6mmBR advice

[NigelM]

I've got a Rem 700 SA that needs rebarreling. The job will be Munty & Roe south of the border.

To my mind the Scots have it right when it comes to firearms law and my 22BR with a 70g bullet is the perfect tool for the job, but alas I'm not allowed to use it so need to find something else.

I think the right balance of bullet and chambering is a 90gr lead bonded at about 2900fps and to future proof it a 70/75gr monolithic at about 3200 fps in the min legal calibre .243. I've got my eye on the 90gr Accubond or ELDX and a GS Custom 75HV as the monolithic.

I do like an efficient chambering, one that's not overbore and uses the minimum amount of powder to get the job done. I'm anal about accuracy and if a cartridge doesn't have the potential to shoot well inside 0.5 MOA I'm not particularly interested. I'm not a fan of the 243Win and the 6mm Creedmoor is not very efficient either. I have homed in to the 6mmBR which with a 24" barrel does appear to do all I require in a very efficient and inherently accurate package. Lapua make the brass which is a must, it fits with AR Comp which is extremely temperature insensitive, all roads seem to lead to this as a good chambering for the job I have in mind. It's also legal, meeting the 1700 ftlb minimum - just.

Has anyone got experience of shooting Roe with the 6BR and 90ish grain bonded bullets? What barrel lengths are you using? What velocities are you getting? QL and Gordons are a good guide, but nothing beats experience.

Thanks for the help, NigelM

 

[Border]

I rebarrelled a Sako M591 into 6mm BR Norma with a LW stainless 1-8" 60cm barrel. It shoots bullets from 70-105 grains into small groups. I have settled on Nosler 70 grain Ballistic Tips for fox/corvids and Nosler 95grain Ballistic tip hunting for deer.
Not shot any deer with it yet (covid put paid to last years uk fallow trip) but it is racking up the numbers foxing.
I have loaded using N135 for the 70's and Re15 for the 95's.
@Laurie wrote some great articles on the 6BR for target sports I think. I use Lapua brass and CCI 450 primers. I like the round alot and it would definetly be one of the last to go from my cabinet. I will check chrono results but I managed to get a uk deer legal load with the 95Bt's.

 

[NigelM]

Thank you Border. That's very helpful. I had to get the calculator out to work out what a 60cm barrel was, but it looks close enough to 24" I've read a lot of Laurie's work. There's no doubt that it can be amazingly accurate, my interest was terminal performance on Roe, perhaps even Fallow.

I run a 22BR for foxing with a 69gr bullet. It's very accurate and pretty good in the wind. Took a while to get it feeding well, but that's all sorted now.

 

[User00033]

Well it doesn’t matter what brass case it comes out of, eh... all you’ve got to do is find someone with a rifle that shoots a ~90gr 6mm bullet at roe at around 2,900 ft-sec.

 

[Woodlander]

Hi Nigel. I shoot a 6br, but target only and shoot 105 Amax, which are, by all accounts, good on fallow and I assume, smaller deer. For the 105s I use N150, but n140 is also good. For lighter 75-90gr, n135 is the go to Vhit powder.

 

[NigelM]

Well it doesn’t matter what brass case it comes out of, eh... all you’ve got to do is find someone with a rifle that shoots a ~90gr 6mm bullet at roe at around 2,900 ft-sec.

Very good Dodgy. Quite right.

 

[NigelM]

Hi Nigel. I shoot a 6br, but target only and shoot 105 Amax, which are, by all accounts, good on fallow and I assume, smaller deer. For the 105s I use N150, but n140 is also good. For lighter 75-90gr, n135 is the go to Vhit powder.

Thanks Woodlander. 26" barrel and 1:8 twist?

 

[Malxwal]

@remmy700 , don't you run a 6br for roe ?

 

[User00033]

If this 6mm project is going ahead any time soon, I’d be buying a selection of bullets to try quick smart. I asked a couple of guys in the UK if the bullet shortage had hit yet, apparently not? Just be aware that once it does, there won’t be any refresh of wholesale supplies for many months.

 

[NigelM]

If this 6mm project is going ahead any time soon, I’d be buying a selection of bullets to try quick smart. I asked a couple of guys in the UK if the bullet shortage had hit yet, apparently not? Just be aware that once it does, there won’t be any refresh of wholesale supplies for many months.

