6mm rem,its a nightmare

[jonbearman]

I cant get this cartridge to shoot. Its built on a savage action with a shilen select match barrel and a rifle basix trigger. Its bedded and the tang is freefloated as well as the barrel. I shoot 2 rounds of 75 grain vmax with a bunch of different powders and the next 2 rounds go crazy to the right by an inch.It walks all over the place. The action is bedded tight with a heavy recoil lug. I can flex the straight taper barrel with my fingers.I dont know yet if the bvss stock is flexing that bad. Should I try bedding the first 2 inchs of this type of barrel or should I scrap the darn barrel and start over.I used to have a full head of hair before I built this gun. Anybody have any real good advice?

 

[trappst]

I would question the scope first......swap it out and see what happens.

If you've already tried that, what powders have you tried? All with the V-max?

I love the 6mm Rem....currently shooting a 12 twist McGowen on a Savage action. Oh, check and make sure the front scope base screw isn't bottomed out on the barrel threads!

 

[MrMajestic]

Shot out a 7mm STW chambered Douglas "Premium" barrel and never did get it to shoot. I feel your pain however with my caliber it didn't take too long! I am really considering a bore scope after this ordeal. Maybe someone could scope it for you. FYI, new Bartlein barrel in 7mm SAUM is coming to ease my suffering.

 

[lynn]

A good way to test for stock flex related problems.
Shoot 3 shots with the front rest way forward.
Shoot 3 shots with the front rest midway down the forend.
Shoot 3 shots with the front rest right under the action.
Repeat in reverse order.
Look at the targets.
Are they screaming out at you or not?
Its probaly something simple that your overlooking due to frustration.Set it aside after completely disassembling it and let it sit 3 full days.Re-assemble it and try it again.
I had a great shooting heavygun with a base so loose i am suprised the trip to the range didn't make it fall off.It was shooting 1 inch 3 shot groups and as I was talking to a friend a unknown shooter walked over to it acting like he was going to steal my nightforce scope as a joke.When he grabbed it I about died from embarassment it was so loose.
Lynn

 

[bheadboy]

watch your cheek and right hand pressure, be consistant - stocks will flex and in recoil straighten changing point of impact

Bob

 

[Dimwit Flathead]

Don't overlook the possibility of having a screwed up barrel! I went through your exact scenario with the same barrel in 22-250. Two rounds smack on target and everything after was a shotgun pattern. I noticed when I cleaned that the middle of the barrel felt tight. A borescope inspection showed the most screwed up, constricted, copper fouled barrel in the world, and it was a Shilen SS Select Match barrel. Shilen replaced it no questions asked when I called and explained and told them who the gunsmith was.

 

[ebb]

I would definitly look into a scope change or a scope check. I had a gunsmith rebarrel a short action remington with a Montana rifleman barrel i got a deal on. I had exactly the same problem 2 shots in the same hole then all over the place. I had a friend remove the barrel and check all the machine work it was perfect. The barrel scoped good also. Another friend had been saying it was the scope from the begining, he produced a Hood scope checker. We put it one the rail on the gun and it has 2 rails on top of the Hood checker. After a complete cleaning we put a nightfoce on one side and the original scope on the other (it was brand new when it was put on this gun). Fired one shot and zeroed both scopes on the bullet hole. After about 2 shots the scope in question started to move low and to the right and with each shot it got worse. The rifle with little load work now seems capable of 3/8s to 1/4 inch groups. I had been working on this gun for a year, with NO improvement in the groups at all. I was told buy the gunsmith that built the rifle scopes are the problem most of the time.

 

[jonbearman]

Thanks for the imfo guys,anyone have a killer load for 6mm rem before I start doing anything. I have lots of different projo's to pick from down to 55 grains.

 

[lmorrison17]

I'm with wbm try a selection of different bullets.

 

[Dave T]

I've got a 6MM Remington on a Remington 700 action (older action) with a 26" Lija barrel, action spec'd out, lugs lapped the whole deal and it has been a wonderful rifle. Very accurate with match bullets, but for hunting I used to shoot 70 grn ballistic tips until Nosler got greedy with price so I switched to 65 grn VMax and recently I am shooting 48 grns of the new ReLoder 17, this is great powder. Don't give up on your 6MM Remington, great round, especially for groundhogs at longer ranges. I have lot's more loads, PM if you want more.
Dave T

 

[Jeff A]

My 6mm Cooper gave me some good groups yesterday, all with 90 gr Bergers. Best was .313", several other combinations went in the 4's. The 6m will shoot.

