6gt

[diggler1833]

Mine is a 26” bbl. Which factory ammo was using the 105?

Eagle Eye Precision. Frigging expensive. However it shot great. I did have to seat the bullets .005 in because it threw (4) consecutive 4+1 groups during my expedited barrel break-in...afterwards it printed (3) consecutive 5-shot groups between .390 and .438.

I bought it during the dry-up of 6 GT components...which just happened to coincide with my trying a 6 GT.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I got 6 firings out of hornady before I got case head separations with 6gt. Not ever getting close to pressure.

If you're getting case head separation it's a reloading issue not the brass..
Get the headspace gauge out and stop pushing the shoulder back beyond .002

 

[NiteQwill]

So how do you decide what length to seat the bullet? Just mimic overall length of the commercially loaded bullets and start shooting?

Seat bullet to neck shoulder junction. Check to see if it fits magazine. Check to see if it feeds. Go shoot.

 

[NiteQwill]

If you're getting case head separation it's a reloading issue not the brass..
Get the headspace gauge out and stop pushing the shoulder back beyond .002

Hornady is known for shitty 6GT brass, it's been documented since 2019ish... One of my shooting partners had case head separation on day 2 of a team match, on reload #2. 2850 with 105 hybrids, so very mild load.

 

[combatgrunt84]

So how do you decide what length to seat the bullet? Just mimic overall length of the commercially loaded bullets and start shooting?

No you get the proper gauges hornady makes them comparator sets and then you adjust based off that most people start 10k off the lands just depends on many variables. Might want to look in the reloading section they have specific threads and step by step guidance

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Hornady is known for shitty 6GT brass, it's been documented since 2019ish... One of my shooting partners had case head separation on day 2 of a team match, on reload #2. 2850 with 105 hybrids, so very mild load.

Without measuring headspace anecdotal stories are useless, I'm not defending Hornady by any means but I've had the same thing happen with Peterson and Lapua brass.
One instance was my fault bumping the shoulder too much, the other either excessive headspace of .010 or brass out of spec.

Now I always measure case growth on the first firing, you'd be surprised how often virgin cases are short of proper headspace.
Stretch them once you might be ok, twice and you're done.

 

[NiteQwill]

Without measuring headspace anecdotal stories are useless, I'm not defending Hornady by any means but I've had the same thing happen with Peterson and Lapua brass.
One instance was my fault bumping the shoulder too much, the other either excessive headspace of .010 or brass out of spec.

Now I always measure case growth on the first firing, you'd be surprised how often virgin cases are short of proper headspace.
Stretch them once you might be ok, twice and you're done.

You asked in this post: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/6gt.7053224/post-11523601

About brass options, a few of us chimed in... Hornady brass in 6GT is WELL DOCUMENTED to suck balls. So, anecdotal stories are what you're gonna get. YMMV.

This particular person is a known gunsmith and ammo FFL (and a member here)... So, I'm pretty damn sure he knows what he is doing.

Like I said, I have multiple seasons and tens of thousands of rounds with 6GT, so take that as a clueless opinion. I ran my first season in 6GT with Hornady brass. I learned my lesson the hard way, I'm simply promoting that people don't make the same expensive mistake.

Good luck

 

[RS14]

If you're getting case head separation it's a reloading issue not the brass..
Get the headspace gauge out and stop pushing the shoulder back beyond .002

Only pushed back .002 every time. Annealed every time. SAC dies and SAC comparator.

One rifle I was running hornady brass and one alpha. Hornady brass gave out alpha didn’t. Using sac sizing die for each(not using the same die for both). Hornady gave out. Alpha is still going strong. Basically same loads in both rifles. I did push the alpha brass more with some higher speeds. But only a few times.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

Seat bullet to neck shoulder junction. Check to see if it fits magazine. Check to see if it feeds. Go shoot.

NiteQwill,

What does it mean to seat bullet to neck shoulder junction? It sounds like you are saying to line up the bottom of the bullet with the area where the shoulder becomes the neck? Is so, how do you do that?

