6.5x47 Lapua, alternatives to H4350 and Varget with 130 - 140 grain bullets

[montana_native]

Please share your loads if you have them.

I'd like to have a powder for use that is more readily available.

Thanks!

 

[JigStick]

R15 and R17 come to mind.

 

[Eric Leonard]

RL15 is good for 130`s and IMR4451 is good for 140`s,,IMR4350 does well in both weights in mine also,,but I have to say my favorite load is the 130 VLD and 41.5 H4350,,

 

[johnfred1965]

RL15 is good for 130`s and IMR4451 is good for 140`s,,IMR4350 does well in both weights in mine also,,but I have to say my favorite load is the 130 VLD and 41.5 H4350,,

+1 RL15 is temp sensitive but shoots well, and the 4451 is the IMR equivalent to Hodgdon's EXTREME powders; temp insensitive and burn speed close to H4350

 

[bulldog284]

I have been having good luck with n140 and n150 with the 123 grain and the 136 grain very good accuracy will crono them later this week

 

[JigStick]

Funny. Just this past Sunday I did some load development with my 6.5x47. Where I live Varget and R15 are hard to find, which is what I normally use with the 140 AMAX and 140 Nosler CCs. H4350 is readily available here though.

So i started working up some loads and got a really good node with 39.5g. I plan on working my way up to 41.5g this weekend. But I am definitely noticing less "stickiness" of the bolt this far.

Sounds like you are in the opposite boat. My typical Varget load is 37.5g behind a 130 VLD or the 140s listed above.

 

[montana_native]

A little followup...

IMR 4451 did match velocity, but ES and SD were terrible. Accuracy was marginal with my best load at just under 0.5 MOA.

 

[ShootDots]

One of the BEST powders for accuracy, speed and great e.s.'s is VV N550. There are 2 problems with it though: 1.) It is "fairly" temp sensitive; and 2.) It will eat your throat up like candy. But it is EXCELLENT, especially as far as accuracy and speed go.

 

[bugman]

One of the BEST powders for accuracy, speed and great e.s.'s is VV N550. There are 2 problems with it though: 1.) It is "fairly" temp sensitive; and 2.) It will eat your throat up like candy. But it is EXCELLENT, especially as far as accuracy and speed go.

Have you confirmed the "eat your throat up like candy" observation via bore scope and/or throat OAL measurements?

Jack

 

[ShootDots]

Have you confirmed the "eat your throat up like candy" observation via bore scope and/or throat OAL measurements?

Jack

Yes! On my second 6.5 x 47 barrel I was using 130 gr Berger VLD's. I was using 40.1grs of VVN550. I got 1400 rounds before the accuracy, almost immediately fell off. I took my rifle to my 'smith who promptly looked down the bore with his Hawkeye. He said "it looks like an excavation pit" to be quoting him! But that rifle shot those VLD's at 2970 with excellent accuracy>>>for 1400 rounds! LOL!!

 

[JBO]

+1 RL15 is temp sensitive but shoots well, and the 4451 is the IMR equivalent to Hodgdon's EXTREME powders; temp insensitive and burn speed close to H4350

I've never had temp issues with RL15, where did your problem develop?

 

[bugman]

Yes! On my second 6.5 x 47 barrel I was using 130 gr Berger VLD's. I was using 40.1grs of VVN550. I got 1400 rounds before the accuracy, almost immediately fell off. I took my rifle to my 'smith who promptly looked down the bore with his Hawkeye. He said "it looks like an excavation pit" to be quoting him! But that rifle shot those VLD's at 2970 with excellent accuracy>>>for 1400 rounds! LOL!!

Thanks for the reply.

I have some time with N550 and the 6.5x47, and never experienced it like you stated...and I am saying this by ME regularly seeing (via bore scope), and me regularly physically measuring, the effects on the throat OAL.This was for a whole season and separate barrel.

I have also shot a season with H4350 and another with Varget, with different Kreiger barrels. I agree with you that of the 3 powders (same bullet weight in each, and many other similar components) the N550 did the most erosion, followed by Varget, and the least amount was with H4350. However, I surely wouldn't call it "eating the throat up like candy." The N550 gave me the best accuracy, and more f/s than the other two powders, and I was happy to accept that over the 20% (MY ESTIMATE) faster barrel wear.

Maybe we are not comparing apples-to-apples. I shoot in the East and don't have the temps you have. You may shoot many more rounds (and faster) than I do at matches. Who knows if we use the same barrel, throat L, twist, blah,blah,blah. My intent was not to nit pick your post. I just wanted to mention that N550 is not a guaranteed way to destroy your barrel. It can work very well, and the only complaint I have is the price.

Jack

 

[ShootDots]

Thanks for the reply.

I have some time with N550 and the 6.5x47, and never experienced it like you stated...and I am saying this by ME regularly seeing (via bore scope), and me regularly physically measuring, the effects on the throat OAL.This was for a whole season and separate barrel.

I have also shot a season with H4350 and another with Varget, with different Kreiger barrels. I agree with you that of the 3 powders (same bullet weight in each, and many other similar components) the N550 did the most erosion, followed by Varget, and the least amount was with H4350. However, I surely wouldn't call it "eating the throat up like candy." The N550 gave me the best accuracy, and more f/s than the other two powders, and I was happy to accept that over the 20% (MY ESTIMATE) faster barrel wear.

Maybe we are not comparing apples-to-apples. I shoot in the East and don't have the temps you have. You may shoot many more rounds (and faster) than I do at matches. Who knows if we use the same barrel, throat L, twist, blah,blah,blah. My intent was not to nit pick your post. I just wanted to mention that N550 is not a guaranteed way to destroy your barrel. It can work very well, and the only complaint I have is the price.

Jack

I am also of the opinion that one barrel may not wear at the same rate as another. I had a 6mmBR that went for about 3000 or so rounds before it gave up the ghost. I was running several powders over a couple years in that rifle, including VV N540 which is very hot, yet I did not experience rapid throat wear. Remember, I am in Texas and it gets MIGHTY hot here in the summer. Couple that with long shot strings and you have the recipe for erosion..

 

[JBO]

I am also of the opinion that one barrel may not wear at the same rate as another. I had a 6mmBR that went for about 3000 or so rounds before it gave up the ghost. I was running several powders over a couple years in that rifle, including VV N540 which is very hot, yet I did not experience rapid throat wear. Remember, I am in Texas and it gets MIGHTY hot here in the summer. Couple that with long shot strings and you have the recipe for erosion..

Ben, what has you experience been with RL15 temp sensitivity?

 

[ShootDots]

Ben, what has you experience been with RL15 temp sensitivity?

It is NOT as temp insensitive as say Varget or 8208XBR but I have not found it to be particularly sensitive either. Whether or not a powder is temp sensitive or temp insensitive, if you run it at the very top of it's node, if temps swing pretty good, you will go out of your node. There is no such thing as COMPLETE temp insensitivity. I like IMR 7828 and IMR 4895 and have not found them to be particularly "sensitive" to temperatures. Just keep as W-I-D-E of a window as possible when in load development and MOST powders won't react poorly. EXAMPLE: My 6.5 x 47 will shoot just as well at 40.0grs as 40.6grs of H4350 with Berger 140 LRBT's.. I choose to use 40.4grs as it gives me a pretty wide window. When I go to Palo Alto this weekend, we shall see if my load development using this "window" will withstand a fairly large expected temp swing there! A front is passing thru and will go from cool to warm..

 

[johnfred1965]

I've never had temp issues with RL15, where did your problem develop?

I usually shoot in similar conditions, just parroting what I've heard about RL15 vs H4350. and of course the advertising for the IMR4451