chambered221 wrote: |
Thanks guys, It's appreciated.
From what little info I've managed to gather I belive my friend thats doing this is on a road to disapointment.
What do you think Handloader? He seems to think 3400fps is possible with a 100gr. bullet out of a 26" barrel. |
I believe it is possible, but, impractical. The 240 Weatherby, with slightly more capacity, is often listed with 100gr bullets as 3,200fps to 3,350fps, usually with the 24" barrel. Weatherby loads factory ammo to the highest psi possible. It suggests the 6-06 would be approaching pressures that would be unreasonable.
I've done some extensive load development with 6-06 Ackley and have used a piezo strain gauge, stopping at 62,000 psi. This Remington 700 based rifle has a PacNor 26" barrel and the 100gr bullets attained 3,330fps for what I considered a max load based on pressure and CHE.
Trying to climb the ladder of velocity can be risky business. There are numerous "experimenters" that have pushed that envelop enough that they are missing various body parts and would probably join me in discouraging too avid an approach for the mere sake of velocity. At some point, the return on investment is poor and the attrition of brass, action, barrel life and loss of flesh expensive.
Should one be committed to this endeavor, I recommend using Remington bolt actions or Ruger No1s. In trying to intentionally see how much pressure some actions can take, these two have been outstanding. Too, Winchester brass seems to me to be the most durable in the high pressure game and fails at higher pressures than other brands I have tried.
Oh, one other thought: the experimenter is well advised to have a well stocked premium first aid kit and cell phone.
We chase high velocity in hopes of flatter trajectory and more down range energy or simply because we want to see just how fast we can make those little copper jacketed pills run. When used in real world situations, the cost is excess recoil, noise and ruined meat.