6x45

[bj139]

It looks like you are limited by the mag length. Is 25gr a compressed load?

[StoneHendge]

It looks like you are limited by the mag length. Is 25gr a compressed load?

It's pretty much right around 100% fill. Made a bunch last night but it's going to be at least a week before I can get to them. We'll see how they do. They can comfortably get pushed to 3600+ in a 6mm S'more. I'm going to try and convince myself that my 308 RPR barrel is shot out this spring.

[bj139]

I shot my 6x45 today at 100 yards.
Two groups one partial resized and one full resized.
55gr Dogtown bullets, 25gr H335, COAL same as factory 223.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]10912[/ATTACH]

What does all that vertical stringing mean?
Horizontal spread looks good on partial resize.

After letting this rattle around in my head a while I realized I had never had vertical stringing like this always shooting the same way.
The reason has to be elsewhere. The inconsistent neck dimensions after firing may be the key due to inconsistent neck tension.
This is military, range pickup brass I used.
Military brass is not designed to be reloaded, so it may be quite stiff for best bullet retention and may need to be annealed to provide consistent neck tension at this point.

[StoneHendge]

It's hard to beat Lake City brass, but I've found other military headstamps to be not worth the prep time and have the most value in the scale at the scrap yard. SBS, CBC, WCC, TAA, IWI. A buck forty a pound.

A load for my old 556 barrel that shot 3/4 MOA in LC looked like your groups above in CBC and TAA. I personally wouldn't expect better groups than yours above mixing headstamps.

[bj139]

It's hard for me to justify buying new 5.56 brass when it is just lying around for free.
An advantage for my 6x6.8 is I had to buy brass so I bought Starline and am starting from a consistent point.
I may have to spend some time learning more about headstamps. I now know nothing but at least I know that I know nothing.
Do you have a site you use for headstamp translation?

[bj139]

Went shooting today at 100 yards.

The scope was already on the 6x6.8 and the first shot hit dead center. I thought about stopping right there.

I shot 13 6x6.8 and 11 American 30.

The 6x6.8 shot about 1 MOA.

I moved the scope to the American 30 and set the scope to my previous settings and missed the target twice shooting at the top right spot.

I then shot at the center and hit 1.5 MRAD high and 0.5MRAD right so I adjusted and shot a few at the top right again then adjusted a bit.

I then shot the last 6 American 30 at the bottom right. Looks OK to me.

I remembered later I changed the barrel nut to a non-crappy nut so the POI must have changed.

I'm liking the American 30 even more. Remember, get the best nuts you can and keep them in good shape.


Here are my BHW/Columbia barrels as shot. Manual ejection was easy. These barrels must have the smoothest chambers.

[StoneHendge]

A30 looking good aside from the one you presumably StoneHendged. I just used my google fu for the headstamps, but I don't really pick up brass anymore unless I know it's 1x lake city. Too many people shooting factory reloads at my range and who know how many times that brass has been sent thru the ringer. I have more than enough LC and Norma brass from feeding my carbine blaster AE 556 and Norma TAC 223.

Shooting without a handguard will affect your POI unless you put the barrel on the rest in the same spot every time - the pressure on the barrel does have an impact on the harmonics.

[bj139]

I think I placed the barrel on the same spot each time but I could have pulled the magazine housing back or down with more force.
I will install one of my special handguards before I shoot these next.
The leftmost shot on the A30 group was near the middle of the string and I can't explain it by a called flier.
One good thing is I don't have to worry about the gas tube touching anything.

On the 6x6.8, the shots did move left with barrel heating. I shot center, top left then bottom left.

[StoneHendge]

I bookmarked your handguard thread in case the gun grabbers are ever successful banning "barrel shrouds" I had to google that one myself. I had no idea how many shrouds I owned!

[bj139]

I saw "barrel shrouds" mentioned a day or two ago and thought it a rather odd term.
I guess they think it hides the barrel from view and so is an evil feature.
Unless they ban plumbing fixtures I think I am safe.

[StoneHendge]

Spring is in the air. 60 degrees and only 5-7 mph winds on a day off! 70 gr Nosler BTV @ 2954 with a 7 shot sd of 9. All 7 with Magnetto were shot at the 6" square at 350 and were centerish hits.

Rusty shooter today (it's been almost a month) This measures out to about .65 MOA. The lower right was the 5th shot.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11301[/ATTACH]

The next one started good with the first 3 inside 1/2 MOA and I proceeded to execute a perfect "push me pull me."

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11302[/ATTACH]

I think I'm going to either get an ALG handguard for it or swap with one of my 556s so I can use my Atlas on it. I just don't feel as solid and consistent with the 9-12" Harris I have on it.