 

[Boone]

Don't give up on the gun, I have a 6mm in an older Ruger 77. This thing will shoot just about anything well, but just try something, buy some 95 Grain SST's and use H4831. Your gun just might not like that particular bullet or powder combo U R using.

 

[tiny68]

I have a 6mm Rem built on a Stevens LA with a 28" Shilen 1:12 twist barrel (same as the old 244). It is a wonderful coyote rig. Favorite load: 75 VMax, RP brass trimmed to 2.223", Fed 210M primer, 48.5 gr of IMR-4831. I shoot them with a 0.005" jump, but it is not very sensitive to the jump or jam. 3575 fps in my barrel. Consistent 0.50" groups and common sub-1" 300 yds groups. That would be my starting point.

55gr Noslers with 47.0 gr of Varget shot 0.3-0.4s at 3975 fps, but I decided it was too much of the barrel burner. The wind pushes the 55s all over the place at 300 yds.

Luck with your 6 Remmie.... Tim

 

[CaptainMal]

Its bedded and the tang is freefloated as well as the barrel

Why?

First let me be clear...I know little. Now what the heck did you do? 6MM, 257 Rbts. 22-250 Ackley and 270 Win are my decades-old favorites. Have and have had many, many rifles in those calibers. ALL of my 6mm's, even that darn Ruger #1, shot.

Friend tried that "teeter-totter" bedding. It was a joke for him. Then he tried to just bed the barrel, lock that down and leave the whole action hang. Man I never saw so much trouble.

He went back to standard bedding with the front of the recoil lug clear and the TANG BEDDED.

If I intrepret what you write correctly ... Why?

 

[AckleymanII]

Some rifles will not shoot the 75g V Max

80g Sierra Blitz BT and IMR 4064 in win cases with fed 210 primers are a good place to start, about 41.0g+ will be your accurcy node at 3500+ fps.

Also, 50.0g of Win 760 with a Sierra 60g HP with Win case and fed 210's will shoot 4000 fps and accuracy is usually below 3/8".

38.5g of H4895 with a Sierra BTHP, win case, fed 210 has killed untold thousands of p. dogs.

Start 2.0g lower than loads listed and work up.

I could not get the 75g V max to shoot in my custom 6br with a 1-12 twist... guns like what they like.

Send me a PM if you need more info.

good luck!

 

[wapiti25]

I would try some heaver bullets, such as 85/87/ 100 and something like 4350 or 4831. two three shot groups of any combonation should tell you a lot more. Do you have access to a borescope? Look down the bore. good luck

 

[wapiti25]

One more thing try a flat base bullet. I have found some barrels will not shoot boatails well. I have a Hart 338 barrel that does not like boatails. I was told many years ago that to checkout a new rifle use a heavy flat base bullet to start with.

 

[Elkbane]

CaptainMal,
On Savage actions, free-floating the tang does not result in "teeter-totter" bedding, it results in "stress-free" bedding. When properly done, there is adequate bedding surface forward of the tang in the area of the rear action screw. They are not made like Remingtons where the rear action screw attaches in the tang.....

To the OP, I agree with other posters, I'd check the scope and mounts carefully, starting from a complete strip condition. Look carefully at how your scope base mates with the action. Install with only the front screws in and look at the rear area - do you have full contact or can you see daylight under the rear of the base? I find on the Savage actions (and other factory actions, for that matter), it's not uncommon to have a little warp/distortion on the top surface of the action. I have all my scope bases bedded on my 4 Savage actions as a consequence....

What bases and rings are you using?

Elkbane

 

[Jeff A]

Try different bullets.

 

[JFMorgan]

Jon,

I have read your post several times and haven't seen the twist rate on your 6 Rem. I had two 40XBR's in 6 Rem 1/9 twist that I went through the same thing looking for a load. Got my hands on some of Clint Starke's 95 gr. FB bullets and found my load with H-4831 SC powder 210 primers. Starke bullets aren't available but BIB makes a 95 FB. If your twist is slower try Berger or Fowler 80 gr FB's. N-160 powder worked well but not as good as the H-4831 SC.
Both 40XBRs would shoot 2.5XX groups at 500 yds. Neither had been blue printed.

Jim