My first 6-284. Need help and suggestions, anything will help.

[Kenny474]

So, this is my problem. I recently had a H&R Ultra Varmint Fluted in .243 rechambered to 6-284. It has a 24" barrel with a 1:10 twist. I understand this is not an optimum twist for this caliber, but I ran the Nosler 85 and 100gr partition and the Nosler Ballistic tip through a stability calculator and it says they will stabilize well. But I can forget about any of the VLD's. I only did this as I got the rifle super cheap in unfired condition and my friend had a no turn neck 6-284 reamer on rent and was willing to do it for free. My friend told me he didn't go very deep on the throat as I will only be able to shoot short bullets, and I should try to seat close to the lands. I am also aware I can only expect about 800-1000 rounds before the barrel is toast, but H&R sells 243 barrels for $100 so its no biggie. I have Hornady new dimension full length dies on order as well as 50 winchester 284 brass. I have a pound of H4831 to test as well. I plan to use the rifle for target shooting out to maybe 400 yards, as I have only shot out to 200 with my 30-06 and have little knowledge about wind doping. Also, if I can get reasonable accuracy I plan to use this as my "open area" deer rifle. The best I hope for accuracy wise is MOA or slightly better, as this is not an optimal combo by any means. I only made it to be different, and to try something new and to try to learn more. If it is a failure, I will put a .243 barrel on it and forget it and sell the dies.

Now the real question: is there anything special about forming the brass? I was told to run it through the seating die without the seater in place and then little by little run it into the sizing die. I have lathe access if I get doughnuts on the neck. Also is there anything I should know in general about this caliber? Any tips or tricks to loading? Any special equipment I should pick up? I was also told I may want to try a thread on brake, as it will help me with target shooting.

I am low budget and just want to have fun. I have a friend who does a bit of smithing, and my dad is a machinist with 30+ years experience. I can have mosr machine work taken care of for free.(ie: brake installation) I hope someday to get a real bench rifle in 6mm BR or PPC, or something along those lines. I just hope to learn a little about technique and how to tune my load with this rifle. I have been handloading for over a year for my Remington 740 30-06, and have shrunk groups from 2" to under 1" at 100 yards. Pretty good for a 54yr old auto loader. I am really just looking for any advice at all that may help me become a better shooter and be able to tune my new rifle in. Please, I know this isn't the best rifle project, but it's all I can afford and I would appreciate any info you can provide. Thanks in advance!
Kenny

 

[finstr]

Kenny,dont worry about what make the rifle is.. I like the 6mm/284 idea and if all you got is a 1:10 twist then use that!
One thing I suggest would be to start with 6.5mm/284 brass and neck that down. That way your only necking a 1/2mm and won't need to turn necks or anneal them.(maybe) Use Redding's Imperial Die Wax when necking the cases. The H4831 is a good powder to use too.
Will the gun be accurate to 400yds?--Time will tell. Keep us posted.
Oh, and take some pics too.

 

[DOGCAPPER]

You are in for a nice ride!!!
I bought a Hart barrel off another site...6mm...9 twist...belong to gunsmith in Iowa...He shot it in 1000 yd match 1 time...4" group with 95 Bergers 6x284 chamber...Your 10 twist should shoot 80...85 grain....FAST..Hogdon has load data in their web site for 6x284...FREE.

 

[lelongcarabine]

I had one of those manyyears ago. Watch your loads. That round count estimate is VERY liberal. I got about 250 rounds out of mine. A 1-10" twist should stabilize some fairly long bullets at high velocity. The 95 Gr. Nosler might do well. I shot 105 Grain Speers (that was long before all these new VLD bullets were available)in mine along with the old Remington 80 Gr, Power Locs. WOW was that a Screamin Zonker! A hit on a P-Dog was considered "ground zero". Nothing left! Have fun! Greg

 

[Kenny474]

Thanks for the support. I have made some progress at this point. I have resized the brass, annealed it and turned the necks slightly as they were tight to chamber.(winchester 284 brass. I will buy 6.5 next time!) My dad is a machinist, so I have lathe access. As soon as this awesome NH weather gets a little better I'm off to the range, loading gear in hand, to test this rig out. I have a borrowed Weaver 3-9 mounted on it for testing, as it is better than anything I have at this point. I will post pics as soon as I remember to get my camera back from my dad. I will update a range report ASAP.

