Best Way to Obtain 6mmBR Rifle?

[Phil3]

My next rifle will definitely be a 6mmBR, but unsure how best to go about getting what I want to shoot at 100 and 200 yards. I see some options.

1) Buy a Savage off the shelf, in right bolt left port, for little more than $1000.
2) Buy a Savage action, purchase a prefit barrel, and bed it in a stock. Not much more than option #1, but takes longer.
3) Buy a Savaqe action, purchase custom barrel blank and have it chambered. The bedded into stock.
4) Buy used 6mmBR rifle, if it suits me.
5) Full blown custom rig built to my specs.

Suggestions? I will have a pretty good bench setup (rests, bags), and do have high quality reloading equipment, so if the gun can deliver, it should.

Phil

 

[dmickey]

When I wanted a 6mm BR Remington, I ordered a Remington 40XB Rangemaster. It definitely delivers!

 

[ShootDots]

There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with a Savage Target Action to build from>>>with one caveat>>> no Arnold Jewell trigger... If I were going to build for a "small" "BR Style" cartridge, I would buy the Pierce Action for "benchrest".. It is made for the BR / PPC style cartridges. It is a Remington "clone" that is eons better than any Remington to come down the pike. I believe it stacks up just as favorably to the Stiller, Bat or Panda actions. Then get any one of a number of stocks that "catches your fancy" and go with either a Brux, Krieger or Bartlein barrel and you will soon be in "heaven"!! T-Rust me on this one!!

 

[savagedasher]

ShootDots is right on about what to get. But I feel the proper stock is always over looked .What are you going to shoot . Good Shooting Larry

 

[ShootDots]

You are right on the money Savagedasher about the importance of the stock. I tried a few and have 2 styles. To me, and we all have our preferences, the McMillan MBR Tooley is the most comfortable stock.. I have to shift, and crowd etc when shooting my "other stock" >>it is a GORGEOUS stock>>>but comfort is not one of it's attributes! LOL!!

 

[savagedasher]

I shoot 475 yd to 1018 yd off a bench. With out good tracking you spend too much time getting back on. The best stock I have used is a 5''wide tracker made by Bostrom Gun Smith.
Good Shooting Larry

 

[ShootDots]

I can see the real benefits of a 5" wide forend... However, in F-Class we are limited to 3"... I shoot "F-Class Open">> but there are enough "restrictions" to where the term "open" is kind of a misnomer of sorts.. That statement may generate a lot of acrimonious retaliation! LOL!!

 

[Hombre0321]

Phil, lots to think about with what you are wanting to do, and everyone on this forum is going to have a different opinion and way to get to the right place in the end. So here is a little more information for you to chew on.

First thing and I believe this to be very important is forget about the Savage all together on a Point Blank rifle, you did say 100 to 200 yds. They while very good rifles in some sports are just not suited at all for Point Blank Bench Rifle. The precision needed for this very technical sport is not going to be found on many if any Factory actions. The 40X may be the exception, but even it may very well need some work. To verify this look at the equipment lists for a few Benchrest Matchs, they do post a list. There you will see what is winning and what isn't and you will find ( I believe) at least 99.5% or more straight custom actions.

If you do decide to go ahead and do this yourself from the beginning the big negative is going to be the time it takes to get all of the parts you will need to put this together. That could take realistically 1 or 2 years, and then you will need to find a Smith and fit into his schedule. Also the cost is not going to be cheap or even reasonable not by a long shot. I have done this both ways and it is not hard to spend $5,000 to $8,000 on a rifle depending on the components you end up using. I am not saying it can't be done on a budget and for less money than that but things can get out of control real fast.

I believe the best way and certainly the fastest way is to purchase a rifle on the used market. Take your time and be sure the rifle is one you really like and want, has a good stock, custom action, trigger and all of the other stuff, and you "CAN" buy one of these in the $1,200 to $3,000 dollar range. This way you get a rifle in this life time and you can be out shooting it in a week.

