BCL 102 in 308 or 6.5cm

T

TheM4chef

Regular
Rating - 100%
201   0   0
Location
Southern Gulf Islands, BC
Hey guys just trying to make up my mind here. I have the option to get a factory bcl 102 6.5creedmoor barrel installed on my 102 that's in for warranty.

I currently reload 308 for my bolt gun and have all the brass and components for loading plinking/blasting rounds and hunting rounds for the 102. I generally shoot out to 250yds at my range since that's the closest place i can go to shoot.

The 6.5 will require me to buy all components for a new caliber outside of primers and powder.
Bullets cost more, are there any "blasting" bullets anyone can recommend? Mag dumps using match ammo isn't something i wanna do. Maybe this will just be a delegated match gun at that point.

Should i just stick with the 308 for continuity?
 
The 6.5 cm is a better round but I think with a BCL factory barrel and at 250 yards you won't see a significant difference. If you're planning on plinking/blasting/mag dumps 308 is gonna be cheaper. If I were you, I would stick to 308. My desert tech is in 6.5 creedmoor and I wanted a semi auto 6.5 that I could hope to squeeze accuracy out of so that's why I went with 6.5 for my 2nd BCL but it has an aftermarket barrel.
 
308. Available surplus or military brass to reload. Shorter barrel life on 6.5 is not worth it for a blaster.
 
If you're not going to shoot past 250 yards then there is no advantage to going 6.5CM. I have two rifles chambered in 6.5CM and love the cartridge but inside 300 yards there is nothing it can do that a 308 can't do. The 6.5 will be flatter shooting but not enough to justify the cost of buying all the reloading components and new dies.

Keep in mind that 6.5CM brass is a lot more expensive than 308 brass, semi auto's are not very nice to brass so you won't get as many reloads from your brass, it does not have as many options for projectiles, it's also a little more picky with powder than a 308, you will be using Hodgdon 4350 as it's pretty much the go-to powder for 6.5 (I have used Hybrid 100V, Varget, and IMR 4451 in my Modern Hunter but from what I've read H4350 is the powder I should be using and now that I have a few pounds in the locker I'll be switching and starting over.
6.5 Creedmoor is a great cartridge but it's not going to shoot any tighter groups than 308 will at less than 500 yards. The reason you hear good reports about accuracy from the guys who converted their rifles is that they used a quality aftermarket barrel, not the caliber change. If you dump the crappy BCL barrel for any quality aftermarket barrel in any caliber you will see an accuracy improvement.

Good luck


b_w. said:
308. Available surplus or military brass to reload. Shorter barrel life on 6.5 is not worth it for a blaster.
Click to expand...

Barrel life is not much worse than 308. It is less but it's not enough to avoid the caliber.
Your comments about being able to get cheap 308 and brass is very valid though. I am paying over $70 for 50 pieces of Hornady 6.5CM brass and I don't expect it to last more than 6-7 loadings before I have to trash it. I have a feeling I'll either find a cheaper source for it in bulk, start converting it from 243 or 308, or I'll be shooting my Rem 700 in 6.5 a lot more than my Modern Hunter.

It's an excellent cartridge that shoots a very similar trajectory to a 300 win mag, it has very mild recoil, stays supersonic well past 1000 yards, and is very accurate, but unless a person is going to utilize what it does that a 308 can't do there is no real reason to switch over unless someone just wants something different to try.
 
Last edited:
IMG_1925.jpg

If you want a blaster, go 308. Otherwise, there is a lot to like about the 6.5 CM in a quality match barrel and tuning

Brass for the 6.5 CM is now no more expensive then a 308. With the load I just tested a BCL in, the brass will last as long as a 308... as long as you do proper sizing.. but that applies to the 308 as well.

At these reduced pressures, I dont think the bore life of the 6.5CM will be much different then a 308... certainly not enough to that the cost of a replacement barrel will be a hardship.

cr5, when I was testing the MH, it was really hard on brass. With the BCL I just tested, the brass looked it came out of a precision bolt rifle with zero stretching, or nicks. The dented neck on a couple of cases was from hitting the ground.

Jerry
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1925.jpg
    IMG_1925.jpg
    92 KB · Views: 225
Mystic Precision said:
If you want a blaster, go 308. Otherwise, there is a lot to like about the 6.5 CM in a quality match barrel and tuning

Brass for the 6.5 CM is now no more expensive then a 308. With the load I just tested a BCL in, the brass will last as long as a 308... as long as you do proper sizing.. but that applies to the 308 as well.

At these reduced pressures, I dont think the bore life of the 6.5CM will be much different then a 308... certainly not enough to that the cost of a replacement barrel will be a hardship.

cr5, when I was testing the MH, it was really hard on brass. With the BCL I just tested, the brass looked it came out of a precision bolt rifle with zero stretching, or nicks. The dented neck on a couple of cases was from hitting the ground.

Jerry
Click to expand...

The back side of the barrel extension lugs on my Proof Research barrel were quite sharp and were scratching the necks of my brass. I had the guys at ATRS smooth them out a little and it's better now. I'm just saying that in general semi auto's are typically much harder on brass than a bolt action which leads to shorter brass life.

What projectile and powder are you using for that load? I've got to get back into load development, I haven't shot my MH in a couple months.
I'll be checking your web site next time I need brass :)
 
My buddy's 102:

https://4.bp.########.com/-lBHmej1pqu8/Wt3yl5M9YKI/AAAAAAAAvJs/ESIAQ3JsSVM-vVVne5vtG5inhvvIe2L_ACKgBGAs/s1600/P4224641.JPG

He shot the four 5-round groups on the bottom sheet (actually only three groups count, since one of them was a 4-round group), I shot that 5-round group on the bottom of the top sheet right after:

https://1.bp.########.com/-9U2TnMn4XvI/Wt3yl02dS-I/AAAAAAAAvJs/JaVZeyW8M2c-3lXSClWCfkWnjChJ5NGKgCKgBGAs/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG

My group:

https://1.bp.########.com/-zxQsnQhXvwo/Wt3yxZG0TcI/AAAAAAAAvJ0/l4OafGtXofASd73xzN2CgSdwVP-gCf24QCKgBGAs/s1600/P4224704.JPG

6.5cm Hornady 147gr ELD Match
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom