slow twist 6BR bbl length

[Eric Leonard]

is there a certain length that has been proven to be the most accurate in 13-14 twist straight 6BR for 100/200 yard target shooting?? pinpoint accuracy is the only concern,,figure to be using H335 or VVN135 and 60 Sierras , Berger Column bullets,or Barts 65s,,

I figure shorter may be better ,,22 inches maybe,,

 

[DeltaBravo]

Both of my 14-twist barrels are/were 24-inch finished length which translates to about 22 inches of bullet travel. They both love(d) 68BTs from Bart. MV is right around 3250 and accuracy is more than adequate for my 100 yard VFS club matches.

Dennis

 

[FrankG]

Barrel length for the most part has nothing to do with accuracy. It will effect velocity.

The twist and type of bullets being shot will effect accuracy a lot.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[johnmyers]

As a test we took used ppc barrels and re cut chamber with a Dasher reamer. Shot 65 to 68 gr bullets we used in our ppcs and they were really fast and accurate. Barrels were 21 inch and on a decent day were really good out to 300 yds

 

[Frankr]

If you do not need to make a certain weight I would go 24" I think the 24" produces almost as much velocity as the 26"'ers I have had. my most accurate 14T BR was 24" . I have a LV Fluted at 21 3/4" ha lol....just kind of playing with the magic number, shoots decent not great...My vote would be 24" .. I think any length can be accurate. I think my 6ppc was 20" or 20.5" and it shot great. but the velocity kind of tune thing on the 6BR seems more consistent at a higher velocity or up a node..my opinion. I have thought about selling that LV barrel but what is a used barrel worth? I have no idea..It was threaded for a Haverkamp LV40 with a rem nose .268NK zero freebore ..maybe only has 300 rounds on it.
sits on top of my gun safe.. been there for years.
Oh and try RL10x in the BR right at 30.0 grs shoots in a hole...LT32 shoots good to.
I never had any luck with VV135 and I even shot it in matches just never did well.
RL10 was my go to..H335 hot humid weather hammers...H335 is weird you can not tune it you need the hot humid weather.cool weather just can just poor the powder in and it does not seem to change it too much..but it is fast so is 10x.
You will see 3,450 to 3,550 with a 65gr bullet from a 24"'er.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Possibly the best barrel I've ever had is a 20-1/4" Shilen 1-14 Ratchet chambered in 6BR. For short range BR with the typical small cartridges and powders we use, length is over rated. I kept it from a rifle I sold a few years back. I'm gonna cut it about an inch shorter and try a 6 Grendel on my new borden..when it gets here. FWIW, most LV barrels are around 21" long..give or take a little bit. Most around 20-1/2". Lighter stocks and other components that have come along lately allow for a little more than what was common just a few years ago..and still is.

Oh, and H335 is probably slower than ideal. N135 is good and very popular in a 6BR with light bullets. I was using H322 and it's great..and often overlooked in a 6BR with light bullets. I was shooting 74 grain Bergers, which they don't make anymore.

 

[Eric Leonard]

I like the sound of 6 Grendel ,,do you just neck down the 6.5 with no other changes??

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I like the sound of 6 Grendel ,,do you just neck down the 6.5 with no other changes??

Yep. No fireforming from Russian..just neck it down and neck turn..if needed. As a rule, I think anything that gets necked up or down should be neck turned. Not to mention whether or not it helps a cartridge that needs no necking up or down.
The Lapua Grendel brass is great..small primer, small flash hole and is right between a ppc and a br, in capacity...fits a ppc bolt face.

A Grendel necked to 30(30 Major) holds the current 5 shot 100 yard group record that stood for 40 years. The old record was held by a .222. A ppc never could beat it in all of that time. I designed the 30 Major, and as you know, is what I shoot mostly.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

L-R 30 Major, 6 PPC, 6 Grendel and 6 BR. The difference between a PPC and Grendel is .070 to the shoulder. Basically the same with a BR, except the BR is fatter..ppc vs. br bolt face. The neck is a little shorter on the Grendel case, too. I've been pushing the Grendel case since 2007. When I see people talk about long drop tubes and how to get enough powder into a PPC, I usually just smile, any more. It's like pushing a chain up a hill. I can't begin to tell you how many people said a 30 Major would never be competitive. Now it holds the small group record that a PPC never could get, after only a short while, too. Lucky, I guess, huh?

 

[Eric Leonard]

there was a gentleman at Gallatin last time I was there a couple benches over from me loading ammo between relays,,he had 30PPC written on his ammo box but the cases were 6.5 Grendel,I cant remember his name but I bet you would know him,,

 

[Eric Leonard]

I went back and looked at score sheet and it was Ralph Stewart

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

there was a gentleman at Gallatin last time I was there a couple benches over from me loading ammo between relays,,he had 30PPC written on his ammo box but the cases were 6.5 Grendel,I cant remember his name but I bet you would know him,,

Long story...but there is a lot of confusion as to what a 30 Major is, vs. what a 30 PPC is. Many people don't know that they are not one and the same. I suspect it was Bob Baker or John Beauchamp. I don't really think either of them fail to know the difference but it's possible. Who knows why the box got that on it. Perhaps they actually were shooting a 30 PPC, or had in the past. Or maybe, they just called it that because of the name confusion. Danny Hensley played with something similar, too. I respect all of those people and think they all know the difference, particularly knowing me and knowing what I have shot for several years. I bet it was John B., as I did build one for him a few years back. Last I knew, he said it was his most accurate rifle.

