6.5x47 Lapua or .260 rem for ultralight?

[EXPRESS]

The legal situation just changed here in Italy so I am looking at the possibility of being able to rebarrel my rifles to whatever caliber I please.

At the moment my ultralight mountain rifle is a Rem Ti 7mm-08 which for the life of me I cannot get to shoot accurately. It has a Krieger 22" featherweight profile barrel, and was trued and assembled by a good LR smith.

So now I want to swap it for a 6.5 cal.

I like the effeciency of the 6.5x47 Lapua, which should shine in the short barrel, but then the .260 rem gives a little more performance with its 6 grains extra case capacity which will be appreciated with the 140gnain bullets which I would prefer to shoot.

But does the 6.5x47 Lapua have more of that "innate" accuracy some rounds like the 6PPC just seem to have?

I will be shooting 123gn Lapua Scenars, Berger 130 and 140 VLDs mostly at chamois and roe deer.

 

[WildRose]

The legal situation just changed here in Italy so I am looking at the possibility of being able to rebarrel my rifles to whatever caliber I please.

At the moment my ultralight mountain rifle is a Rem Ti 7mm-08 which for the life of me I cannot get to shoot accurately. It has a Krieger 22" featherweight profile barrel, and was trued and assembled by a good LR smith.

So now I want to swap it for a 6.5 cal.

I like the effeciency of the 6.5x47 Lapua, which should shine in the short barrel, but then the .260 rem gives a little more performance with its 6 grains extra case capacity which will be appreciated with the 140gnain bullets which I would prefer to shoot.

But does the 6.5x47 Lapua have more of that "innate" accuracy some rounds like the 6PPC just seem to have?

I will be shooting 123gn Lapua Scenars, Berger 130 and 140 VLDs mostly at chamois and roe deer.

20" is more than enough for the .260 so with 22" you'll just be that much better.

Go for the 1:8 or 1.8.5 twist and you'll be a happy camper.

I bounced a 3" rock with 10 consecutive shots with my 260 this evening starting at 600yds with factory (Grizzly) ammo loaded at 3000fps with the Swift Sirocco Bullet.

Mine is a 1:8 Twist on what is essentially a DPMS LR-260 platform.

No the 6.5x47 isn't inherently any more accurate. Both have been really tearing up long range competitions for the last three years.

 

[Sully2]

The legal situation just changed here in Italy so I am looking at the possibility of being able to rebarrel my rifles to whatever caliber I please.

At the moment my ultralight mountain rifle is a Rem Ti 7mm-08 which for the life of me I cannot get to shoot accurately. It has a Krieger 22" featherweight profile barrel, and was trued and assembled by a good LR smith.

So now I want to swap it for a 6.5 cal.

I like the effeciency of the 6.5x47 Lapua, which should shine in the short barrel, but then the .260 rem gives a little more performance with its 6 grains extra case capacity which will be appreciated with the 140gnain bullets which I would prefer to shoot.

But does the 6.5x47 Lapua have more of that "innate" accuracy some rounds like the 6PPC just seem to have?

I will be shooting 123gn Lapua Scenars, Berger 130 and 140 VLDs mostly at chamois and roe deer.

Id have to agree with Wild Rose on the 22" barrel. I went with a 24 myself and the 260. But either caliber is going to do you a fantastic job. Im shooting 123 gr Lapua's and 120 gr Hornday Amax slugs.

As a side note...my smith wont even build a rifle on a featherweight barrel....Im dead serious. He told me that far too many of them just wont shoot accurately....???....and he doesnt want the hassel and head aches of a rifle going back and forth from smith to customer , etc, etc.

 

[EXPRESS]

This will be a standard weight barrel, I'm not keen on trying another featherweight myself either.

I wonder if the .260 would ever have clearance issues in the short action with 140gn bullets seated all the way out?

Also, the .260 AI really seems to generate a lot of extra power for the measly 2 more grains in capacity. Is there somethign I'm missing with that one?

 

[WildRose]

Id have to agree with Wild Rose on the 22" barrel. I went with a 24 myself and the 260. But either caliber is going to do you a fantastic job. Im shooting 123 gr Lapua's and 120 gr Hornday Amax slugs.

As a side note...my smith wont even build a rifle on a featherweight barrel....Im dead serious. He told me that far too many of them just wont shoot accurately....???....and he doesnt want the hassel and head aches of a rifle going back and forth from smith to customer , etc, etc.

