1000 yard caliber, low recoil, long barrel life

[Forum Boss]

I shot a 6.5x47L over the weekend and I am in love. It was in a tactical rig with only a fifteen power scope but I was able to make 100% hits at a 6" steel plates with about a 4-5 mph wind @600 yards. With very little recoil, made me want one really bad! The good fellow who let me shoot said he was running 123 Lapuas around 2930 I think.

To me, for a mag-fed tactical rig, the 6.5x47 with 123s is just about perfect -- if you can hold on to the brass. If I did a lot of competition where brass had to be left on the ground, I might do 6.5 Creedmoor or .243 Win. 6.5x47 brass is now $100+ per hundred cases (or more). 6.5 Creedmoor is about $65.00/100.

 

[Josh11]

I have to agree about the brass. Around here, there isnt any tactical comps. But I would really look at the 6xc. Something just appeals to me, not to mention cheaper brass too from Norma if you order through Tubbs website. I would like to know how people are doing in a tacical rig with the 6xc. The recoil should be about the same as the 6.5x47 right?

 

[flatlander]

One of the first custom bbls. I purchased was chambered for the Dasher, and it's still one of my favorites, even though I've also got three 6x47s & five 6.5x47s. All three cartridges are capable of outstanding accuracy out to 1000yds., all three have very tolorable recoil, and all three are based on high-quality Lapua brass.

The x47s work great in a repeater, while a shorty like the Dasher can have problems with feeding & ejection out of a magazine rifle. Forster makes FL die sets for all three, and I've had excellent results with that brand in all my Dasher/6x46/6.5x47 chambers. Recoil of the Dasher is naturally going to be a little less than either of the 47s, but honestly, the 6.5x47 is a very pleasant cartridge to shoot, whether for just a few rounds, or for an all-day match. On a cost basis alone, the Dasher is the winner, as brass is less expensive, it uses less powder, and 6mm bullets cost less than 6.5s. Take your pick - I'd be willing to bet you'd be happy with any of the three.

 

[GermanS1]

Russ, Laurie - I'd hate to disappoint anyone, so I will mention that the .30 Gov't '06 has been doing a very good job at 1000 yards for 106 years. Just a couple of weeks ago, at our most recent 1000 yard match, I managed a 590-28X from the Eliseo stocked Borden action tube gun (iron sights, of course). The first string was a nice 199-10X, followed by a 195 and a 196. I only finished second, so I can't say it will always win but it has about five times the barrel life of the cartridge the first place shooter was using (which beat me by three points).

Accuracy and barrel life are there in bucketfuls. As for the low-recoil part of the question, like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. Even with my bum shoulder I don't find the recoil of a 15 lb. .30-06 to be objectionable. And having recently shed 40 lb. of recoil absorbing weight, I can still say it doesn't cause any breakdown in position - and that's with 200 gr. bullets. So really, as has been the case for 106 years, the .30 Gov't '06 cannot, in my opinion, be improved upon - it is perfection.

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2009/11/cartridges-logical-30-06.html

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2011/04/cartridges-sibling-rivalry-308-vs-30-06.html

 

[Hengehold]

*** THIS LOAD IS SAFE IN MY RIFLE, IT MAY NOT BE IN YOURS ***
My go to load for my "47" is 39.8 gr. N550 with the 139 gr. Scenars. With the 260 I would start at 39.0 gr. and work up from there.

The sweet spot for my "47" is 2930 fps. from a 31" barrel. I seat the Scenars .020" away from jam.

Good luck and let us know how it shoots.

what kind of barrel life are you seeing with the 260?
-Trevor

 

[chkunz]

I choose the 260 for 1000 yards and get good results with Lapua brass, the 142 SMK and H4350. It gets within ~100 fps of the 6.5X284 and is a very accurate combination and is suitable for the conventional (sling) prone target. I do not shoot F Class so there may be a better choice for that application since you can go to a heavier rifle to manage the recoil.

 

[BOBC]

I choose the 260 for 1000 yards and get good results with Lapua brass, the 142 SMK and H4350. It gets within ~100 fps of the 6.5X284 and is a very accurate combination and is suitable for the conventional (sling) prone target. I do not shoot F Class so there may be a better choice for that application since you can go to a heavier rifle to manage the recoil.

I have 1800 rds through my 260 and it still shoots nice little bug hole groups. Another good 1000 yd. round is the 260 AI. It is also easy on throats and gives you the velocity needed for 1000 yd. shooting.

 

[Tommie]

Recoil and external ballistics are a balancing act for me. If I could sit behind a 338 Lapua or 50 BMG for extended periods it would cure a lot of my competency "challenges". The biggest thing I can shoot repeatedly and not develop a severe case of turrets syndrome is a medium size 7mm. Something like a 284 Win or 280 Rem fills the bill.

 

[fastarget]

Timely thread,
I am considering setting back a 6.5-284 barrel into a 6.5-47 for all the same reasons(including burning out a barrel trying to find a load), for a mid-range rifle. Although it is hard to beat groups like this while fire forming in my 11 year old daughter's dasher at 600.