Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 6.5x47

G'Day,

John B. Have you played with one of these? Anybody got one of these in a hunting rifle? What rifle have you got or what did you build yours on? It's just a bit smaller than the 6.5 CM but has a small rifle primer. I'd imagine a 120gn Ballistic Tip at 2800fps would make a nice deer round. Cooper seems to be the only hunting rifle I can find at the moment. But a 22 inch barrel in a Rem Model 7 or Winchester Compact Featherweight would be a nice little outfit.

Triplets......22, 6 and 6.5......Imma fan of any of the three on a 47 case.

No trick getting a Berger 6.5 130 VLD to 2800 in a 22 " tube.

Fantastic deer round.

130 Berger entrance:



Exit:



Exit:



Middle:

Son's 18" barreled 6.5x47 with dead raghorn. 400 yard shot with 140 vld .



My 19" barreled rig. Gotta love a 6.5x47.

I went all John Holmes with one of them......28" tube.

Let me run the 130's at 3010:

My son and I both have one that are identical for deer. We shoot the 130 AB in ours and have yet to have a deer walk away from one.

I've got one built on a Borden Alpine action, 22" bartlein barrel. I shoot 100 gr Barnes TTSX's in it at 3100 fps. It's killed a bunch of deer and I've never shot twice at one.

Elvis,



No, Elvis I haven't played with a 6.5x47. But would be utterly astonished if it didn't kill deer as well as the 6.5x55, .260 or 6.5 Creedmoor--and I have shot quite a few deer (and similar-sized big game) with all three.

MD. Thanks. Any negatives regarding the small rifle primer?

I have not seen a problem.......in any of the variations of mine.

I was in Montana deer hunting at 20 something below, and was on top of a hay stack from daylight to noonish, and decided to test the theory myself.

I shot three shots, all went bang, and all hit the target cowpies.

I quit fretting about it

A few years back, neighbor had a custom built on a 6.5x47, no lapua brass available. So, we made brass from Rem 22/250, ending up with a tad bit shorter neck.

That brass shot 1/2" groups at 200 yards and less. We fire formed the brass with 14g of bullseye and cream of wheat, and the brass was previously fired in a Rem 700 22/250. He is still shooting that brass today, large primer and all. 140g Berger hunting with AA4350 is simply unbelievable!

My rifle was built by Jon Beanland
Rem mdl 7 action, Rock 22.5” bbl, HS stock
Shoots in the high .2s

I had a couple for a couple of years and really liked them. I think in most regards it’s a better fit for a short action mag box than the 6.5 Creedmoor, but there’s a couple of things that ultimately made me choose the Creedmoor instead.

6.5x47 brass is only available for small rifle primers. There have been a couple of accounts by people I trust of no-fires or hang fires in extremely cold weather.

6.5x47 Factory ammo is not widely available and if you find it, it is very expensive. I shoot my hand loads almost exclusively, but in the event my baggage with my ammo in it doesn’t show up, I want to be able to walk into a place and buy ammo over the counter.

Finally, I have found my 6.5 Creedmoors shoot every bit as precisely as my 6.5x47s did.

I do think the 6.5x47 is a better fit with VLD type bullets in a short action magazine and ballistics are indistinguishable from the Creedmoor but ended up going with the Creedmoor for the reasons above.

John

Yep, which is why the 6.5 Creedmoor outsells the 6.5x47 by a LOT....

I've been running several -47 rifles in different diameters for some 12 yrs now. I have two favorites. One is a heavy, competition rifle I use for PRS and NRL matches. It has a Surgeon action. It's had several different stock/chassis, barrels, triggers, scopes and numerous barrels in 22, 6mm and 6.5mm. It's not a hunting weight rifle though i'm soon to have it's components swapped out to ready it for the recently announced NRL "Hunter" game where their will be two weight classifications; likely 12 or 16 lbs. A minimum power factor of 380,000 (velocity x bullet in gr = 380,000) and a max velocity of 3200 fps. Neither 22 or 6mm in addition to the 6.5mm, 100-107 gr weight class bullets will qualify.

The 2nd rifle is pretty much pure hunting. It's starts with a Pierce SA, set in a McM Remington Hunter stock with PTG BDL BM. A Shilen trigger. Broughton 24" #3 barrel. Forgotten name brand 20 moa pic rail, Farrell rings holding a NF NXS Compact 2.5-10x32/MOAR reticle scope. That rifle, used by yours truly or loaned to friends has accounted for numerous Western bucks, bulls and cows. Favorite bullets, though i've tested dozens, have been either the Barnes 127 gr LRX (Varget) or the Canadian 142 gr Matrix VLD (Rel 17). Longest buck was 500 yds and longest bull was 950.

IMO, the -47 case is an absolute awesome cartridge.

Enjoy,

Alan