to what to chamber this barrel in.

I have of course mulled over the 6.5X47 and 6.5-284 among others including some wildcats.

I will be using this for F-Class for Long Range (700-900m+)

Here are my requirements:
Inherently Accurate
Good Barrel Life
Easy to load for (not finicky)
Shoots well out to 1200yds

Let me know what you would build or have built for this discipline and WHY or why you wouldn't build it again if that's the case.

Richard
 
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Richard,

I know less than nothing about this. I do know that I have a Krieger #17A 6.5 8-twist barrel in the basement that Bill Leeper is going to put on an F Class rifle for me. When I asked him which 6.5 cartridge to go with, he suggested 6.5X47.

It's big enough to get the velocities needed, is phenomenally accurate, has fine barrel life and has Lapua brass available. Unless a person is willing to cut barrel life in half in an attempt to cheat the wind a bit, it's hard to argue with the 6.5X47. The only downside I see is that Redding competition dies run a hundred bucks more for the 6.5X47 than they do for the 260.

If I was going to go larger it would be 260Rem, but then I'm necking up Lapua 243 brass.

You'll see it next spring in Kamloops. Unfortunately for it the driver will have a LOT to learn!
 
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The 260 is another that was suggested to me by Obtunded.

Ron Hermes from the US shot his 260 very well in the BC Championships this past summer.

6.5 is new territory to me as well. I have been very happy with my 6BR's but I found it just doesn't have the legs at the longer distances.
 
If TR in Canada was open to any caliber, I would build a .260 Rem. If I was building an F class rig I might be tempted to go with a 6.5X55.
 
6.5X47 is a great cartridge, but it is not ideally suited for launching 139-142 grain bullets to 1000 meters. It will certainly do it and it will do so very accurately, but you are now at velocities where you are back into big 6mm territory (115's doing 3 grand or more) , and fighting winds is no easier. It has some great advantages (brass ready-to-go, small primers) but for the distances you are trying to conquer, its ballistics lag behind. I agree the Swede or the 260 (other than a 6.5X284, which did not fit the barrel life criteria) are the two logical choices. If the Creedmoor brass were better quality, I'd say maybe.

Akleyize the 260 or the Swede and you have a real solid performer, but with diminished barrel life, just remember the Benge lesson though...
 
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I guess you guys know my point of view on this topic by now.

6.5 Mystic aka 260AI with a longer throat. Most 260 dies can be used to load this. Redding 7-08AI body die does the bumping job.

If you don't want a wildcat, the 6.5 Swede. Case volume is the same but the Swede will stretch more and need trimming. Case life will also be shorter but still decent.

So what you save in dies and case forming, you pay in brass costs.

Anything smaller then these cases simply aren't big enough to matter when pushing the heavies.

As for barrel life, the 6.5 Mystic is the same as a 115gr spitting 6mm but gives you better wind drift. I expect up to 1500rds of quality shooting.

Jerry
 
b72471 said:
For cases I would look at the 6.5X55, 260 and also the( 22-250 or 250 savage necked up). The 250 is just slightly larger than the new 6.5X47Lapua.
Bill
Click to expand...

Hi Bill, Have you read about the 6.5mm Creedmoor? (~6.5X48 without the body taper of the 22-250)
 
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Creedmore is pretty much a 30deg shouldered 6.5-22/250 improved. Definitely more case capacity then the Lapua but still short of the needed capacity in my opinion.

Primary design feature was to work through across the course rifles. Not sure why a 260R wouldn't work but gets a new toy to sell.

Another negative is the brass. The Hornady brass simply can't live at the elevated pressures needed to even come close to the print velocities (factory has lowered their numbers recently too). As a fire and forget case, sure but for reloaders - no joy.

Happy to supply anyone that wants some though :)

But I would rather sell you 22/250 Win brand cases instead.

