6BR Rifle Build in Canada?

quikcolin

quikcolin

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How does one begin the process of building a 6BR rifle up here in Canada. Down south there seem to be endless builders and parts/barrels, etc.

Can anyone point me in the right direction. On how to best build, or have some one build me a 6BR rifle? I’m obsessed with tiny groups and this seems like the logical choice.

Thanks!
 
I have no experience having a rifle built, but I've got a few custom barrels on my bench I swap between actions. Assembling all the parts isn't difficult. There can be some money saved by putting it all together yourself while still achieving impressive accuracy. What action are you looking to build off? What is your budget?
 
Thanks for your reply. I’ve built two AR10’s from the bottom up. I really enjoyed the process. I have to be honest I haven’t done much research on this subject, I’m not sure which actions, and which barrels would be the right path to take? As far as budget is concerned, I haven’t put a budget on it. I wouldn’t leave anything off the table at this point…
 
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I suppose first, you need to decide on an action. Any short action will work that has a 0.473 boltface so anything from a factory take-off (say Rem 700) to “custom/aftermarket” (ie: Stiller / BAT / Barnard / KSA …). Single shot actions are probably stiffer so “may” have a bit better potential. You can’t go wrong with a single shot Barnard or KSA with the proper boltface. To some extent, the action profile you choose will dictate the type of stock that will fit (without special inletting). Keep in mind that some “gun smiths” (like Ian Robertson, VX Systems) can make almost anything fit.
Lots of choice for barrels as any 6MM blank can be chambered. Among CDN barrel makers, KS Arms is one of the best, and will cut the twist and profile of your choice. For international barrels, Kreiger would be my choice.
Check with gunsmiths to determine the specs of reamers they have. You will need to choose between, “no turn” or a “special” neck diameter … and freebore.
 
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I had my 6 BRA built by Sask gunsmith Dennis L (Go Ballistic Gunsmithing Ltd). He builds mostly PRS and F-Class rifles, and shoots F-Class.

Really any gunsmith that does custom barrel work can do what you need. They just need a 6 BR chamber reamer, which they might or might not have. You just send them the components (mainly action and barrel blank) and they do the barrel work, plus any other assembly you want them to do.
 
I went through this a year ago and decided to do my first build in 6BR.

I picked up a MDT ACC chassis (Rem 700 SA footprint) on their Black Friday sale. I also grabbed a Trigger Tech Diamond 2 stage for a good price on their BF sale.

Then I started looking at actions. There are a LOT of options out there (60 degree bolt throw, 90 degree bolt throw, controlled round feed, quick change barrels, actions that accept prefits so you can buy a barrel online and swap yourself without sending the rifle to a gunsmith etc etc) for 6BR you'll need a 308 sized bolt face.

I chose an Impact action (90 degree bolt throw and accepts prefits so I can swap at home) which I purchased via Insite Arms. They also sold me a 4 groove Krieger 28" barrel.

Once I assembled it all and added the finishing touches (scope etc) I now have a rifle that shoots consistent 0.25MOA (had a 0.188 group recently and I haven't really tried much for load development yet - 6BR is not picky it seems).

I run Berger 105gr hybrids with ~30 grains of Varget and the gun rocks. I have heard people say that if you run this load for 6BR and it doesn't shoot decent most likely there is an issue somewhere (hardware or shooter ability) - it truly is the easy button. The usual caveats apply for load development (start lower and work up to verify this load isn't overpressure in your gun).

I liked it so much I'm thinking of another build (will probably do something completely different this time).

Good luck with it all.
 
adamg said:
I had my 6 BRA built by Sask gunsmith Dennis L (Go Ballistic Gunsmithing Ltd). He builds mostly PRS and F-Class rifles, and shoots F-Class.

Really any gunsmith that does custom barrel work can do what you need. They just need a 6 BR chamber reamer, which they might or might not have. You just send them the components (mainly action and barrel blank) and they do the barrel work, plus any other assembly you want them to do.
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If I didnt have a 6BR I'd have a 6BRA. I was really torn between the two when I was building but in the end I got a good deal on 6BR so I went that direction.

From memory the 6mm spectrum looks something like this 6BR > 6BRA > 6 Dasher > 6GT > 6X47L > 6CM - ie 6BR is the slowest (but best barrel life) and 6CM is the fastest (but worst barrel life).

The easy loading (6BR isn't fussy) and good barrel life helped me pick 6BR, I also did some homework and there were a few PRS shooters who were moving from 6CM back to BR based cartridges as they said it was easier to see trace. Some also found that the throat erosion over the course of a competition was so severe that the gun was out of the sweet spot (for bullet jump) by the end which negatively affected accuracy.
 
