best bullet in 6mm for prairiedogs

[KzDurango]

Hi guys im planning a trip to south dakota this spring and was curious on whats your favorite bullet in 6mm for prairie dogs.
my barrel is a 1-8 twist 26 inchs. one rifle is a 6 creed and other is 243 ackley .
70 grain nosler ballistic tips are out of the question as their out of stock and have been for some time. i prefer a bullet that i can buy alot of or in 500 count boxs or even bergers 1000 count

 

[SupressYourself]

A few weeks ago I destroyed quite a few with a 243 and the 58 v-max. There was some pretty spectacular carnage.
But what's your goal? Shooting them from as far as possible, or the best explosions? Because those are probably going to be two different bullets.

 

[Baker Alvin]

Last year for WY Winchester Model 70 243 58 gr V max Fed 210 charged with IMR 3031

 

[KzDurango]

A few weeks ago I destroyed quite a few with a 243 and the 58 v-max. There was some pretty spectacular carnage.
But what's your goal? Shooting them from as far as possible, or the best explosions? Because those are probably going to be two different bullets.

max yardage would be 400 yards.
so looking for extrame velocity and explosion

 

[KzDurango]

A few weeks ago I destroyed quite a few with a 243 and the 58 v-max. There was some pretty spectacular carnage.
But what's your goal? Shooting them from as far as possible, or the best explosions? Because those are probably going to be two different bullets.

what powder was you using ?

 

[SupressYourself]

what powder was you using ?

I was using 42.8 grains of H4895. I think they were running like 3850 out of a 9.25 twist 20 inch barrel.

With your 26" speed demon 8 twists, you might be pushing into bullet explosion (jacket separation) territory. It certainly varies by bullet, but traditionally, 300,000 RPMs was considered the "safe" limit. I'm right at that with my combo.

Bullet RPM = MV * (12 / twist rate) * 60
Example: 3850 * (12 / 9.25) * 60 = 299,675 RPM

I think you might want to look into running a heavier bullet slower. My brother has shot the 75 v-max out of a 8 twist 6 Creed, and that seems to be a good combo on p-dogs.

 

[KzDurango]

I was using 42.8 grains of H4895. I think they were running like 3850 out of a 9.25 twist 20 inch barrel.

With your 26" speed demon 8 twists, you might be pushing into bullet explosion (jacket separation) territory. It certainly varies by bullet, but traditionally, 300,000 RPMs was considered the "safe" limit. I'm right at that with my combo.

Bullet RPM = MV * (12 / twist rate) * 60
Example: 3850 * (12 / 9.25) * 60 = 299,675 RPM

I think you might want to look into running a heavier bullet slower. My brother has shot the 75 v-max out of a 8 twist 6 Creed, and that seems to be a good combo on p-dogs.

thank you so much for your help

 

[Bret GRAVELINE Graveline]

I've been shooting the Speer 70 gr TNT for many years, I haven't done a price comparison lately, back when I started shooting these things sometime back in the 90's there were about half of the cost when compared to ballistic tips, which are hard to find these days, Speer has them listed as available on the website.

 

[xsn10s]

When I had a 243 win I also used 70 BT's. I thought of using the 87 vmaxs but never got around to it.

 

[SupressYourself]

In my experience, while the 87 v-max is an excellent coyote bullet that shoots well, and has pretty decent long-range capabilities, its explosiveness on prairie dogs is kind of "meh". Thats why I recommended the 75.

 

[30378wbymag]

I was using 42.8 grains of H4895. I think they were running like 3850 out of a 9.25 twist 20 inch barrel.

With your 26" speed demon 8 twists, you might be pushing into bullet explosion (jacket separation) territory. It certainly varies by bullet, but traditionally, 300,000 RPMs was considered the "safe" limit. I'm right at that with my combo.

Bullet RPM = MV * (12 / twist rate) * 60
Example: 3850 * (12 / 9.25) * 60 = 299,675 RPM

I think you might want to look into running a heavier bullet slower. My brother has shot the 75 v-max out of a 8 twist 6 Creed, and that seems to be a good combo on p-dogs.

Another easy solution for bullet RPM is:

Muzzle velocity x 720 / twist rate.... This is the simple one that sticks in my head...

 

[huntinfool18]

Best compromise between good speed, expansion and ballistics that I’ve found is the 87gr max.

 

[xsn10s]

In my experience, while the 87 v-max is an excellent coyote bullet that shoots well, and has pretty decent long-range capabilities, its explosiveness on prairie dogs is kind of "meh". Thats why I recommended the 75.

Good to know!