New 6x47 Lapua, added to the Axis family!

[wildcatter]

I decided to do it one more time. I regretted selling my last one, and never really shot it in competition. But when a Bat Scoville my buddy decided to sell, I had to spend the cash I wasn't ready to spend and sold the Panda on a wheeler stock to cover it right after getting it where I anted to shoot it.

I have a set of three Savage Axis rifles, all built timed and tuned, with bushed firing pins by Fred at Sharp Shooter Supply, and all with stocks he has designed and built from blanks. Except the Walnut laminate I talked him into making, altering the grain every layer 90 degree from the layer beside it. Lighter and stiffer than the laminated birch blanks he usually turns the stocks out of.

So, the old Savage Axis that has shot pretty good in 6BR at 600 yards, which I shoot seldom, mostly 20 to 400. I decided to grab another 8 twist barrel. Plus after 13 months waiting on my 10 twist to be made for my new walnut laminate with a blued tuned Axis, I wanted to shoot the pretty thing!

So the Stainless Axis on the 3" benchrest stock got a new barrel to replace the 6BR it wore. It shoots great, with about 600 rounds thru it, and has won high score at 600 yards out of 3 trips to the match. So the walnut gets a loner till I get the 1-10 twist Krieger finds its way here to become a 6mm Ackley long range Varmint rig.

So we spent Tuesday turning and chambering the 31" straight 1.250" dia. barrel to replace the 26" 6BR barrel it wore. At 27 1/4" and .990 at the muzzle with a straight taper from 5" in front of the barrel nut. Now the fun begins. So far the 1 shot and clean till the copper is gone is on it's 5th shot. I think its about done showing any copper. and am about to sight in using the 2 shot method and clean. But I think one or two more cleanings and this barrel is going to be copper free.

Anyways H4350 shot pretty good in the last 6X47L so i'll be trying 38.5 to 39.5 today. Then I plan on trying a load I had better luck with in the last one before I sold it, H4831 @ 42.5 grains. But hopefully I'll have something ready for down on the hill at Gallipolis this month that wont embarrass me, it would even be nicer if I had something that could get some attention!

A little look at the Axis Family photo, green camo 6X47L target rifle. Walnut laminate 6BR and soon 6MM AI switch barrel, long range Varmint and Varmint for score factory rifle. Then in front the walnut hull stained laminate switch barrel in 6BR and 17 Mach IV general purpose varmint rifle.

 

[SS GO DEVIL]

Just spun on a proof research stainless light palma on my tac gun 26''. It has seriously impressed me. 39.5 H4350 with 107 smk .010 off lands cci 450 Peterson brass 3028fps sd 7. Gonna shoot it at next freedom 1000 match in tac class. Following picture was 3 shot sighter off bipod after zeroing on steel at 1000. Put the gun up and saved ammo for match.

 

[G6br]

I decided to do it one more time. I regretted selling my last one, and never really shot it in competition. But when a Bat Scoville my buddy decided to sell, I had to spend the cash I wasn't ready to spend and sold the Panda on a wheeler stock to cover it right after getting it where I anted to shoot it.

I have a set of three Savage Axis rifles, all built timed and tuned, with bushed firing pins by Fred at Sharp Shooter Supply, and all with stocks he has designed and built from blanks. Except the Walnut laminate I talked him into making, altering the grain every layer 90 degree from the layer beside it. Lighter and stiffer than the laminated birch blanks he usually turns the stocks out of.

So, the old Savage Axis that has shot pretty good in 6BR at 600 yards, which I shoot seldom, mostly 20 to 400. I decided to grab another 8 twist barrel. Plus after 13 months waiting on my 10 twist to be made for my new walnut laminate with a blued tuned Axis, I wanted to shoot the pretty thing!

So the Stainless Axis on the 3" benchrest stock got a new barrel to replace the 6BR it wore. It shoots great, with about 600 rounds thru it, and has won high score at 600 yards out of 3 trips to the match. So the walnut gets a loner till I get the 1-10 twist Krieger finds its way here to become a 6mm Ackley long range Varmint rig.

So we spent Tuesday turning and chambering the 31" straight 1.250" dia. barrel to replace the 26" 6BR barrel it wore. At 27 1/4" and .990 at the muzzle with a straight taper from 5" in front of the barrel nut. Now the fun begins. So far the 1 shot and clean till the copper is gone is on it's 5th shot. I think its about done showing any copper. and am about to sight in using the 2 shot method and clean. But I think one or two more cleanings and this barrel is going to be copper free.

Anyways H4350 shot pretty good in the last 6X47L so i'll be trying 38.5 to 39.5 today. Then I plan on trying a load I had better luck with in the last one before I sold it, H4831 @ 42.5 grains. But hopefully I'll have something ready for down on the hill at Gallipolis this month that wont embarrass me, it would even be nicer if I had something that could get some attention!

A little look at the Axis Family photo, green camo 6X47L target rifle. Walnut laminate 6BR and soon 6MM AI switch barrel, long range Varmint and Varmint for score factory rifle. Then in front the walnut hull stained laminate switch barrel in 6BR and 17 Mach IV general purpose varmint rifle.
View attachment 1559225View attachment 1559226View attachment 1559227View attachment 1559228

That's a nice looking family you have there.
Congrats.

 

[wildcatter]

That's a nice looking family you have there.
Congrats.

