130/140 6.5x47 bullet selection

[Cory porter]

I will have my barrel this week for my first 6.5x47. It’s a 30in 8twist ABC barrel. I had it chambered with with what I was told was a reamer for 130/140g Bullets.

This rifles will be used for 300/500/600 yard matches primarily and maybe an occasional 100/300/400 vfs match.

I’m having trouble deciding on what bullets to start with, I originally wanted to try 123g Lapua but I’m unsure if the freebore will not suit this bullet. Any advice

 

[243Lapua]

My 6.5x47 would not stabilize the 120's at all, tried 4350 and RL15. So I ended up using them for breaking barrel and adjusting my trigger. Everything came together when I switched to Berger 140 Hybrids combined with Varget powder. Started at 36.0 grains and worked it up. I tried CCI 450 but got to many misfires. Switched over to Federal Match small primer and problem solved. Settled at 36.5gr of Varget.

 

[Sixgun]

Do you know the freebore?...Just got mine back too and it's .141 FB. 140 Berger Hybrids, 40.8g h4350, at the lands, new cases. Minus a floater and it shot a sub .200 group @ 200y. Started at 36.8.....no pressure signs.

 

[Carolina Hillbilly]

I will have my barrel this week for my first 6.5x47. It’s a 30in 8twist ABC barrel. I had it chambered with with what I was told was a reamer for 130/140g Bullets.

This rifles will be used for 300/500/600 yard matches primarily and maybe an occasional 100/300/400 vfs match.

I’m having trouble deciding on what bullets to start with, I originally wanted to try 123g Lapua but I’m unsure if the freebore will not suit this bullet. Any advice

The 123 Scenars should be fine for your application. RL17 at approximately 3000fps seems to work in all of mine.

 

[david kieffer]

I will have my barrel this week for my first 6.5x47. It’s a 30in 8twist ABC barrel. I had it chambered with with what I was told was a reamer for 130/140g Bullets.

This rifles will be used for 300/500/600 yard matches primarily and maybe an occasional 100/300/400 vfs match.

I’m having trouble deciding on what bullets to start with, I originally wanted to try 123g Lapua but I’m unsure if the freebore will not suit this bullet. Any advice

cory. I have a love affair with the 6.5 x 47 ,but be careful , I say this round is idiot proof , ( that's why I shoot it ) it likes so many loads. I have been doing very well with the 140 hyb , my favorite powders would be rl 16 ,varget or h4350 . with an 8 tw I would stay with the 130 to 142 bullets . primers ,I run br4s but the 450s do well also . hope this helps and enjoy your new barrel . dave

 

[Laurie]

The 123 Scenars should be fine for your application. RL17 at approximately 3000fps seems to work in all of mine.

+ 1 if you want to try them. These are very long bullets for their weight, as long as many 139/140s so the rifle's freebore won't be an issue. Likewise, 1:8 twist is optimal for this design. Being long plus light it actually needs a slightly faster twist than most 140gn designs.

 

[geraldgee]

My 6.5x47L consistently shoots the 123gr Lapua better than any other bullet, It likes the Berger 130 Hybrids as well.
Its chambered with .160 FB and I jam .005 over a moderate load of RL15.

Good luck with it.
Gerald

 

[Rdlningcltchdmpr]

I concur, 8 twist is perfect for lighter bullets as well. Length is the key not weight. I shoot 100 grain scenar's 8 twist and they are sick accurate. They are almost as long as a 139 scenar. Also even with short bullets, over spinning does not hurt accuracy to a noticeable amount. My 10 twist 308 shoot's 112 grain bibs more accurate than any 168 grain. Proof!

 

[ShootDots]

The 123 Scenar is an excellent choice. So is the 130 Berger VLD. NOTE: since you have a freebore for the 130 / 140 class bullets, I would choose the Berger 140 LRBT. It has a short bearing surface, for a 140 class projectile, and can be used with a shorter freebore. Try anywhere from 39.0 to 40.2 in 0.02 increments with a CCI BR-4 primer and H4350. Unless your barrel simply won't shoot, you WILL find a sweet spot in there somewhere. Additionally, start seating those 140 LRBTs 7 thousandths INTO the lands. If I were a betting man I would put a tidy sum that you would be hard pressed to find something more accurate than what you would get with the 140LRBTs and H4350..

 

[Cory porter]

I would prefer to shoot the 123g if possible. I was worried about the throat wear and not being able to reach the lands at some point. I would assume and hope that would be after a ton of rounds especially if you all concur that the 123g Lapua is a long bs bullet.

I guess I can measure and see what my touch number is and see how much bullet is still in the neck. I’ve just heard so many good things about the 123 I think it’s perfect. It i shoot it the first 600-1000 rounds and then have to go to the 140 hybrid I don’t see that being a problem either

 

[Cory porter]

Freebore is .167

 

[Laurie]

since you have a freebore for the 130 / 140 class bullets, I would choose the Berger 140 LRBT. It has a short bearing surface, for a 140 class projectile, and can be used with a shorter freebore.

