finally got in my Savag 111 LRH 6.5-284

[cfvickers]

this gun is amazing. I have found two loads that it shoots over an inch, three that are over .6 inch at 100 yards. With most it shoots under a half. I have tried 12 loads so far and it likes them all. One in particular that I am fond of for long range hunting is a Berger 140 VLD at 3230 fps and a .35 inch group. now to find a good target load under 2900 fps! this is where i have been lately. check out the very first three shot group it fired.

[whopperstopper]

That is excellent. I got mine last Wednesday in the 25-06. 3shots at 100yds then straight to 200yds to get zeroed. Accuracy is outstanding. I did find 2 things with this rifle 1) cold bore 1st and 2nd shot, if I made the 3rd shot it tended to walk a little, let it cool off 10min then back to shooting. 2) Muzzle brake off (closed) seemed to be better but really didn't shoot enough for a definite opinion. I shoot factory ammo and went thru 4 brands. Win. Supreme ballistic tip 115gr and Hornady SST 117gr were getting 2 shot groups 3/4" at 200yds. Can't wait for this weekend to shoot 300yds. I will play with the muzzlebrake alot more this time. These guns are really nice.

[cfvickers]

Mine walks a little on the third usually too, but it is very little. Here is what I see. Shots 1-2 with a good load, same hole, 3-4 same hole 1/4 inch between the 3rd and 2nd holes. Fifth one flies if I don't let it cool, if I do, it will be touching the first. 1 inch 5 shot groups if no cool down time .6 or better if I let it cool. And this is with 9 of the 12 loads I have tried so far. It aparently has a very tight chamber and I am getting amazing velocities. with 51 grains of RL17 and a 140 VLD I am getting 3230 FPS with only very slight pressure signs to indicate max load and 8 FPS maximum deviation. Of course I only played with this load enough to check the groups and get velocities. It shot 1/2 inch 3 shot groups, didn't try any 5 shot groups. I will keep this one on hand for any long range hunting I may do, but won't shoot it much because it would almost certainly be detrimental to barrel life.

[whopperstopper]

CF were you shooting with the brake open or closed?

[cfvickers]

I have done it both ways. My groups tend to be slightly better with it open. but good with it closed, and I am not seeing the drift in POI when closing it. With RL17 I get a significant increase in velocity with it openned up. With other powders I don't see a big difference and when I see a difference the brake slows it down as it you would think it would. It stays within a half inch of the original POI when switching it off and on.

[cfvickers]

By the way I had it off with the group pictured.

[larry]

:)You will like the 6.5-284. I had one custom built several years ago. The only prob. with mine is that it has a tighter than normal chamber and I have to turn my necks down. At the time , Richard held the 1000yd. record with this cal.He invited me over to his house to discuss the 6.5-284 and it was very educational. H4831SC is very popular. Some good reading on 6mmbr.
www.6mmbr.com/SixFive284.html

[ozark]

The 6.5-284 appears to be a great cartridge. Fed into a super accurate rifle it appears to be as accurate as any others. I have never seen one. It is a pleasure to own and shoot a rifle that permits us to aim and fire at a point and see the spot we aimed for turn into a bullet hole. I like our little egg shoot because there is instant gratification or disappointment. If I was a few years younger I would probably be looking for me a 6.5-284. It is good to see others happy too. Ozark

[cfvickers]

Ozark, it is an amazing caliber. If you shoot 120 grain bullets the recoil is close to your .243 and it will make them scream. With 130 and 140 gr. bullets it has the potential to kill about anything in north america save the alaskan brown bear. This is the second rifle I have in this caliber and I wanted something a little heavier to shoot both hunting and targets. It will be more than capable. I have 16 loads so far that it will shoot 1/2 inch groups or better at 100 yards, that in its self is amazing to me. when the barrel gets warm it will sometimes throw one a little, but throwing one opens your group to 3/4 inch instead of 1/4-1/2. something about the burning properties of hybrid 100v and RL17 causes it to have a different point of impact than with all of the standard powders, but with those two it shoots the same point of impact with any load, and with all the others it is the same. It likes 4831SC, Hybrid 100V and most of all RL17. It has posted some unbelievable velocities with the RL17 and then come back a day later and duplicated them. I have found one load it doesn't shoot 1 inch or better with, that is 50.5 grains of H4831SC all others with that powder it shoots awesome groups. with that load it throws bullets all over the target. It doesn't do particularly well with h4350 but will consistently post acceptable hunting groups.

