Beginning 6mm PPC shooter questions.

[JunkInTheWood]

Excuse the newbie questions, I'm just getting started in 6mm PPC. I have some limited reloading experience, basically pistol rounds. I do have a couple Rock Chuckers so standard dies are an option. My 1st question, is buying a arbor press and dies really worth it at this stage? I'm cheap, so my thinking is I get a fair set of regular dies, use them, learn, then upgrade.

I totally understand the buy once cry once mentality. I've shot a fair amount of rimfire benchrest, minimal centerfire,
but I do believe I am in it for the long haul.

Also, I have about 30 once fired pieces of brass from my rifle. Some, but not enough. Since I have one and one only PPC rifle, I was thinking I would fire form with no bullet and save wear on the barrel. Any advice? If so, use pistol powder? Process?

Thanks!

 

[JunkInTheWood]

It depends what kind of accuracy you want from your 6ppc rifle and how long you want your brass to last. With factory dies you’ll resize the brass to saami specs not to your chamber and that’s going to shorten your brass life and hurt accuracy. When you first start out you’ll probably need a small base Redding body die to get the 220 russian brass to psychically fit your chamber I did. After that get some 3x fired brass and send them to harrells precision and get a custom resizing die you’ll spend about the same on that as you would for a quality factory resizing die but the harrells die will be almost like having a die made with the same reamer as your chamber perfect fit and just enough resizing each time to make the bolt not be sticky. As far as fireforming the brass I’ve always been happy with the groups I get while fireforming with a bullet jammed into the lands. Most groups are almost as good as formed brass and I just shoot as normal and enjoy seeing my groups just as I would if I were shooting already fire formed brass.

Thanks, Very useful information. Sounds like get a small base Redding body die and a set of generic dies. Then go with the Harrels or similar resizing die once I have my act together. Interesting on the fireforming, size the brass and shoot it? I'm only now learning about bullet seating into the lands. I believe I get the basic idea.

 

[JunkInTheWood]

Before I ever fireformed anything I remember thinking the entire process seems complicated and time consuming (and I’m probably making it sound more complicated than it really it) but it’s really not once you start doing it. Like anything else the initial price of buying everything you need to get setup for it kinda sucks but once you own all that stuff won’t ever have to buy it again. I also think it’s kinda fun to start with a piece of 220 russian brass and turn it into a fully formed piece of 6ppc brass just by shooting it, it adds something to the “I made that bullet” that I also enjoy about reloading. It’s YOUR cartridge when you’re done. You sized the neck up, resized the brass itself, trimmed for neck thickness, trimmed for length, primed it, filled it with powder and seated a bullet in a piece of brass that’s custom formed to your chamber. I like that part of wildcat cartridges.

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM THINKING!!
I have a habit of just going all in with everything I do. I'm just a club shooter, I could have got by with 6mm Creedmore or something similar. Not what I want. My neck is .262. I'm thinking .259 to start for the bushing. Wildcat cartridges a totally different animal. I'm accustomed to just loading to SAAMI spec and go. Never worried about any of this. Cool.... Didn't understand any of it either.

 

[Jareds]

My neck is .262. I'm thinking .259 to start for the bushing.

Is the neck diameter of your loaded round .262 or that’s what the neck was reamed to for your rifles chamber? You’ll have to measure the thickness of the neck of your brass using a ball micrometer then times that number by 2 then add the diameter of the bullet you’re using to get the bushing size. So for example if your neck thickness measures .0085 after being trimmed for thickness the math would be .0085x2 = .017 then add the diameter of the bullet .243 plus .017 = .260 loaded round neck diameter in that scenario a .258 bushing maybe a place to start for .002 neck tension. I’d go one more thousandth and do a .257 bushing

 

[JEFFPPC]

