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6.5 BRA or Dasher for benchrest shooting

Has anyone tried a 6.5 BRA or Dasher? I've been thinking that something in the 33-35gn charge weight with the 130-135gn class bullets to run ~2850fps might be pretty good for 600-1000yd BR. My 6.5x47 feels like it might be a touch too much powder for the lighter bullets.

I recall seeing a 6.5 BR or BRA thread a ways back but can't find it with the search function.
 


why do you think the 6.5x47 might be a touch too much powder for the lighter (130?) bullets?
 
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why do you think the 6.5x47 might be a touch too much powder for the lighter (130?) bullets?
Thanks for finding those! I kept getting "search too short, too long, or too common" errors.

It's really just a hunch. My x47 shoots the 153 hybrid at 2820fps and does very well but it's a little more recoil than I want. In my mind 2800-2900 or so is a sweet spot for a lot of the bullets. An x47 can shoot the 130s much faster. To match a BRA shooting 105@2920, a 130VLD only needs 2850fps - much less than the x47 provides. Was thinking a Dasher like case would get there and reduce the amount of powder, which seems to help with aggs and consistency. Bigger bore and less powder would also extend barrel life. Maybe get a few hundred rounds more?
 
Thanks for finding those! I kept getting "search too short, too long, or too common" errors.

It's really just a hunch. My x47 shoots the 153 hybrid at 2820fps and does very well but it's a little more recoil than I want. In my mind 2800-2900 or so is a sweet spot for a lot of the bullets. An x47 can shoot the 130s much faster. To match a BRA shooting 105@2920, a 130VLD only needs 2850fps - much less than the x47 provides. Was thinking a Dasher like case would get there and reduce the amount of powder, which seems to help with aggs and consistency. Bigger bore and less powder would also extend barrel life. Maybe get a few hundred rounds more?

Sounds good.

For those reading, here are james' results shooting 123/130 class bullets from his 6.5x47:

 
So kind of a devil's advocate post here, but looking at the ballistic coefficients of 6.5 mm bullets less than 140 grains, why not just go with a 6mm (Dasher?) and reduce recoil a bunch?
 
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HTSmith, you hit. The nail on the head. I tried a 6.5 x 47 in 2019 hoping to get an edge over the 6 BRXs I do well with. All I gained was more recoil and a bit less accuracy. I am back to a pair of 6 BRXs and happy.
 
I think one of the MT fellas was shooting a 6.5 Dasher at the 1000 yard nationals this year????
I will look for the link to the equ list.

CW
 
So kind of a devil's advocate post here, but looking at the ballistic coefficients of 6.5 mm bullets less than 140 grains, why not just go with a 6mm (Dasher?) and reduce recoil a bunch?
Mostly just to try something different. A 6.5 Dasher would probably have longer barrel life than any of the 6mm.
 
Mostly just to try something different. A 6.5 Dasher would probably have longer barrel life than any of the 6mm.
Well good on you for trying something different. That’s what keeps us moving forward. So far as barrel life—maybe it gets offset by increase bullet costs. Carry on and have fun doing it
 
Well good on you for trying something different. That’s what keeps us moving forward. So far as barrel life—maybe it gets offset by increase bullet costs. Carry on and have fun doing it
$0.10/ea difference and if the 6.5 Dasher lasts 1000rnds longer than a 6BRA (3000 vs 2000 for example), and a rebarrel costs $700, it'll take 7 barrels to break even. So we shouldn't fool ourselves there! This isn't even including the extra powder across all those barrels (35 vs 30gns).

I ran this with my 22BR vs a 6BRA, assuming the 22BR burns out 500 rounds sooner (1500 vs 2000), it would take 50 barrels to catch up since the 22s are $0.10 cheaper than the 6mm.

Yep. Talking myself out of it again. Haha
 

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