Norma brass in no turn 6PPC

[Tnslim]

First off this will not be a competition rifle but I'm looking for as good shooting rifle as possible. I plan on building a 6PPC with a Savage single shot action and want to keep it as simple as possible. My plan is to use Norma brass in a .272 no turn chamber. What kind of brass life can I expect? I'll be shooting 100-200 yds only so I figure to use 62-70 gr bullets. What twist and barrel length would you recommend? Do you foresee any problems with this setup? What kind of accuracy should I expect? I'll be using a Savage laminate varmint stock and will bed using Devcon. Thanks for your help.

 

[jonbearman]

Brass life with some norma brass is short however if you get one of the new lots it is supposed to be on par with lapua brass. The twist for that weight of bullet is usually 14 twist but some are going with a 12 twist so no stability problems if you use a long bullet that the 14 wont stabilize.

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

Before you build a 6PPC from new parts, have a look at "the list" and pick up a used rifle that will shoot better, and hold its value much better, than the Savage.

http://theshooterscorner.com/

 

[expiper]

slim,,,,my no turn reamer is .274" ND,,,,for use with Lapua brass,,,is the Norma thinner??,,,if not you may not have enuff clearance,,,,Roger

 

[Tnslim]

Before you build a 6PPC from new parts, have a look at "the list" and pick up a used rifle that will shoot better, and hold its value much better, than the Savage.

http://theshooterscorner.com/

I already have the action and stock and I'm building it to shoot, not interested in reselling. Plus I just prefer to build my own.

 

[Tnslim]

slim,,,,my no turn reamer is .274" ND,,,,for use with Lapua brass,,,is the Norma thinner??,,,if not you may not have enuff clearance,,,,Roger

Good point. I'll check with Jim at Northland on this. Thanks for the info.
I was basing this size due to my 6BR having a .272 neck using Lapua brass with no problems.

 

[JohnHenry]

I shoot the newer Norma 6PPC brass in a 6PPC Ruger 77 Mark II. The outside neck diameter(unturned) of my loaded brass is .266. The headstamp on the newer Norma brass has a dot ( "." ) between the 6PPC and USA. The older brass does not have the dot. Too early to speak to the ultimate durability yet, but I have 11 firings on the brass to date and primer pockets remain tight. If I was specifying a no-turn 6PPC chamber for Norma brass I believe I would go with a .269 neck diameter. As already suggested I believe I would go with a 1 in 12" twist. My Ruger is a 1 in 12" twist and in addition to the normal benchrest bullets it also likes the Berger varmint 69 grain flat base low drag hollow points(#24313). Berger recommends a 1 in 12" or faster twist for this bullet.

A link to some Norma 6PPC info follows.
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2010/01/shot-show-report-murdica-tests-new-norma-6ppc-brass/

 

[Tnslim]

John, thanks for the info. Glad to hear that on the newer Norma brass. I hope the supplier will be kind enough to check for the dot when I order the brass. May I ask what brand of dies you are using? I'm a fan of Lee dies due to cost plus they have worked fine for me so far. Also, could you tell me where you bought the newer Norma brass? What is your barrel length?

Thanks,
Slim

Just watched the video and was exactly what I wanted to hear. I'll go with a .270 neck. Thanks for the link.

 

[JohnHenry]

Slim, Based on the Lou Murdica link added to my prior post, the "newer" Norma brass has been available since 2010. I would not think that the major suppliers would still have any of the older brass. The barrel on my Ruger is 26 inches. I bought my brass from Midway when on sale or with one of their promos. I use a Harrell's full length sizer bushing style die and a Wilson seater. If you do not use an arbor style press for the Wilson dies, I would recommend Redding's competition seater. I full length size after each firing. Best of luck with your build.

 

[WyleWD]

I shoot the newer Norma 6PPC brass in a 6PPC Ruger 77 Mark II. The outside neck diameter(unturned) of my loaded brass is .266. The headstamp on the newer Norma brass has a dot ( "." ) between the 6PPC and USA. The older brass does not have the dot. Too early to speak to the ultimate durability yet, but I have 11 firings on the brass to date and primer pockets remain tight. If I was specifying a no-turn 6PPC chamber for Norma brass I believe I would go with a .269 neck diameter. As already suggested I believe I would go with a 1 in 12" twist. My Ruger is a 1 in 12" twist and in addition to the normal benchrest bullets it also likes the Berger varmint 69 grain flat base low drag hollow points(#24313). Berger recommends a 1 in 12" or faster twist for this bullet.