6BR-vs-6-Dasher.png


I usually consult this page, and its related sister pages on the other cartridges:
http://precisionrifleblog.com/2019/09/14/6bra-6brx-6br-load-data/
 
"How does one begin the process of building a 6BR rifle up here in Canada."

Gather $6-20k, ask on CGN where to find parts and tools, buy everything and assemble. Depending if you want a chassis or conventional stock, and your knowledge on what makes guns tick, you may not need a gunsmith. Bedding is a pain in the arse with conventional stocks but doable. Most chassis don't require bedding. Everything you can find in the states is available in Canada now so that's no excuse anymore. We can probably thank the PRS craze for this!
 
6BR and 6BRA is awesome. The 6BRA is probably my favorite cartridge, it's so easy and fun to shoot. Very easy to reload for it as well.

Make sure you go with a gunsmith that excels in the trade, along with a good barrel blank. The majority of the precision will come from the quality of barrel blank, the reamer/chamber design, and how the gunsmith cuts the chamber. Insite Arms does excellent work and they have 6BR and 6BRA chambers.

My personal preference for barrels is any of the quality cut rifle barrels that have been in the game for a while - Krieger, Bartlein, Hawkhill, etc. My current 6BRA is spun up with a 4 groove .237 bore Krieger blank, and this barrel has been amazing. It eats up anything I put in it, has scary good precision, and is also pretty fast. Cleans up extremely quickly as well.

If you are going to go mag fed, then I would suggest either using AI AICS mags with the Primal Rights BR mag kits, or the MDT 12 round 6BR mags.

For actions, that's personal preference. My 6BRA is using a Mausingfield, my wife's 6BRA is on a LP Fuzion. Both work well, action is personal preference, plenty of good ones to pick from.

The rest of the rifle is also personal preference: stock/chassis, trigger, rings, scope, bipod, etc. If it matters, I can go through the spec list of my 6BRA's if you want some ideas, but otherwise I'll leave this to you and your preferences.

Just make sure you go with someone that knows what they are doing, and use the best quality components you can afford.
 
Many gunsmiths have been chambering 'varmint' style rifles in 6mm BR for years... fairly cheap rifles capable of shooting in the .200's in most cases... a no neck turn Lapua brass chamber is very popular... decide on the bullet you want to use first... then the barrel... then the reamer...
 
quikcolin said:
How does one begin the process of building a 6BR rifle up here in Canada. Down south there seem to be endless builders and parts/barrels, etc.

Can anyone point me in the right direction. On how to best build, or have some one build me a 6BR rifle? I’m obsessed with tiny groups and this seems like the logical choice.

Thanks!
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Best advice? Phone Insite Arms in Lloydminster Alberta. They'll talk you through all the options, costs, etc. They throw it all together and you have a gun that is guaranteed to shoot bugholes.
 
guntech said:
Many gunsmiths have been chambering 'varmint' style rifles in 6mm BR for years... fairly cheap rifles capable of shooting in the .200's in most cases... a no neck turn Lapua brass chamber is very popular... decide on the bullet you want to use first... then the barrel... then the reamer...
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Pardon my ignorance but I've heard this term a few times her and there - what does no neck turn mean?
 
Sniffer said:
Pardon my ignorance but I've heard this term a few times her and there - what does no neck turn mean?
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Means that you won't have to turn necks in order for your brass to fit in the chamber.

Some believe that you have to turn necks and have a tight neck chamber in order to have ultimate precision.

Others, like Sam Hall and Bart Sauter, who have set multiple records in the world of benchrest, will tell you otherwise.
 
Sniffer said:
Pardon my ignorance but I've heard this term a few times her and there - what does no neck turn mean?
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Usually a minimum neck diameter that allows you to use brass without turning the neck smaller...

A 6mm BR Lapua chamber works well with a .272" neck diameter. That's what my reamer cuts.
 
Clocked92 said:
Best advice? Phone Insite Arms in Lloydminster Alberta. They'll talk you through all the options, costs, etc. They throw it all together and you have a gun that is guaranteed to shoot bugholes.
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I've started the process of chatting with Andrew at InsiteArms to discuss options funny enough :). Thx :)
 
quikcolin said:
How does one begin the process of building a 6BR rifle up here in Canada. Down south there seem to be endless builders and parts/barrels, etc.

Can anyone point me in the right direction. On how to best build, or have some one build me a 6BR rifle? I’m obsessed with tiny groups and this seems like the logical choice.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I bought a donor tikka action. Emailed JC custom barrels and told him what I wanted. When the barrel was getting finished I sent him the tikka barreled action he spun on the new barrel and sent everything back to me.
 
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