Got my first 6mm TCU. Now I need some tips on case forming, favorite powders, 4198 seems to come up as well as 322 or was it 335. 80gr or lighter bullets. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Well Verno, I'm no expert on loading the 6mm T/CU, but will share with you what I have been doing.

First off I started with virgin W-W .223 Brass. My Virgin Valley Custom Guns chamber is tight, so I had to bump the shoulder back slightly to get them to chamber. With the extractor removed from the barrel I adjusted my size die until I had .004" to .005" of the case head sticking out of the rear of the barrel when I dropped the sized case in the chamber. A little trick I learned along the way is that the cases necked up much easier if I lightly chamfered the inside of the case mouths prior to expanding the case mouths.

Once this was done I experimented with both 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips, and 80gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips with IMR-4198, H-322, W-748 & H-355. In my barrel H-335 provided the best combination of accuracy and velocity for these fireform loads. With the 80gr. Nosler Balistic Tips I was able to seat the bullets to touch the rifling lands for added case support for fireforming, but with the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips I was not. (With a crush fit of the case to the chamber I am not sure how important the bullet touching the lands is or not), but at any rate both loads I ended up with are plenty accurate for my needs, and provide the velocity level I was after.

With my fireform loads I am achieving 3000 FPS with the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips, and 2700 FPS with the 80gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. While I have not done a lot of group shooting with these loads since the weather got COLD, from the shooting I did with both loads I was more than pleased with the accuracy. 3/4" 5 shot groups at 100 yards were the norm, with some groups running a little less.

I can hardly wait till I get to loading the formed cases to see how things shake out. I have long been a fan of the 6mm-223 (6x45), and from what I have seen from this 6mm T/CU Barrel so far, it has done nothing to change my opinion, except maybe that the T/CU version is going to offer a little more velocity once formed cases are loaded.

Larry

howdy verno, i'm gonna use h335. lot's of good reports on the powder in 6mm's. havn't shot mine yet, but i've got about 50 rounds loaded and ready. if i could just find the time and WEATHER. i shot some .223's yesterday and had the 6tcu there with me but ran out of time. all three of the powders you mention are candidates, but from what i hear H335 seems to be the one. i know sdhandgunner here is having luck with it already. case forming is simple,just load a couple grains below max and shoot. so i'm told anyway. i'm loading mostly 80 gr bullets for deer, and they should also work for varmints. maybe not as explosive though. i think bobby tomek is the 6mm expert here. maybe someone can step in here and give some good advice for both of us to learn from.

ah ha, old man sdhandgunner got in there while i was typing. your in good hands.

Kyode, what ya mean OLD MAN SD Handgunner. I haven't reached the half century mark just yet. But I am getting closer everyday.

Oh that's right, I forgot I am a grandfather so I guess that would make me an honory Old Man, right.

Larry

yep ornry old man, you got it

SD & KYODE, thanks for your help. I finally shot the TCU today and it was amazing. I was always afraid to get a TCU, because of horror storys I heard about making brass, headspacing, etc. Hogwash...it was a piece of cake and very accurate. I love it.

yep, i had feared it kinnda over the years and leaned more to a 6x47, which doesn't require forming. i've since shot the 6tcu barrel, and love it. first 3 shots on the target with 80gr rem. plhp's and h335 were touching. love at first shot