Best 6mm for PRS

M

Maple57

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
I see all kinds of new 6.5mm cartridges but I haven’t seen much in the 6mm range and what I do see is nothing but a necked down 6.5 that has too much powder for a 6mm so it has short barrel life.

What am I missing here?

Is there something I’m not aware of?

We have the 6 BR, nice little round, mostly for short range but can be used for long range in mild conditions. Doesn't feed well from a mag.

6 Dasher… a nice wildcat round but as far as I know, not available in production brass. Good barrel life, but a pain to form cases

6x47 Lapua… in my opinion the perfect balance between powder charge and heavy 6 mm bullets… this should be an incredibly popular round, but it’s only a wild cat. We have to form cases from 22-250 cases with a short 243 die to get large primers, or suffer with the small primer only option from Lapua.

243… too hot, barrel life too short.

6 Creed … too hot, barrel life too short.

Sure there are more but it seems like thin pickings in the 34 to 38 grain case capacity range that is ideal for 6mms.

When are manufacturers going to provide some properly positioned 6mms for long range work?
 
Well you're starting to split hairs a little in my opinion and it becomes very hard to make the perfect round, because everyone will have different requirements.

The two big splits here are the "big" 6mm's and "small" 6mm's, with pretty much no need for a "medium" 6mm.

The small 6's are based off the 6mmBR case (or some guys just run the 6BR) and are generally launching a 105gr projectile anywhere from 2800-3100 ft/s. Calibers include the 6mmBR, 6 BRA, 6 Dasher and 6 BRX. They all have pretty good barrel life, use 27-33 gr of powder and are becoming wildly popular in this discipline. I mean, the NRL finale was this weekend and the top 3 shooters were running a 6 Dasher, 6 BRA and 6 Dasher (I think). If you know how to read wind and build a solid position, why not use one of these? Also, there are many ways to get these little guys to feed out of a standard AICS pattern mag now, it just requires a little work and a spacer kit.

The big 6's are generally the same bolt face, but are closer in case capacity to the 308 win, and can push the speed up even when running the 110's or 115's. Calibers include 6 Creed, 6x47 Lapua, 6XC, 6 Comp Match and 243 Win. Whilst I agree with you that they eat barrels pretty fast and are overbored for the size of projectile they're launching, they flat out shoot like lasers! Most of them use 38-44 gr of powder and can get speeds up to 3200 ft/s (the PRS maximum speed) with ease. A lot of top shooters run these calibers, they acknowledge that they will have to rebarrel at least once throughout a competitive season, but it's worth it for the cartridges performance.

At the end of the day, to reach that middle ground of the perfect 6mm, you could run a Dasher fast or a 6x47 slow and get the same performance/barrel life, but what's the point? Pick one, go with it and have fun shooting :D
 
There is no "best" 6mm. It's all a compromise.

My 6mm PRS cartridge is a wildcat based off of the 6BR. I love it, I sling 105 Bergers at ~3000 fps with an ES of about 10 fps. It's really not hard to get 6BR based cartridges to feed from magazines.

Depends on what your desires are. Plenty of great 6mm cartridges out there. Find the one that checks all the boxes for your specific needs and desires.
 
Like others have said, it's all compromise. "Small" 6mms are all based on the 6BR and are all more similar than different and have similar barrel life but require fire or hydro-forming. "Large" 6mms are also all more similar than different and have similar, shorter barrel life than the smaller cases but generally don't need to be fire formed and can be purchased from the factory (6 creed, 6XC, .243). IMO the "even bigger" 6s like the Comp Match and SLR don't really get you anything more for PRS shooting since you can already easily hit the 3200fps speed limit with 110s and 115s in the Creed, x47 or XC and no need to fire form. If you want to shoot 6x47L and small primers are holding you back, I'd say you're fretting a bit much over something that doesn't matter. Pick one and run it
 
6mm or 6.5mm it really makes so little difference IMO. The additional recoil savings of going from a 6.5 to a 6 is pretty small. I shot a 308 this past weekend and was surprised by its punishing recoil # sarcasm.

