Kenny,
there really isn't much between .260 Rem, 6.5X47L, and 6.5 Hornady Creedmoor performance-wise, and I doubt if you'd see much difference in group sizes either with anything less than a benchrest level rig. They all fit a short action.
So, it's down to the other factors - brass availability, case-length, and primer size / bolt suitability.
With Lapua brass promised for .260 Rem imminently, that removes the biggest minus for this cartridge, subject to supply availabilty in the short term, and its price in the longer term (but then it'll likely last a lot longer offsetting much or all of any initial extra outlay). If the new .260 brass is up to the same standard as other recent Lapua introductions, it will be very consistent out of the box.
The biggest minus for me in the .260 in a short action is that bullets weighing above 130gn have to be seated very deep in the case if you're sticking to a COAL around 2.8". It is at its best with 100-123gn bullets and throated to suit. Done right, this gives a very accurate and light recoiling 600yd combination, and is becoming increasingly popular over here in the UK for tactical and McQueens competition custom rifles, mostly shooting 123gn Lapua Scenars out of the magazine, and 130gn Berger VLDs in single-shot deliberate slowfire competition. We also have a top notch Scottish gunsmith (Callum Ferguson of Precision Rifle Services) who builds Rolls-Royce class custom dual-purpose long range fox + red deer rifles using .260R throating them very short to suit loads using the 100gn Nosler Partition for red and roe deer, and 90-100gn varmint bullets for foxes.
The 6.5X47L and 6.5 HCM have shorter cases than the .260R, so 139/140gn bullets can be loaded to around the 2.8" mark with bullet bases still kept above the body / shoulder junction while with shallower seating, 120-130s are still kept close to or into the rifling. If so throated, most varmint bullets are going to have to jump a lot though. There have been questions about Hornady's 6.5 HCM brass quality, but that seems to have been sorted (300 that I've just bought are very good in terms of neck thickness consistency, but have a 3gn weight variation). It's said that heavy loads expand case heads and primer pockets quickly - I can't comment because I haven't got my planned 6.5 HCM up and running yet - awaiting chamber reamer. This doesn't apply to the Lapua 6.5X47L brass especially as it uses a small primer, so there is a lot of metal in the case-head.
Moving onto primers, the .260 and 6.5 HCM use large rifle, the 6.5X47L small. The former won't provide any cratering / piercing problems with the average factory action even at maximum loads; the 6.5X47L often does. You should get away with it with the Savage action without having the bolt head bushed - I hope so as I'm going to use a single-shot Savage PT action in an Eliseo tubegun stock in 6.5X47L for F-Class later this year when the bits arrive and I'm trusting I'll get away with it. At the moment, I have an FN Special Police Rifle rebarrelled from .308W to the cartridge and it pierces primers like nobody's business at little more than starting load pressures. And, this is a cartridge that seems to need stout loads to perform, so I am really snookered. (The rifle will is going to be rechambered to .260R which should solve that particular problem, as it never gave any trouble in its original .308W form.)
The Creedmoor also uses large primers, so no problems here.
So, as to which to choose, I know people who use and love either .260 Rem or 6.5X47L and they'll argue all day in favour of their particular choice. We see them used for sniper, tactical, benchrest and F-Class competitions over here, often in dual-purpose, if heavy, deer rifles too. The Creedmoor is a largely unknown quantity as we aren't allowed semi-auto centrefire rifles, so it's confined to a few tactical rifle shooters mostly using T2K rifles. (My rifle will be a manually operated straight-pull Armalite AR10(T) rebarrelled from .308W.)
Looking at the Creedmoor design, I'm very taken with it and think that this may be the dark horse amongst the trio if the brass stands up OK. It probably will, as manual ARs cannot be loaded up too hot unless you want to fight the bolt open after each shot given the lack of primary extraction in the action design and of course no gas-power to do the work! If not, Lapua newly introduced .260R or .22-250R brass can be reformed fairly easily I'm told.
Laurie,
York, England
