6mmPPC just for fun

[Fasteel]

Fellas
I have a HB Sako in 6,,PPC and I'm just loading it for fun shooting at the range.
When I mic a fired round and it says .268 at the neck, does this tell me the neck size of my chamber?
I have been shooting some 75gr Vmax bullets with H335, H322, and 8208 XBR powders
23.8gr of 322 is my fire form load and I thought I had read that you more serious shooter are loading 29.2 grains of powder in the case?
I have had some fine results with a few of my loads and the trigger in my Sako is set for about 12oz pull
All of my brass is Sako and has been fire formed. The necks were turned by the previous owner as I bought all of this brass once fired.
I guess what I would like to know as far as loading goes is this. Should I get the Vmax bullets close to the lands, and other than V130, is there a 2nd best choice for powder?

Regards Greg

 

[WyleWD]

Fasteel, I have a factory 6ppc in "R" brand, but from my experience they load pretty close together so will try to answer some of your questions.

The .268 is probably pretty close, but if you get that measurment from a reduced load it may not be exact. If all your fired brass measures that, then I'd say it was pretty close regardless of being a reduced load or not.

On the 29.2 grains of powder question, I know of a few being loaded that high with bullets 75gr and lighter, but usually it is in the 27.5-28.5gr arena somewhere.

Regarding the close to the lands question, personally I keep them just short of the lands by a thousandth or two, but your rifle may like them either into or jumped. You'll have to let your rifle tell ya on that one.

As far as powders go, in my experience with them N-133, H322, or N 135 would be my 1, 2, & 3 picks.

Hope this helps at least a little. WD

 

[fdshuster]

Greg: It has been my experience, with all my various chamberings, from the factory 223's, 222, custom chambered 6ppc,6BR, 6BRX, etc. etc., that the diameter of the fired case neck, as it comes out of the chamber, (after a wipe down cleaning), will always be .001" smaller than the chamber neck dia.

My .272" chamber necked 6ppc's will produce fired case neck dia. of .271".

The .262" chamber necked 6ppc's will produce fired case neck dia. of .261".

All of these dimenisions have been verified with my reamer print drawings (PTG) and with careful measuring with a Starrett micrometer.

Your chamber neck dia. is most likely .269", accounting for the .001" of springback that I find to be normal.

 

[BoydAllen]

First of all, what kind of groups are you getting? Are you shooting over flags, and what kind of rest are you using? If you are already doing very well, you may not want to change anything. I would say that based on what competition shooters use, that 133 is the most popular powder in current production. What sort of velocities are your loads producing?

 

[Fasteel]

Fellas

The best and only .1 group I have shot so far was with 26.5gr of 335 powder, not chronied, but a a 27gr group averaged 2874 with ES 10.25 and SD 5.09, the bullet is a 75gr Vamx.
I shoot off of Caldwell front bag and caldwell rabbit ear rear bag. Scope I use is a 6-18 Nikon Buckmaster. This was one of the first loads I had ever loaded for this rifle and on the first day I ever shot it.
Next best group was with 8208 with 29gr at 3193 Rem 71/2 primer and Sierra 70gr match bullet, this measured .150.
I'm thinking that you gents shoot off rests?
I did just get some of the Berger 68gr bullets to try and I will get some VV133 powder to try.
I think I have fired this rifle 150 rounds since I have owned it and the previous owner shot it 350 shots.
I have 2 different batches of Sako brass. The batch I have not fired yet, the necks on those measure .263. The ones I have shot measure .258 after sizing.
Another thing I hadn't considered is that in the spring when we shot the first groups the weather was nice, the last 2 trips to the range temps. have been around 32 F
I have never tried using wind flags, yet.

Regards Greg

 

[BoydAllen]

It sounds to me like you are doing pretty well. What would be interesting to know is the neck diameter of your loaded rounds. This, with the diameter of your fired cases, which we have, and that of your sized brass, will give us a pretty good fix on neck clearance, and tension. Your 75 grain bullets are heavier than the usual 62-68 grain bullets that are used in 1-200 yd. competition, so you will need to find your own way as far as pressure signs, and accuracy nodes go. Seating depth will also vary with the bullet but you must not be too far off the mark with the results that you have gotten. I would concentrate on getting something going with a way to "look at" the wind. Several sticks with surveyor's tape tied to their tops will save you some money on that. Are you holding the rifle when you shoot? I would assume so, with your trigger weight, and that is just fine. Often shooters attempt shooting styles that are not appropriate for their rifle and or rest/bag setup.

 

[Fasteel]

BA

I have my right hand on the stock and left hand working the rear bag, we shoot off concrete benches.

A loaded round has a neck of .260 and .439 at the web.

How many rounds generally before you folks clean?

Be a little tough getting those stakes in the ground now but come spring I'll try to have read all about it. Do you have a link to reading the wind?

Thanks Greg

 

[BoydAllen]

If we assume a thousandth of snap back your chamber neck is around .269, and it would seem that your brass was probably purchased turned for a .262 neck, since it is improbable that someone would intentionally turn for .009 clearance on a loaded round, quite a bit more than a typical factory chamber. While this does not seem to be hindering your accuracy much, the continued expanding and sizing, with that much difference will give shorter case life. I presume that you used an accurate tool to measure the diameter of your fired necks. The number of rounds between cleanings depends on how smooth the barrel is and what powder is used. With warm loads of 133, 30 or more rounds shouldn't be a problem with a smooth barrel that does not have much of a jacket fouling problem.

 

[birdog]

58 V-max and 65 V-max shoot like custom bullets in my Sako. My Sako has a 23.75 in.
barrel and it likes 133 or 135 but I feel the N-135 shoots a little better with the longer
barrel. Try 28.5 to 29 gr of the n-135.

 

[skeetlee]

Greg
If everything is working you have no worries. I have seen some factory FL size dies with expander buttons that will size a case as much as your talking. I had one rcbs 223 die one time that would size the case open .013 then back down to .004. It wasnt the best situation for case life but it worked and the rifle shot just fine for what it was. But heck ya, feel free to try different powders and bullets. Thats what this is all about for some of us. I love to play around and try different things. Good luck and enjoy! Lee

 

[Fasteel]

Got me some 133 powder just yesterday and I'm going to load the 68gr Berger bullets and some 58gr Vmax bullets. One of you fellows be kind enough to let me know a starting weight please.
Thanks Greg

 

[Dave T]

Try here for a starting load for the 68 grn Bergers:
http://www.lapua.com/en/products/reloading/vihtavuori-reloading-data/relodata/5/47

 

[Fasteel]

Bullet weight error

These are 62gr Bergers not 68 as I thought they were.
thanks Greg

 

[Fasteel]

Well why not look in the manuals for crying out loud. Interesting the difference in data between the Hornady 7th and Sierra 5th as far as loads go for 133 powder. 7th very conservative to what many of you fellows seem to load and the 5th starting data where the Hornady maxes out. So I'm going to start with the 58gr Vmax at the 7th load of 22.6 at what they say should be around 2800fps. FS