I bought a pound of AR Comp to work up for my 6ARC as well as 223/556.  Problem is, it's lacking velocity big time in both calibers. Not even close to what QL predicts. QL is pretty spot on with other powders that I have tried.  When I ran Comp in my 22" 6arc my speeds were in the 2300-2400 when predicted 2800+

Comparing Comp to 8208 in my 223 60gr NBT Rem 1-1/2 primer Springfield Saint Victor 16"  Outside temps low 40's

24.2 grains Comp nets 2479 average with ES of 117. QL predicts 2895 so 400 short  of prediction 

24.2 grains 8208 nets 2705 average with ES of 54.8  QL predicts 2760 only 55 short of prediction


Note: the 8208 3 round string had 2 of 3 within 1 fps of each other 2686.9 and 2687.9

About all I can think of is a bad lot or a bad bottle.  My 8208 is from an 8# jug that is well over 10 yrs old.

A good buddy got out of metallic loading a few years ago. Mostly just loaded 45 acp, 7/08 and 308. He sold the 45 and 308 went to his son in law. I load him 7/08's every couple years together with him. 

Anyhow, he gifted me a 8# bottle and I had a partial 4# and couple 1#'s on hand. I use it in a few calibers but have no fav or special loads with it. I see its a candidate in the ARC. Its been so so in grendel. 

Is anyone using it?

CW

Did a simple search and didn't come up with anything so I thought I'd post my recent finding.

Weighed through 84 pcs of Starline and 100 pcs of Hornady brass to start my learning curve to the 6ARC seeing as this is brand to cartridge to me.

Starline I found had weighs from 108.84gr to 109.98gr ES of 1.14gr.. Not bad.
Hornady I found weights from 109.92gr up to 116.00gr., ES OF 6.08gr.. WOW!

This is all once fired brass given to me from friends at the range. Now I just wish I could remember who gave me the Starline.

Hello from SE Wisconsin. Long time pistol shooter, short time rifle shooter. Retired but still working. Work PT as an RO at a large outdoor multi use range and love it.

Have been shooting in our ranges informal local rifle league for the past 3 winters using a Savage Model 12 223 and getting my rear handed to me by the 6mm guys.

Last week while watching for a new model 12 Single shot Target rifle I stumbled upon a Savage Switchback 6ARC. Hope to have it in hand within the next couple weeks. Now I won't have to rebarrel my Savage Model 11 into an ARC. Though I already have the bolt head to do it.

Starting to see more of these in use and a lot more information on the forums. My interest of course lays with the bolt versions of this gun.

I have Hornady's App. on my phone but don't have anything else. What do you guys use that has loads for the Bolt gun ?
Are there any that I should stay away from ?



Thanks

First, a little back ground to set the stage... 

I bought Howa mini 22" 6.5 Grendel, about 4-5 years ago. LOVE the rifle! I added a 20 moa rail & upgraded the scope after seeing it was a shooter!! Then a Boyds Pro Varmint stock and better bottom metal. I pillar bedded then bedded bottom metal & recoil lug & tang. The gun would shoot well under MOA with Hornady, Sierra & Speer bullets. Dosen't like Noslers?? Plus do ghat with AR-Comp, Benchmark, 2230 & 2200 Powders!!!! But, the bigger scope, stock made it heavy & I didnt hunt it for two years. Last year, I was gifted a very nice Hawk optic and thought it would be nice on that lil Howa. So I got ta thinking... I want my LWT hunting rifle back!! So I started ta strip it back down. Factory stock, LWT one piece tally rings Jefferson bottom metal to remove ghat box magazine. Then install the new scope. Ba BAMN! 6# 5oz loaded, with sling!!  I hunted this last year and loved it!! I took my biggest and best buck with this rifle.

   

So, I have a good stock, DIP bottom metal with a couple three mags, a 20 MOA rail. I really contemplated a second, HB Grendel. But when I looked on Brownells, I noticed 6ARC offered...  I stRted watching videos and reading articles and thought altho heavily overlapping mt Grendel, 243 & 6mm Remington W/1:8 24" HB. It was better yhan a third Grendel. (have AR upper too) 
So after a month deliberating... I tried ta order but Brownells is out of stock!! CS says End of March is SCHEDULED next delivery. NOT guarantied. Lil bummed I almost back ordered. A friend suggested I watch on line sources. Well today, I found & bought a 6ARC 20" Threaded Howa Mini!  

I have been making brass...

https://youtu.be/tr3oCHO2lYA?si=VFl-rejerxxeY_lB

Prepping and Turning necks...

https://youtu.be/AnFLcM-iOSA?si=8fA6iwSwn6zjdv9-

Then loading Fire Forming loads...

https://youtu.be/PTeuyadYrqk?si=sM5oNoF5C9J7178e

Today I loaded one longer ladder with a 85g Sierra BTHP over Lever. Along with three boxes of converted 7.62 brass.

   

Now a week or so wait and I can pick up and assemble and hit the range!! 