I ran a straight 6mmBR this year and love it. Last year I ran a 6xc for a bit and a 6.5X47 for a bit.

I would have been better served by just choosing one cartridge and sticking to it than jumping around and will be sticking with 6mmBR go forward.

If I had more time earlier this year before my first competition I may have gone with the BRA but I didn't have time/want to fire form. My BRs are running about 2,850 in one and 2,865 in the other. I could probably squeeze out a bit more speed but they are very accurate for me.

The TL;DR is pick any 6.5MM or 6MM (well maybe not 260 or 243) and you will be GTG.
 
There is no free lunch, lots of great 6mm options out there. 6xc is fantastic and a few different options for brass. 6x47 lapua doesn’t need to be formed from 22-250 cases just simply neck down 6.5x47. 6br and wildcats off the case all work very well and very easy to get them to feed out of a mag with a simple conversion kit. I currently just built myself a 6bra and feeds flawlessly speed is right around 3000fps with a 107 bullet. Are the 6mm’s harder on barrels? Sure but they work very well and are proven. Small primers give more consistent ignition and I’ve never had an issue with them in any weather condition. Barrels are like tires on your truck when they wear out change them.
 
Skullboy said:
So tell me why not the .260 Rem? I am curious........
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with 260, if I was set up for 260 I would stay 260 but 6.5CM or x47 is a better cartridge IMO. More efficient case design for one.

Nothing wrong withba 308 if that floats your boat.

Tell me why 260 over the newer designs? more speed?
 
Skullboy said:
So tell me why not the .260 Rem? I am curious........
Click to expand...

Because .260 doesn't do anything better than a 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5x47, except slightly more speed. I'll take a 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5x47 any day over a .260, the .260 is a dying cartridge.

With SRP's, you get great consistency out of both the 6.5x47 and 6.5 cm, and you don't have to worry about maxing out mag lengths. Plus, those cartridges are actually supported. I can't think of any reason to get a .260 over the other 6.5mm's in 2018.
 
Ryan.M.Anderson said:
Nothing wrong with 260, if I was set up for 260 I would stay 260 but 6.5CM or x47 is a better cartridge IMO. More efficient case design for one.

Nothing wrong withba 308 if that floats your boat.

Tell me why 260 over the newer designs? more speed?
Click to expand...

I choose the .260 Rem as several top notch shooters I know use it and love it. Also my shooting partner had a .260, so we wanted to shoot the same cartridge. I do get more speed, but speed isn't everything.
 
kthomas said:
Because .260 doesn't do anything better than a 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5x47, except slightly more speed. I'll take a 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5x47 any day over a .260, the .260 is a dying cartridge.

With SRP's, you get great consistency out of both the 6.5x47 and 6.5 cm, and you don't have to worry about maxing out mag lengths. Plus, those cartridges are actually supported. I can't think of any reason to get a .260 over the other 6.5mm's in 2018.
Click to expand...

If you are talking factory ammo, then yes the Creedmoor has the edge. I reload so that is a non issue for myself. Plus I can make .260 brass from 3 other different cases if needed.

The .260 Rem has served my partner and I very well. Beat quite a few 6.5 Creedmoors to win a Provincial Team Championship this past year..... ;)

David Tubb summed it up nicely when he has stated that between the 6.5 Creedmoor and the .260 Rem, he would take the .260 Rem....... ;)

Remington really dropped the ball marketing the .260. If they had marketed it like Hornady marketed the Creedmoor, I don't think there would be any 6.5 Creedmoor ......
 
Skullboy said:
I choose the .260 Rem as several top notch shooters I know use it and love it. Also my shooting partner had a .260, so we wanted to shoot the same cartridge. I do get more speed, but speed isn't everything.
Click to expand...

I don't know any top PRS shooters who run 260 but I cant say I know all of them anyways.

The 6.5x47 has a nice long neck, short fat powder column, great brass, and the smaller charge should lead to better barrel life.

The only reason I can see going 260 is to push the heavies (147 ELDs or 150 SMKs) or to go for speed.

They all punch holes in paper the same but there are objectively more pros than cons to selecting a newer cartridge over the 260.
 
