Would like to try this 6mm Rem

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

A little while ago (well several months now) I aquired this rifle is a Parker-Hale 1200V with heavy barrel chambered in 6mm Remington. Due to the Police not adding the expanding ammunition bit to my licence I have not been able to get an ammo for it :rolleyes: so last week I got the dies and this morning 100 Remington cases arrived and I have a box of Sierra 70 Grn MatchKing bullets.

Now I know the 6mm Rem is a bit light for your kind of shooting however I would like to start working with this rifle with the view to getting the best out of it for medium range shooting out to about 600 yards. Then hopefully I can get some Fox shooting (red Fox here) and may be later try it out on Roe Deer providing I can get it added to my Deer list :rolleyes:

Here is the rifle:-

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/Brithunter/6mmRemP-H1200VRHS.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/Brithunter/6mmRemP-H1200VLHS.jpg

The scope currently fitted is a 6x42mm with duplex reticle which I hope to change for another more powerful scope at a later date once funds permit. Now these P-H rifles have a fiully adjustable trigger a bit like the Timmney ones and this one is set to break at about 2-3 lbs and like all P-H rifles is a Mauser action. The rifle is bedded with a floated barrel. A factory job but P-H usually did a good job on this but once I start shooting it I will be able to tell more.

Later on I want to try some of the Hornady A-Max 105 grn bullets and see how they perform in this rifle. The rifle was brought used but seems to have had little use as I can detect no obvious wear to the throat.

Any tips or help gladly recieved:)

[bigbrother]

The 105AMAX would probably ruin the fox pelts. I would think at the velocity you will be able to get out of the 6 that expansion to 600 yards would be impressive! The SMK's might not expand very well at all. I shot them out of my .243 for years and groundhogs would typically run into their holes before passing to the other world. I would probably shoot the SST as it's a little harder than the AMAX but gives positive expansion at slowed velocities. Either one should give you great accuracy and to 600yds I don't think you would notice a big difference in trajectory.

[Brithunter]

Hi There,

Thankyou for your comments but I think I had better explain a little more. Here in the UK it's a total different ball game to in the US and although I really like the idea of better performance in expansion I cannot use bullets which are "Designed" to expand due to the stupid laws here, at least in 6mm that is :rolleyes:

Fox pelts are not sold the Foxing would be for vermin control nothing else so the deader the quicker the better. If you wnat to see pelt damage try shoting a fox at about 65 yards with a .303 using a 180 grn SP bullet, the Winchester 150 grn HP bullet in the 30-30 load is very destructive as well:p .

Initially I want to get reliable accurate performance and get better at shooting small groups at longer distances before I try it on live game.

I prefer Hornady bullets when I can get them but not every place stocks them. Now it looks like I will have to order everything as the gunshops around here are pretty useless for this sort of thing. Recently moved and I miss my old shops where I could get what I wanted even if I had to ask them to get them in for me.:p This is a new departure for me :D the smallest calibre I had before was the 6.5mm in 6.5x55 and 6.5x54MS then I picked up this as it was a steal at $170 US so now the hunt is on.:)

Yesterday envening I sized the new R.P brass then trimmed it to 2.220" I have now sorted the cases to within =/- 1% of the average case weight and just now I am debating whether to deburr the flash holes. Primers will be Rem 9 1/2 and powder will most likely be either BLC-2 or Rel 19 I also have some varget and Rel 15 but have several tubs of both the 19 and BLC-2 and wiht powder costing about $57 US per 1lb tub here I would rather use what I have on hand if I can get a good accurate load with it that is.

Later I am going to try to get it on my licence for Fox and Deer but for now it's target only:( . Yes you don't know just how lucky you are.

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

Well have spent teh last few months trying to find a handload which will shoot accurately in this rifle and failed. Due to the fact that most groups are far wider than high I have come to the conclusion that it must be a bedding fault. Until I can get soem accraglass and re-do the bedding I cannot see the point in wasting any more ammuntion. At present one could not confidently use this rifle on our small Deer beyond 150 yards. Yes it's that bad.

[Jack]

The Sierra 70 MatchKing would be a good varmint bullet out to about 400 yards. After that, you'll have problems with wind drift.
I expect the 105 AMAX would do well, if the rifle will stabilize it- it should, but you're getting close to a 1-9 twist not being fast enough.
The bullet I'd recommend is the 87 Hornady V-Max with the plastic tip. It's a very nice bullet for the longer ranges- it'll do a lot better in the wind than the lighter bullets. The 87 V-Max is definitely a varmint bullet, not a deer bullet.
Reloder 19 is one of the first powders I'd reach for when working with a 6MM Rem or a 243 Win, and bullets over 80 grains.
Sounds like you first need to go thru the scope mount/scope/bedding/barrel cleaning check list, though, before you try anything else.

[Brithunter]

Hi Jack,

Thank you for your input but I think I have eliminated all but the bedding as the problem. The groups are just too inconsistant except for one thing, they always string more horizonaly than verticaly :( one bullet strung out over 2" wide but was only 5/8" high so far the best groups have been with Hornady 100 Grn Spire Points and 87 Grn BTHP followed by the 95 Grn Nosler Ballistic Tip. The Hornady SST had produced a few groups which show promise. So far IMR 4350 has provided the best groups.

For the bedding I have just picked up a pack of Brownalls Glassbed, now I just need to find a source of Modelling Clay, the place I thought I might get it has closed down in the last week or so. Might have to try an alternative.

[bigbrother]

Brithunter,
Keep us informed with the diagnosis. It's interesting that the horizontal stringing is that great with virtually no vertical issue. I would agree with your thought that it could be the bedding. It would seem that there is some pressure on the barrel at some point?

It is good to see that some bullets are showing promise though.

[Brithunter]

Hi There,

Nope no pressure as I have checked with folded paper. Picked up a little block of modeling clay now I need to sort out some space and set up the work-mate to hold the stock whilst I work on it. Will have to do this in the living area of the mobile home to get enough warmth for the Glassbed.. Whilst doing this I also need to strip off the old varnish finish and re-do it as it's chipped in a couple of places and I had a slimmer recoil pad fitted to reduce the LOP. Had the gunsmith grind the new pad down flush with the wood and told him not to worry about the finish as it was beign redone. Result is a perfectly flush fitted pad.

Whoops forgot to mention the three shot group with the Nosler 100 grn Partition spread 2.300"horizontally by 0.96" vertically.

[Brithunter]

Well it looks like my suspicions about the bedding is more than likely correct. This afternoon I took the rifle apart and started to remove the old bedding compound. It came out mostly very easily ......... too easily in fact most of it came out in large lumps. So in fact it was not bonded to the wood ................................. which leads me to believe that it was moving hence the shot stringing.

Also the amount of bedding at the most important points the recoil surface of the recoil lug was minimal, I mean there was about only 0.010" of compound there.

Examining it all carefully I also discovered that the rear tang was not making contact properly as the action was making contact in front of the trigger so using chisels I have relieved all the high spots levelled the bedding surface and removed moe wood to there is room for a reasonable amount of compound. Light has gone and it's pretty dark in the mobile home so mixing the Glasbed and putting it in will have to wait until tomorrow.