Thread: Seriously underrated 6.5x47 Lapua

How did it go on the deer?

It went very well.. took some longer range goats too. 200 to 600 meter shots all were instant drop on the spots apart from one goat that I hit a little far back at 330 meters and required a follow up shot.
The Sierra tipped match king although a little lower in BC than some of the other 130gr range available it has been absolutely dependable on all game. All bang flops.. nothing walked.
I did have one anomaly on a fellow at 200 meters that stepped forward as I shot. The bullet hit a little far back behind the shoulder turning the liver to pulp and passing through the front of the rumen which must have acted like a thick ballistic gel because the bullet didnt exit. I punched through a rib on the exit side but stopped under the skin.
A 100% energy dump that dropped the fallow on the spot and caused some very interesting internal trauma that I have not seen before with this bullet.
The norm with the TMK is a pass through with great expansion and wound channel with an exit wound of about an inch. Very little to no meet damage on most accounts if placement is right.

Is that a grip pod? Do you rate them.? I saw one on Ali express for 20 bucks that I thought would be worth trying. I'd need an M lok adaptor though

No its an Atlas bipod

Good stuff. Nothing I shot with mine went far. Love those 6.5/140s.

Originally Posted by Tussock

Good stuff. Nothing I shot with mine went far. Love those 6.5/140s.

What 140s do you use please, and if more than one type, how would you order them in terms of accuracy in your x47 ?

Originally Posted by Tussock

Recoil is quoted as a linear relationship to muzzle energy, but muzzle energy is divided between the projectile and the venting gas. The projectile and the venting gas have a different effect on felt recoil. Recoil is an equation with muzzle energy in it. Felt recoil is what transfers to the shoulder.

Take a rifle and shoot it with a 26" barrel and then shoot it with a 10" barrel. Minus the difference in friction down the barrel, the muzzle energy is the same. See if they both feel the same to shoot. At 26" the energy is in the projectiles motion, and at 16" the gas discharge. At 16" some of the energy is probably in a huge fire ball of un-burned powder. Try a muzzle brake. The muzzle brake does not direct the projectile out sideways.

A linear relationship between felt recoil and muzzle energy is an oversimplification. It comes down to efficiency. How much from the energy from the powder (the only source) can be transferred to the projectile. I personally think the projectile moves the gun very little compared to the high pressure gas at the muzzle and the diameter of the hole the gas vents out of. I think nothing makes more efficient use of the powder in a 20" barrel (or there abouts) than a 6.5x47L. I think Lapua planned that. It is not a consideration in most rounds.

Be curious to know how many people have actually shot 6.5x47

Regarding recoil, can anyone answer the following question and not just guess or speculate on the answer: If two rifles of identical weight and effective barrel length ahead of the chamber, one a 6.5 06 and the other a 6.5 saum are loaded with identical powder charges and projectiles the 6.5 saum will achieve a higher muzzle velocity. Q Is there any difference in recoil ??

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Regarding recoil, can anyone answer the following question and not just guess or speculate on the answer: If two rifles of identical weight and effective barrel length ahead of the chamber, one a 6.5 06 and the other a 6.5 saum are loaded with identical powder charges and projectiles the 6.5 saum will achieve a higher muzzle velocity. Q Is there any difference in recoil ??

Purely in terms of practical physics, as I think gas discharge creates more thrust into your shoulder (by working exactly like a thruster) then the saum would have to have less recoil, as in order to get higher velocity, all else being equal, it needs to make better use of the powder charge.

In other words, more efficiency means more energy transferred to the motion of projectile and less to the rifle.

Originally Posted by Puffin

What 140s do you use please, and if more than one type, how would you order them in terms of accuracy in your x47 ?

AMAX, which no longer exist.

I havent gone into my load development much on this thread and that was for a couple of reasons, the first being that I was rushing to get this barrel finished for this hunting trip and the other reason being that it seems to shoot everything I have run through it.
I have lots of various 6.5mm bullets to test if any of you guys are interested to see that process but Im pretty decided on the 130gr TMK as my hunting load as it has done all I have asked of it in this rifle and my Creedmoor.

