6mm Lee Navy

I have been shooting 6mm Lee Navy for quite some time now. I have had a large supply of Hornady 100gr interlock round nose until recently. I haven't had much luck with cast, so am looking for a jacketed alternative. I came across a supply of Speer 105gr round nose, but haven't been able to come up with any load data. I contacted Hodgdon who had zero suggestions other than to load with trail boss to the bullet. Anyone out there have any experience or suggestions? Any round nose bullets out there I'm not finding?
Thank you!

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The bore on my Sporter is pretty bad, but it seems to do its best work with the Hornady or Speer 105gr RNs and 33gr of either 4064 or 4895. These loads in necked-up .220 Swift cases.

I tried the Hornady VLDs and the Barnes 115gr, in hopes of reducing that jump ahead of the chamber, with no particular improvements in accuracy. I also tried the above loads in a few very short lived original cases, again, with no improvements in accuracy.

Certain old (yellow cardboard box) batches of Speer RNs occasionally come apart in flight, giving a trail of gray lead smoke along the bullet’s path, and a gray comma around the bullet hole in the target. Probably an artifact of the rough bore and quick twist rather than any inherent problem in the bullet manufacture.

All standard disclaimers apply. Works in my rifle; might not work in yours; start powder charges low and sneak up.

Barnes used to make ( maybe still do) a 115 gr. RN that is as close to traditional as you can easily get. I had a Winchester Lee sporter and shot it some with the Hornady bullets. Loading data is in some of the older Ideal HB. Let me know if you need a xerox of pages.
Have you looked at the hawk line? DKT used to make some of this oddball stuff to.

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Originally Posted by Bent Ramrod

The bore on my Sporter is pretty bad, but it seems to do its best work with the Hornady or Speer 105gr RNs and 33gr of either 4064 or 4895. These loads in necked-up .220 Swift cases.

I tried the Hornady VLDs and the Barnes 115gr, in hopes of reducing that jump ahead of the chamber, with no particular improvements in accuracy. I also tried the above loads in a few very short lived original cases, again, with no improvements in accuracy.

Certain old (yellow cardboard box) batches of Speer RNs occasionally come apart in flight, giving a trail of gray lead smoke along the bullet’s path, and a gray comma around the bullet hole in the target. Probably an artifact of the rough bore and quick twist rather than any inherent problem in the bullet manufacture.

All standard disclaimers apply. Works in my rifle; might not work in yours; start powder charges low and sneak up.

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Thank you for the help!
I should have been more clear, I am wanting a "long for weight" bullet for it. I have several firearms chambered for it and they are various platforms. It's fairly apparent that bullet length is crucial.

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Originally Posted by Krag1902

Barnes used to make ( maybe still do) a 115 gr. RN that is as close to traditional as you can easily get. I had a Winchester Lee sporter and shot it some with the Hornady bullets. Loading data is in some of the older Ideal HB. Let me know if you need a xerox of pages.
Have you looked at the hawk line? DKT used to make some of this oddball stuff to.

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I haven't been able to locate any of the Barnes so far. And I would really like a copy of those pages! Thank you!

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Barnes stopped making the 115 grain RN originals about 2 decades ago. The well has ran dry on 100 grain round nose bullet in 6 mm years ago for some reason. I believe it was around the time of the invention of the ballistic tip and similar tippped bullets is when most RN 6mm died out. Most shooters lost interest in the old non aero dynamic blunt bullets and thought the smaller, faster 6mm bullets were sexier and killed quicker. I’m not a fan of nosler ballistic tips for deer but have read the 95gr in 6mm puts deer down where they stand better than any other offering out there. Haven’t tried them myself. I loaded up some Hornady pointed soft point 100 grain bullets with a middle of the road loading and he dropped a deer in in its tracks last year with it. I don’t think an extra 5 to 20 grains of bullet weight would have helped any more or less to harvest that deer. If you like heavies IMO your not going to tell the difference from one bullet to another for knock down power. Just pick the one that is most accurate in your rifle.

If I were you and you were me I’d send me your 105 grain bullets and forget about them.lol I use to struggle and find old,discontinued bullets and ammo like you just did and then stress and struggle worrying when the last one is gone. Now, I blast through them or sell them to buy a new, current production design so I can find more to load without a hassle. I’ve got a good inventory of obsolete nosler bullets I should pawn off. Remember the partition golds? My favorite was the .375 260 grain ballistic tip. Luckily I found out when combined technologies stopped making varmint coated ballistic tips I found the same grain non coated ballistic tip will shoot just as tight with the same loads. Most bullets I have found have been discontinued for a reason. Either lack of sales or just didn’t work as well as others. I talked with Barnes years ago on the 115 grainers. They told me the bullets were discontinued because most users had trouble stabilizing them in factory twist barrels.


Or I would start at minimum load pressures for 100 grain bullets and slowly work your way up till you seek pressure signs.

Lee navy's are just accidents waiting to happen

The only loading data ( with currently available powders) are from Ideal HB #35. Mine is stamped 1949.
With 1212 gr bullets use 19.5 gr.#2400 for 2020 fps. 27 gr. 4064 give 2020 fps. 32.5 gr. of 4064 gives 2540 fps. A place to start.

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Originally Posted by Krag1902

The only loading data ( with currently available powders) are from Ideal HB #35. Mine is stamped 1949.
With 1212 gr bullets use 19.5 gr.#2400 for 2020 fps. 27 gr. 4064 give 2020 fps. 32.5 gr. of 4064 gives 2540 fps. A place to start.

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Did you mean 121 grain bullets or 212 grain bullets? Just a little confusion.

I'm sorry for the confusion; I meant to type 112 grain. Tomorrow I'll check another Ideal HB that may have more.

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Originally Posted by Krag1902

I'm sorry for the confusion; I meant to type 112 grain. Tomorrow I'll check another Ideal HB that may have more.

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I appreciate your effort! 212 grain 6mm would definitely be an interesting projectile!!!
As for the comment on the safety of this rifle, I appreciate your opinion. But I think it is quite inappropriate. The three issues that are spoken of are due to reloading errors. I can offer up dozens of examples of true safety issues on quite modern firearms with everything from Remington 700's to Smith and Wesson pistols. This is an inherently dangerous hobby we enjoy. Paying attention to detail (which prompted this very thread) is of paramount importance. I don't care if you're loading 22 rimfire ammo, there is risk - and if you choose to ignore the basics, then yes - the Lee rifle isn't the one for you. But that can be said for any firearm.

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Another Believer! I feel your pain. I decided back when to stock up on the hornady (#2455) 100gr rn bullets when I when I bought my first Win Lee. I know some day my cache will be a memory. Wish I could a few thousand of the orginial 112 or 135 grain bullets.

I use Speer Bullets 243 Caliber, 6mm (243 Diameter) 100 Grain Spitzer Boat Tail from Midway. Under a mild load of trail boss. Great accurate, plinking, small game load.