CW

All,
Putting this here for info. 
The 6.5 grendel site appears to be down, has been this way for a few days now.  I have not been able to get any info from the site's admin. It seems to be some kind of html issue, personally I think it was hacked.  In firefox I can get it to appear correctly but entries only date back to about 1/25/24.
Anyone else notice this?

I'm thinking of allowing some grendel threads here as a temporary work-around, until that site can get back up.  Won't be "every thread, every topic" but some could be allowed.  After all, the 6 Arc is the little brother so if we can help out for a bit, that seems good to me.
What do you think...

Grayfox.

I have a Howa mini and a few boxes of Sierra 85g HPBT's Laying around. Has anybody tried this combination? What AOL or seating depth did you use?

Upper: VLTOR MUR-1A
Barrel: Proof Rifle+1 Gas system, 6mm arc chamber, 18" barrel length, model 128688
Handguard: CMT HDM Arca 17"
Gasblock: Superlative arms Clamp model .750 gas journal
Gas tube: Proof supplied with barrel, rifle+1 length
BCG: CMC Triggers 6 arc enhanced, bolt headspacing verified to barrel with go/no go gauges, model 81635

Lower:
Aero X15 stripped. Assembled approx. 2017 with PSA LPK (no FCG)
Trigger: Geissele SSA-E
Buffer System: full VLTOR RE-A5 (H2 weight - default parts what they supplied at the original time when it was launched), spring also standard vltor milspec rifle), VLTOR A5 receiver extension
Stock: Magpul PRS Lite

Original lower has approx. 4,000-5,000 rounds through it, possibly a few more. Had a white oak assembled SPR Upper mated to it.

I built the 6mm arc upper in the description back in December to use on this lower. This is about the 10th AR Ive assembled in total. The lower used here, I had hands-on help assembling back in 2017 from a cerakote specialist and FFL, as it was my first one.

Initial testing showed a few issues:

1: BCG failed to lock back on bolt catch, bolt would sit locked against the magazine follower
2: accuracy was pretty bad, approx. 1.5" moa with hornady ELD Match at 100 yards.

Contacted proof, they advised me to send the barrel back to them. They noted unusual gas port erosion, and "a mix of small issues" that they said together would explain the accuracy issues, and replaced the barrel (and gas tube) under warranty.

Reinstalled new barrel to the VLTOR upper (used steel shim, and green loctite, as barrel extension to upper fit was loose). reinstalled all above parts as well.

Back to testing, followed their break in process (clean/shoot in intervals)...BCG issue presenting itself again.

So far, to test, Ive tried a different BCG entirely (Milspec 6 arc from optics planet "Trybe"), tried a JP Enhanced bolt in the CMC carrier, Tried CMC bolt in mil spec carrier, and tried all 3 bolts in a known working carrier (original from white oak).

Also tried ASC grendel and 6mm arc mags, duramag 6mm grendel steel mags, PMAG, lancer mag, etc, all in total tried at least 5 different magazines.

All result in bolt locking on magazine follower. Went through testing the full range of gas block adjustment, only results I got were getting it to eject a round out very limp, or fail to eject, or fail to even lock back.


I also measured the gas port in the barrel, and it is to the proof spec, (0.096") as well.

Also, photo of the issue:



There's at least 200 rounds through this BCG and barrel, and another 100 on the first barrel (and same BCG) before it was sent back to Proof for replacement.

Ammo used so far is Hornady Black 105 grain, # 81604 and Hornady ELD Match 108 grain # 81608,  boxes have come from different sources too, some bought locally, some online, so not one specific lot. Have only gotten the bolt to fully lock back on the 108 grain once or twice, but no repetition or consistency.

Also, if loading a mag with multiple rounds, it will cycle, bolt goes forward, loads next round, etc, this operation is normal. The failure only happens on last round, or if loading 1 round to a mag.

Also, gas port and gas block alignment was verified both times on install, I ran a fiber optic light through the gas tube, and then a bore scope through the muzzle end, to verify alignment.



A few things Ive noticed so far:

After I removed the superlative arms gas block..I tried an aero gas block (visibly leaked air as well), which did not help. After that I went back to a standard gas block.

Then I started trying different buffer weights. H1 will occasionally eject correctly but still not fully reliable. the CMC Enhanced BCG wound not reliably lock back at all, the mil spec carrier with proof bolt would about 50% of the time, and the Trybe bcg and bolt did about 80% of the time, until the extractor claw broke.

So far Ive emailed my question to proof, CMC, and superlative arms about the above build.

Proof's website recommends the JP bolt, adjustable gas blocks, and full mass carriers and buffers. I emailed them to verify and they told me to use a fixed gas block, and "mil spec everything", instead. So my plan is try to an older carbine standard buffer weight as well.

Superlative arms recommended against the vltor system, and said I should try a sprinco reduced power spring instead.

I was also told by others running the JP bolt to try swapping the 1 piece gas ring to traditional 3 piece gas rings, so I went ahead and did that to test next.

Any other recommendations or ideas?

This was in Bass Pro in Morgantown,WV. 2-12-24.