6.5-06 Help Needed

J

jackstrawIII

New member
Hey guys,

Just finished building a 6.5-06 but I'm having a hard time finding load data that I'm looking for. I swear Barnes used to have it, but it's not on their site anymore.

Looking to use a 105 grain mono bullet (Cavity Back).

Hodgdon lists H4350 as the fastest powder, but I don't have that much left and it's been hard to find powders lately.

Anyone have good load data for RL17 or Superperformance for a bullet of this weight? Got plenty of those powders and I know they work with the 270,w which is similar. Other powders I have lots of are H1000 and Retumbo... which might work?

Thanks guys.
 
There's data on Hodgdon's site. 85 to 160 grain bullets.
There's a 107 grain bullet that'd be close enough for a 105. 2 grains won't matter.
"...hard to find powders..." Don't think the manufacturers are working or shipping due to Covid.
 
T, yeah I’ve seen Hodgdons site, but they don’t list anything with the powders I referenced above. I’m stuck working with what I have for the time being.
 
Not familiar with the 6.5 -06 but you can do some extrapolation.

Hornady lists 100 gr class bullets with IMR 4350 starting load of 45.5 gr and H 4350 of 46.3

R17 is very close performance wise with pretty close grain loads in other ref at those levels.

"...hard to find powders..." Don't think the manufacturers are working or shipping due to Covid.
Click to expand...

That would be totally alternative facts. One more time off the range for Mr. T.
 
Here’s a thought:

Alliant lists the following for RL 17
25-06 100 grain bullet: 53 grains max
270 win 100 grain bullet: 59 grains max

Would it be reasonable to assume that approx 56 grains of RL17 would be a reasonable max for the 6.5-06?
 
Jack:

I won't advise one way or the other. You are somewhat on your own, I only urge a cautious approach.

R17 is a 4350 type powder and falls that way on the burn rate charts (which are to be used with caution).

But to put in in some perspective, R17 is the power used by Switzerland in the GP11 round. The books do not ref it as a load.

I have done various loads around it having measured what came out of a GP11 cartridge and doing both Chrono checks and comparison to powders in the 7.5 Swiss load sections.
 
CAUTION: The following post (or a page linked to) includes or discusses loading data not covered by currently published sources of tested data for this cartridge (QuickLOAD or Gordon's Reloading Tool data is not professionally tested). USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assumes any liability for any damage or injury resulting from the use of this information.

The Hodgdon loads listed are for cup and core bullets softer than your solid and lower in volume for their weight. I ran an approximation in QuickLOAD for IMR 4350, which Hodgdon has for a 107-grain Sierra bullet, adjusted the burn rate to match Hodgdon's data, then subbed in a 105-grain true solid (no bands or grooves) and found, erring on the round-down side, I had to multiply the 107-grain bullet's powder charge by about 0.98 to get the same pressure behind the 105-grain solid, or drop from 51.5 grains to 50.5 grains. It cost about 5 fps off the 107-grain velocity. In the noise, IMHO. That same ratio will apply only approximately for other powders you find 107-grain loads for, but for starting loads, it should be close enough.

QuickLOAD thinks RL-17 running at about 52.1 grains will produce a similar velocity, but at a lower peak pressure. You could possibly go as high as 54.4 grains with this powder and will get more velocity out of it at the same pressure as the Hodgdon 107 grain maximum with IMR 4350, but, being a different powder, I would not be sanguine that the match is that simple as the RL-17 could suffer from more variation in pressure. If, at the lower loads, it has higher velocity SD than your 4350 loads produce, that would be a sign not to try to go quite that high.
 
Unclenick,

That's exactly what I wanted to know, thanks.

Confirms the plan I had started forming in my head. Going to start at 50 grains RL17 and do some ladder testing up to... as high as I feel comfortable going. Aiming to land at around 53-55 grains.

Will be interesting to see what the chrony says.

Thanks.
 
Sierra manual VI has loading data for 6.5-06 using Sierra 100gr/107gr with R-17.

Start at 45.5gr/R-17 2900fps/Max 54.7gr/R-17 @3300fps.

Test barrel 24" 1/8 twist barrel. Case Win 30-06, Primer WLR
 
I've not loaded bullets for my 6.5-06 lighter than 120 grains, and IMR 4350 is my go-to with that bullet,.
I've used h4831sc, H1000, IMR 4831, IMR 4451, n160, rl 19 rl 23, 760, StaBall, with 140's, and H1000 kicks ass.
 
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