I'm another newbie to the 6BR and have a few questions about dies. My new 26" 8 twist Criterion should be arriving shortly and I want to make sure I don't sacrifice too much performance when it comes to reloading. My primary use for the rifle will be club competition at 600 yds and recreational steel shooting out to 750-800 yds. The chamber will have a .272" neck which means I will not be turning. The barrel will be mated to a Savage 110 that used to be my 22-250. I plan on being conscientious during loading but I don't want to follow a full competition routine.
I'm leaning towards FL sizing each time with either a custom Harrell's die or a Forster and having the neck honed. The only reason I'm not sold on the Harrell's die is due to it being a bushing die; I would like to stay away from bushings due to the donut. Will I even notice a difference between the two since this is primarily a recreational rifle? Am I giving the donut too much emphasis?
Another question related to the Forster, since it comes with an expander ball decapper, what options exist to replace this assembly once the die is honed and the need to expand necks no longer exists? I would still like to size and decap at the same time.
I've also read that it is advisable to use an expander mandrel on new Lapua brass prior to the first loading. Who makes a suitable mandrel and are they available in different diameters?
This forum and website in general have been a terrific resource and both have been instrumental in convincing me to give the 6BR a try. Some of my longtime shooting buddies can't believe I'm taking my 22-250 apart to try something they've never heard of. I can't wait to see how it comes together.
I'm leaning towards FL sizing each time with either a custom Harrell's die or a Forster and having the neck honed. The only reason I'm not sold on the Harrell's die is due to it being a bushing die; I would like to stay away from bushings due to the donut. Will I even notice a difference between the two since this is primarily a recreational rifle? Am I giving the donut too much emphasis?
Another question related to the Forster, since it comes with an expander ball decapper, what options exist to replace this assembly once the die is honed and the need to expand necks no longer exists? I would still like to size and decap at the same time.
I've also read that it is advisable to use an expander mandrel on new Lapua brass prior to the first loading. Who makes a suitable mandrel and are they available in different diameters?
This forum and website in general have been a terrific resource and both have been instrumental in convincing me to give the 6BR a try. Some of my longtime shooting buddies can't believe I'm taking my 22-250 apart to try something they've never heard of. I can't wait to see how it comes together.
