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8208XBR in a 6BR

Is anyone using 8208XBR in a reg. 6BR? If so what range or what starting amount? Thanks And Merry Christmas.
 
I tried it once, shooting 65-68 grain Bullets, even at starting moderate loads and experienced heavy bolt lift as compared to Varget.
 
I like IMR 8208 XBR in my .223 guns and experimented with it for my relatively new 6mm BR, 28" Shilen Match Select 1:7 twist barrel. I found it shot 95gr bullets pretty well, but I want to shoot SMK 107s for 600yd F/TR competition. It turns out that with heavier bullets I couldn't get the the 8208 to shoot a 5-shot group better than .298 MOA at 100 yards at a MV of 2521. Most groups were quite a bit worse than that averaging .474 MOA.

I tried CFE-223 because it was the slowest powder I had on hand. The average of ALL 5 shot groups is .339 MOA with a best group of .160 MOA with SMK 107gr bullets at 100 yards. The best load is 98% of max published charged weight and produces a MV of 2729. In other words, CFE-223 is more accurate along with a MV improvement of more than 200 fps over IMR 8208.

Bottom line: IMR 8208 XBR shoots the best of many powders I've tested in my Howa 1500 .223 gun and does very well in my .223 F/TR match rifle, but it isn't the best in my 6mm BR F-Open rifle.

Of course, your testing might show that it works great in your gun, especially if you're interested in shooting lighter bullets from a shorter barrel than the gear that I have.

Testing is the only way to be sure. Just about the time you have gathered enough data to find the best recipe, your barrel is worn out. ;)
 
In a straight 6BR, Lapua Gold Box, 107SMK and CCI450 primer I got up to 29.7 grains 8208XBR.
Be very careful and work up slowly. Pressures sneak up on you with 8208.
 
shoot4fun said:
In a straight 6BR, Lapua Gold Box, 107SMK and CCI450 primer I got up to 29.7 grains 8208XBR.
Be very careful and work up slowly. Pressures sneak up on you with 8208.
My experience with it shows that pressure and a hard bolt lift can occur with a .2 grain " or less " load increase. I quit using it in our Panda 6BR , stuck with Varget
 

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