6MM BR starting point

[Lance21]

Like you I am new to the 6BR. Brand new rifle and new loading experience. I have only shot 116 rounds so far. My first attempt is to use Lapua brass,105gr scenar L bullets and 30.3gr Varget. I can't believe the accuracy of this load. I will of course experiment with other loads. I particularly want to test some Berger bullets as I have found them to be extremely consistent in weight and shape. I have had great success with them in other rifles and calibers. For me, the the velocity seems to be best at 2925 FPS or so.

That's pretty high velocity for a 6 br isn't it? I ran 29.8 gr varget/105 hybrids at just under pressure at 2818 fps.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I would get the Wilson bushing die and Wilson seater. A 266 and 267 bushing.

I have all of that in stock.

I would get the Harrells arbor press. You'll love it.

 

[One Eye Pete]

Don't count out the good old Berger 108 or the Sierra 107 matchkings. If you are starting out these are very easy bullets to get in tune and lately they seem to be more available than the hybrids or VLDs. In my Savage 6mmBR they like the standard load of 30.0 gn. Varget and shoot at about 2800fps. I have found these bullets to be as accurate as any in an 8 twist barrel. I also believe the factory Savage 8 twist has enough freebore to accommodate them. If you can't find Varget (who can) or some of the other well known powders for the 6 BR don't count out CFE223. Its a ball powder and certainly not my first choice but it will work and may be easier to find than the others.
For a sizing die - Harrells full length bushing sizing die (as stated in a previous post send them 3 fired cases and for a very reasonable price you get damn near a custom die to fit your chamber). Start out with a simple bushing die, they have been used very successfully for years. Later as you gain experience you can always go with a mandrel. For a seating die go with a LE Wilson straight line seater with a micrometer top. If you have a good RCBS single stage press that's all you need for sizing, I've been using my old rockchucker for years and it's never failed me. The nice thing about the Wilson straight line dies is if you don't get an arbor press right away you can always use a soft faced hammer to tap the bullets down (just go easy) until you get an arbor press. I have done this many times when playing around with bullet seating depth at the range.
You bought the right rifle for what you are doing and with a little tuning it should easily shoot less than 1/2 MOA @300. As far as tuning and load development check Eric Cortina's videos.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

That's pretty high velocity for a 6 br isn't it? I ran 29.8 gr varget/105 hybrids at just under pressure at 2818 fps.

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6mmBR Cartridge Guide​

Accurate, Efficient, Easy to Tune, Capable from 100 to 1000 yards​

Long popular in Europe, in the past few years the 6mmBR (6BR) cartridge has become much more widely adopted by North American shooters. It’s easy to understand why. The 6BR is superbly accurate, very efficient, and very versatile. A 6BR can set world records at 600 yards (and even 1000), yet it is easy to tune, and it is just as well suited for a long day in the varmint fields.
6BR shooters know this chambering offers great factory brass (Lapua and Norma), and a fantastic selection of short- and long-range match bullets. The 6PPC may be a little more accurate at 100/200 yards. But at 300 to 600 yards, the 6BR’s extra capacity gives it an edge, making it a very tough cartridge to beat. The 6BR remains the dominant cartridge in 300m competition and, thanks to shooters like Terry Brady, the 6BR holds many of the 600-yard BR records.
Here then, we have a cartridge that delights both varminters and match shooters–benchresters and position shooters alike. The 6BR offers easy load development, excellent barrel life (expect 2500 rounds or more of top accuracy), and low component costs. Despite its small size, the 6BR offers better ballistics than a .308 Win, though the 6BR burns 33% less powder and produces 55% less recoil. (6BR with 105gr compared to .308 with 175gr.)

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6mmBR Cartridge Basics
The 6mm BR that is most commonly used today is also called 6mm Norma BR, “6BR Norma”, or just plain “6BR”. This cartridge was based on the original 6mm Remington Benchrest case. Though there are very slight differences between the SAMMI spec for the 6mm Rem BR and the CIP spec for the 6mm BR Norma, the OAL case length is the same. We’ve observed that there may be small variances in base dimensions among production brass, from brand to brand. Though Norma standardized the round, most people shoot Lapua brass, because of its superior quality and uniformity, not to mention lower cost. The case capacity of Lapua brass is about 38-39.5 grains of H20, after fire-forming. The exact capacity depends on your gun’s chamber and the brass lot. The 6mm BR is one of the most accurate cartridges in existence, bettered only by the PPC type cases in group shooting, and the 30BR in score shooting. The 6BR is very versatile, capable of great accuracy with bullets ranging from 50 to 108 grains.

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6BR Reloading–Powders, Bullets, and Favorite Recipes

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Reload load data 6mm powder bullets Hodgdon Vihtavuori Lapua
We could fill a book with 6mm BR reloading recipes, case prep secrets, accurizing tips, and miscellaneous voodoo. Or we could tell you simply take a new Lapua 6BR case, add a CCI 450 primer, drop in 30 grains of Varget, top it with a Fowler 80gr FB bullet at the lands, and shoot it.
Chances are that can give you a .30″ group at 100yds in a good gun. But for those of you who won’t settle for the simple answer, here’s a summary of things that work…

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Preferred Powders
For the 70-90 grain bullets, Vihtavuori N-135 and H4895 are excellent choices. For the 105-108 grain projectiles, A good starting point is Varget sparked by CCI 450 primers. That’s a combo proven in competition. Varget is accurate, works with all bullet weights and is relatively insensitive to temperature shift. Our recent Rail-Gun Tests, however, have shown Reloader 15 to be equally accurate, and able to deliver up to 50 fps more velocity with the heavier bullets. H4895 also proved very accurate with the heavier bullets in the 2880 fps range. Other good choices for the heavy bullets include VV N-140, N-150, N540, and Norma 203-B. Reloader 15 has produced great velocities with low ES, giving more speed than Varget at similar pressures. Norma uses 203-B in its Diamond Line 6BR ammo.
Powder Burn Rates | Recommended Powder & Primer Vendor: Powder Valley, (800) 227-4299.
Best Bullets
For short range: 80gr Berger or Fowler FB, 74gr Berger FB, or any of the good 68gr custom bullets. We’ve had many reports (confirmed by our own testing), that the Berger 80-grainers shoot superbly in both slow- and fast-twist barrels, from 12-twist to 8-twist. If you want to see how tight that 1:8″ barrel of yours can shoot, load up some Berger 80s 0.015″ into the lands with a stout load of N-135.
For medium range or 1:10 twist barrels: Berger 88gr Low Drag FB, BIB 95gr FB, or Hornady 87-gr V-Max. The BIB is superbly accurate, having shot sub .2″ groups at 200 yards.
For long range: Berger 105gr VLD or the new 108gr Match, 100gr or 106gr Clinch River VLD, 105gr JLK (Swampworks), 105gr Lapua Scenar, 107gr Sierra MK, or 103gr Spencer. The value choice is Hornady’s 105gr A-Max ($16/100 at MidSouth Shooters Supply, #003-24562).
The Lapua 105gr Scenar is a very uniform bullet and ultra-accurate, but the max diameter is 0.24285, compared to 0.2433+ for some other brands. Accordingly the Scenars may prefer a tighter bore. They shot superbly in this editor’s PacNor 8-twist and a .236-land Krieger tested by Jackie Schmidt.

Primer Selection
CCI BR4s and 450s are giving the best velocities, with lowest ES, for the 100+gr bullets. For the shorter bullets, the Fed 205s work well. Federal 205s give good accuracy, but they don’t handle high pressures as well as the CCIs, which have a harder cup. Stick to CCIs for hot loads.
Case Prep
With brand new Lapua brass, we recommend you run an expander mandrel down the neck for starters. This will iron out any dents or folds and will reduce neck tension a bit. Neck tension on the virgin brass is more than you need, and by lessening it somewhat you’ll find your bullets seat more consistently. Always chamfer the mouth before seating. We use a standard Forster 45-degree tool, then smooth the chamfer with a bit of green nylon scouring pad. Be sure to remove all burrs–don’t leave any sharp edges on the chamfer. You may also want to try the K&M 4-degree tapered chamferer, but don’t cut too deep–a slight chamfer is all you need. About flash holes–we suggest leaving them alone when using Lapua brass. Our tests suggest that ES and SD may increase with ANY modification of the Lapua Flash-holes, which run 1.50mm (.059″) out of the box.