No you get the proper gauges hornady makes them comparator sets and then you adjust based off that most people start 10k off the lands just depends on many variables. Might want to look in the reloading section they have specific threads and step by step guidance

I do understand what this means, although I am going to need to watch some Youtube videos of folks doing it and read more here using the search function about which tools to get. I bought the Hornady Lock N Load OAL gauge and the modified case (in 6mm GT) that GA Precision sells. That case is Hornady, but I am loading Alpha. I have not yet bought any comparator sets because I still need to figure out which ones I need to get and how to use them, but that is the very next item on my road to starting reloading (finally, whew! it's a lot to learn).

 

[Cascade Hemi]

I'm looking at screwing an 18" 6GT barrel onto an action I have lying around.

Aiming to get 2750 - 2850 with the 108ELDM & Varget.

Looks like most of this thread is running 26 inch barrels - anyone have results from an 18 inch?

I'd like to know as well. 16" to 18". Maybe 95gr VLD and H4895.

 

[NiteQwill]

NiteQwill,

What does it mean to seat bullet to neck shoulder junction? It sounds like you are saying to line up the bottom of the bullet with the area where the shoulder becomes the neck? Is so, how do you do that?



I do understand what this means, although I am going to need to watch some Youtube videos of folks doing it and read more here using the search function about which tools to get. I bought the Hornady Lock N Load OAL gauge and the modified case (in 6mm GT) that GA Precision sells. That case is Hornady, but I am loading Alpha. I have not yet bought any comparator sets because I still need to figure out which ones I need to get and how to use them, but that is the very next item on my road to starting reloading (finally, whew! it's a lot to learn).

I suggest reading this article to understand a bit: https://precisionrifleblog.com/2020/04/28/bullet-jump-research-and-load-development-tips/

If you want consistent CBTO measurement that can repeatable, I suggest skipping the Hornady comparators, and look into SAC or Area419 instead. Use a good set of Mito calipers.

 

[Schütze]

If you want consistent CBTO measurement that can repeatable, I suggest skipping the Hornady comparators, and look into SAC or Area419 instead. Use a good set of Mito calipers.

So everyone using Hornady measuring tools doesn’t have a repeatable CBTO measurement ?

Interesting…..

 

[diggler1833]

NiteQwill,

What does it mean to seat bullet to neck shoulder junction? It sounds like you are saying to line up the bottom of the bullet with the area where the shoulder becomes the neck? Is so, how do you do that?



I do understand what this means, although I am going to need to watch some Youtube videos of folks doing it and read more here using the search function about which tools to get. I bought the Hornady Lock N Load OAL gauge and the modified case (in 6mm GT) that GA Precision sells. That case is Hornady, but I am loading Alpha. I have not yet bought any comparator sets because I still need to figure out which ones I need to get and how to use them, but that is the very next item on my road to starting reloading (finally, whew! it's a lot to learn).

You can quickly figure out a rough idea if your bullet is seated with the bearing surface even with the neck shoulder junction by looking at a loaded cartridge with a bare projectile next to it. I'm attaching a quickly found image *that would be better if the same bullet were used*...but hopefully you get the idea. Some bullets will protrude more or less depending on jump, bullet length, and chamber dimensions.

There are a lot of discussions that revolve around this relationship. I am not trying to enter any...just trying to help you understand what he is talking about.

Also, when you use that Hornady OAL comparator gauge with the special cases it will not make a difference whether your case is Hornady or Alpha. It is taking a measurement from the bottom of the case to the point in the bullet's ogive where it makes contact with the lands in your barrel. Please also understand that you are going to be measuring jam and not touch. I bet you'll find out that you leave your bullet stuck in the barrel more than not with the Hornady gauge.

