6.5x284 project rifle build
- Thread starter DennisH
- Start date
accuracyman
Silver $$ Contributor
My opinion but a 6.5x284 is going to be hard on barrels no matter what configuration. The only thing you can do is slow it down a little and enjoy the accuracy. My barrel finished at 30" and is a 8.5 twist shooting 142 SMK's. I have a conventional recessed target crown on my barrel. Nothing exotic here! Put in H4831SC and let em' fly.
Kris Whitman
Kris Whitman
Dennis,
6.5x284 and barrel life are not usually found in the same sentence.
That said, the best you can do would be to have the finished bbl salt bath nitrided and use VV powders. We have two shooters in our group with treated 6.5x284s and the throats look very good at 800 rds.
That will give you a hard surface that will resist throat errosion and lower buring temps on the powder.
Don't play around trying every powder and bullet. Bbl life is limited at best. Look at the known formulas for accuracy. 2950 FPS with a 142 SMK and VV160 powder. H4831sc and H4350 will provide excellent accuracy but burn hotter than the VV s.
A good sharp square crown is all that matters. There is no magic in a crown.
Bbl should finish at 30 inches and 8 or 8.5 will work. Get your reamer set up for the bullet you want to shoot (throat dimension) and start prepping Lapua brass.
Have fun.
Bob
6.5x284 and barrel life are not usually found in the same sentence.
That said, the best you can do would be to have the finished bbl salt bath nitrided and use VV powders. We have two shooters in our group with treated 6.5x284s and the throats look very good at 800 rds.
That will give you a hard surface that will resist throat errosion and lower buring temps on the powder.
Don't play around trying every powder and bullet. Bbl life is limited at best. Look at the known formulas for accuracy. 2950 FPS with a 142 SMK and VV160 powder. H4831sc and H4350 will provide excellent accuracy but burn hotter than the VV s.
A good sharp square crown is all that matters. There is no magic in a crown.
Bbl should finish at 30 inches and 8 or 8.5 will work. Get your reamer set up for the bullet you want to shoot (throat dimension) and start prepping Lapua brass.
Have fun.
Bob
Dennis
Bob is right on. N160 or N165 would be a good way to extend Barrel errosion and again like he said the Salt bath Nitride would also make it last a little longer as well.
I know Bob mentioned VV powder in general.. however I will have to add caution to using the N500 series like N560 as that is about as a high BTU powder as there is, while the N100 series are the very lowest oddley enough.
My go to powder for the 6.5X284 is H4831SC at about 52gr's ish with Lapua or Norma brass. Shooting either a 140 Berger or 142gr Sierra match King. With that combo and some smart cleaning practices in the throat area I have not had a barrel go before 1200 rounds yet. And When I spin them off its because I need to start the next season with a new tube in order to NOT get caught at the National's with a barrel on the edge of being shot out. That would be bad.
Good Luck
RT
Bob is right on. N160 or N165 would be a good way to extend Barrel errosion and again like he said the Salt bath Nitride would also make it last a little longer as well.
I know Bob mentioned VV powder in general.. however I will have to add caution to using the N500 series like N560 as that is about as a high BTU powder as there is, while the N100 series are the very lowest oddley enough.
My go to powder for the 6.5X284 is H4831SC at about 52gr's ish with Lapua or Norma brass. Shooting either a 140 Berger or 142gr Sierra match King. With that combo and some smart cleaning practices in the throat area I have not had a barrel go before 1200 rounds yet. And When I spin them off its because I need to start the next season with a new tube in order to NOT get caught at the National's with a barrel on the edge of being shot out. That would be bad.
Good Luck
RT
Dennis,
Russ brought up a very important point about cleaning practices in the throat area. An unhardened bbl , I beleive needs to have the throat polished on a regular basis. JB, ISSO, that sort of thing.
Keep the throat of the bbl smooth and it takes longer for cracking to develop and as it does, there are no sharp edges to tear the bullet jacket.
You can track this with a bore scope if you have access to one.
None of the above is applicable to a hardened bbl as the polish does not have an effect on the hard surface.
RGDS
Bob
Russ brought up a very important point about cleaning practices in the throat area. An unhardened bbl , I beleive needs to have the throat polished on a regular basis. JB, ISSO, that sort of thing.
Keep the throat of the bbl smooth and it takes longer for cracking to develop and as it does, there are no sharp edges to tear the bullet jacket.
You can track this with a bore scope if you have access to one.
None of the above is applicable to a hardened bbl as the polish does not have an effect on the hard surface.
RGDS
Bob
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