PRS Talk 6mm Bullet Choices For PRS

[Cardboard Assassin]

My new build will either be 6BR or 6BRA so I'm trying to organize components so I'm ready to go when the rifle is built.

My brass choice is undecided but I'm leaning towards Lapua (they offer 6BR which I could fireform to 6BRA if that is the direction I end up going), if not then Alpha (they offer 6BRA).

For powder I have a ton of 8208 XBR but all the reading I have done suggests that Varget is the go to for 6BR / 6BRA so I'll probably try my 8208 and buy a pound of Varget to compare. I find Varget problematic to measure / trickle (I use a Chargemaster 1500).

Berger seems to be a great option for quality 6mm bullets but which option are most folks using for PRS type applications? The general consensus is that Hybrid Targets are a good (possibly the best) fit and these are the 3 best options I can find:

1) 6mm 105 Grain Hybrid Target (G7 BC 0.275 / G1 BC 0.536)
2) 6mm 109 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target (G7 BC 0.292 / G1 BC 0.568)
3) 6mm 115 Grain Very Low Drag (VLD) Target (G7 BC 0.289 / G1 BC 0.563)

There are other similar offerings from Berger that I haven't mentioned but if any of them are a good fit I'm all ears.

I know each gun / barrel is different and what works in one wont necessarily work in the other but I'm curious what others have found. On paper the 109 grains are the winner but is it all about BC or are their other factors I should consider?

 

[salks]

I always have good luck with the berger bullets in the yellow box.

 

[Olen_4504]

105s or 109s are most common

Mostly the 105s

 

[Mormegil87]

I prefer the 105s. A-tips are nice but they don't offer enough of an advantage for the price at the speeds I'm running my BRA at.

Now my wife's 6XC is a different story.

 

[Mnash]

I’m running a 6BRA in a 28” bartlein 1:7.5 5R. My biggest bit of advice would be to not try to push it too hard. It gets pressurey quick. My barrel likes H4895 best but it ran varget fine as well although a little slower. 2850 has been the sweet spot for me with 105s. The 109s are great but not as available and you lose about 40fps. If you can find either of those powders VV N140 is a great option as well. Good luck!

 

[Darkside-Six]

Either Berger 105 hybrids or 109 hybrids.
Shot both at matches this year and both performed great. But I prefer the 109’s over the rest. They are the most consistent lot to lot on my experience and I picked up another 5k a few weeks ago so I’m pretty committed to them now.

 

[Walker TR]

Berger 105s have been the gold standard for years.
Berger 109s are solid and I ran those in competition this year and had great results.
ATIPs are turning into the new gold standard, most of the top 10 in PRS ran ATIPs and they would not run them if they were not better
DTACs, Sierra, and Nosler really not that seen in the PRS world as much as they were before from what I have seen

 

[seafury]

I’ve had good success group wise with 108 ELD-M’s. still have a box of Berger 105’s I’d like to test but don’t want to use up primers on testing.

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

I prefer the 105s. A-tips are nice but they don't offer enough of an advantage for the price at the speeds I'm running my BRA at.

Now my wife's 6XC is a different story.

I just looked up the A-Tips and I vaguely remembered they were pricey but holy!

They're pretty well double the Bergers were I am!

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

I always have good luck with the berger bullets in the yellow box.

Hopefully that continues.......

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

I sense the 105s are the most popular but the 109s are pretty darned good too.

Is no one using 115s?

 

[Walker TR]

I just looked up the A-Tips and I vaguely remembered they were pricey but holy!

They're pretty well double the Bergers were I am!

Think about it though......they are potential .1-.2 better wind at distance than maybe a 105...in a competition that could be a difference of holding on or off the plate. Now if someone is just shooting steel for fun I can totally understand not going to ATIPS....Nothing wrong with Berger 109s I have put 6000 of them down range over the last year.