 

[diggler1833]

View attachment 8397010

I suggest reading this article to understand a bit: https://precisionrifleblog.com/2020/04/28/bullet-jump-research-and-load-development-tips/

If you want consistent CBTO measurement that can repeatable, I suggest skipping the Hornady comparators, and look into SAC or Area419 instead. Use a good set of Mito calipers.

You totally beat me to it (and with a better image).

 

[NiteQwill]

So everyone using Hornady measuring tools doesn’t have a repeatable CBTO measurement ?

Interesting…..

Correct, so if I used my Hornady comparators and got measurements off said bullet and gave you MY measurements, it wouldn't be the same that you get. The SAC and Area419 allows it to be repeatable from shooter to shooter. That is the selling point of the latter.

The Hornady gets you there, it's just sloppier.

So if my shooting buddy and I are shooting a team match, we live in different states, and want the same load and length to our rounds... All we do is send numbers to each other. We arrive at said match and have exactly the same ammo.

 

[diggler1833]

So everyone using Hornady measuring tools doesn’t have a repeatable CBTO measurement ?

Interesting…..

I have noticed a few thousandths variation when I use my Hornady comparator...which is why I do three measurements and take the median one. I also never start load development at jam, so I have a little wiggle room just in case.

I would venture to guess that how hard you push on the rod would have a little say in the overall measurement you get.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

I am trying to get started with 500 rounds of virgin brass, so I do not need a "headspace comparator" until I am reloading brass after firing, correct? In other words, that is not an expense that I need to incur right now to get started?

 

[diggler1833]

I am trying to get started with 500 rounds of virgin brass, so I do not need a "headspace comparator" until I am reloading brass after firing, correct? In other words, that is not an expense that I need to insure right now to get started?

If you have 500 virgin cases (especially Alpha), I'd just mandrel the case neck (or run over an expander ball), chamfer, and load.

Actually, 500 Alpha cases are probably going to outlast your barrel by quite a bit.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

If you have 500 virgin cases (especially Alpha), I'd just mandrel the case neck (or run over an expander ball), chamfer, and load.

Actually, 500 Alpha cases are probably going to outlast your barrel by quite a bit.

They are Alpha, and Brownells is shipping me a .241" TiN coated mandrel and expander die as we type, but I still need to select some sort of seating depth for the bullet, which is what sparked my question last night, above, in post # 1,849.

 

[diggler1833]

They are Alpha, and Brownells is shipping me a .241" TiN coated mandrel and expander die as we type, but I still need to select some sort of seating depth for the bullet, which is what sparked my question last night, above, in post # 1,849.

I got that. I quoted and responded to your question in #1,867.

If you've never fired a round down the tube, load a couple rounds to whatever spec you are getting your load data from (Hodgdon, Hornady etc...). Use those rounds to confirm zero and start whatever break-in you do or don't believe in.

I now determine my OAL by putting a small amount of blue loctite around the bottom of a bullet's bearing surface and load it LONG in a freshly fired case (not resized, but deprimed), wiping off any excess. I then carefully chamber it - closing the bolt fully - and let it be for at least a half hour. You've effectively pushed that bullet forward into the lands and have found one way (there are multiple) of figuring out where jam is in your chamber. When you open the bolt, the bullet is glued inside the case. It doesn't take gorilla strength to separate, and you can just run a case mouth brush in the neck and scrub off the dried loctite.

I stopped using the Hornady OAL finding gauge because I WAS getting inconsistent readings by a few thousandths.

There are videos showing the method I described. If you can remove your barrel easily, there are other ways.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

Thanks.

I have put a 120-130 rounds down the tube, almost all Hornady Match commercial ammunition, along with some reloads of 110 grain A-tips that were intended for Robert Brantley's rifle. The Hornady commercial ammunition experienced the dreaded primer piercing due to my .068" firing pin. The reloads using 205M primers did not.

So now I have been buying up what I need to reload (dies, brass, bullets, powder, primers, RCBS chargemaster link, and more) starting from scratch with no experience.

 

[diggler1833]

Thanks.

