First Custom project, boy what choices!?

[Scott7m]

I've been gettin help from people in another category. I'd like to thank chino69 for offering great advice as well as others who posted. I am so torna bout what caliber to go with, one minute I'm wanting to buy a screamer that shoots like a laser, then the next i'm drooling over a br.... My situation may need to be better explained to get max benefit from your help....

I'm a varmint hunter, not a bench rest shooter. Only time it will be on a bench is line up and testing. I will not shoot any competitions. But I do appreciate great accuracy.

The 6mmbr and it's improved versions seem great, a lil slower than I'm used to. But wow what accuracy!

My current gun I varmint hunt with is a custom with a 27.5" shilen barrel, chambered in 22-25-, a remington action and a custom trigger by who i don't know. The load we worked up is pushing a 52gr. sierra hpbt at over 4k fps... But that gun is my dad's and I'm interested in my own.

I'll also want to add that my shots will primarily be under 500 yards. With shots over 350 being rare.. The 6mmbr with a 58gr. bullet is impressive, do they still shoot bugholes with that small of a bullet?

I beleive that a 58gr bullet traveling 3800+ is plenty enough to roll any yote...... just gotta convince myself i don't need a rifle that will push a 87gr. nearly that fast lol

 

[ReedG]

Hi Scott:

A true dilemma! Reality is you can build one of several calibers and be more than happy with it. There are dozens of great .224 and .243 caliber cartridges available today and the numbers start making you dizzy after awhile.

The 6BR is pretty wonderful caliber. I have had two so far on a Savage 12 action with 1:14 twist barrels. The first one was a used benchrest barrel I had rechambered and I put 2,800+ rounds through it. Now it has a Shilen SS match with 2,350 down it. Yesterday I took it to the range and shot a bunch of different loads through it to use up some odd bullets on the premise of getting a new barrel in a different caliber. Well, with 55-gr. Sierra B/Ks it gave a couple of good groups,all 5 shots) in the .300s; with 59-gr. BIBs I got a couple of groups in the low .200s and decided to shoot an IBS score target: got a 50 with 3X -- not bad for a bald-headed old fat guy with a worn-out gun!

During the day at the range, I put 120 rounds through the 6BR and came home with a quiet smile at how good the old girl still shoots.

I say all that, Scott, to say this: a 6BR set-up with a 1:14 twist and a good no-turn neck,.271 or .272) chamber with zero freebore will not disappoint you. The 55-gr. Nosler or BlitzKing can reasonably be pushed to 3,700 fps with accuracy that will amaze you. The 58- and 65-gr. Vmaxes are good, the 70-gr. BlitzKing, a good assortment of 65- to 68-gr. Bergers, etc. will all shoot at or near benchrest accuracy. Barrel life is excellent, recoil is a non-factor, and you can take chucks at any range you want. Get a Redding Type S neck die with a .267 and .268 bushing and let the fun begin.

Go with the BR and amaze your friends at how good you can shoot!

 

[Scott7m]

Yeahhh sounds like everyone has their favorites, but no one can say anything bad about the br. I was reccomended getting the savage action so i can swap barrels from shilen. and I love that idea. Looking forward to getting started on the project. I've been looking at the Zeiss 6.5X20 by 50 scope, you guys think that is powerful enough for crows out to 400 yards?

 

[jamesh]

I built a 6BR on a Savage 12 single shot action using a Pac-Nor 4 groove 14 twist barrel .272 noturn neck .30 lead, I agree with Reed if you are going to shoot the 55 and 58gr bullets go with a zero lead. My Savage shoots the Sierra 70gr matchking and Hornady 75gr V-max very well. I would recommend spending a little more and getting the Savage LRPV action over using the model 12. I now wish I had went with the LRPV action.
James

 

[Tommie]

If you're positive most of your shooting will be inside of 500 yards and the majority will be less than 350 yards, a 6BR,or one of the improved versions) will fill the bill nicely. Of course, a 22-250 will cover the same ground with similar ballistics but won't give near the barrel life of a 6BR.

I'd go with a 1-12" twist barrel. With that combo you'll not only have an effective light bullet gun, but also you would still have the option of shooting 75 grainers if you desired. Some people have luck with a 1-14" twist when shooting a 75gr V-Max,like James, above) while others don't. A 1-12" would take the guesswork out. I also agree with James that a LRPV action would be the ideal platform. Did I say "ideal"? I meant to say "IDEAL"!

Tom

 

[Twud]

I used to have the ultra velocity bug a well. If it didn't shoot over 3,800 fps I wasn't interested. I've found that accuracy over speed is a lot more fun. A 6BR shooting a 75 gr. V-Max will knock a ground hog into hyper space. Although they'll shoot further, my max
range has been 422 yds. And I love those tiny groups off the bags.

 

[Rustystud]

Scott:

I built my first rifle over 35 years ago. I since have build several hundered custom rifles for customers. Get educated to your options. I recomend you keep a note book of your wants and needs. Then draw up an outline. Talk with experienced shooters in every discipline that your firearm might fit into. In the end this is going to be your custom firearm and any mistakes that are made need to be yours. Take your time, don't cut corners. Listen to others who have been there before you and let them tell you of their mistakes. Don't let someone with less experience influence your decisions.

Make up a list of parts, and services you will need. Keep to your plan and goals.

Rustystud

 

[AlNyhus]

Scott:

I've hunted coyotes and fox using quite a few different cartridges: 243 Ackley, 6BR, 220 Swift, 22-250, 22BR, 223, several .17 Rems, and a .17 Javelina. Currently, my hunting rigs are a 250 Savage Ackley, a 6BR, a 22BR and a .17 Rem.

My 6BR pushes the Nosler 55 BTips at well over 3,700 with AA2230 and Re7 powders. If you want to go this route, make sure and use a rifle builder that can set the throat up for zero freebore. This is pretty critical for best accuracy in the 6BR with the shorter bullets, from my experience. The shorter bullets like to be close to the lands.

The main thing to consider when looking at a BR case for a hunting rifle is the feeding issue: if you want something to feed reliably through the magazine, the short BR case may not be what you're after...depends on the rifle, magazine setup, follower, etc. If your plan calls for a single shot setup, a BR case is hard to beat. Having a game plan before you ever begin building the rifle is very important, as RustyStud points out. It's much harder to build a nice, well thought out hunting rig than it is to put together a BR gun. Stock selection and balance are critical for anything that's going to be carried into the field.

I'll have to swim against the tide a bit and recommend the 22BR over the 6BR for a predator/varmint round, though.

Just my 2 cents worth. -Al

 

[AlNyhus]

Scott
I was unaware that a 22br fed better than a 6br....Lynn

Lynn, where was it posted that a 22BR feeds better than the 6BR?