Went to the range today and tried something different, I loaded a ladder with some BLC-2 with Noster 105 RDF's. I used the load data from a 6mm PPC as a starting point. The 6PPC round has a case capacity of 33gr. and the 6 ARC capacity is 34gr. The 6PPC minimum load was 26gr to a maximum of 28gr. So I started at 26.7gr. and worked up in .3gr increments.

The results were very interesting and the average MOA was right around 1 MOA at 100 yards with a random flyer, but velocity was way down so this is to be expected.

I used my Faxon barreled gun that is not as accurate as the Odin barrel but is still a pretty good shooter.

26.7gr
Adv 2340  SD 12.4

27.0gr
Adv 2382  SD 10.5

27.3gr.
Adv 2409  SD 9.7

27.6
Adv 2410  SD 8.5

27.9gr
Adv 2450  SD 7.9

I am going to pick this up again where I left off and take it to the next level and see if I can get it to the 2600 to 2700FPS to see how it does. and as the charge went up today the numbers and the target got better. This powder may be just as good as Leverevolution for me. and I have had great success with Lever shooting .3 to .5 groups consistantly and nailing 5" plates at 600 yard distance with way more hits than misses even with the Faxon barrel.

One more thing to add is the temp was only 47 degrees today but the wind was almost dead calm.

Venture Munitions in Las Vegas had 15 boxes or so on the shelf at $21 a box today. They don’t show on there web page, but I saw them.

I just grabbed 1000. One 500 left for the lucky at American reloading. Use 10projos coupon for 10% off. $76.5 shipped with no sales tax!

https://americanreloading.com/en/243-6mm...500ct.html

I know some shooters here have used QuickLoad software to calculate loads for the cartridges they re-load. How easy is it to use? At $152.95 its not cheap. Is it worth it if you only want it only for the 6mm ARC?

What I was wanting to use it for was building loads for the 6mm ARC using Shooters World Tactical Rifle & Match Rifle powders & possibly some Vihtavuori powders. The SW reloading guide has data for both powders for the Grendel. The Vihtavouri guide also has Grendel data. But neither one has any for the 6mm ARC yet. Does QuickLoad have these powders in its list of powders?

Well I was up at my local North 40 shopping for some new work boots and as usual walked by the ammo shelves to see how bare they usually are recently. They were, except for about 50 boxes of Hornady 108 Match for 21.99?!?!? I just ordered 10 boxes online from Midway for a bit more than that so bought their 5 box limit and will be back tomorrow to see if anyone else in town (Lewiston ID) is shooting 6ARC yet....

They've been on backorder and it sounds like they're (hopefully) going to be ready very soon. 

Anyone else buy one from Sanders Armory?

Id like to see some numbers and results. Help us switch bullets and see any patterns of stuff that just dose not seem to work.

SEMI AUTO
6MM ARC 16" Faxon BB 200~ Rds down the tube
90gr Hornady ELD-X
29.0 gr CFE223
COAL 2.200"
CBTO 1.711"
AVG. group 0.75" / Min 0.4" / Max 1.1"

Ill come back and tweak things as they change. No load is ever done just good enough!

So I got in some of Horandy's factory "Black" 6mm ARC ammo (105 gr BTHP) and their "Match" 6mm ARC ammo (108 gr ELD) and after a go over of it before starting actual range testing (i.e. shooting them), all I am going to say is Hmmmm!

The "Black" ammo is loaded at right around 2.200" OAL which gives the bullet a jump of just about .040" to the lands on a SAAMI 6mm ARC chamber (at least the one I have).

The "Match" ammo is loaded right around 2.250" OAL which also gives the bullet a jump of just about .040" to the lands on the SAAMI 6mm ARC chamber (at least the one I have).

I pulled down a number of cartridges to measure the powder loads and just to see what was going on inside and here's what I found:


Both the "Black" and the "Match" are loaded with a ball powder that looks like a dead ringer for Hodgdon's CFE223 and the loadings also bespeak of a powder of a similar burn rate.  In addition, the loads of both are under heavy compression.  To get the powder out of the cases after pulling the bullets, I had to hold each case horizontally over a metal cup and insert a wooden toothpick in the case as I spun it to break up the solid chunk of powder in the case caused by the compression.  Even then, the powder came out with clumps of the powder stuck together from compression.  IMO - not exactly the recipe for accurate loadings (i.e. ball powder under heavy compression).

The loading of the "Black" varied from 30.12 gr to 30.38 gr..
The loadings of the "Match" varied from 30.58 gr to 30.60 gr..

New factory brass was just under the "go" headspace dimension which means if a "go" gage goes in your chamber, so will the ammo, headspace wise.  The brass length of the cases hovered around 1.485" OAL.

The 105 gr bullets of the "Black" were right around 1.225" in OAL, which means that when the cartridge is loaded at 2.200" OAL you have around .715" of the bullet sticking out of the brass and .510" of the bullet back in the case.  Since the neck of the brass is right around .230" long, that put's another .280" of bullet back beyond the neck/shoulder junction - - ergo why there is heavy compression of the powder.  As an aside, the pulled down powder, when poured back in the case, after pull down, sits right about at the neck/shoulder junction.

Similar results with the 108 ELD bullet.  The 108's of the "Match" were right around 1.265" in OAL, which means that when the cartridge is loaded at 2.250" OAL you have around .765" of the bullet sticking out of the brass and .500" of the bullet back in the case.  Since the neck of the brass is right around .230" long, that puts another .270" of bullet back beyond the neck/shoulder junction - - ergo why there is heavy compression of the powder, especially since the charge for the 108's was greater than for the 105's.  Once again, the pulled down powder, when poured back in the case after pull down, sits right about at the neck/shoulder junction.

Just my personal impressions - - I love accurate rifles and accurate ammo is an essential ingredient to them.  If the powder is CFE 223, and I believe it is, those are loads we tested in the 6mmAR, but those are not loads we shot or used with the 6mmAR because, while they got the velocity and pressure numbers, they never proved to be consistently accurate.  FWIW - I never found heavily compressed loadings of any power to be particularly accurate, and ball powders are not the best for consistent accuracy either IMO.

Now Hornady touts that the 6mm ARC was made up as a cartridge for military use, so I assume it's about man sized targets.  I can only say that for real accuracy work in the 6mmAR, despite the testing of numerous powders, we always came back to stick powders, and not under compression at all (if possible).

So I am going to range test these loadings, but I am not optimistic as far as their promise for consistent accuracy - - but we'll see!

Robert

I have a bunch of Bartlein 6mm 5R 7.5 twist 5R blanks and I am going to make up a bunch of 6mm ARC chambered barrels and I am curious what people feel is most popular for a barrel length in the 6mm ARC - - I am thinking 20" because it strikes the balance between being carryable and maneuverable, yet long enough to get a decent velocity out of the cartridge.

For the off the bench shooters and varminters we have done a lot of 24" 6mmAR's, and I am sure there will be some demand for that length out there, but I am not sure that's the most popular.

Opinions on what would be the most popular for barrel length?

Has anyone heard from a source about a release date or news if Howa is coming out with the ARC in their mini action? All I have heard is they are considering it?