6mm Rem & Barnes 85 gr TSX?

[Calif Hunter]

Anyone have any experience with this combo? There only appears to be 2 factory loads available - a Remington load and a Hornady load with a 95 gr SST. THe Hornady load is the only one I've tried in this rifle, an old model 77 Ruger with the flat bolt. Any suggestions on which powder to start with?

[Cossack]

Lot's of experience with TSX, but none with the 6mm. Seems like a great combination, tho. I'm thinkin poders like RL 15, TAC, Varget, IMR 4007 SSC would all be good candidates

[Larryjk]

An old standby load for me in the 6mm Rem. with an 85 gr. bullet is 47.0 gr. of H4831. Of course you know the warning and that load is safe in my Ruger No.1.

[Cossack]

This may be of help

http://stevespages.com/243_7.html

[Rev]

It's been my experience that the 6mm. Rem loves IMR 4350 with loads of 85-105 gr. bullets. My only experience with Barnes bullets was not so great.

My closest friend and hunting buddy had been using Barnes bullets in both his 257 Roberts AI and his 7 mm. Rem. Mag. with amazing success both in game performance and with good hunting accuracy as well. For that reason, I tried some 90 and 100 gr. Barnes at the range. The 90 gr. bullet shot reasonably well. Under an inch at 100 yds.

From my tree stand the following season, a good 8 pt. buck came racing in after a hot doe at about 150 yds. He stopped to pick up her scent again. That's when I let have it with that 90 gr. Barnes. He didn't even flinch but ran straight off in another direction. I thought I must have shot over him as I sight that gun in 2.7" at 100 yds. It might be 3.5 high at 150.

To my surprise he came back to the same spot sniffing the ground to pick up that doe's scent again. I aimed lower this time right at the heart area and squeezed one off again. This time, he fell like a rock, stone cold dead. I was happy, at least at first. The 90 gr. Barnes had just floored him.

When I examined the carcass after making sure he really was dead, no entrance wound could be found. I was looking at the chest area where I had aimed. I finally found the wound at the upper neck. I was just lucky that it hit the spine for that instant kill.

I thought my scope must have been bumped somehow and went to our little makeshift range that we have on that property. The first shot at the paper confirmed my belief that the scope was off. It hit a foot to the right and a foot high. I went to examine the target. The bullet hole was a perfect key hole. After several more shots all over the paper and several more key holes, it was obvious that my one in ten twist Hart match bbl. wasn't stabilizing that 90 gr. Barnes bullet. Why was it OK when I worked up the load and not now? Could be due to different temp. with less velocity in colder weather? I don't know, but I never tried the Barnes again and just stuck with what worked for me (95 gr. Nosler BT).

Sorry for this long narrative, but it was the only way I could relate my experience with the Barnes bullets in my 6mm. AI. BTW, that buck is on my wall, but I feel only due to luck. It could just as easily have been a gut shot and a lost terminally wounded fine buck.

Rev

[dakotah]

I bought a 98 Mauser in the 60's and rebarreled it to 6MM. That rifle loved IMR4350. It may have been the most accurate rifle I ever owned. (What a way to start out.)
The 95 Grain SST's look great. I am currently experimenting with different powders. My current 6 mm is a Remington 700 ADL. It never has been as accurate as that old 98 with a Sharon barrel but it shoots .5" with some loads. So far the best loads I have shot with the SST's are barely under an inch. I will use these loads on Antelope next time I draw a license.

[Larryjk]

I confess. I have had such good results with the 85 gr HPBT for p-dogs and rock chucks and the Hornady100 gr. for antelope and deer that I haven't strayed far from those loads. I just figure why question good luck(and good results).

[Trapper7]

My wife shoots a 6MM for deer and uses Barnes TSX bullets in 85 grain. I reload them using RL19 powder. I've never seen her with an accuracy problem using Barnes bullets. When a deer is hit with a Barnes bullet, if they are hit and run away, they will leave a huge blood trail.

[Larryjk]

I am not adbverse to trying new loads in different rifles I have around when I have time, and if I haven't experimented a little when I first worked up loads in that rifle. But if I have loads that work, I don't abandon them unless I feel there is better performance to be gained. Sometimes a keyholing bullet can be cured by boosting the velocity a bit. The other way is to throw them away.