Anyone have a great load for this caliber? Will use on whitetail mostly.
Thanks JP

quote:

Originally posted by gunsmith jp:
Anyone have a great load for this caliber? Will use on whitetail mostly.
Thanks JP

I shoot 85-grains Noslers, book says about 3400 fps. Rifle is a rechambered Remington 700 with heavy barrel, groups are right around a half-inch.

what powder and how much?

I have one. 8 twist barrel. I don't have my notes with me but, I think I use 53 grains of Retumbo behind 105 gr Bergers.

I've got to go hunting with it one of these days.

Contemplating building one. Have a Rem 7 action not doing anything, and a Brux 8T barrel also not doing anything. Ill be watching this with much interest

quote:

Originally posted by MileHighShooter:
Contemplating building one. Have a Rem 7 action not doing anything, and a Brux 8T barrel also not doing anything. Ill be watching this with much interest

I form brass from Lapua 6.5x284 cases. I was getting flattened primers with starting loads. The necks were to thick and had to get a reamer to ream the inside of the necks. No problems now. I would think that outside neck turning would also solve that problem.

quote:

Originally posted by cjfoster:

quote:

Originally posted by MileHighShooter:
Contemplating building one. Have a Rem 7 action not doing anything, and a Brux 8T barrel also not doing anything. Ill be watching this with much interest

I form brass from Lapua 6.5x284 cases. I was getting flattened primers with starting loads. The necks were to thick and had to get a reamer to ream the inside of the necks. No problems now. I would think that outside neck turning would also solve that problem.

Have you tried any other brands of brass?

quote:

Originally posted by gunsmith jp:
what powder and how much?

I started with a 4064 load mooched from a P.O. Ackley book; data for 6mm-284 was thin and kind of hard to find. I bought 200 Winchester 284 cartridge cases, all from the same manufacturing lot, from the shop where I bought the reloading dies. The initial efforts to neck them down made shoulder problems; they were successfully resized using a collet in a South Bend 10L first to reduce the neck size a little before introducing them to the reloading dies. Neck thickness is a potential issue and has to be measured.

A more recent load is IMR 4831 with benchrest primers, not pushing velocity as I'm more interested in accuracy for antelope hunting (which has been largely wasted the last ten years or so since the shots have gotten shorter as I learned more about their habits in the area I've hunted). Not having experience with a 6mm-284 or knowing anyone who had one, I started with minimum loads and worked up until I saw the accuracy I wanted.

Side note: the barrel was originally chambered Winchester 243, twist isn't fast enough to stabilize a VLD but is fine with 85 grain and below. Copper bullets may pose an issue if they are too much longer than the lead-filled variety. I will be digging into that this year, soon we will be lead-free statewide for hunting ( cutesy phrasing, "lead-free", like it was a spectacular advance in technology ).

quote:

Originally posted by MileHighShooter:


Have you tried any other brands of brass?

I have not. I bought a Wilson inside neck reamer that I think measures .242 or.241, don't have it with me, and that fixed the problem easy enough.

Using 6.5x284 brass is a single pass thru the 6x284 full length die or neck bushing die.

I want to say I used h4831sc with food results and bullets in the 100/105 range

Mine is on a model 7 I relieved the bolt stop and made a magazine box from 700 L/A so I could seat bullets out.

I've only loaded 95 gr Nosler Partitions and Reloader 22. Will whack a deer.

My buddy the gunsmith, part time, RIP, built a couple dozen 6/284s. His problem was that once finished, usually a douglas barrel on a mauser action, someone would see it shoot and force money on him and he had to build another. His preference was IMR 4350. Dip the case full and seat a bullet and go to the range. With 70 grain Hornady he was getting right around 3900. Yes, I would cut back a tiny bit for heavier bullets. I know he went thru the powder, he gave me 10 empty cans. (I buy bulk sometimes.) This was his go-to gun for the midwest. deer, varmints, etc. Powder changes a bit over time, manufacturers option, so I would be very careful, VERY, VERY careful; but I would start there. He screwed a barrel in for me and I haven't gotten to load developement yet. My bad. Best of luck. Happy New Year. Happy Trails.

quote:

Originally posted by iiranger:
His preference was IMR 4350. Dip the case full and seat a bullet and go to the range. With 70 grain Hornady he was getting right around 3900.

That's just how I loaded my 6mm x .270 IMP.
I was however using surplus 4831 and 110 & 115gr. Barnes' bullets. roger

I had one built in early 2001. I used starting data for the 240 Weatherby. They are about the same capacity ( '06 cap) I used Winchester .284 brass. I ran it through a 6.5/284 die first, then into the 6mm/284 die. I did not have to ream or turn the necks on mine. It shot the 90 NBT super flat, but it was very destructive on our pronghorn does! I gave the rifle to my Youth Minister and he has killed some good muleys up in Idaho since moving there. Its a good round, much cheaper to shoot than the 240 Weatherby, which is good company to be in. Love that 240W!

Well, bought some 1x fired 284 brass here! thinking about using a Yugo so I'm not hampered with COAL issues. The barrel is a sporter weight, so I think it'll all pair nicely. Just need dies now. Got 1200 105 AMAX bullets and a couple hundred 95 NBT.

quote:

Originally posted by TomP:
data for 6mm-284 was thin and kind of hard to find.

Data for the 243WSSM should work well; the case capacity is pretty similar or maybe slightly less depending on how deep bullets are seated, how thick the 284 brass is, etc. Superformance would probably work well.

quote:

Originally posted by jpl:

quote:

Originally posted by TomP:
data for 6mm-284 was thin and kind of hard to find.

Data for the 243WSSM should work well; the case capacity is pretty similar or maybe slightly less depending on how deep bullets are seated, how thick the 284 brass is, etc. Superformance would probably work well.

In the end, I found data in Ackley's book and Hornady's manual. There is a load for H4831-SC (not IMR 4831 like I thought I remembered above) that delivers good accuracy from the rifle and a comforting point-blank range. It has been largely wasted on less-than-100-yard shots, the last ten years.