6.5x284 with 153.5gr. What powders, loads is everyone using?

[Redrams]

Am about to do an off-season test on a new f-class barrel in 6.5x284. 31’’, straight 1.250’’, 7.5 twist. Krieger 4 groove. Also going to throat the chamber a bit longer freebore to accommodate the longer 153.5gr bullet.
Last F-Open season, I ran Dasher/109Gr at short and mid distance and a 284W/184gr F-Opens at long distance.
For fun and as an experiment, and especially thinking about the high BC of the Berger 153.5, and I have lots of Berger 153.5, with their BC being equal to the 184 F-Opens, will the 6.5x284-153.5gr combo actually outperform my 284/184gr long distance Match loads? Seeing as how you can drive them equally as fast and probably noticeably faster then the 184gr in the 284W.
I know 6.5x284 has kind of fallen out of favour the last 4-5 years, with its short barrel life, but I’d sacrifice some barrel life to have the best possible caliber choice for 1000 yard F-Open, especially when I am starting to see magnums popping up on the line at matches more frequently now.
I’m curious to hear from other competitors or even plinkers who’ve experimented with this caliber and that bullet, what their experiences and accuracy were? Best loads and velocity nodes?
I have Re16 and Re26 on hand, and can get Re23 and H4350, if enough people sway me that way.
(plus 4-5 different primers, and also 135gr A-Tips), to substitute with.
What were your powders levels, and fps//accuracy?
(Thanks for your time and input!).

 

[ebb]

Barrel life with VV165 or Hybrid 100V may be alot better than you have heard. I doubt you can get enough H1000 in the case to make you happy. Any one of those powders will extend barrel life over what you hear on the inter web. look them up on the flame heat chart.

 

[FredV]

Am about to do an off-season test on a new f-class barrel in 6.5x284. 31’’, straight 1.250’’, 7.5 twist. Krieger 4 groove. Also going to throat the chamber a bit longer freebore to accommodate the longer 153.5gr bullet.
Last F-Open season, I ran Dasher/109Gr at short and mid distance and a 284W/184gr F-Opens at long distance.
For fun and as an experiment, and especially thinking about the high BC of the Berger 153.5, and I have lots of Berger 153.5, with their BC being equal to the 184 F-Opens, will the 6.5x284-153.5gr combo actually outperform my 284/184gr long distance Match loads? Seeing as how you can drive them equally as fast and probably noticeably faster then the 184gr in the 284W.
I know 6.5x284 has kind of fallen out of favour the last 4-5 years, with its short barrel life, but I’d sacrifice some barrel life to have the best possible caliber choice for 1000 yard F-Open, especially when I am starting to see magnums popping up on the line at matches more frequently now.
I’m curious to hear from other competitors or even plinkers who’ve experimented with this caliber and that bullet, what their experiences and accuracy were? Best loads and velocity nodes?
I have Re16 and Re26 on hand, and can get Re23 and H4350, if enough people sway me that way.
(plus 4-5 different primers, and also 135gr A-Tips), to substitute with.
What were your powders levels, and fps//accuracy?
(Thanks for your time and input!).

I've been shooting my savage F-Class in 6.5-284 in our Nor-Cal local matches for almost a decade now, using exclusively H4831sc (50.0 grains) behind SMK 142s, and Berger LRHT 144s. I keep shooting a barrel until its accuracy really drops off. 2000 rounds on the factory barrel, and now 1000+ on my current Criterion barrel.
I'm a middle of the pack shooter, with occasional fluke podium finishes, but I think you'd be happy with 4831.

 

[Redrams]

Thanks for your input FredV and ebb. Appreciate you taking the time to respond.
I don’t have 4831 at present, but I think it’s available here in Canada on shelves. The VV powders are hit and miss up here, but N160/165 might still be in stock as well?
I’d love to do a work up with vv555, as it seems like the perfect powder for this combo, but it’s unobtanium here, with none forecast to come anytime soon.
Be interesting if anyone has tried 555 with this caliber?

