H4895 in 6.5x47 Lapua

[RonS]

I know this question has been asked before but I can't find and answer, so I'll try again. Has anyone tried H4895 in a 6.5x47 Lapua? I see that Hodgdon list it for the 6.5 Creedmoor. Any response positive or negative would be a big help. Thanks

Ron

 

[jp]

Ron , try starting at 35.0 and work up..

 

[RonS]

jp, what weight bullet would you recommend using? I have 107’s up to 130’s.

 

[jp]

It wouldn’t hurt to try various weights But the 130 vlds work in mine. Are you planning on hunting or target?

 

[aer21]

I used H4895 with 95 Vmax, load was too hot though when I went chuck shooting with it. Got stiff bolt lift after 3 rounds. I was in a rush so I loaded up and fired up to 42.4 and got pressure. Backed down to 41.6 and loaded a bunch, those were the ones that were too hot. They chronoed at 3419 fps.

 

[RonS]

I built this gun to do both hunting and target shooting. I do have some Berger 130 VLDs hunting bullets, are they as finicky as people say they are?

 

[geraldgee]

Berger Data on their 130 VLD's in the 6.5x47. Mine likes the RL16 with the 130gr bullets. I believe I would start the H4895 at a bit less than 35grs...maybe even 32.5gr. Load one round each starting at 32.5grs increasing incrementally by .5gr until you notice the slightest bit of pressure. Stop there!

Good luck and be safe.

 

[Beeman]

The 130 Berger hunting has been awesome in my 6.5X47. Really lays down the deer. I am using H4350 though.

 

[RonS]

Beeman, I have been using H4350 with Hornady 129gr. SST's and yes the H4350 shoots good and I have also used Benchmark with 107's with decent results

 

[RonS]

Gentlemen, I just received a reply from Hodgdon about this subject and they say, "H4895 is not a recommended powder for the 6.5x47 Lapua. the burn speed is a little too quick for this application."
Please correct me if I'm wrong, is Benchmark and IMR 8208 XBR, according to their own relative burn rate chart, a faster burning powder than H4895? But yet they list both Benchmark and IMR 8208 XBR as suitable powders to use in the 6.5x47 Lapua.

 

[RonS]

geraldgee, thanks for the info and 32.5gr of H4895 sounds like a wise beginning. I'm not looking for extreme velocity, just better accuracy. And with my bad shoulder a little less recoil is always welcome.

 

[DIBBS]

Based on my experience, I would recommend as others have said 130 grain Berger VLD for deer, or 123 Amax for varmints, atop of either H4350, Varget, or RL-17. All have shot well in an 8 twist 6.5 x 47 for me. Eric Cortina has shot this caliber a lot, and is a member here. I believe he may be using Vihtavouri N550, but DONT quote me on this. Shoot him a pm, he has a wealth of knowledge. I did not find the VLD's, target or hunting, tough to develop a load for.

 

[RonS]

dibbs, I sent Erik a pm, I previously received some good advise from him on another subject in the past. Thanks for mentioning him to me. I want to try the Berger 130gr VLD's on deer this season but I'm looking for a reduced load due to shoulder issues.

 

[Down South]

dibbs, I sent Erik a pm, I previously received some good advise from him on another subject in the past. Thanks for mentioning him to me. I want to try the Berger 130gr VLD's on deer this season but I'm looking for a reduced load due to shoulder issues.

Years ago when i had a 6.5 X 47 i was running Varget with 130 gr Berger VLDs (orange box). It was a 25 inch Krieger 4 groove 8.5 twist barrel and was running 2880 ish if i remember correctly, I also had a muzzle brake on it so recoil wasn't bad at all. That was a fairly stiff load but extremely accurate. Never tried H4895 with it but the charge would be a grain or so less than Varget for the same node etc. The 130 VLD worked really well on deer. Good luck.

 

[mikegaiz]

Gentlemen, I just received a reply from Hodgdon about this subject and they say, "H4895 is not a recommended powder for the 6.5x47 Lapua. the burn speed is a little too quick for this application."
Please correct me if I'm wrong, is Benchmark and IMR 8208 XBR, according to their own relative burn rate chart, a faster burning powder than H4895? But yet they list both Benchmark and IMR 8208 XBR as suitable powders to use in the 6.5x47 Lapua.

Almost all competitors shooting IBS 1000 yds with a 6.5x47 are winning with H4895. But what would they know.

 

[RonS]

Would anyone care to share their load data? Or give some sort of starting point? Thanks

Ron

 

[mikegaiz]

I have found that bullets from 139 - 142 shot the best. Could never get 130 or less to shoot for beans. Now I am talking 1000 yds. Start around 34 gr. H4895 and work up.

 

[RonS]

mikegaiz, thanks for your response. Can you give me a comparison of recoil with other cartridges with your starting load of 34gr with H4895? My right shoulder is very sensitive to recoil.

 

[mikegaiz]

mikegaiz, thanks for your response. Can you give me a comparison of recoil with other cartridges with your starting load of 34gr with H4895? My right shoulder is very sensitive to recoil.

Depends on bullet wait. 2850 fps x 140 Gr. - gun weight, more than a 243,but close, same as anything else that fits that, Get a muzzle brake than like a 22/250.

 

[RonS]

Well, gentlemen it finally happened, I got the answer I was looking for, 33.0gr of H4895 pushing a SMK 120gr produced 222 Rem type recoil and good results at 100 yards...next moving to 200 yards.