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Pros and Cons of the 6 br
- Thread starter Aaron Kincaid
- Start date
Skip the BR. Look at the New hotness in the 6mmGT..... Tiger full of Gayness....
Pros:
1. Great Precision.
2. Very Low Recoil.
3. Fairly cheap to reload.
4. Brass lasts a long time.
5. No fire forming when compared with other 6 BR variants.
6. There is tons of reloading data online with well known loads that just seem to work. Load development can be very easy.
Cons:
1. Compared to other 6mm rounds and 6 BR variants the velocity is low. This means more drop and wind drift. The difference is pretty minimal really.
2. Feeding is often not plug and play. Probably will need BR mag kits for AICS mags.
3. Factory ammo is not common.
4. Every once in awhile there is a Lapua brass shortage, but if you get 300 or 400 pieces you could be set for a really long time.
5. Energy on target is less making splash and point of impact harder to see compared to a really fast 6mm or a 6.5mm. More competitions are using flashers so that helps.
I think 6 BR is a great choice if you are looking for low recoil and easy reloading. If you aren't the type that likes to chase velocity and likes to get more done with less then I say go for it.
1. Great Precision.
2. Very Low Recoil.
3. Fairly cheap to reload.
4. Brass lasts a long time.
5. No fire forming when compared with other 6 BR variants.
6. There is tons of reloading data online with well known loads that just seem to work. Load development can be very easy.
Cons:
1. Compared to other 6mm rounds and 6 BR variants the velocity is low. This means more drop and wind drift. The difference is pretty minimal really.
2. Feeding is often not plug and play. Probably will need BR mag kits for AICS mags.
3. Factory ammo is not common.
4. Every once in awhile there is a Lapua brass shortage, but if you get 300 or 400 pieces you could be set for a really long time.
5. Energy on target is less making splash and point of impact harder to see compared to a really fast 6mm or a 6.5mm. More competitions are using flashers so that helps.
I think 6 BR is a great choice if you are looking for low recoil and easy reloading. If you aren't the type that likes to chase velocity and likes to get more done with less then I say go for it.
Go for it. I would also just try running it with a standard mag first. You will likely not need a mag kit. In fact, mine feed better without a kit than with it.
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I use ARC mags with LRI followers and it works awesome with 6 dasher
This time around I combined a prefit and will enjoy longer barrel life. It's basically half the cost of my last shouldered barrel in 6x47l by the time I paid for gunsmithing and should get twice the barrel life as well.
I'm using 10 round AICS and PR kit, I did have to bend the mag lips to get the feeding just right.
I was shooting without a muzzle brake for the last few months, the recoil was still light enough to self spot reasonably easy. I Just got a MB installed and haven't shot it yet, it should be really light now!
The vertical at distance is smaller than my 6x47 was. I had one of the most memorable shooting days in my life last month with 6mmBR!!! It was easy to hit a 1 foot wide steel at 1025Y over and over again, even with some wind. The vertical was around 4.5", when we went to pick up the steel I was sold on 6mmBR right then and there.
I'm using 10 round AICS and PR kit, I did have to bend the mag lips to get the feeding just right.
I was shooting without a muzzle brake for the last few months, the recoil was still light enough to self spot reasonably easy. I Just got a MB installed and haven't shot it yet, it should be really light now!
The vertical at distance is smaller than my 6x47 was. I had one of the most memorable shooting days in my life last month with 6mmBR!!! It was easy to hit a 1 foot wide steel at 1025Y over and over again, even with some wind. The vertical was around 4.5", when we went to pick up the steel I was sold on 6mmBR right then and there.
My next barrel will be a BRX, the BRX shares all of the pro's and with the MV gain drops one of the cons. Bob Crone that created the round found his fireforming loads to be so accurate that he has shot them in matches.
"Bob said he never used the “false shoulder” method to make 6mm BRX brass, he just loaded 6mm BR brass with a bullet well into the lands of the BRX chamber and fire-formed brass that way. He noted that the accuracy with some of the fire-forming rounds was “outrageous” (i.e. outrageously good that is), so much so, they were shot in matches sometimes."
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2011/06/the-6mm-brx-myth-busting-with-bob-crone/
"Bob said he never used the “false shoulder” method to make 6mm BRX brass, he just loaded 6mm BR brass with a bullet well into the lands of the BRX chamber and fire-formed brass that way. He noted that the accuracy with some of the fire-forming rounds was “outrageous” (i.e. outrageously good that is), so much so, they were shot in matches sometimes."
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2011/06/the-6mm-brx-myth-busting-with-bob-crone/
I don't shoot comps.
I use it in my varmint gun, an AI/AX bbl done by Gradous.
