In searching the "The Favorite Load - Share Them With Us" section, I could find nothing about the 6.5x47 lapua so I thought I'd share a little something.

Dec 24th 2009 I took possession of my new Sniper rifle.

YEAH, it was a great Christmas!

-Surgeon 591 Short Action
-Kreiger 26" SS 1:8.5 twist, MTU contour barrel
-AICS stock
-Shilen 2lb trigger
-TPS low 30mm rings
-Nightforce 5.5-22x50mm with zero stops and NP-R1 reticle.
-Cerakote all metal.

-17.75 lb rifle weight the way you see it here.

I started with two bullets; 123 Sierra MK and Berger 130 VLD (Hunting). I started with two powders; Varget and H4350. Initial 300 yd groups showed both to be accurate but a 1000 yd ladder used by Jason Baney's "Long-Range Load Development" on the 6mmbr.com web site was instrumental in my load development.

http://www.6mmbr.com/laddertest.html

I settled on 40.25 gr of H4350 and the 130 VLD bullet for 2800 fps and SD's of 6. Vertical spread at 1000 yds was in the 4"-6" range for 5 shots. This past summer I ran out of my 8lb jug of H4350 and opened a new one. Initial accuracy was all over the place until I adjusted first OAL seating depth and then powder charge. My barrels throat, after some 600+ rounds down the barrel, had worn and moved forward so I had to adjust out my seating depth until my groups came back from 1MOA to 1/2MOA 5-shot groups. Then I had to increase powder charge to 40.8 gr to get 2860 fps for my SD's to go back to small single digit numbers. In early Oct, while sighting in my 257 Roberts for an upcoming hunt while letting the barrel cool, I decided to shoot a 5-shot group at 500 yds with my 6.5x47 and the new powder charge.



This after 700+ rounds down a 900+ round total without cleaning the barrel. Snipers don't clean barrels until they see their accuracy start to sour.

Oh, and I took 5th place in the Utah State Sniper Shoot with shooters from 7 Western states. I beat the match winner the month before with the same load. I let my "rifle" get too dirty, slowing my bolt running speeds, and I lost to him in one stage where I only got 4 of 5 shots off in a 30 second 5-shot group and got zero points. So clean the dang rifle but not barrel!

Alan

PS, a little velocity testing last spring with 140 AB and VLD showed 2900+ fps with Rel 17. Something for me to think about with my new 6.5.47 Lapua in hunting configuration.

-Pierce short action
-Broughton 26" SS #3.1 1:8 twist, 5-C lands
-McMillan Rem Sporter stock with Edge fill
-Rifle Basix 2lb trigger
-PTG bottom metal and Rem box, follower, screws
-Nightforce 2.5-10x32mm in custom Farrell 2-pc aluminum picatiny bases and rings
-Grey stock and all metal in Black Cerakote.

8lb 11 oz as you see it.

A little load update on the "light" 6.5x47.

I like shooting Audette ladders to find sweet spot loads without shooting up my barrel life.

I started with the 100 gr Partition and IMR 8208. Great powder by the way.

I explored #'s 5, 6, 7 & 8.


Here are some results at 371 yds.


Then I moved on to the 140 gr Partition and Rel 17.



I liked #'s 9 & 10 and here is the results.



Alan

I've been able to just top 3000 fps with the Berger 140 VLD and 43.5 gr of Rel 17. At that level I was "JUST" starting to feel a hint of difficult bolt lift. If anyone try's to duplicate what I have done, please, please, approach with caution. I believe my Pierce action is so well built, it has the potential to hide normal pressure signs.

Nosler 140 Accubonds and Partions top around 2950 fps as they have a longer bearing surface and thus more pressure pushing them down the bore.

Alan

Today I settled on 41.3 gr of Rel 17 with the 140 VLD with CCI 450 primers. 2963 fps, 8 SD.(I wrote down the wrong fps and SD on the target) .45 and .5 MOA @ 414 yds.

This is the ladder I shot a few months back. I've not seen a ladder this "tight" in the vertical over a 5.5 gr increase in powder.


Shots #9 and #10 above gave the below results when I shot for groups.


I need to run a primer test because with the 140 Partition, the Fed 205m primer faired better.

Alan

Ran a primer test today @ 600 yds.

Wind was switchy between 5 & 7 o'clock @ 2-7 mph.

10 shots each of CCI 450 and Fed 205M.

CCI 450 = 2875 fps, 61 Es, 24 Sd, vertical spread = 3.5"

Fed 205M = 2875 fps, 16 Es, 5 Sd, vertical spread = 4.5"

Now, I need to play with seating depth to get the group to it's optimum.

Update:

36.3 gr of Varget and CCI BR primer seems to work with 130 Berger VLD, Barnes 127 LRX and 130 Accubond. Hope to kill a Utah spike elk next month.

Alan

GSSP,
Thanks for the great write up. Good looking rifles, too!

Didn't see any legal spike elk on the Utah hunt; just 5-6 points.

A few days before heading to Montana for a week long elk/mulie hunt, I check my rifles zero after a self inflicted scope mishap. This is with 36.3 gr of Varget and the 127 gr Barnes LRX running 2830 fps.

200 yards.



Moved up one 1/4 moa click and called it good.



Shot 500 yds from here to the crest of the hill.



The results: 3x4 buck


The damage thru and thru ribs to ribs. 1" in - 1" out.

G'Day Fella's,

I have a Rem 700 based, sleeved switch barrel rifle. I have only recently had a new 6.5 x 47 Lap barrel (Lilja 3 groove) made up for it and I'm still in the process of fine tuning the load but see below for my 500Meter and 1000 Yard BR load;

Lapua Cases
CCI BR2 primers
40 grains of ADI AR-2209 powder
Sierra 142grain M/King bullet.

This is a boringly accurate rifle, just the type I like!

Doh!
Homer