6mm BR vs. 6.5x47 for paper/varmints

[Gatorgrizz27]

I've been doing a lot of reading about this, and the variety of 6mm and 6.5mm calibers is overwhelming. I'm looking at building a gun for shooting at the range out to 1,000 yards, a longer range varmint rig, and possibly coyotes and pigs at long range as well. I currently have a .30-06 and .223 as well.

I'm primarily interested in long barrel life and low recoil, and have no interest in competing, so the last bit of accuracy or wind bucking really doesn't matter to me. The gun won't be carried often so it can weigh 12-15 lbs to tame the recoil down to almost nothing. When I take my .223 bolt gun out, I typically shoot around 100 rounds, so I want something that won't beat me up or have me replacing the barrel 2 or 3 times a year. Magazine feeding would be a bonus but not necessary as I typically load through the chamber anyway.

Bullet availability seems good for both the 6 and 6.5, but there seem to be few varmint bullets for the 6.5 available, and they are more expensive. Right now it seems to be a choice between the 6mm BR and 6.5x47 as they seem to have the best barrel life, hopefully around 3,000 rounds of useable accuracy, and I don't need the extra pop from the Dasher, XC, .260, or Creedmor from what I can tell. If the BR would be the better all around choice with the exception of coyotes and pigs, that's what I will go with, but I wanted to see about the other advantages of the 6.5x47.

Lobbing bullets out if my .223 at 750 and 1000 yards, I noticed that it was hard to tell where the impacts were due to the small slow bullet at that distance, and even hits on steel at 500 yards barely moved it. I don't know if the 6mm BR will have this same issue or if there is enough energy to overcome it.

Thanks guys.

 

[davewitt]

In my opinion they are both great cartridges,the 6br is one of my favorites for targets,varmints,and steel out to 1k.I have 4 of them!!That being said the 6.5x47 lapua give's you the opportunity to shoot much heavier bullets! Either one is a great choice if you are not shooting big critter's to far away!1-8 twist either way,give's you more options on the bullet weights that you can shoot !! Barrel life is good on both!gun)

 

[1 mile]

6mmbrdx....love it..gun)

 

[Garycrow]

6BR for what you describe. It's plenty for coyotes but less than I'd want for pigs.

 

[Hunter2678]

Out of those 2 choices my vote is also for the 6BR as others have said. I have one and its my "go to" gun for 75% of my shooting. Ultra accurate, dummy proof to load for, not finicky, 6mm bullets are cheaper than 6.5, there are more 6mm varmint bullet options, lapua 6br brass lasts ultra long, im goin on 20+ reloads and the primer pockets are still tight enough to reload. The biggie for me was & is the superb barrel life it gives you. It uses less powder than the 6.5s with only 30-32 gns of powder needed and stays cooler longer all things being equal. When you go to shoot a high bc 105 out of your 6br around 2850fps you'll hear & see your hits at 700yds with no problem.

That being said you may want to throw another choice into your decision. For that I'd vote for the 6x47 lapua. Its like a 6br on HGH. Same quality lapua brass, great case design, small rifle primer, ultra strong brass, ultra accurate, difference compared to the 6BR is the 37-40 gns of powder it uses giving you higher velocity but due to the longer case, reliable feeding from the mag. I think its something you should strongly consider as well.

 

[cblackwell]

+1 on the 6x47. Outstanding round that I feel you should certainly consider.

 

[BrentM]

Curious, how does the 6x47 compare to the 243? I have kicked around the 6mm for a longer range rig for my kid to hunt predators. We can go to the 6.5-284 for bigger game but the 6mm in the 105 seems pretty dang sweet.

 

[Hunter2678]

Curious, how does the 6x47 compare to the 243? I have kicked around the 6mm for a longer range rig for my kid to hunt predators. We can go to the 6.5-284 for bigger game but the 6mm in the 105 seems pretty dang sweet.

There's some overlap in performance, but generally speaking better than the .243 with less powder & much less case stretch. I think the 6x47 lapua case design advantages (30 deg shoulder and long neck) are worth the choice over the std .243 if you are starting out new. It does however operate with higher pressure to achieve its performance. Im sure there are some shooters on here that can add more details between the 2 to this discussion

I shoot with guys that have both the standard .243 and 6x47 lap's and the 6x47s seem to perform better at long ranges.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

I'm not opposed to any other rounds like the 6x47 so long as it has good barrel life. I shoot a lot, but not in competition, so barrel life is one of my top concerns. It's tough finding out how long they actually last for a normal guy as most guys shooting them are competing. If a barrel goes from .1 moa to .2 moa at 1300 rounds it's done for them, but still perfectly acceptable for me dinging steel and popping prairie dogs.

I would really like a minimum of 3000 rounds before the accuracy starts to noticeably degrade. Not measuring groups with a micrometer but where you can't hit a coke can at the range you used to be able to.

 

[Hunter2678]

If thats your primary concern either 6.5x47 or 6BR should offer you awesome barrel life with moderate to frequent shooting

 

[tcob68]

I wouldn't rule out the 6.5 Creedmoor. The Creed gives you very good accuracy, barrel life. Also the cost of getting into one would be cheaper. There are some companies putting out some very accurate rifles now and the Hornady Match ammo is surprisingly accurate.
The only difference you would probably see between the 6.5 Creed and the 6.5 Lapua would be the cost, the Lapua costing quite a bit more. Ballistics and recoil would be very close. My wife shoots her Creemoor all day and has never complained about the recoil. Just something to think about.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I wouldn't rule out the 6.5 Creedmoor. The Creed gives you very good accuracy, barrel life. Also the cost of getting into one would be cheaper. There are some companies putting out some very accurate rifles now and the Hornady Match ammo is surprisingly accurate.
The only difference you would probably see between the 6.5 Creed and the 6.5 Lapua would be the cost, the Lapua costing quite a bit more. Ballistics and recoil would be very close. My wife shoots her Creemoor all day and has never complained about the recoil. Just something to think about.

The Creed does have more velocity than the Lapua. My dad and i both love our 6.5 Creedmoors. They are extremely accurate with enough snot to do basically whatever we want with low recoil and precision. My 9 year old sister shoots my dads Creedmoor without complaint. She actually loves to shoot it. Also something to think about is maybe a 6mm Creedmoor. Ive heard guys are having great success with this cartridge. It will give you a little more fire power than the 6mm BR ( which isnt a bad choice either)

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

I may be wrong but I thought the 6.5 Creedmor was designed to be optimized for gas guns, a la .300 BLK. Not that it's an issue to put it in a bolt gun but not really needed. I do reload and it will be built with a custom barrel on a Vanguard action, so factory chamberings aren't needed.

Price of brass is an issue as I've seen 6.5x47 brass can be quite expensive and I may want to load 300-500 rounds for praire dog shooting instead of just reloading the same 50 cases again and again.

Looks like there are even more calibers to consider now and they all have such slight differences!

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I may be wrong but I thought the 6.5 Creedmor was designed to be optimized for gas guns, a la .300 BLK. Not that it's an issue to put it in a bolt gun but not really needed. I do reload and it will be built with a custom barrel on a Vanguard action, so factory chamberings aren't needed.

Price of brass is an issue as I've seen 6.5x47 brass can be quite expensive and I may want to load 300-500 rounds for praire dog shooting instead of just reloading the same 50 cases again and again.

Looks like there are even more calibers to consider now and they all have such slight differences!

If price worries you then definitely go with the Creedmoor. Much cheaper brass with still great quality. Ive never had a problem with hornady brass. And also with the Creedmoor if you get in a pinch for brass then it can be formed from 22-250 brass.