It has taken me nearly all year but I have achieved success with my latest build and custom bullets!
I had started a previous thread on these bullets and now I'm starting a new thread on their performance. Feel free to check out the previous thread as well....
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/130-grain-6mm-bullets-165423/
Here are the specs.....
6mm-06AI
27" X-Caliber 7 twist 6 groove Stainless Steel barrel chambered by AGW. Melonite processed after I put 10 rounds threw it.
Savage short action small shank for now.
Brass formed from Norma 30-06 brass, first in 25-06 die then 6mm-06AI die.
Brass fired formed using pistol powder, stuffed with poly-fill stuffing capped with paraffin wax.
Live round testing done with this brass fired formed from pistol powder and stuffing.
CCI BR2 primers
RL-33 powder
BTSniper 130 grain bullets
My 130 grain bullet with Bergers in the back ground. I have since achieved a much smaller meplat since these first bullets where made.
Here is my 130 in the middle next to a 115 and 95 grain Berger.
Orginally had the Savage laminated wood stock on it but later put it in a Choate Stock. Both stocks shot well but I added weight to the Choate to calm the recoil a bit.
Had perfect conditions at the range today, zero wind and 55 degrees. I have spent several days previous fire forming brass (have a whole story to tell on cream of wheat vs. poly-fil stuffing, poly fill works much better). Sizing, annealing, trimming and cleaning brass. Made a 500 count lot of my custom BTSniper bullets. Spent three outings at the range working on load development, I learned a lot! Maybe just reinforced my past findings that primers make a BIG difference in accuracy and second, the seating depth! I experienced the same challenges with my bullets in my 6.5x55 in which I experienced the same results.....in both cases the CCI BR2 primmer worked considerably better then any other. Groups where smaller by as much as 2 MOA or more.
I also learned that in this 6mm-06AI chamber and RL-33 it does not like Magnum primers. The pressure increase was significant and it threw the bullets all over the paper.
Learned with these combinations the barrel shoots better after 5 or so fouling shots, first shot from clean barrel and light coat of Kroil produced high pressures.
When paired with the Savage laminated stock and no recoil pad it kicks like a magnum!
Probably got a lot more info to share but just wanted to post some of my progress.
What was really amazing was the FPS I achieved, 3225 FPS was at least 150 more then I expected. It is running right at the edge of the max pressure but with groups like those I have posted here it is looking very good. Don't know if it is the RL-33 or the Melonite barrel or a combination of everything that is getting this FPS but I'll take it!
I started with CCI 250 mag primers in my load development starting at 60 grains and working up to 64 grains. All testing was done at 200 yrds. The only load that shot even close to 1 MOA was the 63.5 grain load.
Next I tested primers, found that CCI 200 and CCI BR2 shot best with slight edge to the BR with groups now well under 1 MOA, a considerable increase in accuracy vs. mag primers.
Last outings was to test the OAL. I had been shooting all rounds so far with a .020 jump, then I tested a .040 jump and a loading on the lands. The longer I loaded the round the better it shot, I finally settled on a .020 jam into the lands with an OAL of 3.400". It makes since, as these bullets have a slight secant profile, that they would shoot better at or slightly jammed into lands.
Best group after day two of testing with bullets loaded on the lands,
THEN EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER!
Day three and I loaded some rounds up with .020 jam into the lands, still with CCI BR2 primer and 63.5 grains of RL-33. I think what may have also made a considerable difference was that I sorted my bullets out by length. Do to a mechanical challenge of the press, for which I have since fixed, and also possibly varying hardness of the jacket used, I wound up with bullets that varied in length by +/- .010" so I sorted them accordingly and made sure today's bullets where all of same length.
I would have to assume it all made a difference because on shots 9-12 today I had three go threw the same hole at 200 yrds. After the first shot went a little low and left I settled in behind the rifle and the next three shots all felt great at the break of the trigger.
These where the first three days I have gotten out to do any shooting in several months and I was very pleased with the results. Maybe I can bring that fourth shot in with a bit more practice.
I programed the dimensions of my bullet into the JBM ballistics calculator and it spit out a BC G1 of slightly over .700 but I still have more testing to do to confirm such numbers. I did get to stretch the legs of these rounds a bit. I sent five rounds down range to 600 yrds in today's calm conditions. With a FPS of 3230 and a 200 yrds zero I needed 7.75 MOA to hit at 600 yrds.
I expect these will make some pretty good hunting rounds as well. The jacket is a bit thicker then traditional 6mm jackets.
So far these bullets have held up very well to the extreems of such an over bored 6mm with a fast twist barrel. For now I think I am good with the 6mm-06AI and 130 grain pills at 3230 FPS....... well..... I don't know......maybe a larger.......???
Learned quite a bit with this project. I'll continue to post my progress and get a few more details on what I experienced already.
Good shooting and swage on!
BT
p.s. got 85 rounds down the barrel now including the 10 before I hade barrel Melonite processed. So far everything looks good!
