Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 6.5x47L

Anyone shooting a 6.5x47L? Boredom found me with a low round count Ryan Pierce barreled action on a Kelbly Atlas with a 26” 1:8 Brux varmint contour and Ryans’s brake.

Sent a spare Manners MCS elite back to the homeland to get opened up for the Kelbly but in the mean time researching loads.

It shoots the 140 hybrid and h4350 into tiny groups but I’m tempted to only shoot 123-130gr loads in it and heavily leaning to the 130 OTM. My plan is mostly a play rifle for steel and coyotes but I’m sure it will get used on a deer at some point.

Anyways spill your guts on load data if you would.

Wish I had data to spill. I am in the process of building one: Kauger action, AG stock, etc. Been waiting on a barrel almost 10 months.

I've got 2 and son has 1. We primarily use 140 vld with IMR4451. Work up to your max as my throat is cut at .170 on all. PM if you want my max load. I have also found varget to do well with the lighter bullets though well over 90% of all rounds fired have been the 140 VLD. Bull elk, black bear, mule deer and antelope have all succombed to it out to 500 yards. Have an 18" #2b, 19" #2, and a 24" medium palma. Its exceedingly accurate and have yet to wear out a piece of brass. It was the Creedmoor without the marketing budget.

Not particularly high BC, but a low-recoil load that has a decent BC is a 108gr Scenar with about 40.5 gr of N140, RL15, or 4064. Out of a 23” barrel it’s good for about 3,100, and accurate.

The 6.5 seems a bit easier to get an accurate load for than the 6x47—Like 6BR easy.

38 to 38.5 of Varget with a 123g(any brand) to 500 yards.
40.5 of N550 with a 140g Berger LRBT to 1000

Dave

Have been shooting the 6.5x47 for nearly 14 years. Two different actions, about a dozen different barrels. Fat, skinny, carbon wrapped. Four different stocks/chassis. 1/2 dozen different scopes. Always Lapua brass. Almost always CCI 450 primers though Rel 17 really like the Fed BR primer. Many but not all lead core bullets from as light as 120 to 145 gr and 3 of 4 Barnes Bullets (120 TTSX, 127 LRX and 130 TSX). Always a 1:8" twist. Countless (100+) PRS, NRL, NRL Hunter and local precision rifle series type matches. Numerous elk and mule deer.

Can't ever see myself without one. It's my favorite caliber. Oh, and 22 and 6mm too.

Alan

Anyone tried the Lapua 108 grain scenar on game?

Found some old notes:

37-37.5 Varget with 135 Berger Classic
39-39.5 H4350 with 147 ELD

Work up to either of those but in mine they both shot very well.

So tempted to get a CTR and make it a 47 like Beav did. Just cause of you alls great results with them.

It's the little cartridge that could.
2000 rounds of goodness per barrel

dave

I've got 3 different 6.5 x47 rifles, 2 of which were put together by R. Pierce, both of which shoot lights out.

Between myself, wife, kids and friends we've taken almost 2 dozen deer and 4 elk with this caliber. Longest being a coues at 630 yds.

I've simplified things as I've aged and load the same for all 3 guns using the 130 Berger AR HYBRID or 127 Barnes LRX (elk only) behind 37.5 gr. varget and a cci 450.

Velocities are around 2900 fps with 26" barrels and accuracy is superb.

I ran the 130gr Bergers from mine. I think the 130s are the sweet spot. The ELDMs were good too. Just weren't as consistent in BC as the Bergers.

I had a 5r Bartlein. For whatever reason it liked speed. Off the top of my head, the Varget load was like 2920-2950 with 130s. I ran a keg of H4350 through it before going to Varget. I wanna say 2900ish. Got 6-8 firings on the brass without issue. Still usable.



Easy to load. Easy to get good ES. Shot most loads well. When it was in tune and happy it was just a hammer.


Just be careful...that little case takes pressure. I never saw normal pressure signs. I just knew I was shooting faster than typical so I stopped pushing the envelope.

I had great luck in the 38 gr range with Varget and 130s...also BR-4s.

Where I hunt there's no place I can shoot over 300 yards. Guys will call me crazy, but in my Borden Alpine 6.5x47L I use 100 gr Barnes TTSX's over 40 gr. Varget and CCI450's in Lapua brass. It's about 3100 fps, goes into tiny groups, and kills like the hammer of Thor. It's such a sweet shooting rifle/load that you can't imagine.

I know the 130's are typically considered the sweet spot for this round, but unless you need the range it's a sweetheart with lighter bullets. Someone mentioned how easy it is to get to shoot, 6BR easy. I've got a 6BR also and I'd agree, both the 6BR and 6.5x47 basically took no load workup, they shot so well with the first things I put through them that I just threw my hands up and said I can't shoot better than that so why bother doing more?

Messy on deer, works well on coyotes. Use it a lot in my 260AI.
My 6.5x47L is a 6mm version. Easy to load for

I’ve got a stash of 140 vld’s that I already shoot in my 6.5 Gap but will probably lay in a 500 Ct of the 130 OTM’s just to see wtf. Probably shoot them over h4350 or Varget as those seem to be the most common.

Manners estimate is 3 more weeks on my stock so hopefully have time to get it all squared away before mid October and deer season.

I have a 6.5x47L douglass premium barrel, semi heavy stainless, threaded on a savage action & stock (was a special order from savage that started out with 22-250) when I got it, sent it to douglass for the 6.5x47L, neither has been shot due to medical issues, 6.5x47L is 1-8, 22-250 is 1-9 won't be doing much shooting, would sell as a package
$950. way more invested...

Texken, you have a pm. Thanks.

6.5x47 is a darling, fits rem 700 mag boxes very well.

123g Lapua Scenar with Varget shoots sub 1/2" at 200 yards
Close range hogs, 129g Hornady does it all, never fails...a bullet you can count on! This bullet acts like a partition, even in a 264 Win mag!

Jump to a 140g eldM, 143g ELDX, 139 Secnar, AA4350 ..easy to tune, Rem 7 1/2's in Lapua brass

Stretch your legs with a 147g ELDM, shoot them in the ribs, DRT. Velocity of the 6.5x47 is PERFECT for the 147's! I do no not make shoulder shots with this bullet nor the 140g eldM, and have had great success.

The neighbor I shoot with formed some brass with Bullseye and cream of wheat, Remington 22/250 brass. Formed neck was a tad shorter, but he worked up a load that shoots 1/2" at 200 yards with 130g Accubonds, AA4350 on a custom Ruger Mark II with a Brux barrel.

Reamers run .123 Freebore, .149, .170 as a rule, and you had better ask. A gunsmith that uses a unithroater is a good man to know, send him a round seated like you want.

Barrel life with this cartridge is fantastic with only a smidgeon of powder.

The X47 case just shoots. I shoot it necked to ..224 & .243 and it is as accurate as it’s gets and a pleasure to shoot. In my 22x47. I’m shooting 77gr MK’s on top of RL-26 and getting 3600 out of a Brux 1-8.. Spooky accurate and half the wind call of a 6.5.