6TBR aka Fireball
- Thread starter Northman
- Start date
Hi guys, Fireball,WarrenB) here. I came up with this idea quite a while back. I wanted to use Lapua brass but get more case capacity than the Lapua 6mmBR case offers. I currently shoot a Panda in .243 and use Lapua brass and it is extremely accurate, but I wanted to improve the case. So I took one of my Lapua cases and ran it up a Redding 6mmBR body die to give the .243 case a 6mmBR top end. The advantages I see to this case are you can use Lapua brass, use existing 6mmBR tooling, and have a better designed case.
I forgot to also mention that no, I am not joesr. I am just a humble hobbyist who doesn't want to make any money or anything like that. I first bounced this idea off the great group of guys over at saubier.com a while back. But I dreamed it up sometime last year. I just haven't gotten around to buying a reamer yet as I'm having too much fun with my .20 calibers right now. If it interests folks here have at it!
Allright.. fireball: could you answer me some questions, and I guess some other will want to chip in later?
Im new to this thing called re-loading, and certanly new to wildcats. Now if I would want to use this round, what would I have to do? The barrelmaker dont know the specifications, how would I tell him? And a reamer? Who makes it, and how much would it cost me? And the rest of the re-loading equipment? Does it have to be custom made?
Im new to this thing called re-loading, and certanly new to wildcats. Now if I would want to use this round, what would I have to do? The barrelmaker dont know the specifications, how would I tell him? And a reamer? Who makes it, and how much would it cost me? And the rest of the re-loading equipment? Does it have to be custom made?
Northman, all you would have to do is either discuss it with a competent gunsmith and he could order a reamer or you could order the reamer yourself. The idea is simple. Just tell either one you want a minimum tollerance .243 with a 6mmBR top end. They will have the knowledge to spec out the reamer depending on wether you want to neck turn and what kind of bullets you want to shoot. I'm sure the guys here could hook you up with a good gunsmith who will work with you on the project.
A reamer usually runs around $150 but the gunsmith may buy it for you if he sees merrit to the idea and would want to use the reamer on future rifles. Sometimes a gunsmith will split the cost with you. I know Kevin Weaver of weaverrifles.com will buy it outright for you. If you want I could hook you up with him. He does good work and charges a fair price.
One of the reasons I came up with this idea is I already have .243 and 6mmBR dies. You can get away with a 6mmBR body and Type-S neck die for the top end and a .243 body die for the lower part of the cartridge if this ever needed to be resized. Or you could have Kevin make you a die from the reamer. So figure on buying a few Redding dies or having one made.
A reamer usually runs around $150 but the gunsmith may buy it for you if he sees merrit to the idea and would want to use the reamer on future rifles. Sometimes a gunsmith will split the cost with you. I know Kevin Weaver of weaverrifles.com will buy it outright for you. If you want I could hook you up with him. He does good work and charges a fair price.
One of the reasons I came up with this idea is I already have .243 and 6mmBR dies. You can get away with a 6mmBR body and Type-S neck die for the top end and a .243 body die for the lower part of the cartridge if this ever needed to be resized. Or you could have Kevin make you a die from the reamer. So figure on buying a few Redding dies or having one made.
And here we go again.
Another 6mm case re-invented. C'mon guys. Look around before taking credit for something that has been around for years. Does that mean that we all have to go back and re-name ours the 6 TBR.
Just so it's clear that neither me nor any of the other guys who have used this cartridge are taking credit for it - in the late 1940s the US military was experimenting with a new 30 caliber cartridge that would eventually become the 7.62 x 51 and 308W. A couple of shooters managed to get their hands on some of the experimental brass and started necking it up and down to different calibers. One of the calibers was 6mm with, you guessed it, a 30 degree shoulder. In 1955 Winchester saw the light and adopted the cartridge, only with a 20 degree shoulder, and today we know it as the 243 Winchester.
Ray
Another 6mm case re-invented. C'mon guys. Look around before taking credit for something that has been around for years. Does that mean that we all have to go back and re-name ours the 6 TBR.Just so it's clear that neither me nor any of the other guys who have used this cartridge are taking credit for it - in the late 1940s the US military was experimenting with a new 30 caliber cartridge that would eventually become the 7.62 x 51 and 308W. A couple of shooters managed to get their hands on some of the experimental brass and started necking it up and down to different calibers. One of the calibers was 6mm with, you guessed it, a 30 degree shoulder. In 1955 Winchester saw the light and adopted the cartridge, only with a 20 degree shoulder, and today we know it as the 243 Winchester.
Ray
Forum Boss
Administrator
Well I think Fireball deserves some credit for figuring out how to reform the cartridge to a longer neck 30-degree version using a std. 6BR body die. That's clever, and it gives 6BR shooter a chance to experiment with this caliber without buying additional form dies. Of course, if you want to shoot it you'll need a reamer and a custom sizing die--unless you neck-size only.
Could someone point out to me, what I need? Maybe some websites, that makes the equipment. I know sooo,!) little about reloading, its almost borderline patetic.
But one thing I have figured out.. It would be cheaper just to go down the ordinary 243, road. Right? I have no reloading equipment yet. Still waiting on the rifle action.
But one thing I have figured out.. It would be cheaper just to go down the ordinary 243, road. Right? I have no reloading equipment yet. Still waiting on the rifle action.
Yes, it would work. Grab a .243 case, lube it up and slowly size it in the .22 BR FL die. If you have a standard .22 BR seater you may want to use it first as it won't size down the neck in such a large step as the FL die would. Or one could reduce the neck first using a Type-S bushing die and then seat back the shoulder with the .22 BR FL die. Presto, you have a .22 TBR.
I was just rereading this old post and forgot to reply to the editor that no new sizing die would be needed for this case. If you want to bump the shoulder just use the 6BR body die. And if one ever needed to resize the body or base of the case you would just use the .243 body die. The only tooling I would need would be a reamer.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.