A link to some Norma 6PPC info follows.
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2010/01/shot-show-report-murdica-tests-new-norma-6ppc-brass/

+1 John Henry is right on. I have the same type rifle. By neck sizing only I have been able to get 15 reloadings out of the Norma cases and it will still shoot under .7 at 200yds under ideal conditions (including the shooter). I use 68gr boat tails in mine. WD

 

[hedditch]

I have a box of 100 Norma 6 PPC brass that is on it's 25th loading. My neck is a .267 and my loaded cartridge is .265, no turn. I have had no problems with the brass in any way. I have fired .262 turned brass in my .267 chamber (some I purchased used) with no problems though I have not fired those specific cases 25 times. I did not see a decrease in accuracy with the .262 cases. Will the 262 neck cases fail sooner than the 265 neck cases? I don't have any experience yet to make that statement. I have over 2500 rounds down my barrel (Wilson Barrel, Cooper rifle) and I am still shooting five shot groups in the .2s & .3s. I am watching my accuracy close because I do suspect a new barrel will be required in the near future, sooner than later. I also have a Ruger MK II in 6 PPC and I shoot Sako brass through it, no turn. The Sako brass does have a thicker neck.

 

[Shynloco]

I shoot the newer Norma 6PPC brass in a 6PPC Ruger 77 Mark II. The outside neck diameter(unturned) of my loaded brass is .266. The headstamp on the newer Norma brass has a dot ( "." ) between the 6PPC and USA. The older brass does not have the dot. Too early to speak to the ultimate durability yet, but I have 11 firings on the brass to date and primer pockets remain tight. If I was specifying a no-turn 6PPC chamber for Norma brass I believe I would go with a .269 neck diameter. As already suggested I believe I would go with a 1 in 12" twist. My Ruger is a 1 in 12" twist and in addition to the normal benchrest bullets it also likes the Berger varmint 69 grain flat base low drag hollow points(#24313). Berger recommends a 1 in 12" or faster twist for this bullet.

A link to some Norma 6PPC info follows.
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2010/01/shot-show-report-murdica-tests-new-norma-6ppc-brass/

+1 John Henry is right on. I have the same type rifle. By neck sizing only I have been able to get 15 reloadings out of the Norma cases and it will still shoot under .7 at 200yds under ideal conditions (including the shooter). I use 68gr boat tails in mine. WD

Tnslim,

I shoot a Savage Target Actioned BR rifle, but use Lapua brass as it lasts longer (for me) than does the Norma, which I now use in my 30BR. And as WyleWD has found, 68 gr bullets works very nicely, but in Flat Base and I use either Barts or Bergers for best accuracy in my rifle.

Alex

 

[Tnslim]

I've come to the conclusion that I need to order brass and dies and measure my loaded round before ordering the barrel. I wanted to use the Criterion barrel but they don't offer the 6PPC so Jim at Northland recommended the Shilen barrel. I'll have to wait until next week when the Shilen guys return from Shot Show to ask my questions. How much larger/clearance do I need over my loaded round measurement?

http://www.shilen.com/chambers.html

 

[JohnHenry]

Slim, Ideally I think one wants a chamber neck diameter .002" to .003" larger than your loaded round. A little more gap probably will not hurt as in the Lou Murdica video link above he was shooting unturned Norma brass in a .270 neck chamber with good results. You may want Shilen's Sako chamber with the .270 neck as you are not planning on turning the necks. When you talk to Shilen I would inquire if the body dimensions of this Sako chamber is oversized a little vs a match chamber. As with the necks it is not desirable to oversize the case body either. I did not see any prices for Shilen Savage prefits on the Northland Shooters Supply website. The Barrel Man also sells a significant volume of Shilen barrels( including Savage prefits) at an attractive price. Depending on what sizer die you are planning to use, you may not want to order a sizer die yet. If you go with a Harrell full length sizer bushing die, they will want a few fired cases to properly match the sizer die to your chamber.

http://thebarrelman.com/savage-replacement-barrels/

 

[Tnslim]

John, due to being a lifelong skinflint I plan on using Lee dies as I've had great luck with them plus I like their price. One of my questions to Shilen was going to be the chamber size of the Sako chamber. If same as the USA chamber other than neck size that will probably be what I order. Jim of Northland priced the Shilen Select Match at $339. plus shipping. I've always had excellent service from Jim.

David

 

[JohnHenry]

David, I can't make any fact based comments on Lee dies as I have no experience with them. If you like them, give their 6PPC dies a try. They are not that expensive and your decision is certainly not irreversible if you choose to change in the future. I have no first hand experience with Northland Shooters Supply., but hear numerous good comments. I shoot more Shilen barrels than the other top makes and have been well pleased with their select match barrels on my benchrest rifles. Again, good luck with your build. Let us know how it turns out.