Post by GLSHOOTER on Nov 9, 2016 11:40:54 GMT -8
I started shooting a 6X45 in the late 80’s in matches in Oklahoma. I wanted a better energy component for usage on heavy steel targets that I was being faced with at several local clubs. I continued to shoot it in local matches and national level settings in early 3Gun matches. I even built my wife a full blown custom Shilen barreled 17 ½” carbine that she campaigned successfully as we traveled through the South Central US to matches.
Over the years I moved into using it in various sniper matches with great success. The cartridge carries the mail on paper and steel and when I moved to Arizona back in the late 90’s found it will hammer prairie dogs way out yonder and am awaiting my first crack at a coyote.
Because of my interest in long range and varmints I've been shooting a 24" 6X45 for several years from Black Hole Weaponry. It is the NM profile with bull barrel under the HG and 0.750 out front. I've chosen to shoot the 87 Hornady Match out to 500 quite a bit in F-Class and done well with it. This one is built on one of the BHW railed uppers that allows the BCG ride on steel rails. Very smooth to the point half the time you think the rifle has short stroked.
I have mostly concentrated on the 87’s for long range and used 55 grain Sierras for my PD loadings. As this was not a large selection I wanted to see what else it would produce with. I have several other 6 MM’s so a trip to the supply shelf wasn’t all that hard. For projectiles I selected some 55’s, 70’s and 87’s.
On the first trip I shot some of the 55 and 70 Varmageddon bullets and while some groups were almost decent they just weren’t producing at the level I wanted. I was shooting them in tandem with a 6X45 BHW Savage barrel also and it just didn’t seem to like them either. I did discover that AR-Comp was a very viable heavy bullet powder giving excellent accuracy with 87’s. As I was using formed up brass on the first trip I knew capacity would be down a bit.
I decided to go back with a different bullet selection and to try only IMR 8208 XBR and the AR-Comp. Al loads were made up using fire formed Remington brass using Redding F/L Type S dies. This time I went with the same weight bullets as before but using Nosler BT 55’s, the Speer 70 TNT and Hornady 87 VMAX. I had found a new bullet, for me, at the LGS so with the addition of 58 grain Barnes Varmintators I spent a pleasant two hours at the bench. All had CCI 450’s seated as I had not tried any of those in a bit so figured I’d get out of my Remington 7 ½ rut.
First up was the 55 Nosler BT’s. Devastating on PD’s and by and large usually showing excellent accuracy. They don’t ever seem to care what the seating depth so and that is always a good thing. I found that the IMR 8208 worked well for speeds and I was pleased as I worked up from the bottom. Reaching 3370 FPS and turning in a nice sub-0.5 MOA group let me know that this one would work. The AR-C worked K but not enough for me to chase it on this one.
Next I tried out the 58 Barnes. A very inexpensive bullet that I wanted to work with as it looked pretty gnarly with the hollow point ready to go on the warm targets I like. Once again 8208 was the winner with the speeds almost identical to the 55 grain pills. Nothing wrong with that considering they. The performance king for this one was slower at 3244 but the group showed some potential for a retest with an extra 0.2 increase in size when I bumped it up a full grain. I suspect the faster one at 3367 would shine on a reshoot. I’ll consider that.
Now I moved on to the 70 grain TNT that has been a perennial favorite of mine in my 243 Winchesters for paper and red mist activities. I was not disappointed in this one in the least. Three charge weights that looked good at speed is never something to ignore. A bit more incremental tuning might well turn up a super go to load for this one. Velocities were not shabby considering I saw zero signs of pressure in the area of ejector/extractor markings and pockets remained tight. I am finding that 8208 is a powder that just wants to work in everything from 17-223 on up to the 6.8’s with no muss and no fuss. The AR-Comp was starting to work better here but I want the best for this great little bullet.
The final bullet tested was the Hornady 87 VMAX. Normally this is a great one to put up the spout but in my experience it is harder to tune than the Match version that is so close. I can’t explain it except that when I go down range the Match will invariably outshoot the higher BC bullet. From my testing with the AR-Comp in the bolt gun and on my first range trip I suspected that this race would not go to the 8208. I was not disappointed. Admittedly it wasn’t a huge difference but as this was group number 21 of 22 fired that day I was happy. I had a better one going at 0.5 grains more but leaked shot #4 out the bottom and turned a screamer into a so so 0.9. Such is life in the hot desert. I was very pleased with the speed out of the 24” tube and thing this one may deserve a tweak.
