by Lorne Cooper
This past weekend at Quantico MCB Range 4, the Quantico Shooting Club hosted its 3rd NRA Registered Tournament for 2010. This was a match for the ages, with a total of seven (7) pending National Records set in Individual and Team Competition. The 34 competitors in this 2-day match had to cope with hot, 95° weather, but otherwise conditions were generally mild — helping the marksmen record some spectacular scores.
300-Yard F-TR and Service Rifle Records Broken
Match One consisted of the 300-yard, 15-shot Individual Prone Course. In the F-TR Class, Brian Santucci fired a 150-7X to break the 149-8X record set by Joseph Sturtevant and GySgt Daniel Borowiecki fired a 141-5X to set a new record for the Service category. In the F-Open Class (Senior), David Dye fired a 150-10X to tie the record set by Jim Murphy. On the High Power side, Nathaniel Guernsey placed 1st with a 149-8X.
New National F-TR Team Record: 1744-61X
Match 2 was a 4-man team fire of the Mid Range Prone Course (45 shots per member), 15 shots each at 300, 500 and 600 yards. In F-TR, the winning Camp Butner F‐Troop team set a new National Agg Record of 1744-61X. The team consisted of Joseph Conley (436-15X), James Croft (438-11X), Phil Kelley (426-13X), and Jeff Rorer (444-22X).
New Iron Sights Team Records
For High Power Metallic Sight, Team VFEMI set a new record with an aggregate score of 1767-82X. Team members were Carl Lindezweig (432-20X), John Badger (444-18X), Nathaniel Guernsey (447-28X) and Jack McKinney (444-16X). The USMC Gold team also set a new National Record in the Service Category with a score of 1765-76X. The team members are: Sgt Sean Morris (442-16X), GySgt James Otto (440-14X), and Sgt Joshua Peterson (435-17X), and Sgt Emily Windmassinger (448-39X). The Long Range Palma Course of Fire (Match 3) was shot on Sunday. GySgt Daniel Borowiechi broke the record he set back in June in the F-TR Service category with a 399-5X.
Special thanks go to GySgt Chris Stephens for running a smooth and efficient Line! Our next match will be a Fullbore match to be held on September 25th & 26th. Come out to Quantico for what is expected to be another fantastic weekend!
Note: The National Records reported here are based upon the latest information available and are still subject to verification. Photos courtesy of Doug Hurst.
Report by Laurie Holland
Blair Atholl’s Glen Tilt range in the Scottish Highlands has a worldwide reputation for being difficult thanks to constantly-varying winds influenced by the venue’s steep, irregularly-contoured terrain. Nevertheless, three new GB F-Class Association League 1,000-yard competition records were set at Glen Tilt over the weekend of August 7th and 8th. The new records were shot in Round 5 of the F-Class Association’s championship program. The event comprised five matches, three on Saturday with 20 score shots and two on Sunday with 15 for a maximum possible score of 450-90V. (UK and British Commonwealth targets score five for the Bull). Targets were the usual international F-Class design, a modified Palma type with a half-MOA white aiming mark that also scores as the ‘V’ (‘X’ in American terminology), one-MOA bull and score rings spaced a half-MOA apart.
Looking downrange at magnificent but fiendishly difficult Blair Atholl range in Perthshire, Scotland.
New 1K Records in F-Open and F-TR
In Match 1, John Carmichael of HPS-Target Rifles Ltd. used one of his own creations to shoot a 100-6V. A new record, this was the first-ever 1,000-yard, 20-shot match F-Open ‘possible’. John Cross almost immediately followed with a new F-TR record score of 96-3V, just edging Spanish F-Class competitor Ramon Fito. In the photo below, John Carmichael plots another Bull or V while shooting a record 1,000-yard score, with his RPA / HPS-TR System Gemini 7mmWSM rifle.
Sunday morning initially saw unusually light winds which no doubt helped Osprey Rifles proprietor Stuart Anselm set a new 15-shot, 1,000-yard F-TR record score of 75-4V in Match 4, using a rifle he had built himself on a Savage 12 Target action (photo below).
