The Accurate, Long Range 6mm BR

[ADMIN]

Some years ago there was a company that developed a nearly perfect cartridge. And although it was intended for distances of less than five hundred yards, with the proper barrel twist and a heavier bullet it was very accurate to one thousand yards. Not only was it accurate over a variety of distances, but it did not use much powder, had little recoil, was easy on barrels, and was downright attractive.

For some reason there was no fanfare given this cartridge. One rifle was offered but was only available by special order. It didn't help its popularity that no factory ammo was available when it was first announced. The little cartridge was not the most popular kid on the block and was almost forgotten.

Some years later another company, searching for a cartridge that would compete with the 308 Winchester in 300 meter competition, realized that this little cartridge had great long range possibilities. Once they decided it was just what they were looking for they changed only the chambering specifications to handle heavier bullets, and they named it the 6mm Norma BR.
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This is a thread for discussion of the article, The Accurate, Long Range 6mm BR, By Glenn Burroughs. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

 

[Swatman05]

Would this be a good cartridge out to 1,000yds? Or is it still limited in it's range?gun)

 

[FearNoWind]

Would this be a good cartridge out to 1,000yds? Or is it still limited in it's range?gun)

The 6BR can be tuned to perform very very well at 1k. Mine holds its own out too 900 but the wind kicks it around badly at 1k. It's performance depends largely on load and I need a bit more umph for 1k but can't get it without getting into dangerous pressures. Some others that I shoot with can load it hotter than I can without pushing the load limits. That of course is due to a lot of differences in the way our rifles are chambered. Even though my 6BR isn't shooting winning scores at 1k, on a soft wind or no wind day I still have lots of 1k fun with it. At least their all on target.
If it keeps me in the top 10 on a calm day I'm exstatic.

 

[Swatman05]

The 6BR can be tuned to perform very very well at 1k. Mine holds its own out too 900 but the wind kicks it around badly at 1k. It's performance depends largely on load and I need a bit more umph for 1k but can't get it without getting into dangerous pressures. Some others that I shoot with can load it hotter than I can without pushing the load limits. That of course is due to a lot of differences in the way our rifles are chambered. Even though my 6BR isn't shooting winning scores at 1k, on a soft wind or no wind day I still have lots of 1k fund with it. At least their all on target.

What kind of 6mm BR gun do you have? I was looking at the Savage 12BR..

 

[FearNoWind]

What kind of 6mm BR gun do you have? I was looking at the Savage 12BR..

It's a trued Rem 700 with Bartlein 5R barrel and Zeiss 6.5-20x50mm scope.
It started out as a bench rest gun but I got tired of bench rest and did the conversion. It's more fun to shoot than any of my other competition rifles.

 

[Swatman05]

It's a trued Rem 700 with Bartlein 5R barrel and Zeiss 6.5-20x50mm scope.
It started out as a bench rest gun but I got tired of bench rest and did the conversion. It's more fun to shoot than any of my other competition rifles.

How's the barrel life? I was told to expect 1,000-1,500

 

[FearNoWind]

How's the barrel life? I was told to expect 1,000-1,500

I'd expect it to go to 2,000. But then keep in mind that I'm not lighting fires hot enough to push 3000fps like some other shooters. I'm happy with 2630fps.

 

[Swatman05]

I'd expect it to go to 2,000. But then keep in mind that I'm not lighting fires hot enough to push 3000fps like some other shooters. I'm happy with 2630fps.

What would you push 105's?

 

[Greyfox]

Tagging on. I have been debating about re-barreling one of my shot out Remington 700 Milspecs in 308 with a 6mmBr barrel. Do I need to modify my feed ramp for magazine feeding?

For several years I have been shooting a 6mmAR which is a necked down 6.5 Grendel. It has slightly less powder capacity then a 6mmBR. It is an exceptionally accurate and dependably feeding rifle that easily stands with my bolt rifles. It shoots 105/107's at 2750FPS into one ragged hole. Brass life using Lapua 6,5 Grendel brass is 10+ reloads. Barrel life is 2500-3000 rounds.

 

[FearNoWind]

What would you push 105's?

Because I should ba able to increase the load slightly with he 105, I thnk I might get another 100 fps out of them, but that's just a guess. I'm currently loading 28.5 gr Varget behind 107 Sierrast. The local guys who are in the 3k fps range are loading as much as 30gr Varget but I get some very flat primers and very stiff bolt lift long before I get to 30gr. I'm an err on the sdie of safety guy so I accept muzzle velocities that are below what othes might push for. As long as the bullet remains stable at target distance I'm satisfied. Reading the wind is the shooter's responsibility. Pushing loads to relieve me of that responsibility is neither safe nor necessary.

 

[Swatman05]

Because I should ba able to increase the load slightly with he 105, I thnk I might get another 100 fps out of them, but that's just a guess. I'm currently loading 28.5 gr Varget behind 107 Sierrast. The local guys who are in the 3k fps range are loading as much as 30gr Varget but I get some very flat primers and very stiff bolt lift long before I get to 30gr. I'm an err on the sdie of safety guy so I accept muzzle velocities that are below what othes might push for. As long as the bullet remains stable at target distance I'm satisfied. Reading the wind is the shooter's responsibility. Pushing loads to relieve me of that responsibility is neither safe nor necessary.

I completely agree with you! As long as the gun is doing well and I'm doing my part.. I wouldn't care if I'm slower than 3,000fps. Haha. I found a Savage Model 12 Long Range Varminter in 6br with RBLP for $1,200. I'm pretty sure it has the same barrel as the F Class model. Think I should go with the varminter or get the F Class and swap the stock if that's possible? I want a gun I can shoot long range with and hunt with. Thanks for any input!

 

[Sully2]

Ive got a 6BR that I had built. Shoots great even though I can only shoot it to 300 yds cause that all the long the range is. Very accurate.

 

[Sully2]

Tagging on. I have been debating about re-barreling one of my shot out Remington 700 Milspecs in 308 with a 6mmBr barrel. Do I need to modify my feed ramp for magazine feeding?

For several years I have been shooting a 6mmAR which is a necked down 6.5 Grendel. It has slightly less powder capacity then a 6mmBR. It is an exceptionally accurate and dependably feeding rifle that easily stands with my bolt rifles. It shoots 105/107's at 2750FPS into one ragged hole. Brass life using Lapua 6,5 Grendel brass is 10+ reloads. Barrel life is 2500-3000 rounds.

Ive been told always that you cant feed them from a magazine...and hence the reason I had mine built as a single shooter

 

[Swatman05]

Ive got a 6BR that I had built. Shoots great even though I can only shoot it to 300 yds cause that all the long the range is. Very accurate.

I'm going to use mine for long range shooting and hunting. I'm planning on using a savage action with a 26"-28" varmint contour barrel with an M40 style stock.