However, recent lots of Lapua 6BR brass have shown a few cases per box where there is a little flake of brass on the edge of the flash hole. You’ll want to pop this out. A Pin Vise with #53 or 19/32 bit works well for the job. If you do decide to actually ream the flash hole, use a K&M or Sinclair deburring tool for small primer holes–but be gentle, don’t ream the hole out. Double check the diameter of the cutter tip before reaming–some are oversize. To uniform the outside of the hole you can use the Sinclair 07-3000 outside PPC/BR flash hole reamer (right). This will ream the hole to about .064″ or so to fit a standard 1/16″ (.0625″) decapping pin.
Seating Depth
When working with an untested load, we suggest starting .015″ from the lands. However, our testing with multiple bullets in a 6BR rail gun shows that most 6mm match bullets bullets perform best seated to slightly jam, perhaps .010″-.015″. However, this is not always true. We have observed that some of the heavier boat-tails, Sierras especially, perform best jumped by as much as .025″. We’ve heard similar reports from the 6.5-284 shooters running 142 SMKs. But other guns perform better with bullets jammed in the lands .010″ or more. You have to experiment to find out what works best.
Decapping
Before you can reload a case, you need to get the primer out. Lapua 6BR brass comes with a 1.50mm (.059″) flashhole. Even the typical “small” decapping .0625″ decapping pin will be too big. Yes, you might press it through the flashholes a few times, but evenutally you’ll jam that .0625″ pin and it will break. What’s the answer? When you order 6BR sizing dies from Harrell’s, Forster, or Redding, they should supply a decapping rod with .055-.057″ tip diameter. But, we’ve found, sometimes all three companies don’t do that and you have to call and ask for the right diameter. With something under .058″ you’ll have no trouble decapping those cases.

Case Cleaning and Lubrication
In a match chamber, with the modern propellents we have, your cases should come out of the chamber very clean. If you’re operating in the “sweet spot” of the powder, you’ll normally see a sine wave type powder pattern on the case neck. Don’t worry–that is normal, and is a good sign. This editor does not tumble or wash cases. I use a dry nylon brush to clean inside the necks. I find a quick wipe with a patch sprayed with Ballistol Aerosol cleaner/lube will remove all the excess carbon on the outside of the case. (Tip: Wipe down the cases before you leave the range and the carbon hardens.) Ballistol, I’ve found, is also an ideal lubricant for full-length sizing of a small case such as the 6BR or 6PPC. Just spray a little Ballistol on your finger or wipe it on the case with a patch. Don’t worry, Ballistol is non-toxic and bio-degradeable. It also wipes off very easily.
If you want to clean the inside of your cases, the best method is to clean with ultrasound. This does a superb job of removing carbon and powder residue from your brass inside and out. Jason wrote an excellent feature on Ultrasonic Case Cleaning. He experimented with various techniques and solvents and came up with an economical system that works great. If you haven’t read Jason’s article yet, Click HERE. One downside to ultrasonic cleaning is that it gets the brass so free of residues that you may need some extra lubrication in the necks to assist bullet seating. Jason recommends the dry moly lubricant sold by Neconos.com. (Without ultrasonic cleaning, the residual carbon/graphite residue left in the necks is all you need.)

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Dies and Reloading Gear
Since the 6mmBR has recently become a very “hot” cartridge, all the major die-makers offer reloading dies. We like to use a full-length die that is a close match to our fired brass. One cost-effective way to get a “semi-custom” FL-sizing die is to send 2 or 3 fired cases to the Harrell Brothers at Harrell’s Precision. They will select a full-length die (for use with neck bushings), that is a close fit to your case. The price, $70.00, is very reasonable, compared to full-custom dies.
Among factory 6BR sizing dies, it’s hard to go wrong with a Redding Type ‘S’ full-length bushing die. This will both resize the case (and bump the shoulder) as necessary, and allow you to adjust neck tension with bushings. Alternatively, you can go with a body die, and a separate neck bushing die. The Forster Full-length die is also excellent, but you’ll want to have the neck diameter increased by Forster.

