6mm Remington 55gr loads & etc

F

Frog Fire

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I have a 40XBR in 6mm Remington since the 1960's, and I've been shooting 60 gr HP and 85 gr BTHP Sierras forever. The 60 grainers are great varmint bullets. With 39.6 gr 3031 lit with Remington 9 1/2 primers I get 4000+ and decent groups. I've shot a lot of deer with the 85 grainers, although you don't want to hike a lot with the 40XB.

When I ran across some 55 grain Nosler BT bullets for the 6mm, I bought some to try out. No where do they list a load for 3031, but I'm willing to try out other powders. http://www.accuratereloading.com/6mmrem.html has 47.0 grains of VVN 135 sliding the little buggers out of the barrel at 4350, an appreciable increase over the rest of the loads, and with decent groups as well all the way from 45 gr., telling me it's a stable partnership.

Do any of you shoot the 6mm with the Nosler BT 55 grainers, and if so, what loads do you use? Any comments about the above, except of course the usual disclaimers about working up pressures?

I do use 30-06 NM cases, a habit from a long time ago when the run-of-the-mill cases were thought to be too variable. When I stopped BR shooting in the 80's, there was still a lot of superstition about the quest for accuracy. It is a PITA to convert the NM brass to 6mm; is there any commercial brass that would suffice, and if so, what would be the likely effects from the additional case volume?
 
Use 6mm R-P brass

Frog, I too shoot a 40X Rem in 6 Rem which is now on it's second barrel. I have been using R-P brass and have weigh sorted and preped the cases and best loads will shoot 1/4 MOA, so I don't feel I am loosing anything to the brass quality. A trick of sorts which I use for my 257 AI which is the same basic parent case is to use the best quality European brass for the 7 X 57 Mauser and neck it down and turn if necessary. As to the volume of the cases in comparison to your NM worked brass, only measuring will answer that. Good luck with the VV powders, they are my secret weapon to outstanding long range accuracy.
 
Have either of......

you tried the W-W .257 Roberts +P in the 6MM Rem.?? I was thinking about giving that a whirl & wanted to see if anyone else had some experience w/it. I know the capacity is less, but I thought the brass may last longer.
 
Frog,
I think you are barking up the wrong tree using any bullet in the 6MM Rem LESS than 75 grains. I've shot the 6mm Rem from the time it was branded as the 244 Rem. My current rifle, a synthetic stocked (McMillan) Varmint Special that's on it's third Douglas XX barrell, does it's best with 80-85 Gr bullets over a healthy dose of H4350 in Winchester cases with Winchester primers. In case you are wondering about the Winchester cases, they used to make them years ago and I bought 2K of them at one time. Get a box of 80GR Sierra Blitz bullets and try them for varmints and I think you will forget the ultra light,ultra fast combination especially at long yardage!
 
Frog Fire said:
I have a 40XBR in 6mm Remington since the 1960's, and I've been shooting 60 gr HP and 85 gr BTHP Sierras forever. The 60 grainers are great varmint bullets. With 39.6 gr 3031 lit with Remington 9 1/2 primers I get 4000+ and decent groups. I've shot a lot of deer with the 85 grainers, although you don't want to hike a lot with the 40XB.
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Find out what the twist is. The 244 Rem had a 12 and the 6mm Rem had a 9. The 9 is way too fast for a short bullet.

For some reason, the 243 Win was easy to get to shoot and the 6mm Rem was always a finicky critter, at least the ones I have had were.
 
I bought my 6mm from the late, great, and fondly remembered Tom Alberti of Madison, Wis. It had to be around 1968 or so. Rod Avery was also there.

Here's Tom's story as it was told to me that day at the gun counter:
He had shortly before made up a .240 Gibbs. After working up loads and sighting it in, he headed out into the wilderness of southern Wisconsin corn fields.

Seeing a flock of pigeons out around 75 yards in a bare field, he stopped the car, and hunkered down in a rest. He touched off the Gibbs. Checking the scope, he was amazed to see that he had apparently missed the bird. In disbelief, he walked out in the field to see if he could figure out what had happened. "When I got out to where the pigeon was, here was a 6 foot circle of feathers and two legs still sticking in the mud." Nothing else. Turns a 65 year old guy into a 12 year old kid.

Maybe the 85 grain Sierras I like to shoot will do that, but the 60s at 4000+ are a hoot to shoot. My best shot is a starling at 250 yards, vaporized like a 4th of July aerial shell, the burst circle drifting off down wind.

I never had any trouble getting groups with the 60s of .3 inches or so. For a fun load, it is hard to beat the 60s, except, I hope with the 55s.

As I also recall, (and it's been a while) we shot fox with the 60s. The bullet would enter the body with a tiny hole, and create a fist sized destruction in the interior without an exit wound that would ruin the hide.

We'd stalk to within about 150 - 200 yds of the fox in white camo and snow shoes. Of course, when the fox got scarce, we quit hunting them.
 
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244 Remington

I have a Remington 722 in 244 that shoots quite well. As long as the barrel does not get too hot it does quite well. Like others who have posted, I have also had good luck with the Sierra 60 gr HP bullets. I have not had good luck with the Speer 70 TNT and 75 HP bullets. I have used H4895, IMR4064 and H4350 with good success. I would like to try RE-17 and RE-19. I spoke with a fellow who used to successfully compete with a 6mm Rem who said he had best luck with IMR4831 although I don't know what weight bullets or twist he used. I am limited to 85 gr and lighter bullets in my 244 1:12. The only load for light bullets with IMR3031 that I have is a Remington custom shop accuracy test load which is a Berger 71gr bullet, 38.5gr IMR3031, Rem 9 1/2 primer to an OAL of 2.908. I have not tried it myself. RE-17 seems to yield higher velocity and looks promising. Good luck, Peter
 
OK; I'm gonna say it...

This thread is better off in the "factory/hybrid" forum. I know it sounds elitist, but once we start giving lengthy answers to general hunting cartridge questions, this forum will quickly degenerate into a hunting cartridge forum asking us "benchrest experts" general bullet and load advise.

I mean no disrespect to the thread originator, or the responders; but...there are thousands of hunting cartridge web sites and very few "benchrest" sites.

There; I've said it...I can see the sights turning toward me already.:eek:

But...keep shootin,
virg
 
Virg ...

You're right. This forum has been meandering for a long time. No one seems to be minding the store. Where's Wilbur when you need him ??? Probably cooking and washing bottles ... you think ??? Art
 
I made bullets for a long time in 6mm from 40g-75g...

use the same powder charge for the 55's as you do the 60's, and perhaps go up .5g.

The 257 Roberts +P cases are not as strong as the standard Win 6 Rem cases, I tried it.

I have made a lot of wild cats. I think that it is a waste of time making cases from '06 unless you have a bunch of time on your hands.

My 6mm Rem's have all shot bug holes with Win brass along with the 244 AI's.

I shoot the 70's at 4150 out of the AI and neck size the cases. The 85's copper foul substantially more due to additional bearing surface, even though they are going slower.
 
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Sorry..........

If I stepped on some toes.

I was just after some load info for a new bullet. My primary purpose at this stage is to get the most accurate load since I hadn't shot seriously for years (just hunting).

If I can pop some bug holes, the rest will come, but I thought that this forum would be the best source of load/accuracy info, and have a minimum of "superstition" about accuracy.

To answer some ?'s:

My 6mm is 1-9.

I have used 4831 since day one also, but in my stove, 3031 shoots a tad better. The original target sent out with the 40XB used 3031 loads.

Thanks everyone for helping me out.

Good shooting!
 
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