I am going to start shooting long range with a 6.5x47 Lapua and would like the number of different powders kept to a minimum, like just one or two. So I would like some guidance in selecting a powder and bullets.
It is going to be hard to beat H4350 in your cartridge. It is a
Hodgdon Extreme temperature insensitive powder, while the majority of the IMR powders are not. I avoid IMR for that reason.
A good first cut number to use to select long range bullets is the
Form Factor. Only Berger publishes it, but you can calculate it for other brands if they give the G7 BC. Hornady does with some of their ELD bullets. It is just the sectional density divided by the G7 BC. You can look down the
Berger Quick Reference Data Sheet, and pick out the bullets with the lowest Form Factor. The good news in all of this is that the lowest form factors can be found in the 6.5 and 7mm bullets. For the most part the 30 cal Form Factors are poor. Yes, the .338 is king of the hill if you are willing to shoot 300 grain bullets, but for lower weight bullets, 6.5 mm is the place to be.
The other interesting thing to consider in the Berger line is the choice between hunting bullets and target bullets. Berger was having trouble with some bullets exploding after muzzle exit and thickened the case to prevent this. The thicker case insulates the lead from the hot barrel and gases to prevent the lead from melting. But, if you are not shooting rapid strings of shots at very high velocity out of a 30+" barrel, you may not need these thicker jacket target bullets. There are a couple of potential advantages to using the hunting bullets over the target. First since the jacket is thinner, the hunting bullet is denser, and can have better ballistics. Just simply more lead and less jacket. And if you read between the lines in some of the Berger blogs they have been having issues with meeting their quality control standards with the thicker jacket material. Potentially the hunting bullets are made to a higher quality level, although they claim they meet the same standard.
So what are the "best" bullets for the 6.5mm in the Berger line? Based on lowest form factor they are:
Form Factor -
Bullet Description
0.913 - 135 grain Classic Hunter
0.923 - 140 grain Hybrid Target
0.925 - 130 grain VLD Hunting
0.926 - 130 grain VLD Target
0.926 - 140 grain Elite Hunter
There may be reasons to choose other bullets but those are the ones that come to the top of the list based on theoretical ballistics... You will need an 8.5 or faster twist for these bullets though.
Hope that helps some,
