lead free 6mm varmint bullet?

[fetchma]

I won't even start complaining, I'm sure everyone agrees. I'm looking for a great frangible varmint bullet (lead free) for my .243 (6mm). I've tried the Nosler 55 grain Ballistic tip lead free, but they don't seem to shoot well in my rifle. The bullets are so short they load .060 away from the lands and shoot a 3 in group. Any ideas out there? For the moment I just plan to always be "target shooting"

[Spyder]

Not really a varmint bullet, but I have fantastic shooting with the 80 and 85 grain barnes.

I figure it makes a great round for everything from varmint size up to CA deer ,and could be used for an elk in a pinch. I have shot pigs in CA and axis deer in Hawaii with it, with no problems and excellent accuracy.

I could not get the E-Tips to shoot as well.

...but I would be interested in a lighter faster bullet and load as well.

[fetchma]

Ya, the Barnes ttsx shoot great in my 30'06 I highly recommend them also even at 60cents apiece. But I'm running out of options for lead free Varmint

[MongooseV8]

Whats your twist rate?

[edgerly779]

Watch for noslers seconds sales. I buy when I can get a deal. Over runs or sometimes blems about half price.

[Calif Hunter]

I use Barnes 62 gr Varmint Grenade. I get 1 to 1.5 MOA groups out of my Tikka T3 Lite. Not fantastic, but good enough for coyotes. I haven't played with them too much as far as tweaking powder charges, seating depth, etc. I did get rid of all other copper and powder fouling before starting to load them. Now I don't worry about that too much as they have been all I am shooting for a while now.

[Fjold]

Try the Barnes 62 grain Varmin-a-tor.

Caliber 6mm
Type VMTR FB
Weight 72
Diameter .243
S.D. 0.174
B.C. 0.208
Length 0.784
Box QTY 100
Catalog # 30210

[Calif Hunter]

[QUOTE=Fjold;23190256]Try the Barnes 62 grain Varmin-a-tor./QUOTE]



Those are lead core. not lead free.

[Spyder]

This shows the Barnes lead free stuff.

Varmint Grenades are on there in .243.

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=82803&inline

I have not used them.

[Fjold]

[QUOTE=Calif Hunter;23190402]

Try the Barnes 62 grain Varmin-a-tor./QUOTE]



Those are lead core. not lead free.

Oops.

[fetchma]

Varmint grenades! I'll try those out. Thanks guys!

[Smesh]

Loaded up the Nosler 55 Grain BT LF and shot .4" five shot groups with a 6mm Creedmoor. Now working up the same in 243 Win. They shoot very well. I also bought a bunch of 243 Winchester Full Boar 80 grain, but they don't expand. Shot decent in one 243 Win with 7.5 twist Bartlein barrel, but my HB rifle with 1:8" Lilja didn't like them. Best I got was a little over one inch groups.

[Wrangler John]

6mm Lead Free Varmint Bullets

After much disappointment using the Barnes 6mm 62 grain Varmint Grenades in a Sako L461 Benchrest 6mm PPC USA with a 1:14 twist, where the bullets would miss the entire target at 100 yards, one finally printed sideways, showing total instability, I began experimenting.

My initial rifle build was a Savage Precision Target Action, barreled with a Brux 26" 1:8" twist, S.S. varmint contour barrel chambered for the .243 WSSM cartridge. This being a short fat case with greater powder capacity than the 6mm PPC. Using annealed and neck turned new cases, a promising load proved to be 49.5 grains of Hunter powder over Winchester primers, velocity 3,575 fps, 10 shots @ 100 yards, shown below.



After trying the same load without the hassle of annealing or turning necks (some literature claimed the WSSM necks were too thick and eccentric for good accuracy or case life) I found the cases just fine as is, with <0.001" runout. The target below was a sight-in involving two scope adjustments to the left, and one up, with bullets impacting in the notch of the "X".



During an Oregon sage rat shoot, this load had the astounding effect of completely vaporizing the rats feeding on wet alfalfa, leaving only a disturbed patch of soil and a tunnel mowed into the standing alfalfa behind the now missing rat. My hunting friend named it the "Vortex Rifle". I was able to take rats out to a measured 330 yards, where even a slightly low shot impacting the ground beneath the rat killed them from fragmentation.

In the dryer conditions of Central California, with the larger ground squirrels, the results were less spectacular, as this one at just over 200 yards shows.



I soon cornered the market in Winchester .243 WSSM brass, laying in a supply of the seasonally manufactured brass, and when Hornady began offering it, I bought more.

Currently, I barreled two more Savage PT Actions one in 6mm PPC no turn neck, with a Shilen barrel, and another in 6mm BR Norma with a Krieger barrel, both in 1:8" twist. These using the Nosler 55 grain BT Lead Free bullet, and LT32 powder. So far my results are tentative but very positive as range sessions were cut short by other obligations. Both the Barnes and Nosler bullets are proving accurate and deadly and, in a barrel with a 1:8" twist, should be ideal in any 6mm cartridge.