Thank you! Barrel break in is under way, and this is the worst new Krieger Barrel I've had in 20 years of buying them. I'm at 50 rounds and still only 3 shots cleaning a lot of copper the last 16" of Barrel. Took 10 rounds of one and clean to feel it was light enough to do 2 and clean.

After a couple af those that was a full day! I went back a couple days later and started back @ 2 and clean. Around 26 rounds in I started 3 and clean, still struggling with that last 12 to 16" of Barrel. The last 5 shots of those first 50 I had loaded were with 39.5 grains of H4350 running Hottenstien 108 Barn burners I shot those at 200.

The gun is not ready for 5 shot groups yet, way to much copper after those 5 shots. Think Monday I am going to 2 shot and clean again only I'll take some isso instead of JB, it's a little more aggressive on a patch I think.

But I hope to have it ready to work on tuning that 39.5 grain load. Then we'll see if we can get that 3/4" group down closer to 3/8". That's where my last 6x47L was in its happy spot?

 

[wildcatter]

Well I have over 80 rounds thu it now and finally seeing no copper except the last 6 to 8 inches of Barrel with 3 shot and clean.

I think by the time I fireform the last 20 cases, I'll be ready for some serious load development.

One thing that was good about this barrel copper fouling so bad, was after about 50 yards I started burning 8208, just to keep from wasting the 4350. This showing me surprising accuracy and around 2980 fps, with room to go up since I'm not seeing pressure extremes with the 107 Hornaday ELD's.

I'll be testing again next week once this heat subsides. Fer now, I'll just set back and wait it out.

 

[NCVarhtr]

6X47 L is my all time favorite. I have four. One set up for the 87 Gr VLD, Two set up for the 95 Gr VLD, and one for the 105 Hybrid. I have two in 6 BRA , two in 6BR , one in 6 GT and they are all truly great cartridges. But, the 6X47 L is so easy to tune, easy to keep in tune and completely dependable from day to day , month to month etc........... Hard to beat....

 

[wildcatter]

Well this gun is built on a Krieger barrel. I have always had pretty good luck with their barrels,,,,, Until Lately! In the last 2 years I have had what I would call, very rough barrels from them, in 6mm. This includes 2 13.5 twist, three 8 twist, and a 14 twist.

I am nearing 100 rounds in this gun and to need 1 1/2 hours to get the barrel clean from 5 shots is not what I experience with any of over a half dozen other different barrels in the past 2 or 3 years. of the 2 13.5 twist, they both took over 100 to 157 rounds to stop coppering enough to work up loads in, last year the one I gave up on, it never really shot on the Bat Scoville any better than my vintage 10 twist Pence barreled 6 BR varmint rig. The other now has around 250 shots on it and it is shooting decent on that BR rig.

The one 8 twist, from 2 years ago did shoot pretty good, a 6BR and has delivered at 600 yards. But that barrel was Cryo'd before we ever cut it or chambered it. The first thing my gunsmith said when he first touched it with the cutter was, stop, look at me, and said, "this barrels been cryo'd aint it".

The second I bought already chambered new and less than 100 rounds on it. That barrel showed promise as 6x47L but sold it after about 50 rounds for other priorities at the time. But being already fired I have no idea how well it will do.

This last 8 twist, factory fresh, is what is on this new build, and so far its the worst barrel I have ever worked with, even over factory centerfires from Savage and Remington! Will it even ever clean up to see how it will shoot??? I really am starting to doubt it! It just took another 1 and 1/2 hours to get it clean. Yes maybe I started shooting 3 shots to soon. but with little copper in the first 24" I thought I could try one 5 shot group. a proven load in my othe 6x47L's, 39.5 grians of H4350, with 108 Bergers .008 in the lands.

But three good shots, then one flyer and the last shot back close to the first 3 was not what I would have expected from past barrels at this far into break in. I wouldn't be so quick to make this statement but for over 25 years using Krieger barrels I am convinced, Quality is on a downturn! Call it steel quality, if so, they are choosing not to pay for top quality in my book. I have had barrels from Brux, Shilen, and as I said, Savage that have not been this discouraging.

We also have new powder formulas in the same powders, maybe different Jacket materials in their alloys? But last winter I cut a new 222 rem barrel. That was with a VINTAGE Krieger Blank. 2011 I believe. and reminded me of what I had expected from Krieger back 10 or even 5 years ago. But the more I buy new, the more I struggle to find a shooter, and break in has become more work than I will tolerate.

At the cost of bullets primer, powders, brass, cleaning components, and then to have 1/10 of the life or even more wasted trying to get it smooth enough to shoot. I am about to try one last time with this company! If I have the same experience, No more Kriegers! 1 out of 5 is not what I consider premium blanks after over 50 years of my 70 doing this! If the materials are not as good, then why do the prices keep climbing? That old vintage 14 twist .224 barrel shows me their is a huge difference, both breaking in, and tuning for match conditions.

Well I will cryo the next one before cut. I know Krieger no longer thinks thats worth their effort, and would rather pump em out faster. I know the 224 barrel was when it was made. I know the best one i've had out of my last 5 was.

If I try one more and cryo it before machining it, and its again as I used to expect. I at least will be pretty confident this is needed on todays Kriegers. Or at least a wash on cost, if I don't need all the ammo, ISSO, Patches, Brushes, solvents, bullets powder, primers, and the biggest cost of all Time!