 

[Straightshooter1]

Am about to do an off-season test on a new f-class barrel in 6.5x284. 31’’, straight 1.250’’, 7.5 twist. Krieger 4 groove. Also going to throat the chamber a bit longer freebore to accommodate the longer 153.5gr bullet.
Last F-Open season, I ran Dasher/109Gr at short and mid distance and a 284W/184gr F-Opens at long distance.
For fun and as an experiment, and especially thinking about the high BC of the Berger 153.5, and I have lots of Berger 153.5, with their BC being equal to the 184 F-Opens, will the 6.5x284-153.5gr combo actually outperform my 284/184gr long distance Match loads? Seeing as how you can drive them equally as fast and probably noticeably faster then the 184gr in the 284W.
I know 6.5x284 has kind of fallen out of favour the last 4-5 years, with its short barrel life, but I’d sacrifice some barrel life to have the best possible caliber choice for 1000 yard F-Open, especially when I am starting to see magnums popping up on the line at matches more frequently now.
I’m curious to hear from other competitors or even plinkers who’ve experimented with this caliber and that bullet, what their experiences and accuracy were? Best loads and velocity nodes?
I have Re16 and Re26 on hand, and can get Re23 and H4350, if enough people sway me that way.
(plus 4-5 different primers, and also 135gr A-Tips), to substitute with.
What were your powders levels, and fps//accuracy?
(Thanks for your time and input!).

I think you should give RE-23 a try. It works nicely in my PRC.

 

[Redrams]

I know a number of f-class guys around here who have used Re23 in place of 4831sc, in their 284s, and really liked it, so I’ll have add that to my potential list.
It seems like there is no one best powder for this cartridge, so hopefully that also then means it’s easy to tune across several powders?

 

[Redrams]

My 284W/184gr. and my Creedmoor/153.5gr., both shoot best with Re16 in testing, so hoping I can have great luck out of the box with it. H4350 was also almost as accurate, hard to tell a difference in several 284s.

 

[Turpentine]

Most of my friends are running H4831sc at 52 to 53 grains in their 65-284s but they run 140s seated quite long. I’m liking H4831sc in my 6.5-06 a square with Hornady 147s at around 2890 with no pressure signs at all but I’m seating a bit farther out than book OAL. Accuracy is very good at 53.4 - 53.6 grains but I’m still in load development and need to run more across the chrono to find my most consistent numbers. Many say the 65-284 and 65-06 are very close in case capacity. I do still have some room left in the case. There are faster powders out there but I’m more concerned with accuracy.

 

[hicap40]

just loaded some 153 with v555, best i could get was 1/2 moa

used to use 4831 with 140, and it was a real hammer

 

[SBS]

Shot a lot of H4831sc in 6.5-284 with 142 MK's; found H4350 (ditto RL-16) too fast for best velocity. Heavier bullets in the same case usually require slower powders. Have been shooting the Berger 144 Hybrid in a 6.5-06 Ack. with RL-26 with good results around 3100 out of a 30" barrel. Bought some 153.5 Bergers, but looking at Quickload on pressure and velocity, decided I needed a little bigger case to reduce wind drift enough to be meaningful. I intend to make a 6.5 WSM for the 153.5's. Did run the 6.5-284 with Hornady 147's with both RL-22 and RL-26 with good velocity and accuracy; but like a number of shooters, found the bullet sometimes wouldn't make it to the target after the 1st 20 string in the warm months, even with a high quality barrel with a low round count. Never tried the VV powders, supply too uncertain around here also.

 

[ebb]

If you want a 6.5-284 to live don't go any where near V555 or any of the 500 series powders.

 

[Fast14riot]

I shoot the 153 with RL23 in my 260AI and its done ok for me in a new barrel, but it has sped up and I found out my seating die wasn't locked down after last test session, so gotta do it again. Was shooting 45.5gr and velocity around 2780, its now running about 2860ish.