Jerry
 
I shouldn't be in the "precision forum" but I did have a 6.5 X 47 built on an untrued TC Icon action with a Gaillard 1:8 twist magnum contour barrel. It shoots well for a sporter. With 140 Bergers. I've been getting consistent 3 shot groups under 1/2" @ 100M. I'm not a long range shooter so I have no idea what results could be expected. The reamer I used has .254" freebore so the long bullets do not protude much past the neck-shoulder junction when they are still .020 off the lands. I haven't gone beyond 40 gr of H4350 or RE 19, but that volume is not compressed by the 140 Bergers. Reamer neck is .292 so does not require turning.
 
JEC, your rig certainly qualifies as precision, not to worry there! Custom barrel using custom ammo and Berger bullets...

I would bet that if the barrel is a good one, you will be able to get pretty close quarter minute groups without too much effort. I think the 6.5X47 was tailor made for the 130 bergers.

If you are wanting to play the field, try Reloder 15 with that cartridge...

there is some excellent info to be had here...

ht tp://6mmhot.com/6mmHOT_Load_Info.html
 
Looking at some of my options here:

(According to Quickload at just under Max Pressure with a 300m Zero)
260 Rem - 42.5grns H4350 + 140grn Berger VLD's = 2911fps = 300.8" Drop and 78.3" Wind Drift @ 1000m
6.5X47 Lapua - 41.1grns H4350 + 140grn Berger VLD's = 2909fps = 301.3" Drop and 78.5" Wind Drift @ 1000m
6.5X55 - 44.7grns H4350 + 140 Berger VLD's = 2890fps = 305.8" Drop and 79.3" Wind Drift @ 1000m

Am I missing something here? According to quickload, these cartridges perform almost exactly the same with the 47 using less powder.
Or is this when real world performance comes to the table and kicks the theoretical performance out the door?

Versus my beloved 6BR - 30.8grns Varget + 107 Sierra MK's = 2920fps (Real World Vel.) = 342.6" Drop and 100.9" Wind Drift @ 1000m
 
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6.5X47 Lapua is designed to match 6.5X55SE and it does, as well as the .260 Rem. Very efficient, best cases and it's accurate! Check 6mmBR site for results.

Regards,

Peter
 
peterdobson said:
6.5X47 Lapua is designed to match 6.5X55SE and it does, as well as the .260 Rem. Very efficient, best cases and it's accurate! Check 6mmBR site for results.

Regards,

Peter
Click to expand...

Been reading 6mmBR on the 260 and 6.5X47 ad naseum. I guess I was hoping for a clear winner to emerge among the 6.5 cartridges but it seems that each of the ones I am looking at has their own following.

If asked which 6mm cartridge to build for 300-600m competition, the clear winner would surely be the 6BR. It has proven itself time and time again. I was hoping one of the 6.5 cart's would be the same way. Wishful thinking on my part :D
 
The 47 does its thing by using elevated pressure as the driver. I bet the pressure readings were substantially different from the Lapua to the Swede.

If all are run at the same pressures, the swede will produce the highest theoretical velocity and do so by burning the most powder. There is no replacement for displacement.

As you know, there is max velocity then there is ACCURATE velocity. Pushing a small case full throttle makes for a potentially finicky setup aka 6PPC.

Also, running a 'fast and hot' powder at elevated pressures is a wonderful way to cook throats.

I run H4831SC because the temp is lower, but I use a bit more fuel to get the job done. Operating pressures are also lower so brass lasts pretty much forever if you anneal.

The same load works from farky cold to summer hot. The load just isn't fussy because there is wiggle room at the top end. 4 barrels and my load varies by 1 gr.

I think will you find that there are more who can't reach 2900fps with the 139/142gr bullets with a Lapua then those that can.....accurately. Not without meeting some toasty pressures.

With a Swede or 260AI, you can easily exceed 2900fps and equal common 6.5-284 performance.

If you decide to run the 130gr Bergers (an excellent bullet by the way), what have you gained? Lower recoil for sure.

But wouldn't a fast 6mm pushing 115gr bullets work better?

I think we can all agree the 6.5-284 is too much of a good thing. However, is the Lapua too little?

YMMV...
Jerry
 
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