 

[alf]

I've had several 6-284's, and every one shot very well with IMR 7828, but your 4831 will work just fine with the lighter bullets. My first one also had a 10 twist, and would stabilize Berger 95 VLD's just fine, so that's another option for a little more reach.

 

[BIGGUNGOBOOM]

I have used Winchester 284 brass with great success, some say its to much of a PIA, but I found with good redding dies that it worked fine, yes the 6.5 brass size's better but in these times do what you can afford. as far as barrel count I really base it on how fast you run em, Id say what one of my two has as far as round count down the tube, but I most likely would be called a over exaggerator. play with the bullets and find whats best then got get some critters

 

[fullersson]

Kenny, Thanks for the advice on the lathes. I do a fair amount of long range shooting. I not sure what you mean by target shooting and I'm not sure what your particular gun is capable of so I'll share with you some of what I think is important and you can go from there. In my opinion on of the best thing you can do for long range shooting is a trigger job on your rifle. I shoot about a 2 oz. trigger and my shooting partner shoots about a 2 lb. trigger. I said that to say that the trigger pull is entirely up to the shooter's comfort level, but what ever the trigger is set at you will shoot better with a comfortable feeling trigger. Another thing with long distance shooting is your set up. I understand you have a budget (like I do with my lathe), but you want to have complete confidence in your system. Meaning if a shot goes out of the group you need to know that you misread a condition or you broke the shot poorly. Long range shooting can be very discouraging if you keep second guessing you equipment. That being said always keep in mind that a scope is a very sensitive piece of equipment and they will go bad on you. You will read a lot on shooting in conditions (mirage and wind) and you will read a lot of differences of opinion about which is more important. In my experience you have to watch the conditions from shot to shot to know which to account for. If the mirage is heavier than the wind then hold for the mirage. If the wind is heavier than the mirage then hold for the wind. I say hold because where I shoot the conditions seem to switch alot and it is easier for me to hold. One of my shooting partners chooses to dial for the conditions. Conditions are fairly easy to shoot in if you can read them (good optics). Alot of shooters say wait on the predominate conditions to return and that way you're always shooting the same condition (and that is good advice), but sometime it doesn't return or you're running out of time and you have to shoot. There's a debate about wind at the muzzle or wind at the target and which wind affects the bullet more. In my opinion the wind that affects the bullet more is the wind that has the greatest volume or greatest speed. Given equal volumes and speed I say wind at the muzzle affects the bullet more, but if you have 100 yds worth of wind downrange and 10 yds worth of wind at the muzzle (same speed wind) then the downrange wind is what you need to account for. One other thing, a 1/2 MOA group is pretty good shooting, I personally am only happy with 1/4 MOA groups (I'm not happy often). I know I've said alot and I hope this helps with your target shooting. All this advice and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee at the Exxon so take it for what it's worth. Again, thanks for the advice on the lathes. Good shooting, Brian.

 

[Kenny474]

Thanks for the advice. By target shooting, I am referring to shooting groups at different distances (my shooting spot is just shy of 400yds) to see what this rig is capable of. I also shoot at steel a lot, as I am a welder/fabricator/apprentice machinist, I like to make targets from steel. I get pleasure from ringing a 1" x 8" diameter plate. Don't know why but I love to hear steel ring.

The receiver was sent back to H&R to have the trigger smoothed, and I also have stoned the parts until they look like chrome. I don't have a pull scale, but it breaks like glass and can't be more than 2 or 3lbs. It's the best trigger I have, but that's not saying much.

I have a shooting bench I made, and it is the most rugged portable bench I have ever seen. It weighs 100+lbs, and I put 45lb plates on each side for extra stability, so I have a stable platform. I shoot from bags and an adjustable front rest I fabbed up. None of it is top notch, but it's solid. I have been trying to work on rifle hold on the bags, as I have always shot offhand until the last year. Having been a shotgunner for a long time, I have also been trying to work on squeezing the trigger rather than slapping it like a shotgun. I grew up hunting and shooting clays, so the transition to a rifle is a whole different game.

It has finally stopped raining here, so hopefully I will get to the range this week. Thanks for all the advice, it's appreciated a ton.