If you load primarily one brand of bullets, another slick set-up is to buy a Forster full-length 6mmBR sizing die, and then send it off to Forster to have the neck honed for your desired amount of tension. Honing to .266″ will give you about .002″ of tension after springback. Forster charges just $10 plus shipping for this service. This elegant one-pass sizing solution produces very straight rounds with low run-out. We also believe that doughnuts (in the neck) form less readily if you full-length size with non-bushing dies as opposed to using bushings. Bushing dies leave a little bit of the neck unsized, and that’s where the brass can build up.
For bullet seating, both the Redding Competition Seater and the Forster Ultra-Seater work great for the 6BR case. If you want the “Cadillac” of production seater dies for the 6mmBR, order the Wilson Stainless Micrometer seater from Sinclair Int’l, Grafs.com, or MidwayUSA.com (item 517603). Costing only a few dollars more than a Redding Comp seater, this die is a joy to use, providing very positive control over bullet seating depth. When used with a quality arbor press, the Wilson offers unrivaled “feel” for bullet-seating force. This can help you monitor neck tension, one of the most critical factors in maintaining low ES and SD for long-range accuracy.

Why the 6BR Will Continue to Grow in Popularity I have to say that shooting and loading the 6BR is so rewarding that I can barely get motivated to shoot anything else. After all these years of .308 shooting in NRA Match Rifle, ISSF 300 Meter, NRA/CMP Service Rifle and Palma, discovering the accuracy, mildness and ease of loading of the 6BR is like striking gold. I feel like the William Hurt character in that now old movie The Big Chill who puts on a pair of sneakers for the first time in his life and is so overwhelmd by their comfort that he wears them 24/7. The 6BR exhibits all these same characteristics and a few more pleasant ones as well, such as low recoil and accuracy even exceeding the .308–which is nothing to sneeze at! When I had my first 6BR put together, my intention was to use it strictly for 300 meter shooting; I didn’t believe it would be effective at 600 yards. Then, one afternoon, I happened to shoot 30 rounds of leftover ammo at 600 yards from the 6BR. The first shot hit low with my guessed-at zero. The remaining 29 shots were twenty-one Xs and eight 10s. That wiped the sleep from my eyes and a fair number of rifles in my safe suddenly looked very old-fashioned. When “everyone” shot a .308 both in bolt guns and in service rifles, there were a number of different loads for different purposes/distances, etc. However, if your rifle wouldn’t shoot decently with 40 to 41 grains of IMR 4895 and a Sierra 168, it was time for a visit to the gun doctor. Similarly, every 6BR that I’ve dealt with will shoot 30 grains of Varget and a 105- to 108-grain bullet (bare or moly) very well indeed. While charge adjustment for the particular lot of Varget is a must, and seating depth fiddling is always useful, the basic load is there: 30.0 Varget and a 105–if it won’t shoot that, it isn’t the load’s fault. I don’t think too many years will pass before we see the 6BR as the truly dominant cartridge in US prone shooting (other than 1000 yards) just as it is already the dominant cartridge in Europe for 300 meter shooting (though the 6XC in Norma brass did well this year). The fact that the 6BR has already spawned a number of wildcats (Dasher, 6BRX, 6BRDX) shows the extent to which people recognize its accuracy while still seeking a little more speed in our classical American way. Still, I think it’s the basic, standard 6mmBR cartridge that we’ll see at the top of the heap. Finally, while the useful brass is European (Lapua and Norma) and it was largely European shooters who popularized it, the 6BR is an All-American cartridge. The 6BR was developed by benchrest shooter Jim Stekl, a Remington engineer who chafed at shooting the 6PPC (based on a Russian service cartridge) and wanted a US-born rival. While the 6BR never did tear up the Benchrest world, Stekl may yet get the last laugh as it takes over Highpower prone–a much bigger sport. — German Salazar, ShootersJournal.com

Favorite 6BR Accuracy Loads for 80gr to 108gr Bullets

Favorite Recipes There is no “screamer” load that works in every rifle. Some barrels prefer Bergers, others Sierras or Lapuas. Powder lots vary considerably–this will affect your max velocity and tune. Your barrel twist will also dictate the bullets you can run–you’ll need an 8-twist to run the heavy (105-108 grain bullets). The Berger 95 VLDs normally demand a 1:9″ or faster. The Sierra and BIB 95s will work in a 10-twist. Bore dimensions can also have an effect. We’ve found the Lapua 105s, which are “skinnier” than Berger or Sierra 105s, often prefer bores which run on the “tight” side. But still, here are some proven loads that should get you shooting bugholes.

WARNING: With all loads, ALWAYS START 10% LOW and work up incrementally.

Bullet	Mfg	Grains	Powder	Primer	FPS	Comments
80gr FB	Berger/Fowler	30.0	VV N135	Fed 205m	3150	Outstanding accuracy in 1:12″ or faster twist. Start .015″ into lands. Great 200/300m load.
88gr FB LoDrag	Berger	31.0	Varget	CCI BR4	3100	A bit finicky to tune–depth sensitive, but can be super accurate. Good in Dasher too.
90gr Scenar	Lapua	33.0 (moly)	VV N540	CCI BR4	3050	Very uniform bullet, works in or out of lands. Superb “short-line” bullet for Cross-course.
95gr FB	BIB	30.7	Varget	CCI 450	2980	Like a laser in a true 10-twist or faster. Quarter-MOA at 200m. Keep ’em under 3100 fps.
95gr VLD	Berger	31.0	Varget	CCI BR4	3000	Great combo of speed, BC, and accuracy, but can be finicky. Sort bullets by bearing surface and jam ’em.
95gr VLD	Berger	31.3	Varget	CCI 450	3060	Jammed .012″ in lands this shot in the ONEs in a PacNor 0.236 3-groove. 150 fps faster than Berger 108s.
103gr BT	Spencer	30.5	RL 15	CCI 450	2920+	NEW shorter boattail design. JLK Jackets. Tight meplats. Very uniform. Good choice for 1K.
105gr A-Max	Hornady	29.0	H4895	CCI BR4	2840	H4895 is very accurate, low ES/SD. Kyle Brown used a hotter version of this load to set his 1K record group.
105gr BT Match	Berger	29.5	H4895	CCI BR4	2880	J. Schmidt’s recommended “moderate” accuracy load for factory actions. Very accurate and consistent. 1/4 MOA 25-shot Agg at 200.
105gr Scenar	Lapua	30.3	Norma 203B	CCI BR4	2901	Very Accurate. Extremely low ES=7/SD=3 at .012″ in lands. Powder IS Temp sensitive. 30.5 also very accurate with .020″ jam. BUT may be hot. Start low (29.5gr) with 203B.
105gr Scenar	Lapua	30.3	Varget	CCI 450	2920+	Very uniform bullet that likes tight bores or canted lands. You can hot up this load in winter by .3 grains. Match load, .015″ into lands.
105gr Scenar	Lapua	30.5+	VV N150	CCI BR4	2950+	In a BAT action, Jackie Schmidt runs the Scenars close to 3K with N150. Super accurate in a .236-land Krieger. Work up carefully.
105gr VLD	Berger	31.5	IMR 4007ssc	CCI 450	n/a	With VLDs jammed .015 this shows very tight vertical at 200. 100% load density.
105gr VLD	Berger	30.4	VV N540	CCI 450	2900+	Terry Brady has set world records with moly version of this load (31.0 gr), and RL15 works too. Great bullets. High BC.
106gr BT	Clinch River	30.4	RL 15	CCI 450	2920	Jason’s World Open-winning bullet/powder. The CR 106s are superb. Ultra-accurate with minimal vertical. There is a higher node too.
107gr BT	Sierra	30.0	Varget	Fed 205m	2885	Classic accuracy load for the 107 SMKs. Works well in many guns. You can hot it up, but start at 30.0. Try Wolf (Russian) primers too.
108gr BT	Berger	30.5	Varget	CCI BR4	2900+	NEW bullet. This load has tested 1/4 MOA at 550 yards. You can substitute RL 15, but it is more temp sensitiv

 

[Gary C]

WOW
You guys are getting me excited to get going with this.
UPDATE
I ordered a Redding set of dies with the bushing sizer and mic seater.
I ordered a hornady hardspace comp gage set.
I have a fresh pound of IMR4895 and will be looking for varget.
I have some cci BR primers and some other MATCH primers.
CCRider, that post is gold and i will reread it many times.
Thanks again for your knowledge based advise.