It IS a superb bullet. I bought 500 years ago when they were pretty new and you could actually get nearly all Bergers in the UK as and when they were introduced. In fact our importer hadn't heard of them and ordered 500 for me. (Knowing what I know now and the subsequent scale of Berger price increases here, I wish I'd ordered a lot more than 500!) The only reason I haven't long since used up my remaining 300 odd is that I found this one is a winner in my 6.5X55 Savage F-Class rifle, but that barrel hasn't been on the rifle for a long time. The bullets are waiting on one side for when its current 7-08 tube is shot-out and the 6.5X55 Bartlein goes back on.

In the meantime I have hopes for the 130 AR-Hybrid which I'll try in a 260 this summer. I've never had much success with the 130 VLD, but have decided to have another go now using Berger's recommended increasing-jump tuning method, again in the 260. Loading them seated-in didn't work for me in a couple of other barrels and cartridges.

 

[hogpatrol]

My go to load for this cartridge, 130 VLDs jammed .010 with RL17 and CCI mag primers.

 

[ShootDots]

( @Laurie ) Hello Laurie! In addition to the 7 thousandths IN the lands, I have also found that the BEST accuracy node for the 140LRBT is right in the 2910-2930 range. Above and below that range (in cartridges that can easily drive them 3000) will normally not shoot that well. With the 6.5 x 47, I have found that right at 2810-2830 is where the 140LRBT likes to be in the smaller cartridge. I have not tried the 130 Hybrid>>>but it sounds interesting. I have shot the Berger 130VLD in several 6.5 x 47s. I have found that RL-15 / Varget is the key to that bullet. One time, and I mean ONLY 1 time, I shot a 5/8" / 5 shot group with them at 600 yards!! They "generally" like to be about 10-12 thousandths in the lands.

 

[HTSmith]

My 6.5x47 would not stabilize the 120's at all, tried 4350 and RL15. So I ended up using them for breaking barrel and adjusting my trigger. Everything came together when I switched to Berger 140 Hybrids combined with Varget powder. Started at 36.0 grains and worked it up. I tried CCI 450 but got to many misfires. Switched over to Federal Match small primer and problem solved. Settled at 36.5gr of Varget.

Scratching my head on how 140's stabilized but the 120's didn't.

 

[Dave Way]

I've shot out a couple 6.5x47L barrels. My favorite powder has been H4350, I'm not going to post loads but pretty much all you can fit in the case along with Federal 205M's. I put about 1,600 140 Berger Hybrids through the first one. It was a 6-7" gun. It still shot well but wasn't going to make it through the next season so barrel #2 went on the rifle. It liked 140 Hybrids as well but then I decided to test Precision Ballistics 142 Gr. bullets. They shot down to around 5" at 1K but needed a longer free-bore to keep out of the doughnut area of the neck so I designed a reamer with a really long .255" free bore to experiment. Barrel #3 with the longer throat shot them about the same but recently I tested 130 Gr. Berger VLD Target bullets. The first two 5 shot groups at the preferred seating depth(so far) have been 5.1" and then 3.2" at 1K. I'm waiting for warm weather to prove that load. I don't think you could go wrong with any of these in an 8 twist 6.5x47L depending on your throat.

Great little cartridge, good shooting,
Dave.

 

[Gb300wm]

My preference is a 8.5 twist barrel with 130 bullets and lighter and 8 twist with the 140 class bullets. I have shot some stupid small groups with 123 scenars and 130 berger vld’s and varget. H4350 shoots small for me with the 140 class bullets, esp berger hybrids. All with 450 primers. I shoot mainly f class midrange.

 

[Laurie]

IME 6.5X47L rifles either like powders in the VarGet / Re15 / Viht N140 burning speed band or the 4350s, Viht N150/550, but rarely both. My 6.5X47 simply wouldn't perform with the faster powders with any bullet, but was a cracker with Viht N150 with most bullets, particularly the 123gn Scenar which shot well out to 1,000, but really outperformed its paper specs at 800. I also had an earlier barrel on my 260 that shot this bullet very well at 800 also when loaded with N150. In both cartridges, MVs were ~3,000 from 30-inch barrels.

 

[243Lapua]

Scratching my head on how 140's stabilized but the 120's didn't.

It would shoot decent group, less than an inch at 100 yards, using a 1-8 twist Bartlein. Once I switched to 140 grains bullets Hybrids and Varget I could literally put 5 shot group in the same hole. It was just so easy to figure out a load for it.

 

[Lannister]

Remington "Managed Recoil" 125 grain loads for the .308. is the way to go.