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Does 6.5x47 or 6x47 still have a place?

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Baron85

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I’m getting ready to order a new barrel in a 6 or 6.5. Currently have a 6.5x47 but it’s toward the end of its life. I built it back when 6.5CM was just released and honestly didn’t think it would stick around, obviously I was wrong.

With the current situation I’m not seeing any real reason to go back with the x47 case since I can get small primer creedmoor brass and it’s just in general cheaper, and more available.

I have never owned any form of creedmoor, am I giving up anything going from 47 to creedmoor? I don’t mind the initial investment in brass and dies.
 
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Actually I have both, and just recently started dabbling with the Creedmoor versions.

You have slightly more case capacity with the Creeds, and can achieve the same velocities without pushing them as hard as the x47's. Because of the durability of the Lapua x47 brass, I'll probably always have one. In addition my first precision rifle was a 6x47 Lapua.

This stance might change when I get a bunch more loads on my 6 Creedmoor Alpha brass, which I haven't tried pushing hard.

Both are great cartridges, IMHO the reason the Creedmoors are more popular now, is because of the readily available quality ammo .

Potatoes, potatos....
 
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Yeah, I’m not really looking for anymore speed just making sure I’m not going to give anything up with the creed variants.

My first custom was a 6.5x47 and they have always been sweethearts but just having a harder time rebarreling with the popularity of the creed. Just seems to make more sense.

And I’m wanting to go 6 since this will be for coyotes to deer and my comp guns are both 6mm so I have a stash of bullets.
 
I hope so. I plan on getting a 6x47 barrel at some point
 
The Lapua x47 brass is unavailable now due to Lapua pausing production. Peterson and Alpha still make it believe. Do you have a good stash of it now? If not, that might make the choice easy.

The Lapua creedmoor (srp) brass has the same case head as the 47, so you're not giving anything up there.

I too adopted the 47 before the creed was a thing, but ive had multiples of the cm and 47 at this point, including the 6mm’s of each. Kind of a coin toss to me. The creed will be faster always of course.
 
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I have had a fascination with building a 6 x 47 for three years now but always seem to be scared away by comments of some shooters. Might just have to give it a go and find out for myself
 
I heard there was some initial issues with reamer specs but sounds like it is resolved now. I’m talking my self back into the 47 just out of nostalgia for me. And it’s been such a rockstar over the years. Not like I’m going to save that much on brass unless I buy cheap Hornady stuff
 
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I run 6.5x47 for PRS. 139 scenar about 2730 fps. Works great and low recoil in a 24lbs rifle. I think I'm gonna go to 6x47 next since all I gotta do is get the right bushing to neck it down. You want plenty of room around the case mouth, I believe the Eric Cortina reamer solves alot of the issues guys had with have to neck turn brass
 
6X47
1583269478840.png

39.6 H4350
CCI 450
Berger 105 Hybrids
.030 jump
26” Hawk Hill w / ARC Archimedes
MV AVG 3057
 
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Don’t be skewed! Spin one up and drive it like ya stole it….. fast and wreckless abandon! It will serve you well. As for barrels….. they make em ALMOST everyday 😝
 
I tell ya, if I had not happened upon a very low mileage 6.5 creedmoor for a song, I would have built a 6.5x47.

With the 6mm sizes, the only advantage of others is prefits available if you toast a lotta barrels.

Since its a yote and deer gun mostly, thats pretty moot IMO.
123 scenar or 130 TMK ftw. 😉


Any chance you gonna make the April match at Dorgan’s?
Im out for March, its my kid’s birthday.
 
New job schedule and heavy focus on WYCO this year so probably not going to make dorgans unfortunately. Maybe later in the summer.

I hadn’t really considered the light 6.5’s could probably be pretty sweet
 
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JM4590 said:
6X47
1583269478840.png

39.6 H4350
CCI 450
Berger 105 Hybrids
.030 jump
26” Hawk Hill w / ARC Archimedes
MV AVG 3057
Click to expand...
What reamer did u use. What's your neck clearance. I wanna build one next year
 
I have both a 6 and a couple 6.5 x 47’s and all of them were very easy to build loads for. One advantage of the 6.5x47 is the number of different FBs available while most CMs are chambered to SAAMI specs. For me, having choices in freebore allows me to use different bullets while having the freedom to seat for desired jump and still fit in a magazine. YMMV
 
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Hey now, easy on my BR and Dashers. I switched from the 6.5x47 to the BR and now the dasher for my comp guns. I love them for that role. 😉

I was even considering a dasher for this light weight hunting gun but I like extra horse power.
 
Here’s a load development target with 5x 4 & 5 shot groups with 6x47. Took the same load I settled on for that barrel and did a 3x3 with another barrel. Average group size was like .18 for the 5x target with at least one group in the zeroes. I’ve had multiple barrels shooting sub 1/2 moa consistently with 105s and 109s.

Also, I have my own reamer spec’d around Peterson brass and 109 hybrids, but it works equally well with Lapua brass (when you can find it) or 105 hybrids, and while not totally optimal it shoots dtacs great too. If anyone wants it PM me.

It’s not a finicky cartridge at all and the reamer specs are well sorted. Just make sure you have enough clearance at the .200 datum line and at the neck, and the freebore to suit whatever bullet you want. The issue with the original reamer that Surgeon was using had too short of a freebore and too tight body/neck dimensions. I suspect that was the issue with a lot of the barrels PRS people had a long time ago.
 

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I'm not a true PRS shooter, just weekends and informal competitions, which I have won several times using my 6x47.

I started on 6.5x47 and not long after, I put together the 6x47. Both shoot really well and it would seem the cartridge is a little easier to tune than the Creedmoor based cartridges, just based on what I read, and what friends are doing.

Neither is pushed all that hard and some of my brass has 15 firings on it. I anneal every 5th firing and have not killed a piece of brass yet. My latest build is a 24" 7.5 twist Hawk Hill and I run 110-115 grain bullets around 2800.
 
Northland is having a clearance sale and many of the options are 6.5 and 6x47 Lapua barrels.
 
They definitely still have a place. Don’t be fooled by all the BR and Dasher bois. I went back to 6.5x47L w/ Alpha brass this season after shooting 6BR and 22GT the last few years. 153.5s around 2600fps is every bit as easy to shoot and load for as 105s at 2800… and it’s significantly better in the wind.

I’ll admit I did not like the 6x47L that I shot a few years ago nearly as much. There was always something going on with it. Ended up pulling that barrel around 1100 rounds and setting it back to Creed.

So in my experience:
6.5x47L > 6.5 Creed (still have both but prefer the 47)
6 Creed > 6x47L (prefer creed)

Ultimately there are no wrong choices if the gun and load is working. Pick one and run with it.
 
I have had this, that, and the other 6 and 6.5mm cartridges and like my 6.5x47 Lapua the best. Not scientific but it seems to be the easiest to load for, minimal recoil, and good barrel life.
 
6x47L. 108 ELD worked well, as did 105 RDF.

I've found via doing several of them (for customers) you tend to want longer throats to get the proj out, have a bit more jump, and free up case capacity. One barrel was throated 200 thou EXTRA. Was for.... 115gr?? And ran lots of jump. It drove tiny groups.

6gt, 6x47, 6xc, 6cm. Don't forget the 6br's. Each one is marginally more velo, or easier to produce velo than the last.
 
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