As I said I have done this both ways, built from the ground up, and purchased used ready to go. I have these rifles today and would not part with any of them.

A couple of pit falls you may have to address. Stocks are one of those, the rules on stocks in the short range games is pretty well set in concrete, be sure the stock you get is one you like, and one that is legal. Usually this is not a problem as most of the used Rifles are competing now. The other thing is barrel count, some rifles just may have high barrel count on them, many, many used rifles will come with more than one barrel by the way. If you do indeed have to make a barrel change, and I personally would count on doing that first thing, there are a lot of new Kreigers, Bartlein and other barrels available with no wait from vendors right here on this site. Just this past week I ordered two Bartlein, and two Kreigers from Grizzley and Bruno's. The Kreigers I had in four days and the Barleins only took two days to get to me.

Benchrest Central in there classified has right now about 15 or so competition bench rest rifles for sale. Prices run from $1,400 to $2,800 for a Stiller drop port with only 260 rounds on the barrel.

 

[1066]

Well for what it's worth, I went the Savage route and I pleased with the results.

I started with a Savage F12 target action, ordered a Shilen 6br select match grade, 1in8 four groove ratchet rifled barrel, Rifle Basix Sav-2 trigger, Ken Farrell 20moa rail and a Richards microfit stock.

I built the rifle myself as, being a Savage, I was able to fit the barrel with no smithing charges (just a spanner).

It won't compare with a pukka bench or custom rifle but it's a consistent .3-4 moa rifle with some 5 shot groups going into the .1's.

 

[treeman]

If all you are shooting is 1-200 yards I think you'd be better off shooting a 6 PPC. a slower twist will stablize the 60-70- grain bullets better and the 6PPC is king of short range benchrest... but if you are wanting to shoot farther then a 6BR with a faster twist would be a better option
my$.02

 

[6BRinNZ]

You could talk to kelblys.

Their action turn around on the panda f-class at any rate is a lot less than years and they make stocks, rings and their own trigger as well.

Personally I go full custom - lots of arguments about whether or not factory can cut it...plenty of examples to support....but the one thing I have found with a full custom is peace of mind.

If I was going 100-200 for pure accuracy I would be seriously looking at the ppc as well. I understand that kelblys hold the tolerances incredibly tight so you could talk to them about the possibility of getting a bolt that will fit the 6br later if you go with the PPC now.

Guys over here are getting the smiths to open up the bolt face etc when they are done with short range and want to short another cartridge further out.

 

[GSPV]

Lots of good Light Varmint 6 PPCs available. It's a great way to get started...at a substantial savings.

If you aren't that serious, I have a Savage that I'll part with. 10 twist Broughton. Nice compromise between 14 twist and 8 twist.

 

[KMart]

If you are on a budget, you might be able to find something here that still has some life in it.

http://benchrest.com/shooterscorner/

 

[BoydAllen]

I cannot see any advantage in a 6BR for what your stated use is. For those distances, the 6PPC has ruled for decades, and if you look around on "The List" that is published by Bob White (excellent reputation), who runs Shooter's Corner, I am sure that you will find a number of rifles that will fill your needs, and fit your budget. If you buy one that is based on an action that has a so called "universal" bolt face, you will retain the option of fitting a 6 BR barrel in the future, should you so desire. I have had a number of Savages, that were fitted with aftermarket triggers, none of these triggers hold a candle to any of the Remington compatible aftermarket triggers, such as the Jewel. Also, stock design and rifle balance are very important for consistent accuracy, and these features may not be fully appreciated by someone who has not owned or shot a rifle that has these attributes. Short range benchrest rifles are built with the distances that you mentioned as their sole purpose, and have the advantages that come with a single purpose design. This is not to say that one cannot have good accuracy with a different caliber rifle, or that Savages cannot be competitive (They have done well in some kinds of competition such as F class, and at factory class score matches.), just that they have not been present at the top level of short range benchrest shooting.
http://www.benchrest.com/shooterscorner/

 

[jonbearman]

Do what Boyd says and get a lightly used one off of benchrest central and save a 1000.oo.