 

[Kenny474]

I finally got to the range yesterday and got 100 rounds through this rig, though the first 20 were just breaking in the barrel and forming the brass. It shoots better then I ever expected. I don't have my notes with me, but I was around 3300 fps with a 95gr Nosler Combined technology, and I wasn't near max. It seemed I got to a point where if I loaded any heavier I was ruining accuracy, so I am right at 50 grains of H4831. If I went any heavier, groups went from MOA to complete garbage. So as I stand right now, I am going to run the Nosler 95gr CT with 50 gr H4831 with bullets seated .010 off the lands, as it didn't like being jammed at all. This gave several .85" 5 shot groups at 100yds. Not what most of you are used to, but good for me and this rifle. I have a friend who has a bore scope at work (I used to work there as well) so I am going to inspect the barrel to see how it is holding up.
I only shot 10 shots at 200yds into a steel plate and the whole group was under 2", so it's not great by any means. But for $300 invested, it sure is fun. And man does it make steel ring!

I think I am just going to have fun with this rifle at this point. I don't want to cook the barrel trying to improve the load any further. H&R isn't known for making barrels from super tough steel, so this barrel's day's are numbered as it is. Though I may send it in and have 2 more .243 barrels installed just to have a spare made. And a .243 barrel would be nice as well.

I am unsure of how this will do at 400yds. I am thinking if the groups spread at the rate they have as you add distance, I will be around 4"-6", maybe bigger. But I am going back to the range in a hour or 2 and bringing my mountain bike so I don't have to walk 800yds to set up a target. I will update as to how this goes.

So all in all I am super impressed as to how this turned out. I was really bummed about it as I was told by a few people on another forum I had junked a barrel as it wasn't going to shoot at all. Guess I proved them wrong.

I may try some 85 grainers at some point, but I bought 500 of the combined technology along with some Partitions, so buying more bullets than this barrel will last through doesn't seem like the best idea. I will post again after I give it a 400yd run down.

Thanks for all the support. I was ready to throw this barrel away until I came here.

 

[Kenny474]

Has anyone ever tried firelapping? I have been reading about it and figure since my barrel is a mass produced POS that it might help. This is what I have been looking at.
http://www.superiorshootingsystems.com/FINAL_FINISH-Final_Finish_2.html

Everything I have read says it should help accuracy, and sometimes dramatically in factory barrels. I would like to hear first hand experience, though I will probably still try it unless someone feels it may hurt more than help. Thanks again.

 

[fullersson]

I'm glad your rifle is shooting well. I've read about the Final Finish products, but I have never tried them. After the gunsmith work my barrel cost about $600 and I was scared to try them on it. Looking back at all the thing I've done to that barrel since then, that hasn't hurt it, I would probably give them a try. I've read the same thing you said that in a factory barrel they may be more effective. Brian.

 

[Kenny474]

So I finally shot this rig at 400yds. Actually shot pretty good. I was getting between 3.5" and 4.5" depending on wind, as it was gusting pretty good at times. Not much vertical spread, mostly side to side. Only 2" vertical spread on all 5 shot groups.

I am going to send the receiver to H&R and get a few more barrels for it. The old man offered to spot me the cash, so why not. Going to get another .243, along with a .223 and a .308. Barrels are only $100, and I really like the way the gun shoots. Though I wish they made a .222 barrel, as I would prefer that over .223 any day.

This would make an awesome varmint gun. Absolutely devastates gallon jugs and 2 liter bottles of water.

Also ordered the final finish system to fire-lap the barrel. Hopefully I can tighten things up a bit more.

Next time I take it out I will bring my camera. That way I can post proof of performance.
I also swapped the scope for a Tasco Varminter 6-24X. It was a lot better for the 400yd targets than the 3-9x.

 

[Ironworker]

I've got a 26" Hart BBL 6x284 10" twist 57.5grs of Re#17 produces 4100 FPS with 70 gr Nosler BT. I'm trying to find a coyote that will let me shoot him for forensic data . With that 24" bbl I change powders. H4350 work almost as well as Re#17.

 

[kendoka66]

The 6X.284 is my favorite caliber,I have used several barrels over the years and with different twists ,all have been very accurate. My current barrel is a Krieger 26" S/S with a 1 turn in 9. Shots anything from 90 to 115 grain bullets. It eat a duet of Reloader 22,25 and Retumbo or IMR7828. I have used Win. brass and Norma brass. both work well.Standard primers work just fine. Have Fun.

 

[Michael W. De Land]

great thread.

 

[Ironworker]

My former 6/284 is now wearing a Bartlien 26" 8"twist chambered in 6mm Creedmoor. No looking back. I can get 3230 out of a 95gr Sierra TMK ,your getting 3300 . Not much difference.