Posted by Peter Cross on Apr 13, 2020; 9:34pm
URL: http://oldforum.flyshooter.com.au/Which-Bullets-and-Primers-are-best-tp5710759p5710762.html

G'day Dave

I know what you mean about this lock down, my brass has never been so shiny.  (and now reading over my reply seems I have too much time to type also )

Firstly let me say I have only been doing this since 2016 (Well! I have been reloading for 40 years, however reloading to shoot a pig and reloading to shoot a fly seems to be two different kettle of fish) and one thing I have found, you can talk to 10 different people and get  Ten different takes on the same process. This is purely what I have found personally since starting my "precision" reloading journey.

You seem to have chosen 2208 and you will certainly achieve great results with it. Around the 30.00 grain mark appears to be the point where most BR's find that special "node" and start to shoot exceptionally well. Depending on how much you enjoy reloading, testing and your desire to achieve the absolute best your rifle can achieve, I would certainly take a look at 2209. You may find (and this will be a recurring theme) your barrel will perform "marginally" better with it. A lot of friends have started to use it with great result. I have done some testing and have been pleased with what I have seen. When our new rifle is done I intend to start load development with 2209 from the outset. Not only because of the results I have seen but more importantly I want to standardise powders and 2209 is what we use in the .284 also.  

As for bullets, over the years I have tried several (hundred) of the "top" brands. 107 Sierra Match Kings, 103 Copperheads, 105 Lapua Scenars, 105 Hybrids, Berger BT's (never tried the VLD's in the 6mm) and a few more. First let me preface this with, any of those projectiles in any one of my three 6mm barrels were more then capable of winning a match, if I could have done my part. Did any in particular shoot better in a certain barrel ? The answer to that question is certainly. I have a Maddco barrel that was chambered in 6BR. My "match" load for it was 107 SMK's 30.01 of 2208 jumped 25 thou. I had that barrel rechambered to 6BRX. At the time I was shooting a 6BRX Hardie barrel with a load of 33gr and the 105 Hybrids. Once again to standardise I started to shoot the 105 hybrids in the "new" Maddco. While that load shot well enough to win many club matches I never thought it was quiet as good as when it was chambered in 6BR. I had some SMK's still in the cupboard so tried them. From the outset it was very clear, that barrel for some reason "liked" the SMK's better as the groups tightened up.  To cut a long story a little bit shorter, all barrels are different. You occasionally will find a bullet, barrel combinations that doesn't quiet meet your expectations. You could possibly get it to shoot by playing with primers, seating depth, powders etc etc etc, depending on how much time and money you want to spend. My advice is to buy several hundred of two of the "top" brands, do some load development with both. You will probably come across one load that is a little better then the other, use that as your "Match " load.  If one of those two for some reason doesn't work, try a third and do some development with that. You will always have the other to fallback on if the projectiles you have chosen become unavailable, and this can happen all too frequently.


I have spoken to some of the best and I know they do try different primers.  I have never played with them, Br4's are the only ones I have ever used. Do I think that my groups would tighten up? Perhaps but I know my gun shoots well enough to place me up the top now, I feel that the time spent mucking around in the reloading room would be much better used out on the range learning to read the conditions and practicing my technique. If I ever get to the stage I think I can now out shoot my rifle I might look at playing with primers, so that isn't ever going to happen anytime soon.

Oh!  Hybrids, BT's, or VLD's.  I expect Stuart to jump in here as I know he also shoots SMK's and Hybrids and his results are a lot different to mine with the SMK's, The hybrids I think are similar. From my research and experience, The "standard" Tangent ogive on say the SMK's are suppose to be more forgiving when it comes to seating depth, My experience is these like to be jumped a considerable amount 25 thou.  The VLD's are suppose to be hard to tune, (I use the 180 VLD's in the .284) if you haven't already done so, look for the Berger paper on how to tune them, its a good read, I jam mine 10 thou.  The Hybrids are suppose to give you the best of both world, more forgiving to seating depth and good BC. I jump them 8 thou. But the most important thing I have learnt, Well actually 2 important things I have learnt:

1: Did I say this already. All barrels are different, what works in one most certainly may not work in another, even if they are chambered with the same reamer and are the same brand.

2: And I know you and Kathy are aware of this but many aren't, (well all the people who frequent this forum would) but Ill say it anyway as it was one of the first things I was told.  There is no point having a gun that is capable of shooting .2 moa all day if you are only a 2.o moa shooter.  I see so many people at the range shooting hundreds (probably thousands of rounds) doing load testing with no flags, on an almost perfect day and then turn up to shoot matches  when there is a bit of wind and wonder why all of a sudden their perfect load isn't shooting any good anymore.