[cfvickers]

Well, Load development is now complete. I have found something more perfect than I would have imagined. 49.7 grains of H4831SC under a 130 gr. Berger VLD at 3.190 overall length. It is rolling along at a respectable but not overly hot 2900 FPS shoots consistent ragged hole groups at 100 yards, and I just backed up to my maximum in the back yard range of 175 yards and printed a .51 inch three shot group. I really don't think I was holding much better than that if any. I am elated to say the very least. I also use the same charge with a 129 Hornady SST at 2925 FPS and 3.155 overall length and it printed a 3/4 inch group at 175 and 1/2 or better at 100. The centers of the group are within 1 inch at 175 yards So I will never have any need for sight adjustment when hunting with the SST. Basically the same poi at 100 yards. I like the RL17 and the gun does too, but it is just pushing the bullet too fast for everyday shooting. However the RL17 load with a 140 VLD is also going to the same POI so I can go with that if I want. I will likely keep ten rounds of it loaded for any field hunting I may do. Matter of fact with those two powders it shoots just about everything to the same point. Life is GOOD!!!

[cfvickers]

By the way whopperstopper after further review, It does the same thing with any of the loads I listed be the brake open or closed. I worked all of the loads up with it open then closed it on the 175 yard groups to not scare the neighbors too bad. When I back up that far I am getting within a couple hundred yards of their houses to the left of me.

[nexttime]

Glad to see these new rifles working out so well. I originally had thought of ordering the 7MM rem mag. I like the option of having factory ammo readily available. I do enjoy reloading for accuracy and performance as well. I have no history with this round and had a friend tell me the belted mags where hard to reload for accuracy. Would appreciate your thoughts and opinions before I decide.

[cfvickers]

Well, in my experience your friend is wrong about belted mags being hard to reload for accuracy. I have a .300 that I load for and it turns that 1.5 inch gun into a .000something inch group shooter. no it will not do that every time but it will always keep them under 3/4 of an inch at 100 yards, and it shoots 1.1 inch groups at 200. I have shot some amazing groups with that gun. A lot of that could be the shooter as far as them openning up. But it has a thing for 190 graing bullets loaded very long and you can't buy that in a store. I don't even think there is a 190 grain factory loading. and it is very difficult to find a 200 grain factory load any more. Now that said, the 7 mage is a great cartridge. My thing about the 6.5-284 is the long bullet with both 140 and 130 grain offerings, very high ballistic coefficient, low recoil, burns very little powder in comparison with equally capable magnum cartridges (this seems to be my biggest cost in loading my .300) With 50.5 grains of RL17 I am getting 3000 feet per second, 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards consistently, and carrying enough energy to cleanly kill an elk at 900 yards, or a deer at 1000. that is I have over 1000 ft/lbs of energy at 900 yards and 900 at 1000 yards. these numbers are bare minimum for the game mentioned I know, but I also would very likely never take a shot that long on an animal. With the 300 I would have 100 ft/lbs more energy at 1000 yards, with the 7 nag you would have 200 ft/lbs more energy at 1000 but the bullet I am looking at needs to be doing 1700 FPS to have reliable expansion and you would not have that, you do with the 6.5-284. With both of the magnums you would be using anywhere from 65 -80 grains of powder you would be using a 180 grain bullet with the 7 mag and 190 with the .300 , this would ad considerably to the recoil. Also I think that with the belted mags a lot of people cannot shoot really tight groups due to the recoil of them. there is no disgrace in saying that even knowing I can, it takes a ton of discipline to shoot tight groups with my 300, with a 190 grain bullet at 2970 fps it hurts, even with a muzzle break. With a 168 i can't carry the energy that far. so it is a give and take, I like magnums, and there is nothing harder about them than any other caliber to get accurate loads, you just get less out of your brass. But they kick, they eat too much powder, and you by more brass. All be it the brass is about a third cheaper for the 7 mag than the 6.5-284, the 6.5 brass will last you 8+ firings where you are doing well to get 4 from magnum brass, and you use 20 % less powder for equal performance. the ONLY drawback is that factory loads are hard to come by and expensive when you find them. For shots out to 600 yards every one is capable of dropping most non dangerous big game in their tracks. and trajectory will be very similar. Some say barrel life on the 6.5-284 suffers, but remember that until now it has been primarily used as a BR ccartridge And these guys fire 10 shot strings often in less than a minute, when you get a barrel that hot with a long bullet and fast twist it will wear quickly. for the average guy you can expect at least twice the barrel life that they call around 8-1200 rounds. most hunters don't shoot 2000+ rounds total in 10 years let alone from a single rifle.

[deadeye]

nextime.i will be delivering a 7mm to a friend in ft.collins this fall i set-up as 1,000yd gun for a long range antelope hunt,theres nothing much different about 'belted mags' except for the belt which essentially is cosmetic & does nothing.

[nexttime]

Thanks for such a through reply cfvickers. Everything you said makes since. Defiantly some food for thought. Based on some additional research and what you have said, it seems hard to beat the efficiency of the 6.5 bullet. I'll be making my purchase toward the end of the summer so I have a little time to mull it over. Thanks for your input as well deadeye.