It was a fun day with the weather finally getting below the fast bake level to the slow roast. As I shoot more for the book I’ll get more up.
Greg
Over the years I moved into using it in various sniper matches with great success. The cartridge carries the mail on paper and steel and when I moved to Arizona back in the late 90’s found it will hammer prairie dogs way out yonder and am awaiting my first crack at a coyote.
Because of my interest in long range and varmints I've been shooting a 24" 6X45 for several years from Black Hole Weaponry. It is the NM profile with bull barrel under the HG and 0.750 out front. I've chosen to shoot the 87 Hornady Match out to 500 quite a bit in F-Class and done well with it. This one is built on one of the BHW railed uppers that allows the BCG ride on steel rails. Very smooth to the point half the time you think the rifle has short stroked.
I have mostly concentrated on the 87’s for long range and used 55 grain Sierras for my PD loadings. As this was not a large selection I wanted to see what else it would produce with. I have several other 6 MM’s so a trip to the supply shelf wasn’t all that hard. For projectiles I selected some 55’s, 70’s and 87’s.
On the first trip I shot some of the 55 and 70 Varmageddon bullets and while some groups were almost decent they just weren’t producing at the level I wanted. I was shooting them in tandem with a 6X45 BHW Savage barrel also and it just didn’t seem to like them either. I did discover that AR-Comp was a very viable heavy bullet powder giving excellent accuracy with 87’s. As I was using formed up brass on the first trip I knew capacity would be down a bit.
I decided to go back with a different bullet selection and to try only IMR 8208 XBR and the AR-Comp. Al loads were made up using fire formed Remington brass using Redding F/L Type S dies. This time I went with the same weight bullets as before but using Nosler BT 55’s, the Speer 70 TNT and Hornady 87 VMAX. I had found a new bullet, for me, at the LGS so with the addition of 58 grain Barnes Varmintators I spent a pleasant two hours at the bench. All had CCI 450’s seated as I had not tried any of those in a bit so figured I’d get out of my Remington 7 ½ rut.
First up was the 55 Nosler BT’s. Devastating on PD’s and by and large usually showing excellent accuracy. They don’t ever seem to care what the seating depth so and that is always a good thing. I found that the IMR 8208 worked well for speeds and I was pleased as I worked up from the bottom. Reaching 3370 FPS and turning in a nice sub-0.5 MOA group let me know that this one would work. The AR-C worked K but not enough for me to chase it on this one.
Next I tried out the 58 Barnes. A very inexpensive bullet that I wanted to work with as it looked pretty gnarly with the hollow point ready to go on the warm targets I like. Once again 8208 was the winner with the speeds almost identical to the 55 grain pills. Nothing wrong with that considering they. The performance king for this one was slower at 3244 but the group showed some potential for a retest with an extra 0.2 increase in size when I bumped it up a full grain. I suspect the faster one at 3367 would shine on a reshoot. I’ll consider that.
Now I moved on to the 70 grain TNT that has been a perennial favorite of mine in my 243 Winchesters for paper and red mist activities. I was not disappointed in this one in the least. Three charge weights that looked good at speed is never something to ignore. A bit more incremental tuning might well turn up a super go to load for this one. Velocities were not shabby considering I saw zero signs of pressure in the area of ejector/extractor markings and pockets remained tight. I am finding that 8208 is a powder that just wants to work in everything from 17-223 on up to the 6.8’s with no muss and no fuss. The AR-Comp was starting to work better here but I want the best for this great little bullet.
The final bullet tested was the Hornady 87 VMAX. Normally this is a great one to put up the spout but in my experience it is harder to tune than the Match version that is so close. I can’t explain it except that when I go down range the Match will invariably outshoot the higher BC bullet. From my testing with the AR-Comp in the bolt gun and on my first range trip I suspected that this race would not go to the 8208. I was not disappointed. Admittedly it wasn’t a huge difference but as this was group number 21 of 22 fired that day I was happy. I had a better one going at 0.5 grains more but leaked shot #4 out the bottom and turned a screamer into a so so 0.9. Such is life in the hot desert. I was very pleased with the speed out of the 24” tube and thing this one may deserve a tweak.
It was a fun day with the weather finally getting below the fast bake level to the slow roast. As I shoot more for the book I’ll get more up.
Greg