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

I’m running a 6BRA in a 28” bartlein 1:7.5 5R. My biggest bit of advice would be to not try to push it too hard. It gets pressurey quick. My barrel likes H4895 best but it ran varget fine as well although a little slower. 2850 has been the sweet spot for me with 105s. The 109s are great but not as available and you lose about 40fps. If you can find either of those powders VV N140 is a great option as well. Good luck!

Thats great info - thank you.

 

[Walker TR]

I sense the 105s are the most popular but the 109s are pretty darned good too.

Is no one using 115s?

Freebore in 115s can sometimes be a challenge in BR based with potential donut issues plus it just seems there is not a super consistent 115 6mm. DTACs are people preference but I could not get them to shoot others have been able to.

 

[Mnash]

I think 115s are a little too heavy for the BR / BRA, you need at least BRX / Dasher to push those fast enough.

 

[Darkside-Six]

I just looked up the A-Tips and I vaguely remembered they were pricey but holy!

They're pretty well double the Bergers were I am!

When I first switched to 6mm at the end of 2019 I committed to the A-Tips and picked up 500 from brownells when they had a 20% off sale and then literally 3 days later Berger announced they were releasing the 109 Hybrids.
After a few months when I few buddies had tried out the 109’s and said they were good, I picked up a few hundred to try. Ended up being the same charge weight as my A-Tips and same speed as well so was a good comparison. The 109’s shot just as good and there was only .1 difference at 1000 so I got Reid of the A-tips and went with the 109’s at almost half the cost.

 

[Krob95]

I was running 105 hybrids in my 6BR at 2850. Loading varget with my chargemaster 1500 I was getting low single digit Es and sd’s so it’s possible and had very few over throws. I was running a 4 groove 27” Kreiger barrel in an impact action. 105’s are perfect for the BR. I’d probably go 109’s for a BRA though.

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

I was running 105 hybrids in my 6BR at 2850. Loading varget with my chargemaster 1500 I was getting low single digit Es and sd’s so it’s possible and had very few over throws. I was running a 4 groove 27” Kreiger barrel in an impact action. 105’s are perfect for the BR. I’d probably go 109’s for a BRA though.

Our setups will almost be identical.

I've ordered a 4 groove Krieger barrel in an Impact action, the folks putting it together are advising to go 28" (they shoot 6BRs and thats what they did with good success by all accounts).

The plan is to try Varget (and 8208 as I have lots), but I vaguely remember the last time I used Varget with my Chargemaster it was frustrating with to get consistency. If I experience any issues this time I will work a little harder to fine tune them out (adjust the Chargemaster settings, experiment with the screw in adaptors & straws for the dropper, I just picked up an anti static mat etc etc) as I feel like Varget will be the go to powder.

Thanks for the simple explanation on what bullets are the best fit. When I decide on the caliber it will be the key to everything. Right now I'm leaning towards 6BRA with the hope of finding a 6BR level node for PRS and a faster 6BRA level node for F Class.

 

[Alanh]

You have already worked up the best ever load for 6mmbr. 30gr varget to start, and Berger 105. You will see most people running a variant of this load for PRS and F-Class.

 

[jre0807]

I agree with Alanh. I run 30.0 grains of Varget with 105’s out of my br and dasher and they both shoot tiny groups with mid single digit sd’s. 2750fps, zero recoil, and perfect for PRS.

 

[Slim Reaper]

I’ve had good success group wise with 108 ELD-M’s. still have a box of Berger 105’s I’d like to test but don’t want to use up primers on testing.

In the interest of saving some of my primers what speed and jump were you running your 108 eld-m’s?

 

[seafury]

In the interest of saving some of my primers what speed and jump were you running your 108 eld-m’s?

31.8 gr Varget
.040 Jump
BR4
2850 fps out of a 24” Bartlein

that was my sweet spot for 108’s. YMMV

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

31.8 gr Varget
.040 Jump
BR4
2850 fps out of a 24” Bartlein

that was my sweet spot for 108’s. YMMV

Varget is proving tricky to get in my locality. Hopefully that improves......

