New 6BR build

[GrocMax]

.093" FB CIP and a slight jump 65 vmax uses about 1/2 the neck. Shoots great. Great speed and not hard on brass at all. Don't understand the objections to this.

I was convinced I needed shorter freebore for lightweight varmint bullets until I tried it. CIP reamer was in stock and significantly cheaper vs a long wait so I tried it, glad I did. Don't be afraid to try it.

Now the popular .120+ FB I can see potential issues with lightweights.

 

[Webster]

.093" FB CIP and a slight jump 65 vmax uses about 1/2 the neck. Shoots great. Great speed and not hard on brass at all. Don't understand the objections to this.

I was convinced I needed shorter freebore for lightweight varmint bullets until I tried it. CIP reamer was in stock and significantly cheaper vs a long wait so I tried it, glad I did. Don't be afraid to try it.

Now the popular .120+ FB I can see potential issues with lightweights.

Can an expert comment on choosing a proper freebore no personal opinions. The issue I see is with light weight bullets and a long freebore you have more area for carbon built up. The freebore is bigger than the bore, this is where the carbon builds up. Shorter freebore the bullet is deeper in the case with more grip. Most of us don't shoot good enough to see the difference on a target. What do the ppc shooters believe is correct and why?

 

[markT]

This is my first rodeo.. but buying a Rem 700 action and a "remage" bbl.. why do I need a "smith?"
All I' m told I need is "go" and "no go" gauges. And fit the bbl myself..
Then work up some loads for the 65 gr Vmax.
If the rifle gets 1" @200 that will be fine my application.. IMO..

 

[6xcshooter]

why does weatherby have so much freebore in their barrels? i've seen factory weatherbys shoot very very well?

 

[timeout]

This is my first rodeo.. but buying a Rem 700 action and a "remage" bbl.. why do I need a "smith."
All i'm told I need is go and no go gauges. And fit the bbl myself..
Then work up some loads for the 65 gr Vmax.
If the rifle gets 1" @200 that will be fine my application.. IMO..

There is no reason that you can't proceed as stated. Enjoy your project!

 

[nmkid]

I called the friendly folks at McGowen and asked the question about freebore. They said they mfg to SAAMI specs and if I wanted something different I would have to supply the reamer.. so.. not sure what that particular spec is.. any thoughts from the folks with experience?

On my last order from McGowen I was instructed to send in 3 dummy rounds with the bullet depth set at where I wanted it. Got the rifle 8 weeks later and the freebore was NO where near on what I had requested. My latest build from PacNor I was also instructed to send in 1 dummy round. Once again when I got the rifle the freebore was not what I had requested! But, on the PacNor I forgot all about my whining because right from the start it shot lights out! Probably the best barrel I have ever had.

 

[GSPV]

Can an expert comment on choosing a proper freebore no personal opinions. The issue I see is with light weight bullets and a long freebore you have more area for carbon built up. The freebore is bigger than the bore, this is where the carbon builds up. Shorter freebore the bullet is deeper in the case with more grip. Most of us don't shoot good enough to see the difference on a target. What do the ppc shooters believe is correct and why?

Alex Wheeler *is* an expert.

 

[Webster]

Well if your freebore is much over zero the 55s will fall out of the neck before they touch. The 60 sierra will tolerate a .060 fb and the 65 vmax a little more. But id start with a zero to give you the choice

I agree I should have got zero freebore. Your gunsmith may have to buy and charge for the reamer. I have a 6BR 14 twist. Not 100% sure what the freebore is, should be .030". With a 55 gr Nosler my COAL to touch is 2.182". The bullet is .185" into the neck. It shoots nice groups with 8208 in my varmint rifle. My rifle shoots the 75gr Sierra flat base bullets in about a 10" group. 70 gr OK but fussy for a good load.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Bearing surface of a bullet determines the freebore. A 65 v-max has a very long bearing surface and will work in a .093" freebore. A 55 nosler bt will fall out of the neck. The BR case has a very long neck so a zero is a great choice and will give the ability to shoot any bullet youd want. I once had a .060fb 6br varmint rifle. I could not shoot 55 noslers but 60 flat based sierras worked great. I really like the 55s though for the splat effect. If you go with a .60 or .093 fb you will just have like the 65 v max. Now theres nothing saying you cant jump the 55s but I never got great accuracy from them until I put them in the lands. If your sinking hard earned money into a rifle, get what you want the first time. If it costs a couple hundred more and takes another couple months so be it.

 

[AckleymanII]

I ended up dealing with Northland Shooting Supply and went with Criterion 1:14 TW.. They have a. 093" freebore. I talked with a gun smith in FL and he said I would be fine.. so we shall see..

Not Good!!!!

I have shot zero freebore 6 BR barrels since 1987! Best accuracy is where you get consistent neck tension(you have to have some bullet in the neck), and the bullet either touching or jamming the lands.