I have also loaded 100x 123gr A-Max which also shoot surprisingly well, the BC is .510 which is almost that of the 130gr TMK at .518.
I picked up 500 of the A-Max's at $50 per 100x for the Grendel so they will be put to good use. Its a pity they were discontinued only to be re introduced with a fancy new name (123gr, 130gr and 140gr ELDM) with a $35-$40 price hike of course, nice one Hornady!'

Both of the TMK and A-Max loads shoot sub .4" at 100 yards between 2900fps and 3100fps so I just dropped back to 3000fps for the 123gr A-Max with 2208 which gives no pressure signs and 2950fps for the 130gr TMK with RL16 to combat a compressed load situation which cause ES to open up and made it a pain to seat bullets consistently.

When I get a bit of time and suitable weather Ill test the other bullets I have on hand, the 143gr ELDX further (only did a ladder test), the 130gr ELDM, the 130gr Berger VLD hunter the Lapua 123gr, 136gr L and 139gr Scenar bullets.

I will test some other powders too, BM8208 showed great speed (3000fps) and ES with the 123gr Amax so Ill have to put that on paper.
W760 and Hodgdon super performance also might be an interesting experiment along with RL17.













A big thanks to Robert at Workshop Innovations for the gentle nudge away from the Harrells bench rest powder thrower and supplying my new RCBS Loadmaster light automated powder measure.. it has been great! Yet to throw and heavy or light charges! It has been spot on every time.

Originally Posted by Tussock

Purely in terms of practical physics, as I think gas discharge creates more thrust into your shoulder (by working exactly like a thruster) then the saum would have to have less recoil, as in order to get higher velocity, all else being equal, it needs to make better use of the powder charge.

In other words, more efficiency means more energy transferred to the motion of projectile and less to the rifle.

I am no expert on this subject and that is why I asked the question. I think that your answer is probably very close to the truth Tussock. Some formula would suggest that we divide the foot pounds of projectile energy into the weight of the stock to get recoil energy, this would suggest that blanks create no recoil, which is not true. Other formula take the weight of the propellant and divide that into rifle weight.
What happens to recoil if we fire two bullets from a 308, one at 130 gr and one at 150gr both with the same 40 gr charge of 2209 - is there a difference in recoil ???

The only real question here is why would anyone use 2209 in a .308?

the 150grn load WILL recoil more and pressure will be higher,you are shifting a heavier payload....back to that Newton fella again..equal and opposite and all that....oops sshhh we sidetracked AGAIN.... BEETER REPHRASE QUESTION to be a 6x47 case???

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

the 150grn load WILL recoil more and pressure will be higher,you are shifting a heavier payload....back to that Newton fella again..equal and opposite and all that....oops sshhh we sidetracked AGAIN.... BEETER REPHRASE QUESTION to be a 6x47 case???

Newton said for every action there would be an equal and opposite reaction. He did not specify what the reaction would be. In the case of gun powder turning into gas, stuff will move. The projectile will move, the barrel will get hot (atoms moving), the projectile will get hot, the gas will move and the rifle will move.

So in this case, the rifle will go backwards (recoil) but it is a reaction to several things. So you can't back calculate from the projectile energy because it is not the only variable.

It is a very good question this 150g vs 130g for equal powder. You say you are shifting a heavier payload, but the payload is moving slower. So recoil should be equal.

What about case pressure and its effect on powder burn? The 2209 will be burning at higher pressure. Does a powders burn rate change as the chamber pressure during the burn varies?

GENERALLY a hgiher projectile weight requires a lower powder weight somewhere around 2 grns powder for 10 grns projectile..so the 150 grn load will be a way hotter load than the 130..so it has TWO differences,or to flip it around the 150grn load so so and the 130 a piss weak/mild one.