First Experiences with the 6SLR

[Nomad47]

Interesting, John. I was/am looking at the 6SLR as a complimentary cartridge to my 6XC for varmint shooting at all ranges and the occasional long range steel shooting. I hadn't thought of it as a means to get longer barrel life.

 

[JohnMill]

Hey Bill,
It seems that we are/have been on similar trajectories so this may be interesting to you. I was looking at the 6XC to the point of buying brass and bullets from DTAC. Then, in talking to a few other shooters I came to the conclusion that it is a highly stressed cartridge and was not what I was after. In the meanwhile I had heard of the 6CM and had contacted Joe Sr about it. He sent me the details and it is a very attractive outfit. The drawback was my silly insistance of doing my own chambers. Joe Sr at that time would not release a reamer drawing but referred me to his proprietary gunsmith. Now that is his design and therefore his right and I respect it. In researching the 6CM, I found that the 6 Super LR of Robert Whitley is a design very close to the 6CM. I went to 6mmAR.com and found the 6SLR to be just what I wanted; reamers available, dies available, brass easily made (and cheaper). Most of my info came from searching this website. I think the thing that tipped the scales was the info that this cartridge could launch a 115 bullet that would stay supersonic to 1600 yards. I felt like that was something I could somehow make use of.

John

 

[Nomad47]

John, what do you mean when you say the 6XC is a "highly stressed cartridge"?

 

[JohnMill]

Wellllllllll, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. We've been to Williamsport 1000yd BR school a couple of times during which we were exposed to so many different cartridges it boggles my little mind. Without going thru all of the searches that I did then, I believe what I found was that the 6xc was a smallish cartridge that required every last thing you could wring out of it to achieve the performance that I wanted and that DT got from it. While I had a lot of experience (lots and lots) with the 6PPC, which I would run up to the edge of the cliff, even slipping over on occasion, I was given to understand that was not the way they played 1000yd BR. But I've still got a lot to learn.
Did that answer you or did I wonder too much?

John

 

[Nomad47]

To be honest - No. I have no trouble at all running 3100 MV out of my 6XC pushing 105 Amax bullets. No pressure signs at all. And with 38.8 grains of RL-17.
I like the 6XC so well that I have ordered another so I can make my Savage 284 a switch barrel. Two 6XCs for groundhogs, prairie dogs, and any other varmint that gets in my sights out to and maybe beyond 1000 yards.
I had strongly considered the 6SLR, but decided life (and reloading out of a motorhome) would be simpler with a second 6XC.

 

[JohnMill]

I believe that a 115gr bullet out of a 22-250 sized brass will have a harder time of it than the same out of a 243 sized brass. The longer neck offered by the 6SLR also figured heavily in my decision. It appears from your posts that you have quite an edge over me in field experience. I have always been able to find a range to shoot on but have not been at all successful at finding hunting ground.
At any rate, we each have our reasons for the decisions we make.


John

 

[Rtheurer]

Gave the 105 Hybrids a try today in my 243 SLR. Ran everything over the chrono and on targets at 100 yds.

Ran the 105 Hybrids from 44 gr up to 45 gr. in .5 gr increments with the bullets seated .010" short of the lands.

44 gr ran 3050 fps, 44.5 gr ran 3100, and 45 ran 3135 fps.

44 and 45 gr loads had very little vertical. Averaged in the high .400s to low .500" groups with high and low shots. Some of that could be me as the old wooden benches are not real solid.

45 looked pretty close to max in my rifle, primers were getting pretty flat.
On a warmer day in the Summer, that load would be on the edge and running 3150 fps.

None of the Hybrid groups were as small as the 115 DTACs though. That is still my go-to load so far.

Going to shoot the Hybrids in a 300-500-600 yd match in Memphis end of the month and will see just how they perform.

RGDS

Bob

I would like to thank a few folks that have posted here with there go to loads. Turns out Krieger is going to take 11 months to get me a pair of 6.5mm barrels done for me instead of the 7 months I was expecting and planned for. That created an issue to put a new tube on my 6.5X284 for Camp Perry. My old Barrel just is on its last leg and gave up right when I got home here a couple of weeks ago.
In a Panic I grabbed my 6SLR and loaded up (new to me) some Hybrids and a Pet load from several folks on this Forum of 43.5gr 4831SC, Tula Primers, Winchester brass, tested bullet seating depth and came out with a quality load that shot well at 600 yards. 17X - 200 at 600 that day. Then took it to a 1000 yard match to get zeros and confirm the load. Shot a nice 199-12X at the 1000 yard match with the one out of the 10 ring being totally my fault. ( got the but plate in the shoulder wrong, but shot it anyway...Dummy) Looked perfect when I broke the shot however, so in reality I SHOULD have had a 200-13X. Rifle and load shot sub X ring which is about as well as I was holding in the 90*+ heat that day.
The 6.5X284 is pretty mild in recoil but whoo Mama is that SLR so pleasant to shoot. Its been a long time since I have really shot mine that I forgot how nice it is. Im not going as fast as some folks are going at a lowly 3080fps. But the brass has not needed anything but a neck sizing in 4 loadings and the primer are still nice and round. A nice mild accuarate load. Love it.
Ill be taking it to Camp Perry with alot of confidence knowing if I do my part the rifle will hold its end of the bargain.
Again thanks to those that posted that load. I was short on time to get something to work and it worked out real well for me.
Russ T