First rifle, .223 or 6BR variant?
- Thread starter WillEver
- Start date
dgeesaman
Gold $$ Contributor
BR: brass doesn't need fireforming or false shouldering. Just size and shoot. Full length neck.
BRA: brass needs fireforming but it's easy. No false shouldering prep required. Full length neck. Beware of the difference between 6BRA for Alpha brass vs. Peterson/Lapua brass. Wheeler's 6BRA works better with Peterson / Lapua brass. May or may not require neck turning depending on the reamer.
Dasher: 6BR brass should be false shouldered to fireform, sometimes takes two fire forming to fully corner out. Neck is shorter. Most Dasher reamers involve neck turning.
Bottom line: learning to load 6BR very accurately is already an expansive challenge. Once you get familiar with that, neck turning and fire forming isn't such a big deal and from a ballistics point of view, you're not gaining much by going to Dasher.
urbanrifleman
Site $$ Sponsor
Right. Both are great.
223 is cheap.
I tell you the truth, for cheap fun you would be hard pressed to beat the 223 ISSF in 7 twist. I have been shocked how many of my barrels in that combo just absolutely hammer. And bullets and brass are CHEAP!
JSH
Gold $$ Contributor
Keep telling yourself that, famous last words, ;-)
dgeesaman
Gold $$ Contributor
Just do your homework on Alpha brass. I haven’t heard of issues using Alpha Dasher brass with traditional Dasher reamers but I’d do that homework anyway. If you want to use Alpha 6BRA brass you will need an Alpha specific reamer.
Regarding neck turning, “no turn” chamber diameter keeps migrating. Double check the neck thickness and might be worth buying brass first so you can be sure the chamber neck has safe clearance for that brass.
Me, I’d plan to use Peterson brass and Lapua when I can get it.
I have 2 6mm Competition Match rifles up and running at the present time. These are not my first 2, I've been F.F. and shooting the Competition Match since '07. About 3 years back I discovered the 6br. It had been sitting out there in plain sight and I chose to ignore it. No turn neck, no F.F. and it's an easy plug and go, similar to a .223 in that regard. With the correct twist and bullets the 6br will carry plenty accurate enough for banging steel at 1250 yards. No more 45-50 grain powder charges for me after the bigger 6's get burned out.
Several comments are all good and have a place. But from what you stated, that I see, I would say go with the 223 Rem. I believe you will find brass, bullets will cost you less overall and you will shoot the rifle more often and enjoy it. Get the faster twist barrel and work with light to heavier bullets. The 223 Rem will cover 90 % of what you will be doing, I bet.
urbanrifleman
Site $$ Sponsor
6br brass is crazy high right now. Probably permanent.
^^^^^^^^
Urbanrifleman Wilson barrel
1-7" twist ISSF reamer.
My next 6br will be from Urbanrifleman.
I already have Lapua brass for it.
I think I'm going to buy some Peterson for the heck of it and give it a try.
padom
Gold $$ Contributor
I have 200pc of Peterson 6BR brass I tested. Excellent stuff, just needed to drop my load a little bit from my Lapua load.
rjtfroggy
Gold $$ Contributor
Here is a wrench in the works.
How about a 6x45(6-223)?
Best of both worlds, 223 cartridge opened up to 6mm, 90gr. Sierra with the right amount of powder it will shoot like a laser.
Hardly any recoil, minimum amount of powder, and all the free brass you can pick up.
How about a 6x45(6-223)?
Best of both worlds, 223 cartridge opened up to 6mm, 90gr. Sierra with the right amount of powder it will shoot like a laser.
Hardly any recoil, minimum amount of powder, and all the free brass you can pick up.
urbanrifleman
Site $$ Sponsor
One thing. Pretty much 90 anything in .22 cal will have nearly twice the BC of the 90 grain 6mm bullets. And the issue these days is the availability of bullets. There are lots of 22 bullets.
rjtfroggy
Gold $$ Contributor
Go back and read post 1 components are not a concern.
Following these "BR" threads.
Really thinking about putting a 22BR together for the wife (thanks Padom
)
Even looking at a used something or other, and putting a new barrel, nose on it
She's presently shooting a 22 NOSGAR, 28" AR.
Loading pretty hard she gets a little over 3000 with 85.5, 88, 90.
Been cycling about 200 6mm Hagar brass for the past year and lose 6 or so pockets out of 100 shots after 5 or 6 reloads.
After selling off 200 to a member here have about 1000 Hagar pieces left.
Use the loose pocket brass to cal my flame annealer in the dark.
I shoot a No-Gas and pockets last longer.
The choice of 22BR in a bolt gun for her (haven't made a final decision yet) is driven by my stock of heavy .224 bullets. I have a lot of bullets for an old couple to shoot up.
Better brass life, a little more velocity, more accurate?
Now, is the 22BR recommended a Rem, Lapua, Norma, or what?
Really thinking about putting a 22BR together for the wife (thanks Padom
)Even looking at a used something or other, and putting a new barrel, nose on it
She's presently shooting a 22 NOSGAR, 28" AR.
Loading pretty hard she gets a little over 3000 with 85.5, 88, 90.
Been cycling about 200 6mm Hagar brass for the past year and lose 6 or so pockets out of 100 shots after 5 or 6 reloads.
After selling off 200 to a member here have about 1000 Hagar pieces left.
Use the loose pocket brass to cal my flame annealer in the dark.
I shoot a No-Gas and pockets last longer.
The choice of 22BR in a bolt gun for her (haven't made a final decision yet) is driven by my stock of heavy .224 bullets. I have a lot of bullets for an old couple to shoot up.
Better brass life, a little more velocity, more accurate?
Now, is the 22BR recommended a Rem, Lapua, Norma, or what?
I wouldn't have thought it was possible, but I'm more confused than before. lol
Here's what I meant about components. I've been picking up things I might use when I've found a good price. I've got primers, Varget, H4895, Benchmark, 105 Hybrids, 69gr SMK, Lapua .223 brass. So I'm not avoiding any cartridge because of shortages. That's all I was saying.
I just thought one cartridge might be easier/simpler to start with.
And the fireforming and neck turning. I just meant, I'm not interested in a cartridge I can't find headstamped brass for. For now, that looks 6br in Peterson brass, or Dasher/BRA in Alpha brass.
Here's what I meant about components. I've been picking up things I might use when I've found a good price. I've got primers, Varget, H4895, Benchmark, 105 Hybrids, 69gr SMK, Lapua .223 brass. So I'm not avoiding any cartridge because of shortages. That's all I was saying.
I just thought one cartridge might be easier/simpler to start with.
And the fireforming and neck turning. I just meant, I'm not interested in a cartridge I can't find headstamped brass for. For now, that looks 6br in Peterson brass, or Dasher/BRA in Alpha brass.
rjtfroggy
Gold $$ Contributor
Run a 6mm mandrel down the neck- done, or get a 6x45 size die and run it through.
newbieshooter
:-)
Looks like some Lapua 6BR brass is beginning to show up again.
Grafs had Lapua 6BR brass yesterday.
Precision Reloading had Lapua 6BR Brass earlier this morning:
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