6.5 lapua initial test????

[model 12 toby]

shot my lapua build today for first time. mixed results. last 3 shots looked prettty good. brass looks like it's taking a beating already. round marks on base like there is excessive pressure. only shooting 35.3 grains of reloader 15 with 123 a-max. didn't chrono yet. first 5 shots out of brand new barrel. I heard some people shooting 38 grains??? going to clean barrel and shoot next 5 shots. thinking about toning them down a bit. I'm thinking I should probably take my chrono up for the next 5 shots cause it blows my mind I'd be getting that high of pressure with 35.3 grains. It didn't knock out primers and didn't kick at all but geez not sure what do do next.

 

[rubbershotgun]

im using 39 grains of reloader 15 for my 123 amax with no pressure problems

also, ive shot the same brass over 16 times and full sized them every single time, showing no obvious signs of degradation.

 

[model 12 toby]

seems weird to me. don't know what'd going on. course my 7mm rem mag shoots 3000 + fps with only 65 grains of reloader 25 with a 162 grain a-max. I think my scale is low or something. I'm going to try 34.8 and see what it does. I still got quite a few rounds to break in my barrel. I'll get a chance possibly this weekend to take up a chronograph and see what kind of speed I'm getting. how many fps you getting? I got to get this all squared away before the farmer cuts the hay. ;D. thanks for replying haven't been many at all. don't know whats going on. back to the drawing board. last three rounds I shot looked descent. I'm hoping for the best. still skeptical. savage target action. h s precision stock. pac nor #8 contour. 27.5" with break. 1 in 8 twist. still accu trigger. . sighttron big sky 24 power scope. warne rings.

 

[DennisH]

Toby, on my 6.5x47L, shooting 130 Bergers, anything over 34.9 grns of Varget start getting hot. NO one has been able to explain it! But their .010 in the lands! CCI 450's, I have talked to one other person who's gun is exactly like mine. He states he shoots it all the time with this load and has not issues @ 600!

My barrel also love 120 smk's with 39.3grns of RL15 sitting on the lands! Kinda hot, GO figure!

 

[MrMajestic]

As for velocities do a search because I remember E. Cortina listing what he thought were safe velocities obtainable with the 6.5X47L. I think he said 3050 fps for the 123's was about right. Please don't take my word however I do get this with the 123 gr. A-Max.

 

[model 12 toby]

good deal. starting to get some replies thank god. I thought I possibly had a problem of some kind. here's data from lapua. hornady reloading manual said rl-15 is slightly faster than n140.


8,0

123

Scenar

Lapua

69,5

2.736

N140

2,15

33.2

768

2520

2,36

36.4

840

2756

I know they're 123 a-max instead of scenars but still looks a little better. I was afraid I wasn't getting any velocity at all. I backed it off slightly to 34.8. I'll try that tomorrow or on Tuesday. probably won't get to chrono it till the weekend. I will tell ya this even with getting signs of pressure it kicked like a 22. I gotta get it shooting and get a better trigger and I'll have a gun that will get used for a long time and probably nothing else.

 

[DennisH]

123 Scenars are the bullet to use! Even out to 1k!

My Opinion, but it WORKS in my gun!

Erik's gun's and the loads he has given me don't like my gun! Every gun is different. Erik HAS given me GREAT advice and loads on others, but my 6.5x47 and his just are not related in any way!

 

[model 12 toby]

getting better. 140 a-maxes are beating out 123 a-maxes so far. using rl-15, got some rl-17 too incase the es and sd's are bad. never chrono'd anything yet.

 

[funk]

I just started using 140gr Amax and found a good load sub..5moa 40.5gr of H4350 cci mag primer 20thou off the lands, 2810fps with a es of 13 and sd of 6.

 

[LongRanger]

Its a shame for anybody to have trouble getting an accurate load for the inherently accurate 6.5 equilavent of the 6BR. This is easily a sub 1/4 moa cartridge.

Over the last 5-6 years, mine has won lots of eagle trophies and set 3 national mid range records (some still stand) and 4 national LR records using several different lots of Berger 130gr VLDs at 2950 fps, .012 into the lands in each of four different 8 twist Krieger barrels with .292 necks using 38.4-38.5gr Varget from at least 4 different lots.

Work up to this load and keep on working, and if you have no luck, follow Eric Cortina's good advice found elsewhere on this forum using Lapua Scenars and powder.

