6-mag,

I have one and my father has one. My father also built his first one back in the early to mid 1960' s. He used a M-70 win in .243, that he bought new in 1954, that had the barrel shot out on it. He has since shot 4 more barrels out and just put his 5th 6x284 barrel on it last summer. He has shot out 3 Douglas and 1 Schilen barrels over the past 40 years. We use our mainly for groundhogs and other varmints and critters. He has the same 15x Unertl Utra Varminter scope on his pre-64 M-70 6x284, that he installed back in the mid-1960' s. He has a 26" heavy Schilen match grade barrel, 1.200 at muzzle on it, and it is in the same Fajen Varminter stock that he made back in the mid-1960' s. His current load is 54.5 grains of IMR-4350 and a Sierra 85gr HPBT. He is currently using Hornady 6.5x284 match brass neck down to 6mm. He has truned his necks down an dtrimmed them slightly to uniform them and drilled the flash holes out to .081" t ounifrom them. His groups are in the .250" on a good day but below .5" eve on a bad day.

I built my 6x284 back about 15 years ago. I used a Rem. M-700 long action, so I could have of room to seat the bullets out as far as I needed to. just installed my 2nd barrel on it a couple months ago. I now have a 28" Mcgowen match grade on it, that is 1" at muzzle. I have a 24x Unertl Programmer on it and a Fajen " A" fancey walnut varminter stock. My current load has yet to be determined, because I have not been to the range yet to work up loads. My load for the previous barrel was 54 grains of IMR-4350 and 85gr Sierra HPBT. It grouped right at the .400" range, and was very consistant. I am hoping to get a load in the .250" range that is just as consitant. I am working on a fresh batch of Hornady 6.5x284 brass now, weighing them, segragating them by weight, turning and trimming necks, drilling flash holes, ect. I think I an going to try IMR-4831 powder, starting in the 54 grain range and working up to the 57-58 grain range, in half grain increments, and 80gr Nosler ballistic tips to start with. If 4831 doesn' t work, I' ll go abck to 4350 and try 52-56 grains and see how that works.

I also have 2 6.5x284' s that I have built, one a 6.5 pound light deer hunting rig and another a 16 pouund heavy barreled 1,000yd competition rig. The 6.5x284 is an outstanding round in it' s own right. IMHO, you can' t go wrong with a round built off the .284 Win case.