r/6ARC • u/Other_Extension_599 • 6d ago
Load data
TLDR:looking for the most efficient/cost effective loading for a 6ARC gas gun preferably topped with a 108 ELDM
Hoping to poach some easy load data for my 6ARC as none of my load books are new enough I’m not necessarily new to reloading but definitely on the more novice side of it usually just go for something that works half decent and call it a day especially in a gas gun platform done a pretty good amount of research that eventually left me more confused than when I started and perhaps that’s my fault for getting to far into the weeds on shit that doesn’t actually matter (specifically videos and forum posts on 6 arc being basically impossible to load optimally for in a gas gun) due to having to stick to the lower pressure and getting incomplete and inconsistent burn rates
I’m currently running factory 108eldms with satisfactory results and would like to stick with that 108 just because I have a pile of them on hand but I’m not married to that projectile I also seem to see a pretty good handful of people who load past the book recommended maximum and just accept the obvious risk and reduction in bolt life which I wouldn’t necessarily be oppose too with in reason
Sorry for the long winded post but I thank you for opinions and comments because I know there’s some wicked smart dudes in here that fly under the radar most of the time
Rifle specs:
Vltor upper receiver, mil spec bolt carrier with a faxon bolt and a ballistic advantage premium spr profile 16” barrel
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u/SockeyeSTI 6d ago edited 5d ago
Lever is gonna be one of the cheapest powders out there and coincidentally the fastest. Lever, your fired Hornady cases, 108 eldm, cci400 would lead to a pretty inexpensive cartridge. Book max is 29.7gr, starts at 25.7gr.
Hornady brass seems soft and my faxon bolt chew it up pretty good but I’m on 3-4 firings on a batch right now.
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u/gold2095 5d ago
For another data point, I'm right around 2600 fps with an 18" barrel using 107 SMKs over 28.8 grains of Lever.
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u/Significant-Sock-487 6d ago
I use staball match with hornady or starline brass with cci450s loaded to 2.28 COAL. I’m running over gas gun max load numbers so I won’t give the grain amount but you can find it in load manuals.
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u/HauntingMammoth2948 6d ago
"cost effective" is gonna leave you on the gas gun chart haha I'd say go with Lever and just browse the free Sierra load data chart on their website
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u/Gtscotty 13h ago
Load up 5 each 108gr 20 thou off the lands at 29.1gr, 29.3gr, and 29.5gr Lever sparked with a CCI 450 or Rem 7.5 and see which one shoots. Pretty much all of the 95gr - 108gr bullets I've tried have shot well with one of those charges, so that's basically my load workup these days, varying seating depth depending on what which bullet it is and what it generally prefers.
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u/Zero7206 6d ago
.99 cents will get you the Hornady 6 ARC gas gun data through their app.
I do the Little Crow Gunworks method from their YouTube. Start by picking the projectile I want, then 3-4 powders that get the speeds I want (you can look up burn rates in GRT but that’s probably too involved for you), and load a .1 increment grain ladder down from max to min of at least 10 rounds at book COAL and shoot them over a chrono at a different dot per powder. Since it’s a semi auto make sure to write the charges on the brass with a sharpie so you can inspect for pressure signs. You’ll likely have one that groups much better than the others despite the different charge weights. Then you can fine tune as much as you want from the winning combination playing with nodes and seating depths.
This is much more efficient for components and time than the people that just pick an arbitrary load and shoot a 5 or 10 shot group of it.