6.5 Badge project

[yorketransport]

Got my barrel back from Apache Gun works, and I'm thinking that this could be fun!

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t260/collegekidandy/142F3F83-3610-42D8-A046-07B441961733.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/collegekidandy/media/142F3F83-3610-42D8-A046-07B441961733.jpg.html)

That's about a 90% formed case next to a 300 wsm. Hopefully I'll get a little work done with it this weekend.

Andrew

[bootsmcguire]

Now that looks like it could be fun. I wonder if someone has made up a 6mm version? ;)

[scope eye]

RUMs are like a woman in Stiletto heals, you know they are going to put you in the poor house, but that has never stop anyone from pursuing one.

Dean

[yorketransport]

I was hoping to get out to test this this weekend, but that's not going to work out. Once I got the brass fire formed I realized that I don't have a 6.5mm mandrel for my case neck turner! The necks on a loaded round come out to .299" in a .297 chamber. I can't get a mandrel locally, so I need to order one. I'm just not willing to waste time or components doing load development if I'm pinching the necks in the chamber. Oh well, next weekend I guess.

[yorketransport]

I finally got a chance to shoot the Badger yesterday. This trip out was running powder charges of US869 in 1 grain increments from 90gr up to 99gr. No groups, just trying to get a baseline for max pressure and get the scope zeroed.

The results? I need to switch to Federal 215 primers. I ran the charges up to 95 grains which gave 3460 fps with the 160gr Matrix VLD. At 95 grains I got a slightly heavy bolt lift and I'm just starting to see a ring from the ejector if I hold the case at just the right angle. Primers look good though and are still slightly rounded at the edges. At this point, 95 grains of US869 is my max working charge. 94 grains gave 3419 fps and no signs at all.

The problem is that I got powder fouling and poor ignition with the CCI 250 primers that I had available. It wasn't bad, but the powder was obviously not being ignited very well. I suspected that this may happen if I didn't use the Federal primers. I solved that problem last night and ordered 3000 Federal 215 primers though.

Here's the gun as it sits. I lost a bet with a friend and had to try a Vortex scope, so I thought this would be a good test for it. I'm not unhappy with the scope at this point and I think it's actually a decent match. I'll see how it stacks up compared to the VX-3, Mk 4, Sightron SIII, Bushnell ERS and Nightforce scopes when we get them all together.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t260/collegekidandy/CF6835EE-94CE-4FA6-941F-F6C31F1C8A40.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/collegekidandy/media/CF6835EE-94CE-4FA6-941F-F6C31F1C8A40.jpg.html)

Hopefully I'll have more data after next weekend.

Andrew

[BoilerUP]

Barrel life measured in the dozens...

[scope eye]

Ya but what a ride.

Dean

What's the BC on those 160s anyway.

[yorketransport]

Ya but what a ride.

Dean

What's the BC on those 160s anyway.

The calculated BC is .685. Once I get the gun dialed in we're going to verify it by checking velocities at 100 and 200 yards as well.

Here's a picture of the fully formed 6.5 Badger next to the 338 RUM parent case.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t260/collegekidandy/DD494A88-21AB-4E67-9E88-AC86533C5C78.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/collegekidandy/media/DD494A88-21AB-4E67-9E88-AC86533C5C78.jpg.html)

[6mmBR_Shooter]

95 grains of powder in a 6.5mm bore. that is awesome!

[geargrinder]

Looks very similar to a 6.5 Allen Mag.

[scope eye]

I have yet to try mine, This is killing me, I have some 95gr Vmax's to try out just out of spite, and because I can.LOL

Dean

[yorketransport]

Looks very similar to a 6.5 Allen Mag.

It is. Kirby uses a different shoulder and throat configuration, but for all practical purposes they're the same.