Building a prs rifle, trying to determine cal, 6.5x47 lapua or 6.5 creedmoor

Lots of good thoughts. I will add my own experience. I shoot a 6.5X47 Lapua. I have been hand loading for nearly 50 years and never had a cartridge that was so easy to load for. Easy to find the accuracy node., not fussy at all. If you are beginning to load, do be afraid to go with this excellent round. Mine likes 130 Berger VLD match. .010 off the lands. varget powder. Lapua brass. Getting 2885 FPS from a 27" Lilja 3 groove barrel. Shoots in the 2,s. Have fun!!!

115 gr 6 mm bullets have absolutely changed the performance level in a huge way. A .313 G7 BC at 2950 is going to beat the non magnum 6.5s all day with less recoil. That being said I took several top 5s last year running 6.5 Creed and factory ammo. There is a huge learning curve on reloading so get something you can run factory ammo in until you have your procedures down. My $.002 is invest in the scope first. The rifle and cartridges are secondary. The PRB is a very useful tool there are limitations to the information but if you went with the number 1s on that list you wouldn't be held back by your equipment

I have been shooting PRS for a few years, competing in local events which have actually been growing in numbers. IMO, they by no means lack in the quality and excitement of the national events at the clubs I shoot. I'm addicted! Much like any shooting endeavor, you learn as you go and develop preferences. When I started in PRS the bulk of the "national" shooters were using 6.5's (6.5CM, 6.5x47). As noted in the cartridge rankings shown previously in this thread, the top national competitors are moving towards 6mm's, primarily for the excellent accuracy, low recoil, and lower powder consumption(a major cost). It's important to note that the trade off with the 6mm's is shorter barrel life, as much as half the 6.5's. Also, the 6mm with the longer range impacts(+600 yards) are more difficult to spot on the steel as well as misses in the dirt/brush, making correction more difficult. Lighted steel target impact indicators are needed at the longer distances, and not all local clubs have this capability. This has been my personal observation having shot local venues. For these reasons I continue to prefer the 6.5x47 Lapua using 130 Berger OTM's at 2900FPS, I find the recoill difference not that different compared to the 6mm's, with hits sufficiently spotted to 1000+ yards. Barrel life is 2000-2400 rounds with the 6,5's compared to 800-1200 for the 6mm's. As to the difference between the 6,5CM and 6.5x47, performance wise, either will get the job done well. If you don't reload, the 6.5CM is an obvious choice. I have switched to the 6.5x47 for a few reasons. It's very easy to load using H4350 or Varget, and achieves exceptional accuracy with a variety of bullets, at low ES. IMO, the case design is superb, with 100 cases easily lasting the life of the barrel. The shorter case feeds perfectly, and easily accomodates the longer bullets without magazine length issues.
Shown: My 6.5x47 PRS rifle. It's a pretty consistent .25MOA shooter...better, if I'm on my game. Groups at 400 rounds(3 shot), and 1800 rounds(5 shot). My Criterion barreled Egg Shooter is equally accurate with the same load.

Greyfox said:

I have been shooting PRS for a few years, competing in local events which have actually been growing in numbers. IMO, they by no means lack in the quality and excitement of the national events at the clubs I shoot. I'm addicted! Much like any shooting endeavor, you learn as you go and develop preferences. When I started in PRS the bulk of the "national" shooters were using 6.5's (6.5CM, 6.5x47). As noted in the cartridge rankings shown previously in this thread, the top national competitors are moving towards 6mm's, primarily for the excellent accuracy, low recoil, and lower powder consumption(a major cost). It's important to note that the trade off with the 6mm's is shorter barrel life, as much as half the 6.5's. Also, the 6mm with the longer range impacts(+600 yards) are more difficult to spot on the steel as well as misses in the dirt/brush, making correction more difficult. Lighted steel target impact indicators are needed at the longer distances, and not all local clubs have this capability. This has been my personal observation having shot local venues. For these reasons I continue to prefer the 6.5x47 Lapua using 130 Berger OTM's at 2900FPS, I find the recoill difference not that different compared to the 6mm's, with hits sufficiently spotted to 1000+ yards. Barrel life is 2000-2400 rounds with the 6,5's compared to 800-1200 for the 6mm's. As to the difference between the 6,5CM and 6.5x47, performance wise, either will get the job done well. If you don't reload, the 6.5CM is an obvious choice. I have switched to the 6.5x47 for a few reasons. It's very easy to load using H4350 or Varget, and achieves exceptional accuracy with a variety of bullets, at low ES. IMO, the case design is superb, with 100 cases easily lasting the life of the barrel. The shorter case feeds perfectly, and easily accomodates the longer bullets without magazine length issues.
Shown: My 6.5x47 PRS rifle. It's a pretty consistent .25MOA shooter...better, if I'm on my game. Groups at 400 rounds(3 shot), and 1800 rounds(5 shot). My Criterion barreled Egg Shooter is equally accurate with the same load.
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My current 6 creedmoor has 1800 rounds on it and I will stretch it for one more match. I typically get 1600-2000 on the creedmoors but I run it pretty mild with RE26-23 or 4831

Satterlee Scott said:

My current 6 creedmoor has 1800 rounds on it and I will stretch it for one more match. I typically get 1600-2000 on the creedmoors but I run it pretty mild with RE26-23 or 4831

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Most all the shooters at our matches are running over 3050-3100FPS and replacing the barrel at around 1000. My buddy just replaced his 6mmXC running st 3050FPS at 800 Rds. Your round count unusually high. What velocity are you running?