 

[Phil3]

Thanks for the helpful feedback. I regret that I neglected to state that I will not be shooting in competition. This a fun gun, for competing against myself and also seeing what I can do in load development. A 6mmBR may be a bit less accurate than the 6PPC, but that's fine. I derive some enjoyment by getting the most out of any particular rifle even if it is not the most accurate gun around. It is enjoyable for instance, for me to get the most accuracy out of my AR-15, hardly the ultimate tool for accuracy! The 6mmBR certainly appears easier to load for than the 6PPC, but I see prepped brass is at Bruno's for $2.01/case. I am not much into hard core dedicated bench-rest guns, with 2 oz triggers, very wide fore-ends, etc. It appears the Light Varmint class is closer to what I might like. I have to check that more and better understand the type of rifle I want.

I will ask, just how does a custom action add to accuracy? I am not doubting it does, just wondering what there is about it that does contribute to better accuracy.

After perusing the excellent want-ad link, that does seem to be the place to go for used BR type rifles. Thanks for that. I surely have no interest in a $5,000 to $8,000 rifle, and the want-ads are generally priced at the upper end of what I would be looking at.

Phil

 

[BoydAllen]

I know that some have the feeling that there is something about the 6PPC that makes it harder, more complex, more difficult to load for. It is not really. If you can turn case necks, and use some simple measuring tools, you will not have a problem, and after you do a few cases, the mystery will be gone. I understand what you are going to be doing, and even if you bought Norma 6PPC brass, and had Dave Kiff open up the barrel's chamber neck so that rounds loaded with unturned necks have around.002 clearance, you will have a rifle that is so close to the tight neck version, that I doubt that you will see the difference.

I got started with a special purpose rifle that a friend helped me build. It had a tuned up Remington 722, Hart barrel with a tight neck .222 chamber, a 40X rimfire prone stock that I put custom aluminum pillars in, and eventually a 2 oz. trigger and 36X scope. It prefers 748 so loading at the range was easy, since ball powder is so easy to throw consistently, and my first wind flags were pieces of 1x2 with surveyor's ribbon tied and taped to their tops. That old rifle gave consistent 1/4"-5/16" performance, and since it got glued into one of Kelly McMillan's prototype EDGE stocks, and my shooting has improved a little, it has turned in a few under .2. Have a good time with whatever you get. I recommend that you try loading at the range, and if you have not been using them, some home made wind flags/sticks.

 

[Phil3]

I can now respond after fixing the computer. Freezing exactly every hour running. Exasperating and annoying! Was due to a solid state drive in my desktop PC locking up once per hour after the drive has run for more than 5,184 hours. Fixed with a firmware update.

I read the process in the 6PPC section of accurateshooter and talk of a 2nd barrel to fireform brass, or using wax and pistol powders, etc. felt like more than I want to fuss with. I am fine with case neck turning.

Regarding the kind of shooting I am doing, I won't be loading at the range and my wind gauging will probably have to be what I see at the bench and what I see at 100 yards. I am not confident the range will allow me to put any other intermediate wind flags out. I am OK with that, as I would want to try and shoot using any natural indicators I can see. I know it won't be as accurate. Fortunately, the wind where I am shooting is often zero to very mild, but may wish for wind experience if I go somewhere else.

Phil

 

[BoydAllen]

Expand neck, turn neck, prime case, fill to base of bullet with whatever powder you will be using with the formed case, seat bullet so that it is well into lands, fire...or buy Norma cases that only need turning, turn, load and shoot. I have never heard of a range that did not allow wind flags. I would ask. I didn't have a fire forming barrel until I wore one out. When you put out a couple of flags, the wind will magically start to blow.

 

[Judd]

30BR is a fun gun and dang tough to beat at <250y. Easy to load for and shoots little groups.

You can pick one up here or at benchrestcentral.com for a fairly reasonable cost.