I really think this will consistently shoot around 1/2 MOA if I do my part. Which puts it at Minute of P-Dog at 600 yards and velocity just under the 1600 fps "expansion threshold" at that point. Which was the hope of the project. Not bad for a $94 barrel!

[bj139]

SH,
On the "push me, pull me" could you actually tell you were doing anthing wrong?
With my vertical stringing and tight groups with other rifles, it all feels the same.

[StoneHendge]

Sure did. The first 3 were rapid fire. I saw how they were grouping, hesitated, pushed #4, muttered an expletive, and proceeded to compensate for the push with a pull. Scottie Norwood should be proud of me.

[bj139]

I bookmarked your handguard thread in case the gun grabbers are ever successful banning "barrel shrouds" I had to google that one myself. I had no idea how many shrouds I owned!

I have been shooting a 20" BA Grendel, 16" BHW 6x6.8 and a BHW 18" American 30 without any shroud at all.

I shot them about as well as I shot other uppers with shrouds.

I would be fine with an all out shroud ban as long as it was limited to just that.

A barrel nut ban would hurt, however.

I don't rapid fire so heat would be of no concern.

[454bore]

I tried some sierra 60 grain HP's over 25.8 grains in my 6x45.
Worked them up from 25 grains.
Got half to 3/4 inch groups.
Heard the 60 grain sierra HP's were accurate and they are.
Glad I found some cheap.

[454bore]

I tried some sierra 60 grain HP's over 25.8 grains H-322 in my 6x45.
Worked them up from 25 grains.
Got half to 3/4 inch groups.
Heard the 60 grain sierra HP's were accurate and they are.
Glad I found some cheap.

[bj139]

454,
Glad to hear you found a good load. I have been shooting Grendels lately
I have to stop buying barrels or I will never get all of them shooting well.

[454bore]

Found another load for my 12.5 inch barrel that should work a little better at 200 yards plus.
65 grain v-max pushed to 2850 using benchmark and cci 450's.
Inch and a quarter groups with a 23 fps ES.
Think I'm going to try 70 grain varmagedon next to see if it'll shoot moa or better.

[StoneHendge]

Found another load for my 12.5 inch barrel that should work a little better at 200 yards plus.
65 grain v-max pushed to 2850 using benchmark and cci 450's.
Inch and a quarter groups with a 23 fps ES.
Think I'm going to try 70 grain varmagedon next to see if it'll shoot moa or better.

How much Benchmark are you using? Adjusting for barrel length (add 300 fps for another 11.5"), your results kind of sound like what I was getting here
http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...e-opinions
I ended up going conservative with the lower charge at 2960.

I got the Varmageddons sub MOA but have the 70 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip Varmints doing better. Beauty is same the same load shoots them a bit more accurately at 100 with the same POI, but they really shine holding accuracy better than the Varmageddons at 300 and beyond. They're more expensive, but you get what you pay for. Should be doing about 1/2 MOA. My groups were under 1/2" vertical but I was stringing them horizontally about MOA. Been fighting that all spring with every rifle I've got and its a mental/technique issue I think I have resolved.

I hope to get some out for more testing this week as I think I'm going to need to try and build a custom curve. I've got the 55 gr Nosler BTVs doing a consistent 1/2 MOA out of a 20" BHW 556 barrel, but they're dropping significantly less than Noslers G1 or Litz's G7. When I got the elevations figured out, they were holding accuracy to 550. I'm going to try to find the same points for the 70s and then bite the bullet and upgrade my Kestrel software to the elite. P-doggin in NM in April didn't happen (it would be nice if the National Forest Service posted Stage 2 fire bans in effect on their websites), but they are calling my name in southern Wyoming in June.

I really think 6x45 with 70 grain Varmint bullets is the ultimate self defense caliber. True Sporting Arms still has a bunch of 14.5" 6x45s for $82.50 with 5/8" threads which would be absolutely stellar with a VG6 Gamma 6.5 pin and welded. I just have a hard time envisioning myself on the stand explaining to a jury why I had to use a wildcat since 5.56 or 300 BLK wasn't good enough. I think if I ever had to, I'd have a hard enough time explaining why I load 110 gr Varmageddons in my 300 BLK home defense carbine and truck pistol.....

[454bore]

I used 27.5 grains benchmark.
It's half grain over Hodgson data for a 70 grain bullet.
No pressure sign from my barrel.
Think I'm going to use 27.2 grains Tac instead now.
Tried it today with the v max and got just as good accuracy with 22fps less velocity and a 23fps ES.
It meters great and doesn't need to be compressed.
Might be able to go up a little bit more.
Will try the 70 grain ballistic tip next or 75 v max.
They would be good for HD suppressed.
My 8 inch blackout is being used for that now with a 110 v max and viht N-110 load.