I would start off with would be .030 freebore, but a guy could get by with .050, but I would order my own reamer before I went .095 for use with the 65's. The reason for this is that the 6 BR will shoot groups that simply open up a single bullet hole when you start jamming the lands slightly. You will just have to experience this for yourself.

If you start off with zero freebore, shoot a ball powder, you will get in excess of 6000+ rounds of barrel life with light bullets. My preference is AA2230 with the 55's at 3900 and H335 with 60g sierra Hp and 65g V max(tad slower powder). Accuracy is astounding with the light bullets to say the least. The 22 caliber, 55g Nosler has a better BC than it's 22 caliber 55g bullet! So, with the 6 BR running the 55g at 3900 out of a 26-27" bbl, you are shooting the equal of a 220 Swift with 55g or a tad better.

markT, I wish you would listen to Alex Wheeler, he knows what he is talking about. I bet that Alex could chamber the barrel using the right reamer also.

Best Wishes!

 

[Alex Wheeler]

This is a .093" free bore with a 60 sierra hp .010" in the lands. Theres about .1" in the neck. Next to it is a 55 sierra blitzking with its ogive at the same location as the 60.

 

[AckleymanII]

The 60g Sierra shoots very, very tiny groups, few would believe it.

 

[Webster]

This is my first rodeo.. but buying a Rem 700 action and a "remage" bbl.. why do I need a "smith?"
All I' m told I need is "go" and "no go" gauges. And fit the bbl myself..
Then work up some loads for the 65 gr Vmax.
If the rifle gets 1" @200 that will be fine my application.. IMO..

If the chamber is to long you have to turn metal off the end of the barrel with a lathe. There's only one way to screw a finish machined threaded barrel on. It is not adjustable.

 

[ALBULLET]

If the chamber is to long you have to turn metal off the end of the barrel with a lathe. There's only one way to screw a finish machined threaded barrel on. It is not adjustable.

Hope your not serious ...
You are speaking of steps to correct HEAD SPACE. This post is talking about FREE BORE. The very sm amount of space between the end of the brass and the beginning of lands in the barrel. Mr Alex Wheeler would be one of the gun builders/ shooter/ smiths a person would call to discuss information such free bore...
Good luck with your build and read over ONE MORE TIME WHAT ALEX HAD TO SAY..
Shoot small and smile at your buddies!!!!

 

[GSPV]

This is a .093" free bore with a 60 sierra hp .010" in the lands. Theres about .1" in the neck. Next to it is a 55 sierra blitzking with its ogive at the same location as the 60.

View attachment 1029865

This one makes it obvious to the most casual observer.

 

[chino1969]

On my last order from McGowen I was instructed to send in 3 dummy rounds with the bullet depth set at where I wanted it. Got the rifle 8 weeks later and the freebore was NO where near on what I had requested. My latest build from PacNor I was also instructed to send in 1 dummy round. Once again when I got the rifle the freebore was not what I had requested! But, on the PacNor I forgot all about my whining because right from the start it shot lights out! Probably the best barrel I have ever had.

Pac Nor barrels are no slouches. I have had very good results with their pre fit barrels on a Savage single shot action.

 

[chino1969]

Pac Nor barrels are no slouches. I have had very good results with their pre fit barrels on a Savage single shot action.

 

[geraldgee]

My reamer has .080 FB to shoot the 90gr class bullets. I have a 4 groove 9twt barrel that likes the 87s jammed .015". I am going to try the Sierra 60s. They sound like fun.


Edit - After being asked some questions about my reamer, I dug out the print and discovered that I had a some senior moment - my reamer was ground to a .070 FB dimension. My apologies for the mistake.

 

[urbanrifleman]

This is a .093" free bore with a 60 sierra hp .010" in the lands. Theres about .1" in the neck. Next to it is a 55 sierra blitzking with its ogive at the same location as the 60.

View attachment 1029865

DANG IT!!!! I just ordered the 55 Varmageddon and I should have ordered these instead!!! Dang it dang it!!!

I have found that with my long throat rifles (My Ruger 243 has probably 130 thou freebore I have no idea why) the 70 fb bullets are just fine. The 70 Varmeggedon can be seated way out there and still touch and have a lot of bearing surface. Ackleyman 2 turned me on to the massive sale at Midway on the 70 TNT and I bought 750 of those for $85. That is 12 bucks a hundred. He said they shoot like Berger benchrest bullets.

 

[searcher]

I agree with Webster. You will be glad you insisted on a shorter freebore if this is to be a dedicated varmint rig. The reamers can also be rented through a few good rental outfits that specialize in reamers. I think the last one my smith rented for me cost about $40.00 or so. It was brand new or maybe used only one time. That was for a .17 Hornet which my smith also did not want to own.