FWIW, a chronograph is a MUST when working up accuracy loads.

Also on this forum, you should find reams of verbage about the sensitivity of the RL powders to temperature changes, including Jason Baney's....the forum's long range editor. Personally, I was another who could not get the nasty-burning stuff to shoot the same day to day.

Good luck, and let us know how you get along.

Frank B.

 

[model 12 toby]

I'm up to 25 rounds so far. 140 A-maxes and RL-15 are working so far. I'm shooting a very light load. going to start increasing by .4 grains and see what I can get out of them. if I can get accuracy but no speed I'll probably try some RL-17. RL-25 has been very good in my 7mm mag. Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I hope to start testing at farther than 100 yards in the next week or so. Probably see what wins at my 265 yard range in my yard and go hunting varmints.

 

[Mega]

Down Under in Oz the most popular bullet seems to be the 130gr Berger VLD and then most popular seems to be Varget at around 37.5gr for the low accuracy node. Those I have compared notes with seem to think this is more consistantly accurate than chasing the high velocity node. Very light neck tension and seated around 0.002" off the lands.

I am not that experienced with long distances, still learning this wind / mirage factor but under 200 yards it pretty easy to do one hole cluster groups. The best I have done at 550 yards is a 1.5" x 5 shot group but generally around 2". My problem is the groups are wandering around the target centre indicating to me I'm not reading the wind correctly so that is what I need to fix. Okay for group points but not for score & group.

 

[flatlander]

Ditto Mega's post about the popularity of the Berger 130 - I've had good results out out to 1000yds shooting a BAT 3L prone rifle with a 30" Bartlein med. Palma bbl. in 6.5x47. But I've been using RL17/CCI 450s, loading for around 2940fps.

 

[cruiser49]

For what it's worth, the load I've found best in my 6.5x47L with a 30" 8 twist Criterion match barrel is 37.3 gr RL15 with BR4 primers and 130 gr Berger VLD's seated at the lands with .002 total neck tension. My loaded round measures .291" and my chamber neck is .294. I get around 2900 fps with this load shooting at 4400 feet elevation. It's got plent of speed for 1000 yds and shoots .25 MOA at 100. Best at 1000 is about .8 MOA. I feel sure its accuracy is shooter-limited. Hope you find the magic recipe!!

 

[model 12 toby]

I'm going to get out the chrono next friday and do a bunch of 3 shot groups at 265 with rl-15 and 140 a-maxes and fed 205m primers. bullets seated .010 back from lands. . If I don't find anything I'll probabaly switch to rl-17. My first shot is really the most important since I will probably shoot mostly ground hogs and I hope an occassional coyote. I may target shoot a bit at 770 yards but it'll just be to see what my scope adjustment is. probably do that once every 3 weeks or so. might adjust seating depth slightly at that range to see if it changes accuracy. If I get round 1" groups at 265 I'll be happy. I'd like to get under 3.5" groups at 770. I'll probably always be shooting prone off a bi pod cause I just walk 400 acres up over the hill and usually don't have any equipment on me so that's how I always shoot. might take a small rear bag with me.

 

[fm1947]

Not to hijack his thread, but you guys with experience with this round Im having one built with .288 neck whats your thoughts on this neck wasnt my idea the smith has that reamer.

 

[scott_at_vortex]

Not to hijack his thread, but you guys with experience with this round Im having one built with .288 neck whats your thoughts on this neck wasnt my idea the smith has that reamer.

My personal thoughts on this would be to order a reamer with a larger neck. Otherwise you will be stuck neck turning and in my experience, the round does just fine with a no turn neck chamber. Every lot of bras I have received since lapua went to the blue box my loaded rounds are .288.





Scott

 

[fm1947]

Scot, thanks

 

[model 12 toby]

did ladder test today with 140 Max and rel-17 at 265yards. found a couple of lose screws on my front scope ring. went from 31.3 to 35.5 in .3 grains. 33.1 to 33.7 are all exactly the same vertically. might have something. dont know if i should try to hit a higher node or not????????????

 

[model 12 toby]

shoots nice but only 2305 fps. lol. back to the drawing bored. nearly out of rl-17. going back to rl-15 and doing ladder test with 140 a-maxes. hopefully I can find some good vibrations. Might have to find a higher node with some rl-17. hopefull I can get these 123s to shoot now that my scope is tight. ;D.