I don't know why anyone would build on a featherweight barrel.

My 7mm STW weighs in at under 7lbs with a magnum sporter tapered 26"bbl.

Barrels just don't weigh that much till you get to the "bign's".

Thinner=lighter=whippy=not worth my time.

 

[EXPRESS]

I don't know why anyone would build on a featherweight barrel.

My 7mm STW weighs in at under 7lbs with a magnum sporter tapered 26"bbl.

Barrels just don't weigh that much till you get to the "bign's".

Thinner=lighter=whippy=not worth my time.

The reason for that is because in a typical day hunting in the mountains here you will clib 3000 - 6000 feet in elevation to shoot your chamois, then bring it back on your ack, whole.

My mountain rifle weights 6.6bs scoped, and some of the other guys here use even lighter slingle shot breech loading rifles.

But I am willing to give up half a pound for the accuracy...

 

[WildRose]

The reason for that is because in a typical day hunting in the mountains here you will clib 3000 - 6000 feet in elevation to shoot your chamois, then bring it back on your ack, whole.

My mountain rifle weights 6.6bs scoped, and some of the other guys here use even lighter slingle shot breech loading rifles.

But I am willing to give up half a pound for the accuracy...

Oh I understand the reasoning, I've made some nasty climbs with way too much gear myself.

Like you though I'm willing to carry a little extra for more reach and more accuracy.

 

[Sully2]

This will be a standard weight barrel, I'm not keen on trying another featherweight myself either.

I wonder if the .260 would ever have clearance issues in the short action with 140gn bullets seated all the way out?

Also, the .260 AI really seems to generate a lot of extra power for the measly 2 more grains in capacity. Is there somethign I'm missing with that one?

Mine is on a Rem 700 short action but I guess i depends on what one might call "all the way out"...sort of thing. I normally shoot 123 and such seated far out...but Im sure I can do a 140 pretty decently.

 

[EXPRESS]

...I hate making these decisions...

It seems to me that; the 6.5x47 Lapua does have more potential for accuracy with less hassle, due to it's longer neck, longer throat, small primer pocket and stronger brass.

The .260 simply has a bit more capacity but you lose some of it with a 140gn bullet in a short action.

It looks like they are very similar when compared if both are shooting 10gn bullets in a 22" barrel.

Am I just trying to talk myself out of the .260 or are these valid points?

The thing is that with a hunting rifle, and this is a hunting, not LR shooting rifle you always appreciate more power, especially with the kind of mountains I hunt in. Many of the old guys use high energy high capacity rounds shooting light bullets, ie: 6.5x68 S. and Weatherby rounds and only shoot a maximum of 350 yards. They want to whack that little chamois and drop it right where it stands because they can and do fall into some nasty places, and when that happens they cannot be retrieved.

I could go with a faster cartridge like the 6.5-284 but I will reserve that for a 26" medium weight build, after my current 6.5-284 needs a new barrel. This one has to be a tiny carry rifle that is pleasant to shoot.

 

[RangerBrad]

The December issue of fur-fish-game magazine has an article on the new Savage ultralight (weighs 5.5 lbs) that includes calibers such as .260 and 6.5 creedmor. The author (Ed Hall) claims they are tack drivers. I know your talking about building on a existing rifle but I found this article very informative. If you can't get the magazine you may be able to look it up on line. Brad

 

[coyotezapper]

You may have issues with seating depth with 140's if this will be a magazine fed rifle. For this reason I went with the 6.5x47 and Berger 130's.

 

[260shooter]

I have both, the 260 seemed to be easier to to get to shoot. Every load I tried (142, 123 Lapua and 120 B-Tip) all shot .5 or better. For hunting you might want to try the 120 ballistic tip, mine runs 3000 fps at 500 ASL from a 26" barrel and shoots below .5 to 525 yards. My next barrel will be 24".

260

 

[EXPRESS]

...I hate to say it now, but I'm tempted to just go with the 6.5-284 and use it as a single shot. I rarely put rounds in the magazine as it is, whether target shooting hunting.

 

[Sully2]

...I hate to say it now, but I'm tempted to just go with the 6.5-284 and use it as a single shot. I rarely put rounds in the magazine as it is, whether target shooting hunting.

You aint serious!???????