Is there anything to some powders being "easier" on barrels? I recently built a 6mm creedmoor to start shooting in PRS matches and would like to extend the barrel life as much as possible. I have read many on this forum state that RL17 is giving shorter barrel life. What powder, if any, will increase the barrel life? The first and only load I have shot so far is H4350 and the coated 115 RBT DTAC. Shoots fine but wondering if another powder would increase the barrel life.
Barrel friendly 6mm creedmoor powder
- Thread starter bullfrog
- Start date
Your current load is good imo.
Shoot what you have and dont worry about what powder will give you more barrel life.
There are many factors that affect barrel life besides powder including how hot
you load and how fast you shoot.
6mm Creedmoor is a barrel burner but its accurate and flat shooting. I shoot 105gr bullets
at 3040-3060 FPS and have had two barrels go just over 1500 rounds.
There are many factors that affect barrel life besides powder including how hot
you load and how fast you shoot.
6mm Creedmoor is a barrel burner but its accurate and flat shooting. I shoot 105gr bullets
at 3040-3060 FPS and have had two barrels go just over 1500 rounds.
rijndael
Silver $$ Contributor
H4350 is a pretty common 6mm powder, so is RL16 and RL17. As you've heard 17 is tough on barrels, I've not heard this about 16 or 4350.
In today's climate of paying hazmat and shipping on 2 pounds of powder, you have to weigh the added shipping costs compared to the saved barrel life. I don't believe you're going to find a combination that will double your barrel life to 3,000 rounds, so it's probably best to just roll with what you've got and not worry about losing a few hundred rounds of barrel life.
In today's climate of paying hazmat and shipping on 2 pounds of powder, you have to weigh the added shipping costs compared to the saved barrel life. I don't believe you're going to find a combination that will double your barrel life to 3,000 rounds, so it's probably best to just roll with what you've got and not worry about losing a few hundred rounds of barrel life.
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
Barrels are consumable. Id hate to know i had to shoot a shitty load 500-1000 more rounds
Your 6 creed isn’t gonna last as long as something like a 6 dasher or 6br or a 6.5 creed. I’d suggest using the barrel you have with the h4350 you have and then if barrel life is a top concern then get a different chambering next time.
If you load any powder up hot enough, you reduce barrel life substantially. Viht N150 is normally regarded as a relatively 'mild' powder, but UK FTR shooters who use it in 308 under 185-200gn bullets in very hot small primer brass loads only get around 2,000 rounds barrel life, historically a very low figure for the cartridge.
The third key factor is bullet weight. The heavier the bullet (for its calibre), the faster the throat wear. Shooting 115s in 6mm you'll see considerably more wear than with 105s even, all other factors being equal.
There are two powders known for extending barrel life in suitable high-performance match cartridges, H1000 and Viht N165. I suspect both are a tad too slow burning and bulky for the 6mm Creedmoor's case capacity. You can just get enough N165 into 284 Win with 180s to make the 2,825-2,850 fps node in 30-inch barrels. Viht doesn't list any loads for this powder in 6 Creedmoor.
No 4350 is as good as it gets. Colder burning ones would require a higher powder charge to get to pressure which looses any ground you gain from a lower heat of explosion plus other undesirable effects (more time in the barrel and more muzzle blast). Stay with h4350.
I'm on my 2 nd barrel on my 6 CM.
I found that I can get about 900 rounds down before the throat gets to the point that I cannot seat the bullet out far enough to get the jump.
My load has been: 40.6 gr H4350, 105 HPBT, FPS 2930-2990, .30 jump.
What I have done to the first barrel was to check out the rifling and lands. In my case they looked good, so I had the old barrel cut, rechambered and re crowned.
One of the fellows I shoot with has all the stuff to do it and costs me $100.00
Good luck.
I found that I can get about 900 rounds down before the throat gets to the point that I cannot seat the bullet out far enough to get the jump.
My load has been: 40.6 gr H4350, 105 HPBT, FPS 2930-2990, .30 jump.
What I have done to the first barrel was to check out the rifling and lands. In my case they looked good, so I had the old barrel cut, rechambered and re crowned.
One of the fellows I shoot with has all the stuff to do it and costs me $100.00
Good luck.
Hoot
Silver $$ Contributor
Surprisingly, QL says that a drop tube full case of N165 will kick Berger 105 Hybrids out of a 24" pipe at 2936fps around 54.6k psi, with a very small amount of unburned powder. Never tried it, just parroting what QL says. I have an RPR in 6mm Creedmoor, so always looking to when comfortable shooting weather returns and I can begin load workup for it.
Hoot
I shoot VV N160 (41.6gr) in my 6SLR behind a 108gr Hornady, with a 1037 rounds down the tube at 3030fps id be surprised if I don't see 2500 accurate rounds out of this barrel going on what I can see with a bore scope and what I can measure. I have N165 as well that I planned to test in the rifle but it was love at first site with N160 so my 300WM is on n N 165 diet now. Friends of mine have tried N560 in Creeds behind 115s but lets just say that didn't go down well with barrel life
If you can get enough N165 into the case, my experience of this powder suggests it'll work in this sort of cartridge. It's a very flexible powder indeed that performs well over a wide range of pressures and compression levels.
