So its been said many times consistency is the key

[TroyMN]

So I have have 3 different varibles to my load. Each has a combination that produced a good group/potential. I had wishful thinking that if I combined the best length, with the another powder charge on a higher node it would still be good. I fear that is NOT the case. I also have some annealed and another group of non-annealed brass. Using type S bushing dies that only sizes down .003+/- from the fired case, will annealing make much difference in the neck tension? Brass is new WIN (.270 WSM sized 6.5 WSM) once fired ? I did not anneal all the brass because I am using the drill method and was not possitive on the level of consistency.

Then what will it shoot like on a 50 degree hotter day.....Too many questions.
thanks
Troy

 

[wwbrown]

Troy,

How many rounds does your 6.5 WSM have on it, if you are over 500 have somebody look at the throat carefully with a borescope. As you know I used to shoot one and the accuracy went south and never came back after a little over 500 rounds, a lot of other people I have talked with had similar barrel life.

 

[22BRGUY]

Troy,

How many rounds does your 6.5 WSM have on it, if you are over 500 have somebody look at the throat carefully with a borescope. As you know I used to shoot one and the accuracy went south and never came back after a little over 500 rounds, a lot of other people I have talked with had similar barrel life.

Would like to know more of the details of this such as barrel maker, powder used, bullet weight/load density, shooting regimen, (how fast rounds were fired in what string length) etc. Just trying to get a little better handle on what may cause premature barrel burnout. Thanks much

 

[effendude]

Troy,
You need to focus on one item at a time. Most rifles will shoot well enough to show whether they have a future or not with just a little load work if you have the correct bullet for the barrel twist and expected velocity. You are not breaking new ground here, others have also built the cartridge you are shooting.

1) As Wade suggested, get the barrel looked at by an accuracy oriented gunsmith, not a Remington 870 mechanic. If the barrel is showing wear, which I suspect, stop wasting time and money on it.
2) If the 6.5WSM is your desire, all the more power to you, but approach the load development process carefully. You don't have enough barel life to do a bunch of testing, even with a new barrel.
3) I would suggest you start out with .001 to .002 neck tension and don't experiment with tension. Set it and forget it.
4) Pick a powder and primer to use and don't change it
5) Pick a bullet to use and don't change it
6) I would load the bullets long for a soft jam as your throat will be constantly moving until the barrel is gone, as Wade experienced, ~500 rounds or so.
7) Load up 10 rounds in .5 grain increments to see where you get pressure, stop when you see the first sign of it.
8) Load up 5 rounds of 3 loads; .5 grains below, 1.0 grains below, and 1.5 grains below your max load. Shoot these 15 rounds slowly and honestly at 300 yards to see which load shoots the best. The goal is to find a load that shoots well near the top node.

The goal is to find the pressure top, and a fairly accurate load in 25 rounds or so. I do the same with my magnum hunting rifles. The more variables you introduce, the more complicated the process becomes and you don't have the time with a new barrel, let alone a used barrel to experiment with complicated load development with a screamer cartridge.

Good Luck,
Scott

 

[TroyMN]

Thank you for the feedback. The barrel has less than 100 rounds through it. I am actually happy with the last session at the range. I will post the actual results with some pictures of the groups later. But off the top my head most group less than half an inch and 100 yards with a couple in the .3-.19 area. But that is from memory just like a fishing story it grows.
I was just getting greedy, I wanted 3000-3100 fps not 2890 were I had a tight group.
If you could check back after I get the pictures posted I would appreciate it, I am looking for a little advice on what you all would do next.

Wade what powder were using?
I hear the 6.5RSAUM was getting higher round counts out of the barrel (2-3500 +) with H1000 was thinking about switching from RL22 in the hopes it is the powder that helps lengthen barrel life. 1000 rounds is ok with me. Not really a match shooter, just like target shooting.
My current goal is to hit a 5 gallon pail at 1000 yards. First shot, not walking it in.

 

[TroyMN]

Here are some pictures from the my 10-31-13 trip to the range. Previously this summer I had trouble with the Lee FL sizing die, then the seating stem was not working with the VLD. With the Redding S type die and drilling out the stem, the huge run-out is solved. I will also post a link to all the pictures of the 6.5 WSM targets at the bottom of the post.




link to all the targets so far
http://s220.photobucket.com/user/troyrev800/library/Shooting/WSM?sort=3&page=1
Hind sight being 20/20 the seating depth was not correct and the run-out was huge.

 

[dkhunt14]

Annealing usually helps the accuracy, especially at long range. When the 6.5 WSM came out, a lot of people at Williamsport built one. Now nobody shoots one. The accuracy and barrel life is just not there. One guy got his shooting pretty good but that was after shortening the case three times. If you want good accuracy, (something easy to tune) build a 300 WSM. The accuracy and scoring ability are really good. Guys that shot 1000 yards for 20 years and never shot a 100 score built a 300WSM and shot multiple 100's since. This is not just one person, it's been multiple people.

 

[TroyMN]

So I re-tested a couple of loads and also 2 groups of the other primer and 60.5 charge (warm)




I am going to call it good and run with the New NON annealed brass
57.5 grains with the HUGE jump .095@ 2.275" Approx .50" groups
Also during this cold weather I am also going to shoot the 60.5 grains (BR2) at 2.380 .010 in lands---That one shows potential
Just practice some more.... FYI I had a great group with my STOCK .308

 

[TroyMN]

Problem with the 2.275 length in the non annealed brass. I must be hitting that "dough nut" ?
There is a seating resistance increase when seating that deep, then the bullet is very loose after the resistance is past. Two of the five I accidentally move the depth with the caliper while measuring. I think that load is out due to that and the fact I am not willing to buy the K&M neck turning equip (w/cutter mandrel) just to remove that issue. Is that normal it was not as noticeable with the annealed brass?
I will just focus on the RL 22 with 60.5, BR2, but am still worried that when summer comes back I will have too hot if load. I stuck bolt in it this summer with that load. However the gun had nearly no primary extraction at that time. I have since fixed that so I have about .080 vs the <.030.
I just do not want to end up with 100 loaded round this summer I can not shoot, and then need to find another load.
Thank you for you feedback