Greyfox said:

Most all the shooters at our matches are running over 3050-3100FPS and replacing the barrel at around 1000. My buddy just replaced his 6mmXC running st 3050FPS at 800 Rds. Your round count unusually high. What velocity are you running?

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I run 105s at 3080 or 115s at 2950. The powder has a ton to do with it as well as finding an accuracy node well off the lands. I've been running a 6 of some kind 243, 6 slr 6 creed since 2012 ish. Lowest round count I ever had was 800 and that was when there was a bad lot of steel going around.

Greyfox said:

Most all the shooters at our matches are running over 3050-3100FPS and replacing the barrel at around 1000. My buddy just replaced his 6mmXC running st 3050FPS at 800 Rds. Your round count unusually high. What velocity are you running?

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800-1000 is way too short. Something is wrong here. Carbon ring, fouling, bad barrel or too short of a throat on the reamer. My reamers have a ton of room in them typically a .276 neck and at least a .183 freebore.

It's pretty common for the 6mm shooters at out club to check velocities when they approach the thousand round mark. While accuracy/precision testing may look OK, it's not been uncommon to see a drop off in velocity and increased ES which can effect the long range scores. I believe this is a driving factor behind the popularity of the quick change barrel systems that are gaining in popularity. I will say that the bulk of our shooting is in the hot(80-90F) months and barrels do get quite hot. Perhaps this is a contributor to the shorter barrel life in my area.

Satterlee Scott said:

115 gr 6 mm bullets have absolutely changed the performance level in a huge way. A .313 G7 BC at 2950 is going to beat the non magnum 6.5s all day with less recoil. That being said I took several top 5s last year running 6.5 Creed and factory ammo. There is a huge learning curve on reloading so get something you can run factory ammo in until you have your procedures down. My $.002 is invest in the scope first. The rifle and cartridges are secondary. The PRB is a very useful tool there are limitations to the information but if you went with the number 1s on that list you wouldn't be held back by your equipment

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Which 115 6mm has a .313g7?

The 147 eld-m has a g7 of .351. When propelled to 2800, a 115 with a .313 g7 at 2950 doesnt match it in wind drift. It's close however and you'd probably never know the difference. 2 moa elevation difference at 1000 yards. I run the 6.5 because I dont want to have to change barrels every 1200-1500 rounds.

JMGamesniper19 said:

I remember seeing this data and thinking "the first 5 calibers in the list are either wildcat or semi wildcat rounds"
The 6.5 x 47 lapua is a little bit better in overall performance but the 6.5 CM is better in availability, OTC components and loaded ammunition should a guy need it.
For me - if you are 100% a hand loader and drive everywhere you hunt, 6.5x47 Lapua - if you have to get on a plane and are ever concerned with needing emergency ammunition - 6.5 CM
I have had a 6.5 CM for quite some time and when I thought I wanted something more efficient for PRS I considered the 47 Lapua and instead went with even higher performance out of a short action and chose 6.5 GAP...

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The 6mm Creedmoor is not a wildcat round. It is widely available from many manufacturers. Not sure what you mean by semi wildcat, so maybe it fits in that category for you?

tuscan said:

The 6mm Creedmoor is not a wildcat round. It is widely available from many manufacturers. Not sure what you mean by semi wildcat, so maybe it fits in that category for you?

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You are spot on, there is loaded ammo available today but just a couple of years prior only handloaders where able to run it. It has recently been picked up by quite a few makers and OTC rifle companies are making them in the "normal" price points....as I write this, I guess we could take it out of "semi wildcat" and put it into factory.
The others though I think we could classify that way for sure. the 6XC is made by norma but what I can find is that only with their oryx bullet (who runs that), Dasher custom only, LR and BRX, cant find any. Lapua is about the only maker for loaded 6x47 ammo according to Midway so I classify that as semi-wildcat

My Coach's 6XC match load runs around 2800 with a HBN coated 115 DTAC. It's kinda pokey. He's up around 1800rds on the barrel now and it's starting to throw flyers. We're putting it through one last match and then pulling it and putting the new one one. My .243AI load ran 3200fps with 115's and made 1300 before I was beyond mag length on a loaded round. It still groups great though. I've since replaced that barrel with a 6XC running 2980 with HBN coated 115's.

Fast 6mm's are THE ticket for when you have to spot your own shots. Recoil is super low even when you're running them sick fast. If you don't need that then there are definitely barrel life benefits to be had in a less overbore setup. I personally like 7mm. Bullet weights around 180gn can get BC's in the very high .600's, actually nearer to .7 than .6. Pushed to fairly modest speeds they have a great supersonic range and the extra mass makes for a nice whack on the target so hits are easier to hear. My 7mmRM is absolutely boring to shoot under 1000yrds.

I already have in 6.5 Creedmoor, so I put together a better one in 6 Creedmoor, 110SMK exclusively...it's like cheating, when shooting in the wind