6.5×47mm Lapua

6.5×47mm Lapua
Type Rifle
Place of origin  Finland
Production history
Designer Nammo Lapua Oy
Manufacturer Nammo Lapua Oy
Produced 2005–present
Variants 6-6.5x47 Lapua and Long Dasher
Specifications
Bullet diameter 6.71 mm (0.264 in)
Neck diameter 7.41 mm (0.292 in)
Shoulder diameter 11.53 mm (0.454 in)
Base diameter 11.95 mm (0.470 in)
Rim diameter 12.01 mm (0.473 in)
Rim thickness 1.37 mm (0.054 in)
Case length 47 mm (1.9 in)
Overall length 69.5 mm (2.74 in)
Primer type Large rifle for Prototypes, small rifle since start of production
Maximum pressure (C.I.P.) 435 MPa (63,100 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
6.7 g (103 gr) Scenar 939 m/s (3,080 ft/s) 3,087 J (2,277 ft·lbf)
8.0 g (123 gr) Scenar 880 m/s (2,900 ft/s) 3,098 J (2,285 ft·lbf)
9.0 g (139 gr) Scenar 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s) 3,028 J (2,233 ft·lbf)
Test barrel length: 27.5
Source(s): Lapua

6.5×47mm Lapua (or 6.5×47mm) is a rifle cartridge that was developed specifically for 300–1000 meter competition by ammunition maker Nammo Lapua and the Swiss rifle manufacturer Grünig & Elmiger AG in 2005.[1]

Features

The cartridge has many special features including:[2]

Thanks to the short length of the 6.5x47, it can be loaded with very long target bullets without placing the base of the bullet below the neck. This eliminates the dreaded donut problem seen by many cases that get loaded over 20 times, and with this cartridges ability to handle 30+ reloads, avoiding the donut is a must. Left to right: Lapua FMJ 144gr, Hornady 123gr loaded to a COAL of 2.71in, And a Hornady 123gr A-Max.

History

The 6.5x47mm Lapua has no direct parent case. This is obvious in that there are no similar cartridges of this size or dimension with a small rifle primer. It was designed by Lapua with a great deal of help from Swiss rifle manufacturer, Grünig & Elmiger.[5] The case also borrows from many characteristics of the 6mm PPC[6] and thus has been proving itself to be inherently accurate.[7]

Performance

The 6.5×47mm was designed from the beginning by Lapua to optimize accuracy, barrel life, and case capacity in a 6.5mm cartridge for target and tactical shooting. The 6.5×47mm travels at slightly lower speeds than 6.5mm/.260 cartridges such as the .260 Remington, because of its smaller case volume.[8] Its speed though is hotly debated. In an article by the Precision Rifle Blog[9] It was shown that though the average MV was slightly lower then the 6.5 Creedmoor it was able to exceed it. Some users exceeded the 6.5 mm by as much as 42fps. This is probably due to the fact that though the CM is listed to have the same PSI as the Lapua, it is not able to really reach those pressure levels because of its large primer pocket and lower quality brass.

It has a chamber pressure of 63100 PSI,[10][11] which is slightly higher than the .260 Remington's maximum rated pressure.

So far no other manufacturers have made brass for the 6.5x47. There could be two reasons for this. One is that beating Lapua's quality[12] is too hard and the other is that the Lapua has no true parent case and thus would need an entirely new CUP and tooling to start production.

Competitions

Competitively the 6.5x47 has been winning many records, most of them at 600yards. Erik Cortina broke a 300-yard Club Record with 6.5×47 Lapua (RL17)[13] Erik shot a spectacular 600-49X, the previous record was 599-32X. In the summer of 2016 Mike Gaizauskas shot an incredible ten shot group measuring just 2.856in beating out the previously held title by the 6mm Dasher.[14] This record has still a few more judges to measure it and we will know more soon. Mike's shooting rig is quite unique and has won him many other awards. USA’s Kevin Nevius has set a new NRA National Record for High Power Rifle with a perfect score of 200 with 20 x’s at 600 yards – 20 shots (Prone-Any Sight). For this milestone accomplishment, Kevin was using 6.5 x 47 Lapua, 136 gr. Scenar-L OTM bullets, and VV N150 powder.

Variants

Soon after the introduction of the 6.5x47, shooters were using the case as the basis for a new wildcat, by necking it down to 6mm. This wildcat cartridge is often called a 6-6.5x47[15] to avoid confusing it with a 6x47 Swiss Match.[16] A similar case but with a large rifle primer. Another version that has been popular is a necked down version with a 40d shoulder. PTG sells reamers for this and it has demonstrated a gain of about 100fps over the standard 6-6.5x47.[17]

See also

Notes

  1. 6mmbr.com October 2005 News, Features, and Products
  2. "New Products". Vihtavuori.fi. Archived from the original on 2005-03-07. Retrieved 10 February 2007.
  3. http://www.lapua.com/en/sport-shooting/centerfire-rifle/6-5x47-lapua-cartridge.html
  4. http://demigodllc.com/articles/6.5x47-lapua-tactical-rifle/
  5. http://www.lapua.com/en/sport-shooting/centerfire-rifle/6-5x47-lapua-cartridge.html
  6. http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/6mmppc/
  7. http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/65x47/
  8. Smith, Zak. "6.5mm Shootout: .260 Remington vs. 6.5x47 Lapua vs. 6.5 Creedmoor".
  9. http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/10/12/best-rifle-caliber/
  10. Lawrence, Steve; Mobley, Ed. "6.5×47 Lapua Cartridge Guide". AccurateShooter.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  11. "6,5 x 47 Lapua" (PDF) (20 May 2014 ed.). Commission internationale permanente pour l'épreuve des armes à feu portatives. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  12. http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/x-ray-spectrometry-of-cartridge-brass/
  13. http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2010/04/erik-cortina-breaks-300-yard-f-class-record-with-6-5x47-lapua/
  14. http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2016/08/amazing-2-856-10-shot-group-at-1000-yards/
  15. http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/?s=6-6.5x47&submit=Search
  16. http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2014/09/mid-sized-cartridge-comparison/
  17. 6x47 long dasher

External links

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