British F-Class competitive standards continue to rise in both classes, perhaps more markedly in F-TR which is seeing very sharp competition in 2010 as well as increased numbers of entrants. The overall winners were Peter Hunt (439-17V) in F-Open, and Stuart Anselm (424-12V) in F-TR. Blair Atholl also saw the first use of a .223 Rem caliber F-TR rifle in a 1,000-yard GB national league event with Laurie Holland taking seventh with 412-11V using 90gr Berger VLDs.
Placing your loaded ammo up high, next to your rifle’s loading port, can help you shoot faster, without disturbing your position behind the rifle. Many top 600-yard shooters, such as Sam Hall and Mike Davis, have fabricated their own high-mount cartridge caddies to place 10 or more rounds right next to their loading ports. With such a set-up, and a bit of practice, ace benchresters can fire 10 rounds in as little as 30 seconds.
If you’re handy with tools, you can build your own cartridge caddy from a block of delrin or wood, and a flexible mounting arm. But it does take time, and you may end up going through two or three prototypes before you get it “just right”.
Now there’s a “store-bought” solution. Creedmoor Sports offers the new Eller Straight Line Speed Feed Cartridge Holder. The Eller caddy has a large base that will support it on the bench. The flexible black stalk allows you to set the height and angle of the ammo block to your choosing. You can arrange your ammo horizontally, vertically, or something in-between. This unit can benefit any bench competitor, and we’ve even see this type of unit adapted by F-classers for “Belly Benchrest”. The Eller Cartridge Holder costs $94.95 and comes in two sizes: Small (6mm to 6.5×284), and Large (6.5×284 to magnum). Order item #E1002SM from Creedmoor Sports.
Charles Ballard, two-time U.S. F-class Open Champion, has been working with Precision Rifle & Tool on a new F-TR (Target Rifle) stock. Charles designed the stock to combine the adjustability of the better F-Open designs with a nice rigid fore-end for bipod use. Charles has shot the new stock in competition and he says it tracks really well. When fitted with a wide-base bipod, the stock is super-stable, with minimal hop on recoil.
The new stock is officially called the “Ballard LowBoy F-Class Target Rifle (F-TR) Stock”. This new design is available immediately, in a variety of laminated colors, starting at $325.00 (without hardware). The stock can be inletted for Rem 700 actions, Rem 700 clones, the Savage Target Action, and most custom actions.
Key Features of the new Ballard F-TR stock are:
Extended front to provide proper balance with long barrels.
Low profile design for a lower, more stable center of gravity.
Buttstock has a 1/2″ machined flat on the bottom and angled sides to provide superior tracking in the rear bag.
Buttstock has a slight angle to allow minor elevation adjustments.
Optional adjustable buttplate and optional adjustable cheekpiece.
Stock Delivery Options Dictate the Price
Precision Rifle & Tool can deliver the Ballard LowBoy F-TR in any state of completion the customer desires. The basic stock costs $325, inletted for your action, but unfinished and without hardware. Complete with removable/adjustable cheekpiece, and adjustable buttplate, the stock costs $900.00 ready to be bedded and finished. Clear-coating or oil finish is available at extra cost.
In the video, Charles Ballard gives you a “walk-around” of the stock and explains the stock’s design features. The high-tech, carbon fiber bipod is made by Center Shot Engineering in Oregon. For more info, or to order a Ballard LowBoy F-TR stock, visit PrecisionRifleSales.com, or call (336) 516-5132. Charles Ballard himself can talk you through the options.
You have to hand it to the Texans. Forum member Paul Scott (aka “FTRinTexas”), has created a sturdy double-gun case from a surplus Stinger Missile transport box. Measuring roughly 63″ x 11″ x 13″, the aluminum Stinger box is big enough to fit two, long-barreled match rifles side by side, stowed vertically, toaster-style. There’s even room inside for a spotting scope and other accessories. With a little effort (and some after-market foam), the Stinger box can be converted into a very practical (and rugged) gun case.
