Thread: Seriously underrated 6.5x47 Lapua

Gimp only irritates me because he now advocates factory ammo and it seems like going into a fly tying forum and telling them they are wasting their time because you can buy flies at the fishing shop.

As much as he is the most irritating person at times he is frequently right so I had another look at 6.5 Creedmore last night. I considered it because it seems cheap and plentiful. I dismissed it because it lacks two characteristics I like about the 6.5x47L. First, it used a large rifle primer and the x47s small primer pocket (and thus thick solid case base) and the hard federal primers make perfect sense to me. I think a large rifle primer in such a small case plays more than a priming role. There seems to be abundant data that show a small rifle primer and a small flash hole produce a more accurate round. Lapua thinks so anyway.

If I want a chambering, I look through Lapuas catalogue because I don't use other brass. Years ago I had a shitty time with mixed Hornady brass because it was inconsistent and it put me off. If I use Lapua, I know I can forget about the cases.

Secondly, the Creedmore seems to need more barrel for the same velocity and for a dual purpose target/varmint/hunting rifle which I like to build, I want the shortest barrel I can get away with without sacrificing any velocity. I want single shot accuracy, up to 3 rounds. I don't actually care as much about groups as I do how much a single shot from a cold barrel deviates from the point of aim. Nothing has performed like the x47 in this regard.

Can anyone shed some light on this? I see Wingman is getting better velocity from the x47, all things being equal. Does the Creedmore really need more barrel to match the x47 for velocity?

I also note the Creedmore has Lapua brass with a small rifle primer and flash hole. Has anyone tried this? This basically makes it a x47 with factory ammo which is attractive. If most of the deformation is in the case head, and you have a robust case head, a hard primer, a tight firing pin and you are not stretching your brass, you can handle more pressure. If I ever end up with a three lug Sako bolt through my head you will know I was wrong.

I am not certain there is not some engineering magic in the shape of the x47 case that explains the inherent accuracy (which is phenomenal) and the efficiency. It is a rare example of a case engineered from the ground up by people who know about these things. There are not that many engineered rounds out there. Most are modifications of an engineered round.