Reloading 6.8 western

[7mm man]

You see all those velocities and 165gr to 175gr bullets and you have to ask yourself, why doesn't the 6.8W stomp the 6.5 PRCs dick in the dirt? Hornady marketing? If we could get more heavy .277 bullets I think it would help.

 

[Leaf Litter]

Vihtavuori 570 is the undisputed king of speed in the 6.8 Western for 165 and 170gr projectiles, yielding me 3050 fps fairly easily, and pressuring out @3150fps. You will pay a heavy price in terms of barrel life, but if you only use it for hunting loads, it shouldn't be too hard on total round count before your barrel is smoked.

Been said, I generally plan loads around Retumbo, giving up 50-75fps in favor of temperature stability and barrel life. I'm sure RL26 works great also, but I'm not mentally deficient enough to pay $70, $100, $200 per pound for something that ends up as gas.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

I ran a ladder test with N565, cci 34 and berger 170gr eol's. 2.247 ogive
Browning X-Bolt HC McMillan 26"
Factory Browning / Winchester nickel brass
60.5 - 2799
61 - 2797
61.5 - 2814
62 - 2836
62.5 - 2864
63 - 2894
63.5 - 2870
64 - 2931
64.5 - 2969*
65 - 2993
65.5 - 3020 heavy bolt
66 - 3028 heavy boltView attachment 652880
I went with the 64.5 load to be safe with pressure. It worked out pretty well. 2963 avg, es 8.8, sd 3.6. I attached the 12 shot ladder and first 3 shot group below.View attachment 652879

Niiiice. Thanks everybody--got some great starting info.

 

[undeg01]

Undeg01, great results! Have you produced any data on the 165 NABLR or 175 gr Sierra tipped Game King?

I had decent results with the 175 Sierras, but abandoned that because the Bergers were so good

 

[Leadhead1]

I have the exact same rifle. Did put a Timney trigger in it.

I'm loading the new 155 grain Barnes LRX with H4350. Ran into pressure signs earlier than I expected, and I have to remind myself that the 20" barrel isn't going give as much as a 24-26".

54.0 grains of H4350 is giving me about 2750 fps.

Maybe a bit slower powder might give me more velocity? But I have a lot of this powder and I'm only using it on deer so my current load should be fine.

My 16yo son used it this fall and killed a 4 point mule deer at 240 yards. Went through both shoulder bones and exited as the monos almost always do in my experience.

View attachment 517866


View attachment 517867

Hey I was just curious what your thoughts are on this Barnes 155LRX bullet. Currently slapping together a fast twist .270Win, still deciding on a bullet to develop. My two concerns with this bullet is up close and far out. I understand it will "shed petals" at higher speeds an possibly open up nicely still at the Sub 2000fps ranges. Do you or anyone else have and first hand results with the up close penetration it may or may not have achieved and also got an opportunity to dig one of these projectiles out of a critter that was impacted out there where it was most likely traveling Sub 2000FPS? Thank you for any of your input.

 

[ByronP]

loaddata.com has (332) loads posted for the 6.8 Western

 

[Leadhead1]

loaddata.com has (332) loads posted for the 6.8 Western

Im mostly looking for first hand bullet performance from all distances and speeds. I appreciate the load data but i will be developing it in a .270Win.

 

[Montanaatheart]

Let me know how the 568 works. I bought some for the 6.8 W. but later wondered if it was a mistake. So far I'm shooting factory ammo, waiting for ADG brass to come out. I'll try it too after I get the brass…

Didn't get to the N568. Used Grand with the 170s and got the speed and groups I was looking for and called it quits there. If anything changes I'll try N568, but I'm trying to preserve barrel life too.

 

[Berrnard]

Didn't get to the N568. Used Grand with the 170s and got the speed and groups I was looking for and called it quits there. If anything changes I'll try N568, but I'm trying to preserve barrel life too.

568 is actually slower burning than 570.
try 560 if you havnt. im shooting 165 ablrs. 560 is the best mv with burning all the powder in the western
565 can be better but you get in to compression or too much fill depending on your coal

 

[cheeseburgersfearme]

568 is actually slower burning than 570.
try 560 if you havnt. im shooting 165 ablrs. 560 is the best mv with burning all the powder in the western
565 can be better but you get in to compression or too much fill depending on your coal

I was able to get .6" @ 200 yards with 2905fps with the 170's. Should prolong my barrel some and hits pretty hard.

 

[Idaho Trecker]

I just started working on a 6.8 western. Cant remember if its a 20 or 22" barrel. Using a 128 mcguire copper rose. Ran uo to pressure with n565 then backed down and found accuracy around 3120 fps. Dropped to n555 and looks like it is right at 3190fps and accurate. Probably going to stick with 555 since it has been extremely stable and repeatable in everything I've ran it in.