The converted Stinger box is also an attention-getter according to Paul: “Other guys at the range definitely do a double-take when you haul a missile case out of your truck! They’re kind of disappointed when I open the lid and they see there are only rifles inside.”
Advantages of Side-by-Side (Vertical) Rifle Cases
For wide-forearm rifles with big scopes, we have always liked the vertical storage (drop-in style) cases such as the Plano AirGlide. Vertical placement allows the gun’s weight to rest on the stock with no side-pressure applied to the scope turrets. We’ve asked Plano to make a double-gun case of a similar design, but that’s not going to happen any time soon.
There are companies that make large, metal-bodied safari cases that stow two rifles vertically, side-by-side. These cases are super-secure, but they are also very expensive. Cabela’s side-by-side Safari Case costs $399.00, and it will only hold rifles up to about 50″ overall length. Ziegel Engineering makes a beautiful two-rifle, top-loading Expedition case, but it costs $639.95, and is also limited to a 50″ rifle OAL.
The Stinger Solution — Inexpensive, Rugged Side-By-Side Storage
Paul Scott was clever to source a Stinger Box and transform it into a side-by-side double rifle case. With over five FEET (61.5″) of internal length, the box will secure guns with barrels up to 38″ with ease. And the Stinger box is wide enough to hold two F-Class guns side-by-side with plenty of clearance. Stinger boxes come with an O-ring seal, air relief valve, and handles on each end. Hasp locks are easily added, as are wheels (just slide an axle through the lower “bumper” flange on the box end.)
As received from Uncle Sam, a surplus Stinger storage box needs some modification to work as a double rifle case. Paul removed most of the internal foam padding from the lower section, and then used an electric knife to carve cradles to support the two rifles under the forearms and buttstocks. The original hard foam blocks in the Stinger box lid were replaced with closed cell foam like that used in Pelican cases. Paul found that the new foam in the lid would press down on the scopes’ elevation knobs, so he cut round holes in the top foam to provide additional turret clearance.
As you can see in the photos, Paul had enough room forward of the rifles to stow his spotting scope and disassembled spotting scope stand. Paul simply placed another layer of foam in the bottom of the box and then cut the foam to fit the equipment. Another foam layer can be placed over the spotting scope and stand to prevent slippage during shipment.
If you are interested in making your own double-gun case from a Stinger box, email PScott [at] pegasustexas.com . Paul has a few extra Stinger boxes he may be willing to sell for around $175 each. Each of these Stinger Missile containers cost Uncle Sam $2066.00 originally! The photo below shows the Stinger transport box before modification.
The June 2010 digital edition of Shooting Sports USA has been released, and it’s definitely worth reading. The lead story is an interview with Sig Sauer Team Captain Max Michel, 3-time World Speed Shooting Champion and 5-Time USPSA National Champion. Max provides great “how-to” advice on pistol shooting, covering sight picture, grip, target acquisition, practice strategies and gun maintenance. Shooting Sports USA Managing Editor Chip Lohman has penned a detailed review of the Schneller stainless Range Cart. Bob Schneller supplies range carts to both the USAMU and U.S.M.C. shooting teams — that’s a strong endorsement. You highpower guys should definitely take a look at the Schneller carts.
The “must-read” article in this month’s issue is a detailed wrap-up of the 2010 F-Class Nationals written by F-Open Team USA member Larry Bartholome. Larry provides a day-by-day account of this Championship event, with coverage of both F-Open and F-TR classes.
In addition to the June issue, you can read previous month’s editions of Shooting Sports USA, by clicking on the “Archives” tab at the bottom of the page, after you’ve launched the June issue in your browser. Visit ShootingSportsUSA.com to request a free Digital Edition of Shooting Sports USA each month.
This July, Trinidad State Jr. College (TSJC) in Colorado will offer a unique 5-day instructional course on F-Class equipment and shooting skills. Slated for July 5-9, 2010, the F-Class Seminar will be taught by F-Class guru Larry Bartholome, Captain of Team Berger/Norma and current member (and past Captain) of the U.S. F-Class Open Team. Spots are still open for the course, but you should register right away.
Trinidad’s course will cover every aspect of F-Class shooting: selecting the best equipment and caliber, load development and ammo testing, reloading for long range, how to shoot a match, doping the wind at long-range, team shooting, mental conditioning, and match-winning strategies. While most of the course will consist of class work on the Trinidad campus, there will be range sessions July 8 and 9 at the NRA Whittington Center Range (Raton, NM), located just 20 miles south of Trinidad, CO. During these sessions there will be demonstrations and students will practice their long-range shooting skills at distances out to 1000 yards.
Larry told us: “This is not a gunsmith class, but rather a class that will cover all aspects of F-Class shooting. I think this will be a good opportunity for a person who wants to learn F-Class from the ground up, to do so in a short period of time. I feel a person could come into the class knowing next to nothing about F-Class and long-range shooting and leave [the seminar] knowledgeable enough to be very competitive at even a world level.”
The Rocky Mountain Palma Championships and Long-Range Regional will be held at the NRA Whittington Center July 10-15, 2010 and students may want to compete in all or part of those matches after the class concludes. Whittington charges $15/day range fee for any non-members who use the range.
Openings Still Available for July F-Class Course
There are still some places available for the F-Class seminar. If you’re interested, sign up soon by contacting Trinidad State Jr. College at 1-800-621-8752, ext. 5541, or log on to NRA.Trinidadstate.edu. No tools are required for the seminar. However, while a couple of F-Class rifles will be available for limited range use, students may want to bring their own rifles and ammo. All students should contact Larry Bartholome to confirm the students’ rifles are appropriate for use at 1,000 yards as F-Class rifles. Email Larry at: Lbart [at] elp.rr.com.
Trinidad State Jr. College summer courses cost $325.00 for continuing education and $393.90 for out-of-state Credit. On-Campus Housing is offered for a reasonable $100.00 per week. CLICK HERE for the TSJC/NRA Summer Course Registration Form (PDF).
Lapua developed the 6.5×47 Lapua cartridge for International 300m competition. Lapua wanted a cartridge that could match the “pure accuracy” of the 6mmBR, but with even better ballistics and good barrel life. The 6.5x47L is now really coming into its own. In the hands of NBRSA long-range Hall of Famer Don Nielson, the 6.5x47L has won two NBRSA 600-yard Nationals convincingly. The cartridge is winning Varmint Silhouette matches, and Tactical competitors are finding the cartridge delivers great accuracy with much less recoil than a .308 — plus it feeds well from magazines. With advanced powders such as Alliant’s Reloder 17, the 6.5x47L can deliver surprising velocities, even with the heavy 139-142 grain bullets, though we still think the 130-grainers may be optimal for the cartridge. Don Nielson used Berger 130gr bullets “right out of the box” to win the NBRSA 600-yard Nationals, setting records in the process. In addition to its paper-punching abilities, the 6.5×47 Lapua is a capable hunting cartridge, delivering velocities that approach a .260 Remington with 120-130 grain projectiles. Considering all this — is the 6.5×47 Lapua the next, great do-it-all cartridge — a chambering that can win a benchrest match one weekend and harvest a whitetail the next?
6.5×47 Lapua Is a Hot Topic on Our Forum
In our AccurateShooter Forum, there has been a thread discussing whether the 6.5x47L or 6mmBR is better for the 600-yard game. Forum member Lloyd (aka “1Shot”) wrote:
How many years have the 6BR and its variants been in existence as opposed to the 6.5x47L? I pose this question to you because we all know that with time and experience, comes knowledge. In a short period of time, (relatively speaking) the 6.5x47L has made great strides. I’ll make a bet that the 6.5x47L will outshoot the 6BR within the same time frame of its existence. It will just take time and shooters like Sam Hall to bring this cartridge to its full potential.”
Responding to Lloyd’s post, British gun writer Laurie Holland analyzed the present and possible future of the 6.5x47L cartridge. Laurie makes some very interesting points, considering the role the 6.5x47L may play in F-class competition, and in 300 to 600-yard benchrest. Laurie’s post is worth a read….
Laurie Holland Talks About the 6.5×47 Lapua
“Lloyd, you may well be right on this. There is that intangible something issue though that sees one cartridge become ‘great’ in a shooting field, while others that should theoretically compete somehow never quite get there. The example that comes to mind is the PPC in short range BR of course[.] The PPC outshoots similar rivals, and we don’t know why. At the moment, the 6BR and BRX/Dasher variants look like they may be getting to the same point in 300 to 600-yard BR type competition. That’s not to say they won’t be pushed out of the top spot by something better, or even matched by a rival, but it looks like it won’t happen quickly or soon.
One thing people often forget is that BR can see 5 shots rattled off in under 30 seconds while the wind conditions hold. F-Class or any other form of deliberate, marked-target shooting is different because of the enforced gap between shots. This is particularly so on our side of the Atlantic (or north of the 49th Parallel). Unlike your F-Class, Fullbore, Palma, CLRP etc. shooting, we British Commonwealth types are squadded two to a target (sometimes up to four in local shoots) and there is therefore a minimum three or so minutes between taking each shot by an individual shooter. Fairly typically, I shot in a club 600-yard F-Class comp last Sunday and found myself with two others on ‘my’ target. Throw in one of them missing with both sighters and the resulting delays while the RO had to be asked for the target to be pulled and checked and people looking for his subsequent fall of shot and it took around 70-75 minutes to get through 2 sighters and 20 score shots. So each shot is virtually a new start so far as the wind-call goes.
The 6.5X47L likely gives a significant benefit even at 600 yards over the 6mmBR thanks to the external ballistics improvements in such a scenario. What has to be seen is how it stands up in national level competition against the big sevens since that’s the competition in F-Open. Until this year, all national GB F-Class Association rounds were shot over a mixture of 800, 900, 1000-yard matches with the emphasis on the 1000. The 6.5X47L can’t hack it against 180gr 7mm Berger VLDs at 3,200 fps in these conditions (nor could the US F-Class Team’s 6.5-284 Norma in last summer’s F-Class World Championship at Bisley). Club / regional level may turn out different with a bigger mix of ranges (distances) in a season’s programme. And (here’s the killer) — the 7mmWSM brigade can’t afford to shoot say 15 such matches in a season given the barrel life issue. 15 matches is 300-330 shots, or 50% of barrel life. So they enter one or two matches only for practice, checking sight-settings etc. Unless you do your own gunsmithing, barrel replacement by a top gunsmith with a Bartlein or Krieger tube is an expensive job here — a bit over £700 all in which is $1,000 + in translation[.]
So, accurate and ballistically-efficient smaller cartridges that give long barrel life have a bright future in European and British Commonwealth shooting, and I think the 6.5X47L is going to be a key player in this role. Also, as in the USA, many people want a multi-purpose longarm, and this cartridge is an excellent long-range fox/crow round and ideal for most of our deer species too.
To go back to the very original question in this thread, if I were having a multi-discipline target shooting single-shot rifle built for club / regional competition shooting, I’d stick to 6BR or variants if it were primarily for 600-yard or shorter range competitions, but I’d go for 6.5X47L if there were 800 to 1,000-yard matches in the mix. If it were for F-Class at national level, I’d have neither, but stick to .308W in the F/TR division which I shoot now. — Laurie, York, England”
Texan Erik Cortina (aka X3MHunter in our Forum) showcased some great marksmanship recently. Competing at Houston’s Bayou Rifle Club, Erik shot a spectacular 600-49X to break the Rifle Club’s 300-yard F-Class Open division record of 599-32X. Erik smashed the Bayou record, raising the point count to a perfect 600 with 17 more Xs than before. Erik reports: “Conditions were calm, about 65 degrees with about a 1-3 mile wind from right to left. I would say they were almost perfect conditions. I was there at the right place at the right time!” Eric’s three strings, in order, were: 200-17X, 200-16X, and 200-16X. That’s consistency! In setting the new record, Erik demonstrated how accurate the 6.5 x 47 Lapua cartridge can be. (Note: There is no official NRA 3x20x300-yard F-Open Record at this time. The NRA currently logs only an individual 20-shot 300-yard F-Open record, which was set by Shiriz Balolia, with a perfect 200-20X).
We know many of our readers have built, or plan to build, a 6.5×47 Lapua match rifle. The question often arises: “What powder should I shoot and what weight bullet?” We normally advise people to start with bullets in the 120-130 grain-range with a powder such as Varget or Reloder 15. However, the unique properties of Reloder 17 offers a “heavy bullet solution.” In the hands of Asst. Editor Jason Baney, our AccurateShooter.com 6.5×47 Lapua test rifle shot the 140gr Bergers very accurately using Reloder 17. In fact, Jason’s most accurate 200-yard load was with the 140s and RL17.
Erik Cortina also found that the 6.5×47 cartridge can work superbly with 140 grain-class bullets. Erik shot the 139gr Lapua Scenar bullets (jammed .020″ in the lands) with a stout load of Reloder 17 (more than 40 grains). Erik was able to drive the 139gr Scenars well over 2900 fps with the small 6.5×47 case. Erik tells us: “I developed this load doing a ladder test at 500 yards. This might be a very hot load in most rifles but mine is throated specifically for the 139 Scenars since I didn’t plan on shooting anything else. This load does not show pressure signs on my rifle.” Erik got great accuracy with minimal brass prep: “The Lapua 6.5×47 brass is great. After uniforming the primer pockets, I tried to weight sort but only found .3 grains variance on 300 pieces of brass, so I just loaded the brass and went shooting.”
Rifle Components and Smithing
Erik’s rifle features a Lawton 7500 RBRP left-eject action, mated to a 1:8″-twist, 28″ Krieger barrel. The barrel was chambered for a no-turn 6.5×47. The stock is a Richard Franklin Low Rider made by West Custom Rifles. The rifle was smithed by Mark Pharr of Tumbleweeds Custom Rifles.
Danny Biggs, two-time F-TR National Champion, decided to shoot Open Class at this year’s 2010 F-Class National Championships in Sacramento. Danny did very well, finishing third overall in F-Open with a score of 1324-67X. Danny’s X-count, the highest of all competitors, was 10 Xs higher than F-Open winner Derek Rogers and runner-up Ken Dickerman, who both finished with 57X.
While most F-Open shooters used a front pedestal rest, either a joystick design or a center column pedestal with remote-adjustable windage top, Danny used a wide-base bipod, as he had done at past Nationals in the F-TR class. But Danny’s bipod was very special. It is a prototype, modified Sinclair design with height adjustment via a central, vertical-axis knob. As you can see from the pictures below, the left and right bipod legs are attached to a T-shaped silver (aluminum) bracket. This bracket moves up and down as the silver knob is turned clockwise or counter-clockwise. As the knob turns, its threads pull the T-shaped bracket up and down relative to a center block of aluminum bolted to the bipod’s attachment to the rifle’s forearm accessory rail. With this system, Danny can easily reach forward and make precise adjustments in elevation. Note that the Sinclair bipod’s secure rail attachment is retained and Danny can still adjust rifle cant (tilt), using the rear push-button handle. This rear handle functions like a Pod-lock allowing the rifle to be tilted a few degrees to one side or the other to compensate for side-sloping terrain.
We watched Danny shoot with this heigh-adjustable bipod, and it worked superbly. With its wide foot-print, the bipod is ultra-stable. During recoil, the ski-type feet slide evenly straight back. Danny was able to quickly dial in a little vertical, as needed, during his string of fire. This gave him more precise control over elevation than other bipod shooters who had to slide their guns forward or backward or pinch the ears of their rear bags to make small changes in rifle elevation.