Is the neck diameter of your loaded round .262 or that’s what the neck was reamed to for your rifles chamber? You’ll have to measure the thickness of the neck of your brass using a ball micrometer then times that number by 2 then add the diameter of the bullet you’re using to get the bushing size. So for example if your neck thickness measures .0085 after being trimmed for thickness the math would be .0085x2 = .017 then add the diameter of the bullet .243 plus .017 = .260 loaded round neck diameter in that scenario a .258 bushing maybe a place to start for .002 neck tension. I’d go one more thousandth and do a .257 bushing

.258

 

[rwj]

If the rifle is not new, have you considered converting it to a 6BR configuration? There is a consensus that the 6PPC is more accurate at shorter distances then the 6BR. The advantage of the 6BR is that factory brass is available (no fire forming) and it’s easy to tune.

Conversion cost will include barrel work (rechambering or new) and perhaps a new bolt. As I have no direct experience with a conversion, I’m curious to read the input of those that do!

 

[R.Morehouse]

I suggest buying a batch of brass already turned to .0082. There are a few places to get it....Brunos does a good job using Pumpkin equipment, but there are others. It will run you about $200. per 100. You can fire form 20 at a time and that 20 will last the life of your barrel. By that time you will know if you want to continue with the 6ppc or not. If not, you could sell the remaining brass here......I might even buy it. Shooting SR-BR ( 6ppc ) is different than all other shooting disciplines as you will see when you start researching it some more. Best of luck going forward.

Regards
Rick

 

[Lkwebb]

What's your powder selection?
What bullets are you plan on useing.
N133 likes more next tension in my limited experience.
If your bullet choice is barts 68 grain ultra fb it likes a likes to be into the lans a lil ( in my experience)

 

[JunkInTheWood]

What's your powder selection?
What bullets are you plan on useing.
N133 likes more next tension in my limited experience.
If your bullet choice is barts 68 grain ultra fb it likes a likes to be into the lans a lil ( in my experience)

Powder will be N133. I also have a pound of LT32 I will be trying. I have a box of Shillen bullets that I will be starting with just to get my feet wet. Then probably moving to Barts.

 

[JunkInTheWood]

Is the neck diameter of your loaded round .262 or that’s what the neck was reamed to for your rifles chamber? You’ll have to measure the thickness of the neck of your brass using a ball micrometer then times that number by 2 then add the diameter of the bullet you’re using to get the bushing size. So for example if your neck thickness measures .0085 after being trimmed for thickness the math would be .0085x2 = .017 then add the diameter of the bullet .243 plus .017 = .260 loaded round neck diameter in that scenario a .258 bushing maybe a place to start for .002 neck tension. I’d go one more thousandth and do a .257 bushing

Understood. I just purchased a ball micrometer, one of those reloading tools I didn't own. .262 is the rifle neck.

 

[Bronsin]

I just started with a 6PPC here a few weeks ago myself. It came with 3 dies, so I was able to do all of my own brass prep. I have 3 cases at Harrell's now getting a FL Die sized. Since FL Dies are used in a regular press, I'm just going to get another smaller press so it can use all my 6PPC dies and load at the range if I want.

As to making cases, I did the fireforming with pistol powder first. It took forever to neck turn 100 cases, TWICE, to get the neck thickness where it needed to be. The next time I have to make cases I'm going to get 6.5 Grendel brass and size it down with the body die instead.

I have only shot 3 bullets so far. The Berger 68gr FB, Bart's 68gr Originals, and Bart's 68gr Ultra's. Shot some good groups with the Bergers and did the majority of load development with them. Only had a few of the Bart's bullets and they shoot better. My rifle really likes the Originals at .004 off the rifling.

With less than 1lb. of N133 left, I'm going to start on LT-32, which I have 4lbs. of. First mission is to find the edge with it so I can get a range of where to start with the powder.

 

[INShooter]

Depending on how deep into the rabbit hole you want to go, see if you can find a competitive shooter to help with your questions. They have been there and done that. The NBRSA has a mentorship program for new shooters. Experienced shooters willing to help. Good luck!