Which 6mm for XTC-1000?

[257Roberts]

Kicking the tires a bit here...
I've got 30 cals, a Palma rifle, several 6.5s, service rifles, but no match rifles in 6mm.
Been looking at several various 6mms on this sight and others, and cant make up my mind.

Looking for easy, available, efficiency, performance.

Straight 6BR is appealing. Good availability. Lacks a bit at 1000, but still good!
6 BRX is interesting. BR on steroids. Same components, same dies, just longer, but requires fire forming or similar.
"The Dashers" are starting to get beyond maybe where I want to go, special components and dies etc. [Prove me wrong?]
6XC, bump up in performance, proven winner, brass available, but very similar performance to my 6.5 Creedmoor.
243Win, 6CompMatch, 243AI, 6mm06 etc probably all bigger than I want to go. Start losing efficiency/barrel life in that range.

What would you do? I need another match gun like a need an exorcism.
What do you all like? I like playing with new guns and cartridges not already in my herd.
How many guys are running a straight 6BR in NRA position shooting?
Its awful tempting...

 

[Dusty Stevens]

6br is a good choice. I think a lot of your fellow competitors will be using a 6xc. A brx does not use br dies and with the advent of actual dasher brass (not norma dasher) getting a dasher is no different than any other case listed. A 6 creedmoor is a good choice for the next step up in capacity as is the 6x47L. The 6x284 is the next step up from all that. Dont listen to the barrel burning guys- a barrel is a consumable and is going to need replaced on all of them within a match or 2 of the others.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

6br is a good choice. I think a lot of your fellow competitors will be using a 6xc. A brx does not use br dies and with the advent of actual dasher brass (not norma dasher) getting a dasher is no different than any other case listed. A 6 creedmoor is a good choice for the next step up in capacity as is the 6x47L. The 6x284 is the next step up from all that. Dont listen to the barrel burning guys- a barrel is a consumable and is going to need replaced on all of them within a match or 2 of the others.

I load my BRX with BR dies. For most cases it is OK - but I also have a BR body die to size the last 100 thou. if needed. I set all my 6mm's with an expander mandrel.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I load my BRX with BR dies. For most cases it is OK - but I also have a BR body die to size the last 100 thou. if needed. I set all my 6mm's with an expander mandrel.

I didnt mention having to use another die that he may not have to keep the last .100 in check. A br die on a brx is pretty much a neck die.

 

[gme]

I get asked this alot, the BR, BRX, Dasher, 6XC and 6mm Creed will certainly work well for a XTC/LR rifle, BUT, rapid fire stages are very hard on barrels (especially 20 rounders) so your XTC rifle that shoots high x count cleans at 600 will lose its edge at 1K before long, personally, I think the 6BR is about as good as it gets for XTC (provided you have a proper magazine system) and wont torch the barrel as fast as the others, but if you plan on shooting more MR and LR prone I would go with the BRX/Dasher

 

[Walt Krafft]

6XC. You don't need to run hot loads at 200 and 300. It feeds reliably in the rapids without any fooling around. Brass is available or easily made. Very good at 600 and 1000 without having to push things to high pressures so brass lasts for many loadings.

 

[jr600yd]

What Walt said!!!

 

[Twdmar]

Do you want to use Gary Eliseo's r5? 6brx is a great choice but feeding is an issue. If not, 6xc might be the way to go. 6 comp match would work if you can keep in a good supply of h1000. I have a 6xc, because it feeds with aics mags, that i shoot more for 1k than xtc. I found, even in the windy great plains than I can't really beat 223 for xtc unless it's super windy. With 6xc I can use about any powder and yes, load it way down for 200 and 300 but for rapids, it's still a bit of a throat burner.
I have not used a 6gt, but it may be a good compromise because it falls somewhere in between the 6brx and 6xc.

 

[257Roberts]

No, it wont be an Eliseo R5. I know they are great stuff, I just can't afford that, especially not as an "extra" match rifle. Ive been looking at several second hand traditional bolt guns, Winchesters and Remingtons.

Im really leaning on the straight 6BR, its simple, its proven, and its a size capacity not already covered by my current arsenal. Most of my shooting is 600 yards anyways. Ive got bigger and better stuff I can shoot at long range.

If I go BR, Ive heard they feed terrible for XTC in a traditional set up. Are there any tricks to getting them to feed properly?

 

[Walt Krafft]

Imo, the key to making a 6br feed reliably is to stretch it to a 6xc.

 

[Bill Rodolph]

The problem I had with the BR case wasn't feeding, but ejecting. A plunger type ejector pushes the neck into the bolt raceway as it leaves the chamber. It pushes it so far that the case head comes out of the bolt/extractor and drops the case in the action inhibiting feeding of the next cartridge. I never tried it in my pre 64 action, I think it would have worked just fine with a fixed ejector.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

If youd like it to feed well do what walt says.

 

[Twdmar]

The problem I had with the BR case wasn't feeding, but ejecting. A plunger type ejector pushes the neck into the bolt raceway as it leaves the chamber. It pushes it so far that the case head comes out of the bolt/extractor and drops the case in the action inhibiting feeding of the next cartridge. I never tried it in my pre 64 action, I think it would have worked just fine with a fixed ejector.

Some guys have told me that moving up to the brx fixed this for them.

No, it wont be an Eliseo R5. I know they are great stuff, I just can't afford that, especially not as an "extra" match rifle. Ive been looking at several second hand traditional bolt guns, Winchesters and Remingtons.

Im really leaning on the straight 6BR, its simple, its proven, and its a size capacity not already covered by my current arsenal. Most of my shooting is 600 yards anyways. Ive got bigger and better stuff I can shoot at long range.

If I go BR, Ive heard they feed terrible for XTC in a traditional set up. Are there any tricks to getting them to feed properly?

Walt is right about the 6xc feeding easier. You can get blocks for aics mags that fit a 6br but it's the cost of mags, plus the adapter kits.
Doan Trevor made a mag well for a wood stocked rifle that used the Eliseo r5 mags. Perhaps he can make you one and you can use Gary's mags for 6br. https://doantrevor.com/2017/12/01/new-video-feeding-and-ejecting-using-gary-eliseos-magazine/
If you're talking a real traditional XTC, with an internal mag and stripper clips, I think you're not going to have much success.

 

[ar15Jeff]

I have a 6mm-250 built on a 40xc action built in the 90's. It would feed so slick that I thought it over-rode the round on rapid fire, but it never did. Between the Dasher and 6XC in case capacity with lots of available cases to pick from. Easy to make from 22-250 cases, and no need to fire form. A great OTC cartridge that was overlooked. It can still clean the 600yd target, although rounds count is up there and is needing a re-barrel. Unfortunately, I have moved on to AR platforms for ease of scope mounting and rapid-fires.