T/C 6.8 Rem SPC

[shooterchris]

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I have a contender and am contemplating getting the 6.8 barrell and a Lyman or RCBS 150 gr mould. The TC barrell has a 1-10 twist....will this stabilize the boolit enough to get benchrest accuracy out of it.....or does anyone know of a 110-120gr. .278 mould available. If you shoot the 6.8 Rem SPC let me know which way to turn before I order a mould.

P.S. any pet loads.....lead only.

[jameslovesjammie]

.277 Cal Boolit Moulds

100-120 grain

Lyman
280468 Louvern design 109 and 114 grain discontinued
Lee
C277-110 R 110 grains, pointed round nose discontinued


120-130 grain

Lyman
280473 125 grain spire point discontinued
Lee
C277-125R 125 grain pointed round nose discontinued

130-150 grain

Lyman
280411 138 grain spire discontinued
280412 136 grain round nose discontinued
280642 150 grain bore riding flatnose discontinued
RCBS
.27-130-FN 130 grain flat nose (special order)
.270-150-SP 150 grain flat nose
Saeco
#270 140 grain bore riding truncated cone (special order)

I think you'd be better served by one of the lighter boolits, as a long boolit like the 150's will seat down really far into the case.

As you can see, there really isn't much around anymore in terms of the .277 cal boolits. Ebay has them almost constantly though.

I can post pics of all of them except for the 280642, as it is the only .277 mould I do not have.

[felix]

If I were trully interested, meaning serious contemplation, I would vote for another barrel than stock to have a 13-14 twist. Then I would go to Mountain Moulds and make up something like a 110 grainer or less. Accuracy is strongly dependent on your ability to handle recoil from start to finish. Then I would select a powder that will fill the case to 85 percent or better, and provide no more than 2400 at that density. A full loading should shoot a heavier boolit at 2400 when you want to kill something off your deer stand. ... felix

[shooterchris]

LBT will make moulds for a 270 size boolit I am going to give them the first try with a 279-120-LFN 120 grain mould. If the barrel on my rifle is aftermarket I cannot shoot in the Production Class Lead which is my intentention. The barrel is 23" and some guys that I know have actually shortened the factory barrels, and re-crowned them and gotten better accuracy. Anybody have a load suggestion?

[felix]

With a 120 grainer, go with anything slower than RL7 and faster than H414. Start at 26 grains of whatever in that range. Use rifle primers with that weight of boolit and 10 twist. ... felix

PS. Shorter barrels have the POTENTIAL to be more accurate because there is LESS probability of a machining error.

[jameslovesjammie]

Felix,

Thanks for chiming in! Do you know where one can get a .277 with a 13-14 twist? I have checked Lilja, they have 8, 10, and 12; Douglas has 10 and 12; Krieger has 10 only. I know they are out there because some AR guys are using this twist (I'm just NOT an AR guy!)

I have also read that the 10 twist is even limiting velocity due to overstabilization. A switch to a 11 twist makes a huge difference, and will even stabilize a 130 grain bullet. I would think a 12 twist would be the fastest I would want in the cartridge.

[felix]

http://www.bartleinbarrels.com/

These guys would be my pick. The top gun there worked for Krieger for years, and opened up this shop with brand spankin' new equipment.

Don't worry about what is on his web page. The equipment can do ANYTHING. Might take him a while to adjust for deeper grooves, for example.

If you are serious, come back and we can get the project going. The first thing is to decide on boolit and velocity, and how the gun is to be used.

... felix

[NCSanLee]

I've been shooting a TC Contender 6.8Rem stock 23" barrel for past two years with good results. Found an older Ideal 280412 mold at 135 grain, round nose, single lube groove with gas check base, which averages approximately 1+" groups at 100m using 8.9grains Trail Boss at ~1100fps. This is not your benchrest reloading, don't even include the gas check most of the time to save a few cents, just cranking them out on Dillon 550B, sitting down on the ground or standing at the range and plink steel pistol spinner targets. Setting up the steel rams at 200m, we have to hit them at the top of the horn to knock them over, while they will absorb body shots with a satisfying clang until you need to go out and repaint the chest. Also, getting reasonable good accuracy around 21g Bench Mark, but need the gas checks, and avoid shooting the rams. I had read good things about the caliber but all of it was in AR squirt guns, but TC, as usual knows what it is doing, in offering for Contender. I like it a lot because of light recoil, good accuracy, cheap to shoot and seems to have longer brass life than 30-30. Shoots 115g and 130g jacketed bullets real well also, not that anyone here would care about that.

[GabbyM]

I was browsing Midways online catalog yesterday and they had Saeco 140 grain 270 bullet mold in stock. Rare to see that one in stock.