This spacer kit allows bolt to cycle flawlessly.
https://www.milehighshooting.com/hrd-gear-mag-spacer-kit-hrd-gear-ai-aw-at-ax-6mm-mag-spacer-kit/
I used to shoot a .260 and .243 or 6.5cm. The lighter BR round, especially suppressed in a heavier rifle, has near zero felt recoil. Better groups in the 300 to 600 yd range which are most common and for me, what matters. Barrel and brass life much better than other common 6mm .
I use it in my varmint gun, an AI/AX bbl done by Gradous.
This spacer kit allows bolt to cycle flawlessly.
https://www.milehighshooting.com/hrd-gear-mag-spacer-kit-hrd-gear-ai-aw-at-ax-6mm-mag-spacer-kit/
I used to shoot a .260 and .243 or 6.5cm. The lighter BR round, especially suppressed in a heavier rifle, has near zero felt recoil. Better groups in the 300 to 600 yd range which are most common and for me, what matters. Barrel and brass life much better than other common 6mm .
I've had good luck so far with ARC mags (both LRI and MK follower) in a TL3 and I think the CRF definitely helps in feeding the short BR. I went from a 6.5x47 to a 6BR and have zero regrets.
I know a lot of people don't use DTACs in the BR, but I've had great luck with them so far and they have shot tighter at distance then my x47 did with 140 ELDs. One other thing you might consider is going 27-28" in a straight BR to get a little extra velocity.
I know a lot of people don't use DTACs in the BR, but I've had great luck with them so far and they have shot tighter at distance then my x47 did with 140 ELDs. One other thing you might consider is going 27-28" in a straight BR to get a little extra velocity.
inside 5-600 its hard to find a better round.
zero recoil, and the adapters from miile high run lights out fast or slow
and if you are lazy like i am you can get factory ammo that is as good as your handloads.
if you want to get insane about accuracy inside 600 get some flat base bullets.
youll lose some bc but if you can dial them in they go through the same hole
just playing at 100 if i see 5 shot groups and all the holes arent overlapping i actually get pissed, thats with factory ammo.
zero recoil, and the adapters from miile high run lights out fast or slow
and if you are lazy like i am you can get factory ammo that is as good as your handloads.
if you want to get insane about accuracy inside 600 get some flat base bullets.
youll lose some bc but if you can dial them in they go through the same hole
just playing at 100 if i see 5 shot groups and all the holes arent overlapping i actually get pissed, thats with factory ammo.
I shoot 6BR and love it, so I may be a bit a little biased, but here's my rundown:
Pros:
I don't think it's a particularly suitable caliber for hunting. It has low energy compared to other 6mm offerings, and the availability of loaded ammo is more or less online only. A .243 Winchester can do everything a 6BR can do (in a hunting scenario), but offers more muzzle energy and you can buy ammunition at nearly any store that sells ammo if you have issues with what you brought. Barrel life is also significantly less of a concern when building a hunting gun, since they're generally not used for high volume shooting.
Pros:
- Very accurate and easy to load for (105gr bullets and 30gr Varget go together like butter and bread)
- Load data is readily available all over the place
- Low recoil
- Cheap reloading (ignoring the bullets my cost per round is about 15 cents apiece, still under 50 cents with bullets)
- No fireforming
- All the brass is high quality and will last far longer than your barrel does
- Barrel life is good, almost everyone gets 3,000+ rounds and most can reach 4,000 before seeing problems (some benchrest guys go to 8,000+ rounds by setting back the barrel)
- Brass availability was sparse earlier this year (I believe due to switching to a new manufacturing location)
- Slower than other 6mm variants (1-2 tenths of a mil at 1000 yards for wind, drops subsonic at 1,100-1,300 yards, elevation is just a number on your turret and doesn't matter)
- Factory ammo isn't an option unless you love Lapua and hate money
- Tweaks are usually needed for feeding (that said, ARC mags with no kit have worked flawlessly for me with their shorter feed lips)
- Not particularly great for hunting due to low energy compared to easier options like .243 Winchest or larger calibers
I don't think it's a particularly suitable caliber for hunting. It has low energy compared to other 6mm offerings, and the availability of loaded ammo is more or less online only. A .243 Winchester can do everything a 6BR can do (in a hunting scenario), but offers more muzzle energy and you can buy ammunition at nearly any store that sells ammo if you have issues with what you brought. Barrel life is also significantly less of a concern when building a hunting gun, since they're generally not used for high volume shooting.
Would've addressed this in my previous post, but this only appeared once I submitted that one.
I've shot mine out to 1,400 yards with good results. Another local shooter I know has tackled the mile with a 6BR. That said, depending on how spicy you load it your bullets usually go transonic in the 1,100-1,300 yard range. Beyond that, as we all know, is a bit of a roll of the dice because it's impossible to predict exactly how the bullet will behave during that transition period (and a light 6mm bullet will fare worse than a heavy 50 caliber).
It's not an ELR cartridge by any means, but inside 1,000 yards you'll have no problems and you'll still probably see nothing out of the ordinary until 1,200. Past that your bullet will have passed through the transonic velocity range and will start to spread more unpredictably.
