I am going to stretch out my 6mm arc and see what its really capable of beyond 400. Anybody out there have some good bullets/powders to start? Honestly I have had most 108 grn bullets I've tried shoot come in at 1/2 to 7/8" at 100 and now Id like to see what its capable of at longer ranges. I live in Idaho and the wind is a big issue out here so any good suggestions for a start?
6mm Arc Best bullt/powder combos for 600+
- Thread starter Djasi1
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ap2020 makes great videos and is a great shooter!
I'll say, don't chase bc at the expense of accuracy. I would definitely look at the bullets in the 87-95 gr weight range and compare with the higher bc heavier bullets. BC only gets you so far. To me, accuracy come first, then bc. Lots of people go about it the other way around. I also think, regardless of how Hornady is marketing the ARC family, they are better suited for lighter bullets.
Mine shot 80 gr Blitz’s right out of the gate with h4895. I ve yet to get a heavier bullet to shoot same level of accuracy … 2 in a hole and one out in 1-1 1/4” area. With CFE223. Going to try some 90-95 gr bullets and slip a little Varget into the mix. Just as accuracy trumps BC, accuracy also trumps velocity; IMO
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I will try some lighter bullets too. I agree that accuracy is faaar more important than bc. Any thoughts on what bullets to try in those weights?
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jmkasza
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I'd look at several 90 to 95 gr bullets. Varget, 4895, cfe, lvr, 2460 all are good, as well as n135, n140 and 8208.
Can't be much help with gas gun data but I shoot a lot of 6 Grendel bolt gun stuff, up to about 95gr max but I think it shines with bullets lighter than max for caliber. Problem is, it's about money and long range is hot. Hornady is marketing it toward that market. Big step up from 223 but IMHO it's still undersized for the heavies.
Can't be much help with gas gun data but I shoot a lot of 6 Grendel bolt gun stuff, up to about 95gr max but I think it shines with bullets lighter than max for caliber. Problem is, it's about money and long range is hot. Hornady is marketing it toward that market. Big step up from 223 but IMHO it's still undersized for the heavies.
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I think it is critical in this discussion to note barrel length. The ARC seems to be much more sensitive to harmonics than my other rifles, meaning it shoots well with a more specific bullet and load at a particular velocity and seating depth. My AR with 18" Proof Research carbon barrel shoots the factory 103 ELDX very well. If I go to 105 or 108 factory, not so much. Hand loading it is much better of course but the nodes are small and take some work to get right. All this to say to the OP, you need to find out what your rifle likes through actual testing and or handloading. Getting a general idea of what works for others is great but you need to compare apples to apples then test.
Are you talking gas or bolt rifle?
Not only accuracy at shorter ranges but the reduced time of flight. In my 223 Howa I reduced the bullet weight, used a load that was second best at 100 yards but was the best at 300 yards in moderate wind.
In my 6MM Remington I use 75 grain VMAX for the same reason.
I don't competition shoot, I varmint shoot over terraced farm fields.
Yes, while there are some very good shooting heavy for caliber loads, I have found lighter bullets to consistently shoot even better. It is a trade off of accuracy for bc..and as you said, time of flight is also a factor. One really has to test to see what works best for them as well as compare ballistics in a ballistics program, then see if the bc is worth the sacrifice in accuracy. If you have a gun that shoots sub .250 consistently, with heavies, maybe the gain in accuracy is not worth the bc you'd give up for say an extra .050 of accuracy. I just hate to see people jump straight to the heaviest weights when they may well be leaving a lot more accuracy than the bc is worth, laying on the table. In my testing using very accurate BR rifles, I see much more fall off in accuracy from long heavy projectiles vs lighter bullets, even in faster twist barrels that many feel is "best" only for heavies. In fact, I see very little if any drop off in accuracy with faster twist bbls using lighter bullets. IOW, faster twist does not seem to hurt the accuracy measurably even with lighter bullets. Of course there are exceptions like, the bullet not blowing up. It does have to get there. Lol!
I'm not sure where of if the breaking point is in all rifles but I would not be surprised at all if the overall performance gets considerably better if people would experiment more with lighter mid weight bullets, even in the faster say 8 twist barrels. In fact, I would expect it in most cases. Especially the smaller cases like the ARC and Grendel cases but also the BR's and the various BR Improveds. Just gotta test to really know but most any ballistics program is a place to start comparing drift and trajectory values of faster but lighter bullets. If you have a mid .3 load with heavies and a mid .1 load with mid weights, I'd have to say that is likely enough to seriously consider the lighter bullets.
I've shot a bunch of these with 90 and 95 grain bullets in a 10 twist.
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Being the idiot that I am, I have to test. My use is field use and after I work the load the best that I can at the range I take it to the field and test more. At the range we get predictable winds because the wooded area has not changed in 5 decades, nor has the open areas so the variations in the wind are limited and my knowledge of how it reacts from the firing line to the target is extensive. In the field things are catch as catch can, I don't always have significant knowledge of how the lay of the land affects the projectile. This type of study helps me pick the final load better, terraced fields may have many eddy currents and hyper velocity can help.
Not having any idea (nor caring) why but my 223 and my 6MM Remington both produce very good 100-yard groups with light to medium weight bullets for the caliber. With that said I see it as an advantage as the vast increase in velocity, (500 to 600 FPS more) that I can get with a 40-grain vs a 60+ grain projectile is amazing. Similar can be said for my 6MM Remington with a 75-grain vs 100+ grain projectiles. What I have found is that the reduced time of flight helps reduce longer range group size as the wind speed increases.
On easy days the 223 is very effective out to 350 yards, on very calm days I have taken shots and made solid hits out past 400 yards. As the wind goes up, I move on to the 6MM Remington, which is very effective in moderate winds out past 400 yards, I've made hits out to 600+ yards. I'm not sitting there in a field and taking 3 or more shots at a chuck, my old man would crawl out of his grave and choke me.
The advantage I see for the field is not only better groups in wind but a reduced arc in the trajectory which helps with range estimations. The higher velocity is advantageous with wind eddy currents that run through the gullies in a terraced field. I'll take a 1/8" bigger low wind 300-yard group if the same load produces a 1 1/2" smaller group in higher wind.
The disadvantage is that I have good reason to suspect (via testing) that both of these rifles can produce better on range groups at long range with heavier projectiles if I can get some experience with the wind at the range and dope it well.
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