It's not going to be far off, although there's no panic. I'm not worried about getting the 90gr AB's or ELDX's. The GS customs are a problem here and I already have an email into the importer in Holland on them. I want to load up one of each (without the powder) to give to the rifle builder to set the free bore from so need to buy some when it's nailed down.

 

[Selous]

I have gone through the “which 6mm” question recently and came up with the 6XC as an answer. In fact I loaded my first live rounds this afternoon which turned out all sub 0.001 concentricity. I’m hoping for 3000-3100fps with a 105g Lapua Scenar L which should shoot very flat indeed. I don’t have the rifle yet as Ronin has just sent it off to proof but I have high hopes! I did think of the 6BR but issues magazine feeding put me off a little. I also considered the 6 Creedmore and plain Jane 243 Win as well but the XC pipped them at the post.

 

[ashray]

good evening,is the 6br as loud as the 243 ? i use a decent moderator but the 243 is still loud and although the same size bullet i wondered if the 6 br using less powder was quieter but still deer legal in england.

 

[remmy700]

@remmy700 , don't you run a 6br for roe ?

I do indeed, and have done so for 20 years or more. I have a Remington custom built 6mmBR.
I stumbled across a load, 70g Nosler BT and 28.5gr of H322 2930fps (identical load used by 3 others I know) with a few tweaks it was single holing 3 shots at 100, it has been my go to rifle for everything, apart from the obvious.
It’s inherent bench rest accuracy, next to no recoil, low report, cost effective powder consumption, quality component availability and barrel life comes highly recommended by me!

 

[remmy700]

good evening,is the 6br as loud as the 243 ? i use a decent moderator but the 243 is still loud and although the same size bullet i wondered if the 6 br using less powder was quieter but still deer legal in england.

I would say quieter through my Jet -z

 

[Donkey Basher]

Got a 6mmBR & shoot 95gn Nosler ballistic tips, it's awesome! Has a 1:8 twist barrel so will handle 105/107gn a-max, Scenar, SMK, Berger etc. too. Love the cartridge

 

[1894]

90gr is a fantastic do it all weight and the standard 90gr Ballistic Tip is my favourite bullet of all time. Sadly my worn 243 seems not to push them at legal velocity but will (just!) with the 95gr under a historic Norma load of RL22. At that velocity it kills very well but fallow chest shot over 250yards can take a while to realise.
I have no experience of the 90gr AB but do have 2 boxes of ‘data’ on the 85gr InterBond. Shot only slightly faster than a BR can manage its flat and great on carcasses as well as expanding nicely on roe and muntjac. I never caught one, not even in fallow.
Will you check feeding? My understanding is the nose heaviness of the short round can cause it to tip downwards and cause issues

 

[Klenchblaize]

How about a 6mm Dasher?

K

 

[Donkey Basher]

90gr is a fantastic do it all weight and the standard 90gr Ballistic Tip is my favourite bullet of all time. Sadly my worn 243 seems not to push them at legal velocity but will (just!) with the 95gr under a historic Norma load of RL22. At that velocity it kills very well but fallow chest shot over 250yards can take a while to realise.
I have no experience of the 90gr AB but do have 2 boxes of ‘data’ on the 85gr InterBond. Shot only slightly faster than a BR can manage its flat and great on carcasses as well as expanding nicely on roe and muntjac. I never caught one, not even in fallow.
Will you check feeding? My understanding is the nose heaviness of the short round can cause it to tip downwards and cause issues

Have never had any issues with fallow not realising they've been hit with the 95gn BTs at 250 yards but then I tend to shoulder shoot.

As regards feeding, I have modified a 5 round metal 223/222 magazine by adjusting the angle of the wings on the top to allow the bullet to sit up far enough to pick up the bolt on my M595 & have never had any issues with feeding. The shorter magazine & follower could have been made for the BR cartridge.

 

[GGG]

I use a 6br with Hornady 103g eldx.
Stunning accuracy, with good terminal results.
Feeds from a modified AICS magazine without a hitch.

 

[NigelM]

I use a 6br with Hornady 103g eldx.
Stunning accuracy, with good terminal results.
Feeds from a modified AICS magazine without a hitch.

Thank you GGG. Very helpful.