Good to hear. My range goes out to 1250 but I'd like to spend most of my time at 600-1000.
1185Y is as far as I've shot mine, and it did well with 105 hybrids, better than my friends 260 right then. However I was shooting at 7500 DA so that helped.
EDIT, I forgot, I shot it with low BC 90TGK's at 1195Y, in lower DA, those didn't do well at that distance.
EDIT, I forgot, I shot it with low BC 90TGK's at 1195Y, in lower DA, those didn't do well at that distance.
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Remember that you are getting glowing reports on how far they have shot the 6BR but, looking at both's location and having personal experience with 6BR, I will say you're likely not going to have best results at the same distances. They are at much higher altitude than you at Strategic Edge. I've seen the 6BR do amazing things out at 1,000 yards more than once but it really starts to run out of steam past there, especially here in the thicker air and lower elevations. Just my thoughts. Take them for what they cost you.
If there is much mirage it's hard to see them on white painted steel. I could make out that I was getting a nice group though
It was easier to see the hits with my friends Swaro X5, those do have amazing glass, even better than my S&B!
Unless you live in the Himalayas I think about 800 consistently is what you should expect, at least thats what I feel like I got out of mine when I had it. I'm sure I could load it up and make 1k or even 1.2k easier but then I am right back at 6x47 or 6cm pressures and negate what I see as the plus for the round,brass life, low powder consumption and long barrel life.
That said I would really like to build another now that I am back on TL3's its a great round and very economical once you get up and running.
That said I would really like to build another now that I am back on TL3's its a great round and very economical once you get up and running.
The longer range targets had hit indicators on them. My squads spotter was using a Swaro spotting scope, and was calling impacts before the flash from the indicator.
I can see steel swing at 1,000 yards as long as I'm not using massive plates. On a full sized IPSC you could still see it moving after impact at that range. On a 30" square plate at 1,200 yards it was significantly more difficult, but you could still see it if you were looking carefully.
The Savages are the only factory offering I know of. That said, you can buy a Shilen or Criterion barrel and a nice stainless nut for ~$380 from Northland Shooters Supply and make just about any rifle out there (if it has Savage or Remington threads and a normal bolt) into a 6BR in about 5-10 minutes. I headspaced mine off virgin brass and it still shot great, just had tight headspace compared to the SAAMI spec.
In addition to Northland, McGowen and X-Caliber make the "Remage" pre-fit barrels for a nut. Southern Precision Rifles will build a barrel for their Bugnut.
Thanks all for the info. Maybe buying a SA Rem 700 action alone and then purchasing a barrel, recoil lug and nut might be the way to go without breaking the bank. I'm looking for something with a bit more range to hit paper and steel than my .223 Rem 700 SPS Tac (in a B&C stock with a 510 trigger).
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This is for just a barreled action, no scope base, trigger etc.
700 blued is 333 @ cheaper than dirt
700 stainless is 364 @ ctd
700 blued is 375 @ northland shooter supply
700 stainless is 410 @ nss
But NSS also has "trued" actions for 445 blued and 480 stainless, so 70 bucks to do the bolt face, lugs and action face.
A criterion barrel from them will be 470 bucks or so for the threaded muzzle, nut and recoil lug shipped. So the blued CTD and criterion would be 803 in the cheapest configuration and the NSS stainless trued would be 950 in the most expensive. Then add the stock and trigger (I dont count the xmp as a real trigger) and scope base.
The howa bravo in 6.5 creed will be 1k plus a scope base and you are all ready to go out to 1400 yards with factory ammo options should you want them.
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Yup, that's the kind of math that goes through my head. Get a 6.5CM Howa for $1K, or the Gen. 2 RPR's in 6CM that are out there for $700 - $800 new and be done with it. Can always download a 6.5CM or 6CM to just above 6mmBR levels for an easy shooting longer distance stick with reasonable barrel life.
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Spin one up! My son won an action last fall and I had a guy spin up a 22" br barrel for it and it shoots great. I used it this winter with 87 vmax's for my coyote hunting and it was awesome! Lite recoil and accuracy was outstanding. Now I'm feeding it my stockpile of 110's with the 7twist barrel and it's shooting them at 2750fps and out to 1100 its very impressive. I'm going to run it at a couple club matches for fun in the weeks to come, I mean the loading I'm just dropping Varget out of a rcbs thrower and it's holding sd of 7 and es of 17 pretty simple.
I will switch back to my dasher for my shooting but it's been fun breaking in my sons gun???
I will switch back to my dasher for my shooting but it's been fun breaking in my sons gun???
Folks would the 6mmbr spacer kit also work for the .458 socom in an Ai mag ? I have a socom bolt action gun and the rounds are swimming in an Ai mag. Stupidly got rid of the one Ai mag that ted well with a rifle I sold....haven't been able to tweak this mag successfully.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
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