3500fps+ 6mm 105gr??

J

joeorr

Guest
i am curious if it is possible to get a 105gr+ 6mm bullet out at 3500fps or better accurately, with a little bit of barrel life (1000 rounds or better)? or if anyone has information on what cartridge to do it with, or who best to contact for information about fast 6mm guns?
thanks in advance.
Joe
 
Is it possible to go that fast? Sure. You could neck down a 50 bmg to 6mm and get 4000 fps with a 105. But it wouldn't be practical. The barrel would be gone before you had a load worked up.

Is it possible to go 3500 with a 105 and get 1000 rounds of barrel life? No. 6-284's will get 3300 to 3400 fps with long barrels but don't get 1000 rounds of barrel life. I've seen my uncle's 6-284 start to blow up bullets at 600 rounds. And he's taken good care of his barrel.

Now he's got a 6br improved shooting 95's at 3100 and it's actually easier to hit things at 1000+ yards with it than his 6-284 because the barrel doesn't scorch after a few shots.
 
so what would you say would be the fastest you could push a 105 out and still keep a barrel alive for 1k rounds?
 
I don't know of many animals or targets that know the difference between 3100 and 3500. Everything is a trade off-no free lunches.
Butch
 
I don't know of many animals or targets that know the difference between 3100 and 3500. Everything is a trade off-no free lunches.
Butch
I will admit that is true, to an extent. the thing im looking at is trajectory out to 500 yards wich is why I ask, with what I added up a 105 vld at 3500 should impact 24 or less inches low when zeroed at 250( don't remember the exact drop but it was not a lot.) and im trying to figure out if this is possible to obtain these speeds and if it would be worth building such a rifle, something between 12 and 15lbs. or if I can find something that is accurate enough,and a descent wind bucking ability, but im not set in stone on any thing till I gather enough information. so I figured what better place than the fine people at benchrest central to get a idea of what im up against

Joe
 
I used a 6mm 250AI for a couple of years that would push a 105 Berger VLD over 3400fps pretty easily with H4350. I chambered the barrel with a 243AI reamer, held it .130 short, necked down and fireformed .250 Savage brass and had me a cartridge that would clean 1,000 yards. Barrel life was over 1,000 rounds with mollied bullets. For dies I bought 243AI dies and cut .130 off the bottom. Several competitors I shot against used .243s but were never able to get this kind of velocity from them and still maintain any kind of accuracy. Apparently the little 6mm 250AI was quite effiecient. I retired it this year to go with a 7mm RSAUM. But to directly answer your question, no it's not quite 3500 but probably as close as you're going to get with anything resembling normal.
 
clowdis thanks for that information. I would honestly like to know more about that rifle, barrel length, and a little about the load,and maybe the name of the gunsmith that did the work. because if 3500+ aint in the cards with out doing some drasticly redesigned short mag i guess 3400 well have to do the job. pretty much just trying to build a rifle that from 0-400yards will put a coyote down with a full value 10mph wind with out having to do much more than aim for the top of the back, hence the choice of 105gr vld that are moving, and maybe a little benchrest shooting, so as for heating up a barrel for extended time not likely max 5 rounds in 30 seconds then nono for atleast 20 minuts minimum (more like 2 rounds then 1 hour wait). being my first venture into wildcating im picking everybodys mind i can! i also have the standard if its over .5inch at 100 its no good.
 
Morning Joe. I did all of the gunsmithing myself. The barrel was a 30" Douglas and was built in a Palma configuration on a RPA Quadlite action since I am a prone shooter. Dropping back to a 26" barrel might put you slightly under 3400fps but you might be able to get back to it with one of the double base VV powders such as VV560 or VV550. I used 45 grains of H4350. I tried VV550 and got higher velocity but began to vaporize some bullets as well as getting some pressure signs so I think I was at the max velocity that the 105s would reliably take with the H4350 load and 3400fps. With this load you're only going to get about 4.5 inches of drop at 400 yards with a 100 yard zero, even less with a 200 yard zero. But be advised also, these were not the hunting type of VLDs these were target types. I doubt the hunting bullet jackets would take the velocity.
 
A 22-243AI will get 3700+ with a 75Amax, and have seen 3800 fps which was 1.5 mil, 5 moa, or 26 in low at 500 yards, when zeroed at 100 yards.

Barrel still looked pretty good at 1000 rounds.
 
thanks for the input harvy, but im not interested in another .224 gun I already have 3 22-250's im just really looking at the 6mm because its between the 22-250 and the 25-06 and in some cases out performs both with relative ease
 
I wouldn't overlook the 6mm-284. Brass is easily formed by just running 6.5-284 Lapua cases through the standard size die. I built one for a fellow in Texas a few years ago and he reported some impressive velocities and great accuracy. The various reloading forums report a wide range of results as far as actual velocity, but I think it is one of the best choices for heavier bullets at long range.

Scott Roeder
 
oh I have not wrote off the 6-284 as of yet but clowdis has really sparked my interest in the 6mm-250ai. the only thing that's really making me shy away from the 284 wildcat is reported barrel life and powder it takes to get the same results. in my opinion the less it takes to do something the better, bar a little case work. 250savage brass is cheap hell I checked it at .50$ a piece,and its easy to come by in many forms.
 
The 6-250AI, the 6XC, and the 6X47 Lapua are all very similar in size and capacity. These great cartridges give long barrel life compared to the 6-284. Even though I have built a 6-284 (for a customer) and still have the reamer, I built the 6X47 Lapua for myself. Velocity with 105s is about 3100 with my loads although many shooters report a bit faster. I may yet give the 6-284 a try for myself. For a hunting rifle, I don't worry too much about short barrel life.
 
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