 

[NA Woody]

Another vote for the Berger 108's. If your gun won't shoot small with them there is likely something wrong with the gun. Not the sexiest BC but they are easy to tune and deadly accurate!

 

[Drop Port]

OK,
I just ordered a Savage LRPV in 6MM Norma BR.
I ordered Lapua brass and now need suggestions as to the best bullets to start
with.
The factory barrel is an eight twist.
Next comes dies. Lots of ways to go here. should I get a set of LE Wilson dies
and an arbor press?
Just go with Forster or widden with micrometer seating? Bushing or arbor neck tension?
My very limited experience loading for my 7-08 deer rifle is with RCBS press and dies
using full legnth resizing.
So, I have a lot to learn and am thankful for any advise.
My head is full of the methods used by the best here but i'm not going to be competing
so I don't need to go whole hog but want produce good ammo.
I am starting with a factory Savage to shoot with other guys at our club at the
Monday morning geezer bench rest league.
I intend to put a decent scope on the rifle and have fun with the guys.
Thanks for the help!

Based on this information I would keep it simple, Varget, BR4's, and either Berger 108's or Sierra 107's. For a newer handloader the 108, 107's are generally more forgiving. For me 107's are highly under rated.

 

[Bill Norris]

Based on this information I would keep it simple, Varget, BR4's, and either Berger 108's or Sierra 107's. For a newer handloader the 108, 107's are generally more forgiving. For me 107's are highly under rated.

The 107 gr. Sierra HPBT MK out-performed anything I tried including several Berger 95, 105, 108, 109 gr. when I had my 6mmBR. Now that I have had Zack (WSMNUT) re-chamber it to the 6BRX it looks like the same will be true as well. The 105 gr. is holding it's own for now but I'm not done with testing yet.

 

[Oyster]

One of the easiest calibers to reload for in my opinion. Varget, BR4, Sierra 107gr is my go too.

 

[JB10]

105 berger hybrids. Redding dies work just fine. Very light neck tension. Seat in the lands, h4895 powder at a charge you find and shoot.

 

[divingin]

Don't count out the good old Berger 108 or the Sierra 107 matchkings.

My Krieger barrel loves the 108/109 hybrids and the 108 BT Targets. I found the VLD's are picky enough about seating depth that I try to avoid them (though they do shoot good when you get it right.) The Hybrids seem to be much more forgiving in terms of charge and depth; couple less things to worry about. Caveat - I'm not shooting matches, nor do I have access to long ranges.

 

[jnyfeler]

The 6BR is such a great cartridge. It's astonishingly accurate and EASY to tune. I shoot sling with a Tubb 2000 rifle. It's got a Schneider barrel, and they are notoriously tight bore, so I hit my velocity with lower powder charges. My load data:
Lapua cartridge case
28.2 gr. Varget powder
105 gr. Lapua Scenar bullet
CCI BR-4 primer
.012" jump

I load on an RCBS Rock Chucker press
Sizing die: Redding type S full length bushing die
Seating die: Forster Bench Rest Ultra Micrometer

It's just stupid-accurate. I'm jumping .012" because that's the first jump I tested, and it worked so well, I stopped testing.

Glad you've got a group of guys to shoot with. If you ever want to up the fun meter, give competition a try; Benchrest or F-Class. Or even sling if you want to get down in the dirt with us . I've always enjoyed shooting, but I never knew the fun I was missing out on till I tried competition. Even as a newbie, competition has always been a blast.

Enjoy your Savage LRPV,

Jeff