Production Plans Not Yet Certain
Wondering “Where can I get one?” Unfortunately, the Biggs Bipod adjuster is not in production yet, and we don’t know for sure if this design (or something like it) will be added to the Sinclair Int’l F-Class Bipod in the future. But Danny Biggs certainly demonstrated that the concept works superbly. We expect micro-adjusting vertical controls to appear on other F-Class bipods at future matches.
New National F-TR Team Record: 1744-61X
Placing your loaded ammo up high, next to your rifle’s loading port, can help you shoot faster, without disturbing your position behind the rifle. Many top 600-yard shooters, such as Sam Hall and Mike Davis, have fabricated their own high-mount cartridge caddies to place 10 or more rounds right next to their loading ports. With such a set-up, and a bit of practice, ace benchresters can fire 10 rounds in as little as 30 seconds.
Charles Ballard, two-time U.S. F-class Open Champion, has been working with 
You have to hand it to the Texans. Forum member Paul Scott (aka “FTRinTexas”), has created a sturdy double-gun case from a surplus Stinger Missile transport box. Measuring roughly 63″ x 11″ x 13″, the aluminum Stinger box is big enough to fit two, long-barreled match rifles side by side, stowed vertically, toaster-style. There’s even room inside for a spotting scope and other accessories. With a little effort (and some after-market foam), the Stinger box can be converted into a very practical (and rugged) gun case.
There are companies that make large, metal-bodied safari cases that stow two rifles vertically, side-by-side. These cases are super-secure, but they are also very expensive. Cabela’s side-by-side 
The June 2010 digital edition of 
This July, 
Openings Still Available for July F-Class Course
Lapua developed the 6.5×47 Lapua cartridge for International 300m competition. Lapua wanted a cartridge that could match the “pure accuracy” of the 6mmBR, but with even better ballistics and good barrel life. The 6.5x47L is now really coming into its own. In the hands of NBRSA long-range Hall of Famer Don Nielson, the 6.5x47L has won two NBRSA 600-yard Nationals convincingly. The cartridge is winning Varmint Silhouette matches, and Tactical competitors are finding the cartridge delivers great accuracy with much less recoil than a .308 — plus it feeds well from magazines. With advanced powders such as Alliant’s Reloder 17, the 6.5x47L can deliver surprising velocities, even with the heavy 139-142 grain bullets, though we still think the 130-grainers may be optimal for the cartridge. Don Nielson used Berger 130gr bullets “right out of the box” to win the NBRSA 600-yard Nationals, setting records in the process. In addition to its paper-punching abilities, the 6.5×47 Lapua is a capable hunting cartridge, delivering velocities that approach a .260 Remington with 120-130 grain projectiles. Considering all this — is the 6.5×47 Lapua the next, great do-it-all cartridge — a chambering that can win a benchrest match one weekend and harvest a whitetail the next?
Laurie Holland Talks About the 6.5×47 Lapua
Texan Erik Cortina (aka X3MHunter in our Forum) showcased some great marksmanship recently. Competing at Houston’s 
Erik Cortina also found that the 6.5×47 cartridge can work superbly with 140 grain-class bullets. Erik shot the 139gr Lapua Scenar bullets (jammed .020″ in the lands) with a stout load of Reloder 17 (more than 40 grains). Erik was able to drive the 139gr Scenars well over 2900 fps with the small 6.5×47 case. Erik tells us: “I developed this load doing a ladder test at 500 yards. This might be a very hot load in most rifles but mine is throated specifically for the 139 Scenars since I didn’t plan on shooting anything else. This load does not show pressure signs on my rifle.” Erik got great accuracy with minimal brass prep: “The Lapua 6.5×47 brass is great. After uniforming the primer pockets, I tried to weight sort but only found .3 grains variance on 300 pieces of brass, so I just loaded the brass and went shooting.”
Danny Biggs, two-time F-TR National Champion, decided to shoot Open Class at this year’s 2010 F-Class National Championships in Sacramento. Danny did very well, finishing third overall in F-Open with a score of 1324-67X. Danny’s X-count, the highest of all competitors, was 10 Xs higher than F-Open winner Derek Rogers and runner-up Ken Dickerman, who both finished with 57X.
