6.8 Rem spcl

[panman]

Anyone out there have any loads for the new 6.8?.I have a Encore with a 26" barrel and would like to start to load for it with 110 gr bullets.It shoots factory pretty good 1"-3/4" depending on what factory load i shoot.Thanks for all replys.pan.

[versifier]

Welcome to the forum panman.
I would start with websites for the powder manufacturers Alliant, Winchester, & IMR. Then, I would call Sierra (800-223-8799), and hit websites for Hornady, Nosler, & Speer. By the time you get done with them, you should have a place to start, and hopefully someone here will have already started load development and can offer some comments. Keep us posted please. It's a new round and there is a lot of curiosity about it.

[panman]

Thanks Versifier,for the welcome.All i have shot so far is the Horn.& Rems.
Do you know, or have any ideas on how factory ammo primers can disapeir after you shoot?.It happened yesterday.I opened the Encore and ,NO primer??..6 all together.The Rems were ok.Could it be head-space?.Sorry about the spelling,i dont have much education.
The action on my gun is very tight,that is ,it dosnt have any looseness at all.Thank you for any help you can give.PS they shot very good 1"@100yds.pan.

[versifier]

Spelling is no big deal. But if it bothers you, use the spell-check in the upper right corner (ABC over a check mark) of the New Thread and Reply to Thread boxes.

Missing primers? I'm assuming that the rounds fired normally and when you opened the action the spent primers fell out, yes? Was there a measurable space between the fired case's base and the breechface? Is this happening just with factory rounds and maybe new cases on their first firing? If it's happening with factory ammo, your instincts are likely correct that it is a chamber/headspace problem. and you can pinpoint the exact problem with some thought and a few critical measurements.

Before we go there, is it happening with reloads, too? If it's reloads too, are you full length or neck sizing the brass? If it were only happening with reloads and you had been full length sizing the cases, you may have had your sizing die incorrectly adjusted, setting the shoulders back too far. What make of dies are you using? There also could have been a problem with the die itself being screwed up - they're made using slightly oversized chambering reamers, too, and it is concievable that the machine operator wasn't paying as close attention as he should have been and didn't set it in far enough.

Without more information, my first reaction is that it might be an oversized chamber, like the chambering reamer got pushed in too far. That could create essentially the same problem as excessive head space. You usually only see headspacing issues on much older guns that have been shot a lot or too hot: age or abuse. If it's a chamber issue, it is covered by the T/C warranty.

You can diagnose it yourself in either of two ways. The easiest thing to do is to see if the action will fully close on a "No-Go" headspace gauge, but it's unlikely that many gunsmiths will have them in inventory yet. So, you can do the next best thing with a vernier or dial caliper. Take a fired case and measure its critical dimensions: neck, shoulder, and head (3/8" above the base) diameter, base to shoulder. Compare these numbers with those of an unfired case, either new or factory, and to a case that you have resized but not loaded. That will tell you enough about your chamber and sizing die dimensions to narrow it down to the most likely problems.

[panman]

Thanks for the quick responce Verisifier.I havent loaded any brass yet,all shooting so far has been with NEW never fired CTG.from Hor.and Rem.The Rems.do not do this,and the primers are not backed out any.Also the Rem.loads have large rifle primers,while the Hor.use small rifle primers.The gun itself is tight to breach.Ill have to have it cheaked out.Any other segestions?.Thanks again.pan.

[versifier]

You've got me all curious now and I want to get to the bottom of this. I have had a pierced primer just once, but I have never seen one blown out of the case. That it happens with the small primers and not the large might be very important, but there are bound to be other clues if we proceed logically and find them.

Do please measure the brass (both kinds) before and after firing, then post the numbers. Diameter of neck, shoulder, and head, and especially the length from base to shoulder. That will tell us all about the chamber and may show us the cause immediately. If it doesn't show some serious differences, then it has to be something to do with the ammo, but we can't proceed until we know the chamber is either eliminated or confirmed as a possible cause.

Something isn't right. Maybe the pressure is peaking too high for some reason, and a close look at the intact fired primers can tell us that. On the Rem cases, are the outer edges of the primers flattened after firing? Ignoring the firing pin strike, compare them to unfired primers - the edges should still be rounded after firing within normal pressures. How about on the Hdy's that didn't spit them out? I can't believe that the Hdy ammo is too hot for an Encore action - they are designed to handle magnum pressure levels, but it's a possibility until eliminated. It may turn out to be something peculiar with this particular lot of ammo.

There is one other cartridge I know about that can be found with both large and small primers, and that is the .30Bench Rest (small rifle) and the .308x1.5" (large rifle). This is still pretty much a wildcat chambering, but fairly well known. Both cases are the exact same dimensions, the only real difference between them is their primers, but loading data is slightly different for both. I have quite a bit of data for the .308x1.5 as I have been thinking about building one, as .308 brass is much cheaper and more plentiful than 7mmBR to form the cases from, I really haven't considered the BR route.

Another thought: Is there excess oil on the chamber walls? Sometimes that can increase chamber pressure. A shot in the dark here maybe, but it does happen.

[panman]

Sorry for not responding sooner Verisifier.Ben very bissey.Ill get back to you asap.
Have a happy holaday.pan.

[versifier]

It's amazing how many things just have to get done before it snows cause they're such a royal PITA if you put them off too long. Get in the wood, (deer season), patch the roof, (deer season), flush the radiators, (deer season), clean the chimneys, (give in to the dog and go out with her and the shotgun), storm windows, (deer season), wife's list of 10,000 things you needed to finish yesterday, (loading more ammo), snow tires on all the vehicles, (still deer season ).....