N160 is an excellent choice in the 243 and similar (just look at John Whidden's success with it over many years. @urbanrifleman is another N160 fan.) It works very well in the 284 Win too, although I prefer N165 there myself. N150, 160 and therefore by implication N165 too (??) usually act as faster burning powders than burning speed tables or lists suggests. Rather than being an IMR-4831 equivalent, I'd put N160 between IMR-4350 and 4831, likewise N150 somewhere between VarGet and the 4350s, not equivalent to the latter.
The new N555 may be an 'interesting' grade in this niche. Despite the nitroglycerin infusion that gives it its 'high-energy' status and N500 series listing, it's a 'mild' powder with a lower heat of explosion rating than some N100 series powders. Loads and MVs wise, what Viht data exist so far put it as pretty close to N160 charges. As with most Viht powders and their default values, QuickLOAD runs overstate usable charges and underestimate pressures/MVs. (N150/550/160 were chronically so, although the program compiler has partly amended N160 at least in the last year or two to make is 'faster'.) When I tried N555 in the 7mm-08 looking at H4350 alternatives, I got some promising, also some 'interesting' results, one of which suggests pressures may be very modest at 'normal' MVs. (I will try it sometime late this or early next year in an upcoming 4831s' alternatives exercise, in this case with the 284 and 180s.) Another 'interesting' finding was much poorer results from small primer brass / ignition in the 7-08 compared to standard large primer equivalents.
http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=3683
Use H4350 and keep the velocities in sane speeds for PRS which is around 2900-3000fps and you will be fine. It's not all the powder but the way the rifles are shot in matches. Been shooting matches for 19 years and lots of things come into barrel life. Also the whole " 6 Creedmoor having a short barrel life" came from years back when it came out and people were still trying to shoot fast and flat in the sport and running them at 3150-3200fps. Now with the lower velocities you will get longer barrel life but don't expect much past 2000.
FeMan
Gold $$ Contributor
I have started using N160 and N165 in my 284 and have been absolutely amazed. After 11 barrels I thought I had things dialed for this cartridge. These Vit powders are worth a try in the 6 CM.
Of the ones recommended, N165 (3500) has the lowest heat of explosion, followed by N160 (3620) and then H4350 (3760). All three are relatively cool burning and a lot cooler than RL17 (3990).
Of the ones recommended, N165 (3500) has the lowest heat of explosion, followed by N160 (3620) and then H4350 (3760). All three are relatively cool burning and a lot cooler than RL17 (3990).
Bullfrog -
Howdy !
How long is your rifle's barrel ?
I shoot a 6mm wildcat of my own design, that has 51.2gr H2O case capacity.
My rifle has a 29" 1-8 SS Broughton 5"C"-rifled.
While my best accuracy with 95 - 107gr 6mm VLDs was obtained shooting RL-22, I have since read that it
" burns " really hot; comparatively speaking. I don't want to re-barrel any more frequently than I have to.
I am currently wringing-out RL-23, RL-25, and RL-26; to see if I can find suitable accuracy when shooting
one of these temperature-stable powders. All charges I consider max with these 3 powders ( under Sierra 95 T-MK ) reach to the bottom of the shoulder / neck juncture. I like to shoot highload density, when I can.
When I make my determination, I'd be happy to pass that along. Film @11:00.....
Perhaps your barrel length would allow use of similar powder(s) ?
With regards,
357Mag
Tat is what makes it go. The faster you make it go, the sooner you get a new barrel.
Barrels are consumables, if you think about costs of going to matches you might find that gas for the drive is your biggest cost so maybe a more efficient car.
Get a Prius if you really want to keep your match costs down, but that might be like what Dusty said about shooting poor loads to get more barrel life.
When you fire your first rounds down a 6 or 6.5 get the next blank ordered, given current lead times if you wait to order you will need the blank before you have it in hand. Blanks from top barrel manufactures in common calibers are easy to sell for what you have in to this forum if you decide to go another route so there is little to worry about.
Just my two cents,
wade
Get a Prius if you really want to keep your match costs down, but that might be like what Dusty said about shooting poor loads to get more barrel life.
When you fire your first rounds down a 6 or 6.5 get the next blank ordered, given current lead times if you wait to order you will need the blank before you have it in hand. Blanks from top barrel manufactures in common calibers are easy to sell for what you have in to this forum if you decide to go another route so there is little to worry about.
Just my two cents,
wade
I recently built a 6 creedmoor out of a Borden dasher I had in the cupboard to use for shooting steel out to 1200 yards. I am predominantly an F Class shooter using a 308 with 180-210gr pills. I set the creedmoor up in a HS stock with HS bottom metal and a 28" Brux 1:7.5. Using lap cases I found it quite accurate using H4350, CCI 450 primers and Berger 109lrhts or Hornady 108eld-ms. From memory I'm getting 3150-3200 quite comfortably with 41ish grains of powder and it's had 400 odd rounds through it to date. Without having bore-scoped the barrel and with the rate of fire I've been using it, I am expecting 1500 round or less out of it. Barrel life was not a consideration when I chose this cartridge, I looked at reliable mag feeding in a short action using long target bullets and ballistic performance for 1200 yards.
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