Skullboy said:
If you are talking factory ammo, then yes the Creedmoor has the edge. I reload so that is a non issue for myself. Plus I can make .260 brass from 3 other different cases if needed.

The .260 Rem has served my partner and I very well. Beat quite a few 6.5 Creedmoors to win a Provincial Team Championship this past year..... ;)

David Tubb summed it up nicely when he has stated that between the 6.5 Creedmoor and the .260 Rem, he would take the .260 Rem....... ;)

Remington really dropped the ball marketing the .260. If they had marketed it like Hornady marketed the Creedmoor, I don't think there would be any 6.5 Creedmoor ......
Click to expand...

With all due respect, I could have a shooting competition in my backyard tomorrow with a more stacked field than the "provincial team championship" - but if it was won by a 6.5 creedmoor that really wouldn't mean much.

Sure, the .260 is a capable cartridge - no one is arguing that. If you are set up for it, then rock on. For those getting into a 6.5mm cartridge, there would be no compelling reason to steer them towards that cartridge. It's dying. There are hardly any companies chambering in it, the component selection is not as good as the other cartridges, you don't get the advantage of small rifle primer brass, and you have to worry about OAL's and being able to mag feed without potentially having a long jump to the lands, depending on what projectile you go with.

You do you and rock on with the .260. Most companies are abandoning it to support more successful 6.5mm cartridges.
 
kthomas said:
you don't get the advantage of small rifle primer brass, .
Click to expand...

This is a curious point to me... "advantage of small primer brass"

What I don't see is how small primers are an advantage when you can use any case you want.

I get it how the F Class FTR guys want small primers so they can run extra hot loads with a 308, (because they have to run a 308) but I don't see the advantage at all when it comes to 6x47 Lapua as compared to the 6XC.... Or for that matter 6.5x47 Lapua vs 260 Rem. Why do we always want the absolute maximum pressures with a small primer when you could opt for a larger case and hit the velocity with less pressure?

Besides, you can hit 3,000 FPS with a 6x47 with large or small primers with 115s with no pressure issues... isn't that enough?

I had a conversation with David Tubb some years ago over this very point... and he told me about how he debated the subject with Boots Obermyer and the result of that conversation was that small primers offered no advantage, so the 6XC was developed with large primers.
 
The general consensus amongst the precision rifle and bench rest community (though I know that David Tubb disagrees on this point, although 6XC is now offered with SRP's) is that SRP's provide more consistent SD/ES's.

Some may see the advantages, perhaps others don't. Any percieved advantage is certainly small, I won't contest that. There is no disadvantages to SRP's.

And I agree on your assessment in regards to pressures. I load my cartridges in a stable velocity node rather than trying to find the ragged edge. I'll take consistency over speed every day.
 
kthomas said:
The general consensus amongst the precision rifle and bench rest community (though I know that David Tubb disagrees on this point, although 6XC is now offered with SRP's) is that SRP's provide more consistent SD/ES's.

Some may see the advantages, perhaps others don't. Any percieved advantage is certainly small, I won't contest that. There is no disadvantages to SRP's.

And I agree on your assessment in regards to pressures. I load my cartridges in a stable velocity node rather than trying to find the ragged edge. I'll take consistency over speed every day.
Click to expand...

Isn't there also the argument that SRP brass will typically last for more firings that LRP brass? Something about Primer pockets not stretching out as much due to more material around them.
 
Clocked92 said:
Isn't there also the argument that SRP brass will typically last for more firings that LRP brass? Something about Primer pockets not stretching out as much due to more material around them.
Click to expand...

That's kind of the point... small primer brass last longer at high / too high pressures. Aggressive competitors sometimes push the limits of pressures and dial back just a little. In that scenario small primer brass can last a little longer.

To kthomas's point about low SDs with small primers... I know that's the sales pitch but in my testing, I have found no advantage to small primers with 38+ grains of powder. I actually found the reverse to be true, particularly in cold weather. I found most consistent velocities with large primers. But hey, to each his own, if it works for you, fine do it.

Everything in shooting is some sort of balancing act.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom