my new 6.5 X 47 needs serious help

[jedi8541]

After the usual wait for funding and buying all the necessary parts, I got my 6.5 completed. It was completed by a well known gunsmith. These are the components used.
FNH SPR receiver, Krieger Medium Palma Taper 1:8.5 , BBL length 28 inches, Manners T1 stock, Nightforce 5.5x22

My reloading components: Lapua brass, unfired, CCI 450 primers, Berger 130 gr, H4350 , Varget, Reloder 15, Lapua Scenar 123 gr.

Here is where the help is needed.

After loading rounds , bullets seated at different lengths, into the lands by as much as .010 and out of the lands by as much as .020, varying powder loads from 37 grains to 41 grains and neck tensions from .000 to .006. I can not get this rifle to shoot a group smaller than 1.5 inches at one hundred yards. I have taken the rifle out of the stock to look for defects but cannot find any , retorqued the action screws and changed scopes. Nothing seems to improve the grouping.
Does any one have any Ideas?

 

[wooger]

Did you make all of those changes in seperate steps? If so I would look for a loose scope mount.

 

[therifler]

have you consulted your smith with this problem ? i am sure he will go out of his way to work with you . T.R.

 

[rwh38238]

hey just got my 6.5x47 back had it about a week. Setup is savage dual port action 30 in. brux barrel and savage doctor laminated stock with aluminum bedding block. After a short break in because of the great barrel. I settled on 130 bergers 36.8 gr of rl15 with a average velocity of 2842 ES-6.8 and SD-2.3. My suggestion would be strick break in and make sure you dont have a rough copper collecting spot in the barrel. Also jam those bergers in the lands Im talking like .013 to .020 in thats the only way mine will shoot them. Other than that I've always had good luck with krieger barrels and have a 6mm on order as we speak. Let us know what you figure out.

 

[AusFclass]

i think your loading components should be giving you good results!

yeah id deffinatly be looking at something like a scope or chambering/crowning issue.
talk to your smith shure he'll find the problem for you.

 

[1000yardstare]

Watching this thread for what may seem to be an odd reason. Shot the Saturday 900 yd match in the recent Ontario Fullbore Championships with a chap using a 6.5x47. The rifle was a large green Sako that looked like it belonged in Afghanistan.

The man was convinced that this combo was infallible and he only had to keep pulling the trigger to wind up in the Lt. Governor`s Final. I was shooting F/TR with my backup .308 so wasn`t offering him much help on the wind, but it wasn`t particularly windy.

After the 10 shot match on the Canuck/Brit/Aussie 5 ring target with 1/2 minute F Class V ring, he was staring in disbelief at his 44 score. In his mind there was no way that his rig could shoot that low a score.

So I suppose I am not offering any help to the original question. But I keep seeing references to the fact that 6.5x47 does not match expectations. I see references to articles saying the shooters in the European 300 metre Leagues employ custom armourers to tune their 6.5x47 match rifles.

And to get to the point, I am going to build a 6.5 F Class rifle this Winter. Wondering what cartridge to get half decent barrel life and 1000 yd accuracy. Am starting to lean towards the 6.5x57 Ack Imp, necked up 6AI brass.

Good luck with your 6.5x47. Hope you solve the problem.

 

[M14AMU]

1000yardstare

Sir....I shot NRA HP for dang nigh onto 50 years; whatever I accomplished is on record at NRA Hqs. in the competition division so that's all I'll say about that! I will state that when I shot with the USAAMU at Ft. Benning, Ga. in the late '50s and early '60s I had the worlds best instructors to help me along! I am now 70 years old; don't shoot competition anymore...don't have to prove a thing to anyone the way I see it! I am fortunate enough to be able to drive 500 yards north of my homesite and I can lay down on my 1000 yd. line and shoot any day I so desire which I still do; usually on a daily basis. Several months ago I had a 6.5x47Lapua built up by one Jon Beanland of Gould, Oklahoma and without a doubt it's the most accurate rifle/cartridge combination I have ever had the occasion to put to my shoulder....and there have been many over the years. So for all those that are saying that the cartridge isn't living up to their expectations....well...I'm highly susceptible to thinking that either something is drastically wrong with the rifle platform they're shooting....or....they just don't know how to hold! After obtaining a fair zero for this Beanland rifle after I first got it I fired the below group from 1000 yards with it! The two shots over on the 9 o/clock side were my first two sighters; fired 18 shots all total on this target as I loaded initially 20 rounds but I fired 2 rounds into the berm to foul the barrel before starting the remaining 18 rounds on the target shown. With the exception of one round which hit slightly below the two sighters at 9 o/clock, there are 15 rounds that POI were inside an area that would have been in the X ring on the current NRA LR target. Since this time....I have fired several groups comparable to this with two groups being slightly better than what's shown! So to say the least....one might surmise that I am highly satisfied with Beanlands' buildup and the potential which the 6.5x47Lapua cartridge offers!

 

[stgw77]

RMulhern - VERY well said!
I also own 6,5X47 L and could not be more happy with it!

 

[Erik Cortina]

I think you guys may already know this, but I'm more than satisfied with my 6.5x47 Lapua's accuracy.

Blaming a caliber for a bad score is like blaming mispelled words on a pencil! ;D

 

[jedi8541]

Gentleman I know the caliber will shoot. The night before I picked up my rifle I loaded 20 rounds. Unfired Lapua brass, 39 grains of H4350 130 gr Berger vld's. I seated thsoe bullets to be .010 out of the lands. My gunsmith said he cut the chamber to 3.030" to the ogive of a 130 gr. Berger so I loaded the bullets to 3.020 to the ogive with a comparator nut.
My friends 6.5X47's chamber was cut .015" shorter than that so thmy rounds were well up into the lands. I shot a 10 shot group at 100 yards that measured .279" . I know this is caliber that will shoot excellent groups.

My concern is 1) how fast should I try to push them?
2) how deep is to deep to put them in the lands?
3) should I give up on the Bergers and try to get Scenars or SMK's to shoot?

I am going to make this rifle shoot no matter what. Even if it means rebarreling it with another Kreiger or somehting else. I have seen what the 6.5X47 can do do and i am impressed.

Thanks.

 

[AusFclass]

1000yardstare id say the 6.5x47 is almost on the same page as the 6br! they are accurate and easy to tune. shot the equivelent of 120-17 / 120-20 with mine yesterday and a 180-23 / 180-30 at the last prize meeting. having "custom armourers" would deffinatly be a waste of money! haha

jedi8541 did you say you shot a .279 with your gun or your friends??

stick with one bullet, one powder and one primer only varing the charger and if you cant seem to get consistant results there is something defiantly wrong.

some people run different powders or bullets for giggles and thats cool but most would agree that the easy "go to" load would be.

1-8 twist 130gr berger 38-41.5 H4350 jammed .010 with a BR4 or similar. try getting around 2900-2950fps

i know 123SMK with around 38.5gr of RE15 works if you want to try the SMK's

have you tryed swapping scopes, adjusting paralex, talking to your smith, checking the barrel /chamber with a borescope? TALK TO YOUR GUNSMITH a phone call is cheaper than a box of bullets. ;D

 

[1000yardstare]

AusFclass..........What range did you shoot your 120s and 180s at?

 

[RDavies]

Sometimes you just get a bad barrel. It can happen from any manufacturer. Everything in it looks good, but it just wont shoot.
Otherwise, I am thinking maybe firing pin/spring combo. Maybe the small flash hole/primer combo is on its limit with slower/harder to ignite powders and longer powder column? Could it be this combo is less forgiving of less than perfect ignition?

Reason is, some people have a realy good run with the 6-6.5x47 and some a realy bad run. I have had a bad run with it, or I should say, sometimes, it is awsome and sometimes, it goes wierd. I recently heard another shooter in my area has the most accurate rifle anyone has ever seen and it is a 6-6.5x47. I have had a few barrels for my 6-6.5x47 and they all acted the same, sometimes great, sometimes bad. I might screw the barrel into my Barnard next and see how it goes with a different rifing pin/spring.

 

[AusFclass]

1000yardstare the 120-17 was at 300 the first detail and 500 the second. the 180-23 was at 500-600-700. oh yep close range. . . also was wining the first match rifle event i had enterd untill i ran out of ammo (didnt realise they shoot 15 shot matches) they shoot match rifle at 1000-1100-1200yds. in match rifle i was running the 139 lapuas 38.5gr varget at 2920fps. i dont consider myself a good shot by any means but i think the caliber is easy to load and myself and several friends are very happy with it.

i have heard of some guys drilling out the flash holes partically with the 6-6.5x47. maby H4831sc i harder to start and could be on the limit or reliable ignition?

 

[BBTC48]

My friend had a6.5/47 built and with all the good components like you're using had very mediocre results (3/4",100yd best). Then he switched to magnum primers and it settled down to a lovable gun. As I read your dilema, I'd swap out the scope first. Send it in for check-up. Double check all rings and mounts. I only hear that they shoot! Only flukey things crop up and give a few folks fits. You'll get it right !

 

[3737orange]

Do you have enough neck clearance?

 

[rwh38238]

Just got my 6.5x47 3 weeks ago and love it. Totally blew my expectations away. My shooting partner is building a 6x47 and was talking to a respectable gunsmith today about it. He said to drill the flash hole out to .006 or .007. He said that it really helps the consistency of the cartridge. We ream out the flash hole on our 6.5x47s but not that big. Just a thought.

 

[jedi8541]

OK, sort of an update. Barrel is off and going back. Going to put on a 1:8 Broughton 7.2 contour but will only be 26 inches. Hard part is I have to wait a few weeks for the barrel to get here. Hopefully by that time my brand new Nightforce 5.5x22x50 zero stop, and 20 MOA high speed turret will be ready by then.

 

[jedi8541]

OK this is a real update. Gunsmith called today and said my new barrel is in. Broughton 6.5mm, 1:8 twist , 7.2 contour. Finished length 27 inches. My project is going to the front of the line. I cant wait for the new barrel to be finished.

 

[RickB]

I would also check the front action screw to make sure that it is not bottoming out. I concur with the other suggestions to a) call your 'smith and b) swap scopes if you have a known good scope.

I have a 6.5x47 Lapua that is just not that finicky. I recently swapped from 108 Scenars to 123 Scenars (with 35 grains of Varget and CCI 450) seated just off the lands (it is a short line load for silhouette). I had remounted the scope and was sighting it in, just shooting quick 3 shot groups to make sight corrections, and it shot 3/4 inch (only three shots) groups at 200 meters that were well shaped.

You may need to ship the rifle to your 'smith to have him check it out and discuss it with the barrel maker. Something is definitely not right.