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Update on my BadRock 6mm ARC bolt gun and new Hornady Podcast

JAS-SH

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 5, 2020
681
1,154
Hi All,

I just watched a recent Hornady podcast on the 6mm ARC. It’s a new one posted end of March and has a LOT of new info. Especially using it in competition and comparing it to the other 6mm rounds people are running. I found it quite interesting so I posted a link at the end of the post. Especially interesting is their POV for competition in PRS and NRL, and both Gas and Bolt guns. Very detailed, lots of info.

So, I’d like to give you a report on how my BadRock 6mm ARC has been performing since I first shot in January 2022, that’s including improving my own shooting of course, which I have worked on using a combination of the BadRock and my .22 Mag trainer. I’ve finally gone over the 200-round mark on the BadRock rifle so I consider it “broken in”. It's been excellent out of the box though.

I've been doing all this work at 100 yards so I can get myself shooting better. I think I have improved enough so that my next shoot is going to be at 200 and 300 yards. At my closest "long" range you must qualify at 300 yards before going to 600 and up. Five RO-observed and measured consecutive shots at less than 2 MOA at 300 yards. Based on extrapolating dispersion from 100 yards I feel pretty confident I can qualify.

For those of you that have not seen the rifle you can look at my previous post in the Bolt Action thread here:

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/precision-rifles-show-em.6252617/page-76#post-10028778

If you want to skip the rest, the skinny is that the rifle is a hammer, it's gotten better with more shots through it, it shoots a lot better than I do, and all with factory ammo (that might change).

Here’s an image of the once fired brass so far. I can’t help but think that I just can’t get rid of it! I don’t want to reload, haven’t done it in over 20 years. I am getting tempted to go in the attic and start pulling stuff out of storage! Also, for the first time I am seeing a shortage of 6mm ARC and absurd prices. Something is up when all of a sudden 6mm ARC is more expensive than 6mm Creedmoor by $0.30 a round! Could be higher demand....

i-X45pG7L-XL.jpg


Accuracy seems to have peaked nicely. I’ll show you some targets below.

The rifle is still getting carbon dirty and I am working on that trying different cleaners, but based on “listening between the lines” in the Hornady video, I am pretty certain they are using ball powder in their ammo, which is dirtier. They did this to keep velocities up on short gas guns.

So, here are some of my recent targets. All were shot on a bipod and PRS style rear bag. No fancy bench rest bag nor fancy forward rest:

This is my best 5 shot group so far, but this was a month ago and I'm shooting better now:
i-Vmd34Sn-M.jpg


My average is between these two, around ½ MOA most of the time:
i-Xf7PHgV-M.jpg


i-krTkjp3-M.jpg


This is what happens when I screw up and still happens a lot more than I would like. I shoot 2 good shots and a screw up:
i-R76FpB6-L.jpg


And this is my best so far, which happened last Sunday – smaller than caliber - My first one with a centerfire rifle! :D:
i-qtkWM8s-M.jpg


And finally this is the link to the Hornady Podcast. It is really interesting (all marketing aside):
 
Based on your range rules, it sounds like you shoot at Manatee
How'd you know? That's very good! They are planning to go back with the 1000 range sometime soon too. It's ~45 minutes away in good traffic.
 
It looks like your using an MDT mag. How reliable has the ARC been in feeding?
Came from Defiance/BadRock. Absolutely zero issues. It's actually a .224 Valkyrie mag - reduced capacity. with the 6 ARC. And a bit harder to load.
 
How'd you know? That's very good! They are planning to go back with the 1000 range sometime soon too. It's ~45 minutes away in good traffic.

I used to shoot there until they ran Gene out and started implementing silly shit rules.

JTAC (South of Plant City) goes out to 2000yards and isn't crowded.
 
45 minutes away in good traffic?
Ain't no traffic coming from the east.
Sarasota or the west side of Bradenton?
 
45 minutes away in good traffic?
Ain't no traffic coming from the east.
Sarasota or the west side of Bradenton?
I'm in Tierra Verde. Just 6 minutes north of the Equator. That's what my fishing buddies and I call the Skyway :D. From there a bit north on 75 to Moccasin Wallow RD then make a speed run down Rutland RD to 64. No traffic taking that route ever. I hate 75 these days....
 
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I used to shoot there until they ran Gene out and started implementing silly shit rules.

JTAC (South of Plant City) goes out to 2000yards and isn't crowded.
I shot there until they closed the long range, when you could shoot 1000 from the main range line. I do all of my 100 yard work at the Wyoming Antelope Club in Largo. 25-minutes away in 8:00 AM weekday traffic. I'll have to look into JTAC!
 
Rutland Road (675) is getting built up now too. It's sad to see.
I used to hunt the Hearns produce farm on Moccasin Wallow Rd.
Unfortunately it got sold and houses are going up there too. 😭
Been hunting a couple miles east of 301 on SR 62. The property next to there just got leveled...

It never ends.


JTAC is worth the $65 per month.
If you like to run and gun including mag swaps, then it's like another $20 per month to use that portion of the range.
I pretty much only use the 2k range and occasionally hit the 100yd area for some pistol work.
It's <20 minute drive for me. 🙂
 
A new update. The rifle now has 480 rounds through it. Shooting even better now and so am I :).

Cold Bore shot at 626 yards:
i-gPRTWz8-M.jpg


And, yesterday at the local range - 100 yards

Cold bore shot - 108 grain Match:
i-6SHgnrM-M.jpg


And last group of the session using Hornady Black 105s. Rifle is sighted in with the 108 match and for some reason the 105 Black groups a little lower:
i-kdf3vWX-M.jpg
 
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