I had started a previous thread on these bullets and now I'm starting a new thread on their performance. Feel free to check out the previous thread as well....
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/130-grain-6mm-bullets-165423/
Here are the specs.....
6mm-06AI
27" X-Caliber 7 twist 6 groove Stainless Steel barrel chambered by AGW. Melonite processed after I put 10 rounds threw it.
Savage short action small shank for now.
Brass formed from Norma 30-06 brass, first in 25-06 die then 6mm-06AI die.
Brass fired formed using pistol powder, stuffed with poly-fill stuffing capped with paraffin wax.
Live round testing done with this brass fired formed from pistol powder and stuffing.
CCI BR2 primers
RL-33 powder
BTSniper 130 grain bullets
My 130 grain bullet with Bergers in the back ground. I have since achieved a much smaller meplat since these first bullets where made.
Here is my 130 in the middle next to a 115 and 95 grain Berger.
Orginally had the Savage laminated wood stock on it but later put it in a Choate Stock. Both stocks shot well but I added weight to the Choate to calm the recoil a bit.
Had perfect conditions at the range today, zero wind and 55 degrees. I have spent several days previous fire forming brass (have a whole story to tell on cream of wheat vs. poly-fil stuffing, poly fill works much better). Sizing, annealing, trimming and cleaning brass. Made a 500 count lot of my custom BTSniper bullets. Spent three outings at the range working on load development, I learned a lot! Maybe just reinforced my past findings that primers make a BIG difference in accuracy and second, the seating depth! I experienced the same challenges with my bullets in my 6.5x55 in which I experienced the same results.....in both cases the CCI BR2 primmer worked considerably better then any other. Groups where smaller by as much as 2 MOA or more.
I also learned that in this 6mm-06AI chamber and RL-33 it does not like Magnum primers. The pressure increase was significant and it threw the bullets all over the paper.
Learned with these combinations the barrel shoots better after 5 or so fouling shots, first shot from clean barrel and light coat of Kroil produced high pressures.
When paired with the Savage laminated stock and no recoil pad it kicks like a magnum!
Probably got a lot more info to share but just wanted to post some of my progress.
What was really amazing was the FPS I achieved, 3225 FPS was at least 150 more then I expected. It is running right at the edge of the max pressure but with groups like those I have posted here it is looking very good. Don't know if it is the RL-33 or the Melonite barrel or a combination of everything that is getting this FPS but I'll take it!
I started with CCI 250 mag primers in my load development starting at 60 grains and working up to 64 grains. All testing was done at 200 yrds. The only load that shot even close to 1 MOA was the 63.5 grain load.
Next I tested primers, found that CCI 200 and CCI BR2 shot best with slight edge to the BR with groups now well under 1 MOA, a considerable increase in accuracy vs. mag primers.
Last outings was to test the OAL. I had been shooting all rounds so far with a .020 jump, then I tested a .040 jump and a loading on the lands. The longer I loaded the round the better it shot, I finally settled on a .020 jam into the lands with an OAL of 3.400". It makes since, as these bullets have a slight secant profile, that they would shoot better at or slightly jammed into lands.
Best group after day two of testing with bullets loaded on the lands,
THEN EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER!
Day three and I loaded some rounds up with .020 jam into the lands, still with CCI BR2 primer and 63.5 grains of RL-33. I think what may have also made a considerable difference was that I sorted my bullets out by length. Do to a mechanical challenge of the press, for which I have since fixed, and also possibly varying hardness of the jacket used, I wound up with bullets that varied in length by +/- .010" so I sorted them accordingly and made sure today's bullets where all of same length.
I would have to assume it all made a difference because on shots 9-12 today I had three go threw the same hole at 200 yrds. After the first shot went a little low and left I settled in behind the rifle and the next three shots all felt great at the break of the trigger.
These where the first three days I have gotten out to do any shooting in several months and I was very pleased with the results. Maybe I can bring that fourth shot in with a bit more practice.
I programed the dimensions of my bullet into the JBM ballistics calculator and it spit out a BC G1 of slightly over .700 but I still have more testing to do to confirm such numbers. I did get to stretch the legs of these rounds a bit. I sent five rounds down range to 600 yrds in today's calm conditions. With a FPS of 3230 and a 200 yrds zero I needed 7.75 MOA to hit at 600 yrds.
I expect these will make some pretty good hunting rounds as well. The jacket is a bit thicker then traditional 6mm jackets.
So far these bullets have held up very well to the extreems of such an over bored 6mm with a fast twist barrel. For now I think I am good with the 6mm-06AI and 130 grain pills at 3230 FPS....... well..... I don't know......maybe a larger.......???
Learned quite a bit with this project. I'll continue to post my progress and get a few more details on what I experienced already.
Good shooting and swage on!
BT
p.s. got 85 rounds down the barrel now including the 10 before I hade barrel Melonite processed. So far everything looks good!
Last edited:
lol
