6x45, 6yrs later.

[madsenshooter]

All the goodies for making 6x45 for my Obermeyer barreled AR have been sitting idle since that rifle left for Montana. Not only that, I had a bunch of loads still sitting around. The mission has changed somewhat, however. Grandson gets around on two or four wheeled vehicles out in coyote country, lighter and handier was in order. So I got with McGowen and had them make me up an 16" 1/10 AR barrel so I could build another 6x45 upper. I wanted it with a carbine length gas system, but due to some miscommunication, I wound up with a barrel ported 1.125" forward of a proper carbine length system. That required a custom length gas tube. At my suggestion, rather than remake the barrel, McGowen purchased a White Oak intermediate length tube for me from Brownell's! I was just able to get the needed length out of it. What's 1.125", I'm using cases full of slow burners anyway! Initially there was a burr in the slabsided billet upper receiver that kept it from running, but I got it up and running now. Last I had track, here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?177412-6x45-waiting-on-warmer-weather, I was using 26.7gr of Accurate DP85. Velocity will be down considerably with an 8" difference in barrels. First five shot group pictured was shot with the hollowpoints. There was a change in position between the 3 within an in (two in the green), and the two on the right, as I had one that didn't chamber completely and no forward assist! I may have squeezed the scope tube against the spring during the rifle manipulation it took to get that one loose! Must've been a wee bit longer than the others! Also, the upper left bullet hole is from the day before. Scope is an old tapered reticle Baush and Lomb Balvar A in Weaver V8 external adjustment rings. This will be my project gun for awhile, grandson has decided he's going in the service! What branch, I'm not sure. I've found that bore diameter of the McGowen is tight enough that I will also be able to make use of a mold BaBore cut for me with the Eagan cherry. They weigh around 80gr. Bullets from the cavity that I increased the borerider diameter of fit the McGowen, so it must have a .236" or smaller bore. Smaller I think, but I'm not going to slug it right now.

[madsenshooter]

Gee, don't trample me getting to my post! FYI, I'm talking cast at around 2500fps, maybe more. The secret, slow powders and a 27BHN alloy that isn't brittle. Evaluating terminal performance of both the solid and hollowpoint will have to wait until I've had some time to shoot some more. These are the last of the DP85 loads, the only powders I have that might be comparable are H380, H414 and RL19. I don't imagine I'd be able to squeeze much RL19 into the 6x45 case, so I'll have to start again with H380. I have several pounds of that to use once I find the proper charge, but less than a full pound of H414.

[madsenshooter]

Hmm, the hollowpoints. I thought I may have been shooting the solids cause the two shots on the right went through the drywall I had the target mounted to and passed through a 5" diameter buckeye tree, about in the middle! Noticed that today while walking the dog around my makeshift range. Exit holes in the drywall were a little bigger than I got with the solids that I shot previously. Different placement on the bank that day, no trees killed or wounded!