I know of a customer who sent his fired brass to a well known custom die maker, for a 30 Major. Keep in mind, he had the head stamped brass in hand...and still made a 30 PPC die "for" his brass. The confusion stems from Alexander Arms trade marking the "grendel" name. When I designed it, AA said I could do whatever I wanted with the cartridge as long as I didn't call it a Grendel anything. People took it upon themselves to call it, incorrectly, a 30 PPC. Bottom line, it's known by different names, but a 6.5 Grendel necked up to 30 cal is my 30 Major. The reason I named it that was two fold. One was the trade mark. The other is that I originally did it to make "major power factor" in USPSA 3-gun competition in an AR15...it's scored differently, or use to be. It (not surprisingly) shot well and I built 3br rifles on it immediately. I've shot it ever since. This was all in early 2007.

Bottom line, a true 30 Major is a .070 long 30 PPC made with Grendel brass, that only needs necking up to form. That's it.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I went back and looked at score sheet and it was Ralph Stewart

Ahh..He built the rifle that Mike Stinnett shot the world record with...if it's the same Ralph Stewart. I've spoken with him and he has one of my tuners..but I wouldn't know him if I saw him..yet.

 

[Eric Leonard]

Ahh..He built the rifle that Mike Stinnett shot the world record with...if it's the same Ralph Stewart. I've spoken with him and he has one of my tuners..but I wouldn't know him if I saw him..yet.

thats him,,he moved to Crossvile recently and was his first UBR Match ever and first trip to Gallatin,,after thinking about it he did say he built a rifle in the same caliber that broke a WR but I didnt know it was the Mac McMillian record,,

seems for a beginner I am shooting with some world class shooters,,

I Creedmoored him and his 30 Major at 200 for my first yardage win with a 241 in some nasty conditions,,shot a 495 agg that day,,then there was 3 way tie at 498 for first place,,

I have my heart set on shooting a 500 100/200 agg next match July 2nd,,you gonna come down and shoot with us,,

I already have the zero freebore 6BR .268 neck reamer for my second rifle to be chambered by Tim Claunch,,he also did my Farley 12 twist Leonard stocked 6PPC that shoots extremely well with just about everything,,shot 495 at Gallatin and 491 at Buck Creek,,changed bullets and hoping to shoot a 500 July 2nd,,

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

thats him,,he moved to Crossvile recently and was his first UBR Match ever and first trip to Gallatin,,after thinking about it he did say he built a rifle in the same caliber that broke a WR but I didnt know it was the Mac McMillian record,,

seems for a beginner I am shooting with some world class shooters,,

I Creedmoored him and his 30 Major at 200 for my first yardage win with a 241 in some nasty conditions,,shot a 495 agg that day,,then there was 3 way tie at 498 for first place,,

I have my heart set on shooting a 500 100/200 agg next match July 2nd,,you gonna come down and shoot with us,,

I already have the zero freebore 6BR .268 neck reamer for my second rifle to be chambered by Tim Claunch,,he also did my Farley 12 twist Leonard stocked 6PPC that shoots extremely well with just about everything,,shot 495 at Gallatin and 491 at Buck Creek,,changed bullets and hoping to shoot a 500 July 2nd,,

I'll likely miss it as I just sold my rifle and won't have the new one until that weekend. Can't wait to shoot again! You are shooting against some very good shooters at that club. No doubt about it. This area is blessed. My first year, 7 of the top 11 in the IBS were regulars at Somerset. Talk about a tough crowd! You'll get that 500 very soon. You're doing great!

 

[Eric Leonard]

yeah at BC I shot a 491 and was in 11th place,,but there was 7-8 that shot 492-495 and then the Bosses at the top shot over 500,,it was tricky up there that day with winds that blew between the flags,,

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

yeah at BC I shot a 491 and was in 11th place,,but there was 7-8 that shot 492-495 and then the Bosses at the top shot over 500,,it was tricky up there that day with winds that blew between the flags,,

Buck Creek can be tough but day in and day out, Gallatin is the toughest range I've ever shot.

 

[Eric Leonard]

got ball rolling on this and told Tim to cut it at 26" but after looking back at this thread I may have him do 24" instead,,

 

[WyleWD]

got ball rolling on this and told Tim to cut it at 26" but after looking back at this thread I may have him do 24" instead,,

Am going to do something similar myself. I have a Kreiger 12 twist being lazy and not doing anything right now so want to put it to good use. Just need to decide on whether to leave the brake on it or not. Anxious to se how ya get along with this.

I bet you're going to be on Tim's Christmas card list this year. WD

 

[tclaunch]

Am going to do something similar myself. I have a Kreiger 12 twist being lazy and not doing anything right now so want to put it to good use. Just need to decide on whether to leave the brake on it or not. Anxious to se how ya get along with this.

I bet you're going to be on Tim's Christmas card list this year. WD

I`d be super slow if it wasn`t for repeat customers, seems like if someone lets me do 1 it is usually followed by a few more. I am truly grateful. I do have a guy here I have done 14 barrels for so far.

I can say this, mr.big is my kind of customer, he has a range out back of his house and will hammer out every bit of accuracy he can. I wish I was so lucky, maybe someday I`ll live where I can shoot out back.