I have put a 120-130 rounds down the tube, almost all Hornady Match commercial ammunition, along with some reloads of 110 grain A-tips that were intended for Robert Brantley's rifle. The Hornady commercial ammunition experienced the dreaded primer piercing due to my .068" firing pin. The reloads using 205M primers did not.

So now I have been buying up what I need to reload (dies, brass, bullets, powder, primers, RCBS chargemaster link, and more) starting from scratch with no experience.

It's a fun ride. Bonus that you picked the 6GT to learn on. It is one of the most forgiving cartridges I've found. Three bullets, three powders, and I don't think I've fired a single five shot group that has exceeded MOA.

Best of luck.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

You asked in this post: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/6gt.7053224/post-11523601

About brass options, a few of us chimed in... Hornady brass in 6GT is WELL DOCUMENTED to suck balls. So, anecdotal stories are what you're gonna get. YMMV.

This particular person is a known gunsmith and ammo FFL (and a member here)... So, I'm pretty damn sure he knows what he is doing.

Like I said, I have multiple seasons and tens of thousands of rounds with 6GT, so take that as a clueless opinion. I ran my first season in 6GT with Hornady brass. I learned my lesson the hard way, I'm simply promoting that people don't make the same expensive mistake.

Good luck

Well shit
Now I have to buy some Hornady brass just to see if I get case head separation in two firings..
I'll put up honest results when I get the barrel

 

[DLS]

I can answer that …my Hornady brass is on its 5th firing no case separation primer pockets are good. Feel pretty confident I can get a couple more firings so was worth the money. I have a few hundred Alpha but haven’t loaded them yet.

 

[Schütze]

Correct, so if I used my Hornady comparators and got measurements off said bullet and gave you MY measurements, it wouldn't be the same that you get. The SAC and Area419 allows it to be repeatable from shooter to shooter. That is the selling point of the latter.

The Hornady gets you there, it's just sloppier.

So if my shooting buddy and I are shooting a team match, we live in different states, and want the same load and length to our rounds... All we do is send numbers to each other. We arrive at said match and have exactly the same ammo.

Well shit
Now I have to buy some Hornady brass just to see if I get case head separation in two firings..
I'll put up honest results when I get the barrel

Just don’t use Hornady measuring tools
—sarcasm—

 

[Dog Doc]

MDT 12 round metal AICS. Only issue is that I can only run 11 rounds reliably. If I run 12, the first round doesn't like to load every time. Generally not an issue as I usually only run 10 rounds when competing. When running 10 I don't recall ever having any feeding issues. I never had any feeding issues running 12 rounds when I was shooting 6.5 CM using the same mags.

Did you need to do any tuning? I have just 2 of these. They would not feed 6.5 at all. Seemed quite altered with 6gt with the case base dipping easily, however they would seem to feed fine. Still trying to diagnose the issue.

 

[Jefe's Dope]

Did you need to do any tuning? I have just 2 of these. They would not feed 6.5 at all. Seemed quite altered with 6gt with the case base dipping easily, however they would seem to feed fine. Still trying to diagnose the issue.

No tuning.

 

[Niles Coyote]

I just got a couple of these new 12rnd amend2 poly mags to try. Cycled 12 rounds through both my 25x47 and 6gt and they worked great, no hiccups. They are slightly longer than a mdt 12rnd by .33" but shorter than a AICS 10rnd with a +2 extension on it. Max coal is at or real close to 2.9"

 

[combatgrunt84]

Anyone have the Berger page for the 105 Load data? Please and thank you

 

[LawlessMonk]

Has anyone tried N540 in the 6GT?

I have with 107 SMK’s, I’m actually looking for a place to start with 105 Berger’s I just got.

 

[MilSpecOkie]

I have with 107 SMK’s, I’m actually looking for a place to start with 105 Berger’s I just got.

Use the same start data as the 107s. All the QL data I’ve gotten from Berger has been very conservative.