 

[jrayw02]

110 atip
105 hybrid
109 hybrid
In that order

 

[Shoots 700's]

Im using the Berger 109 out of a dasher. I think these bullets are fantastic

 

[ThePretzel]

I was running 105 hybrids in my 6BR at 2850. Loading varget with my chargemaster 1500 I was getting low single digit Es and sd’s so it’s possible and had very few over throws. I was running a 4 groove 27” Kreiger barrel in an impact action. 105’s are perfect for the BR. I’d probably go 109’s for a BRA though.

There are some days where I miss that Impact still, it just plain worked!

For BR-based cartridges in my experience both the 105's and 109's have worked great. 115's are hit or miss, but it's hard to wrong with either of the other two options.

 

[HellcatActual]

Im cutting my dasher pipe right now and im going with 28" for the free speed alone on a Barty 3R. I bought into the 105s pretty steep (have 1800 stacked up) simply I screwed my self over a few times in my 65 with swapping around bullets to try neat things out, just ended up blowing barrel life and consumables fast.

trying to stick with a single setup this year.

 

[BLKWLFK9]

I've always been a varget/105 guy but have recently switched to 8208/95smk's. My 2 shooting partners have been shooting them for a couple years and they always seem to cheat the wind a little better. I run the 105s at 2930 and the 95s at 3120. U can also feel the recoil difference between the two. 31.8g of varget and 32.6g of 8208. The 27" tube gets me the few fps extra. With the 8208, I've got an ES of 6 and SD of 2.

 

[lts1ow]

110smk and 4350, 6 creed

 

[MDof2]

Breaking in two barrels now for the upcoming season. 105s and 109s.

 

[1moaoff]

105 hybrid because I have enough for a couple yes

 

[Doc68]

I have a PVA 6BR 26" barrel. I'm getting 2860 with 29.5gr of VV 540. I couldnt find any other powders. Using Berger 105gr hybrids along with Barnes 105gr for plinking.

Check out 6mmbr.com

Lots of information there for the 6BR family of cartridges.

Doc

 

[SuperChop]

I’ve had tremendous success with Nosler 115gr RDF’s in my 6 GT. Just loves ‘em. Varget is a bit too fast for the heavier 6mm bullets in my opinion, but H-4350 is awesome.

 

[88blazer]

FYI, I run 140gr HT in my 260 for long range matches. Matches under approx 800yds or so, I now run cheaper bullets like standard hornady HPBT or similar cheap bullet. So if cheaper bullets only group 3/4MOA, I'm still on steel at 800 with a cheaper bullet. Save your shorthanded expensive bullets for the longer range field matches. So glad I did this! I'll also run BLC or RL-17 & 19, I save my unicorn tears(4350) for the longer range matches.

Hope this helps some, just food for thought

B

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

FYI, I run 140gr HT in my 260 for long range matches. Matches under approx 800yds or so, I now run cheaper bullets like standard hornady HPBT or similar cheap bullet. So if cheaper bullets only group 3/4MOA, I'm still on steel at 800 with a cheaper bullet. Save your shorthanded expensive bullets for the longer range field matches. So glad I did this! I'll also run BLC or RL-17 & 19, I save my unicorn tears(4350) for the longer range matches.

Hope this helps some, just food for thought

B

My 6.5 CM loves 140 Hornady BTHPs - I have found them to be a very accurate and well priced option.

 

[MDof2]

I'm a huge fan of the 140 HPBT Match as well. Several guns like them, and they're priced right. (usually)
Arm or Ally has them in stock as of Sunday night 1/31, they're a tick higher priced than "normal" but they're in stock.
They had 6mm / 105's in stock earlier in the week.

Hornady 264 Cal 6.5mm 140gr BTHP Match (Bulk / OEM)

Hornady 140 BTHP Match .264 Caliber projectiles. We offer bulk pricing in small affordable packs. Arm or Ally, your trusted source for your favorite reloading components!

www.armorally.com

 

[Konarex]

I am running 115 RDF in my 6mm BRX and Dasher. 32.4g Varget gets me 2800fps in the BRX and a similar load gets me 2820fps in my dasher. They have been very consistent form me. I'm using .308 G7.