6XC Brass Dimensions and Capacities

German Salazar, a top small-bore and centerfire shooter, uses the 6XC cartridge for his long-range matches. German has tried a variety of different types of brass for this cartridge, including necked-up 22-250 brass and 6XC brass from Norma and David Tubb (Superior Shooting Systems). German’s measurements reveal significant differences in water capacity, as well as neck-wall thickness.

6XC Source Brass Dimensions

Case Capacity and Pressure Issues
German has noted significant variances in capacity among the different “flavors” of brass. Norma-headstamp 6XC brass has 49.3 grains of H20 capacity, while Norma 22-250 brass holds only 47.8 grains of H20. Third-generation Tubb-brand 6XC brass is somewhere in the middle, with 48.6 grains of capacity. NOTE: These differences in case capacity are large enough that you MUST adjust your load to the brass type. A safe load in Norma 6XC brass could be WAY over-pressure in necked-up Norma or Remington 22-250 brass.

We ran a 6XC QuickLOAD simulation with 115gr bullets and H4350 powder. QuickLOAD predicted that the observed difference in case capacity can result in pressure differentials as much as 4,500 psi! In other words, if you switch from Norma 6XC brass to a lesser-capacity brass type, your pressures could rise 4,500 psi (using H4350 and 115gr bullets).

Neck Thickness and Chambering Issues
German noted that the different types of available brass varied quite a bit in neck-wall thickness — from 0.0121″ (Norma 22-250) to 0.0140″ (Tubb 3rd Gen). Consequently the diameter of loaded rounds also varied. Depending on the brass you chose, your loaded rounds could be 0.267″ at the neck or 0.271″. That’s a huge difference and it’s something you need to take into account when you have your chamber cut for a barrel. For a cross-the-course rifle, you might want a chamber with .003″ total clearance over a loaded round. Obviously, to achieve that clearance, you’ll need to set chamber dimensions base on your preferred type of brass.

Bulletin Update: Reset Your BookMarks

In order to allow larger photos, streaming videos, and other enhanced features, we have moved the Daily Bulletin to a new host. This lets us widen the layout. The page should also load more quickly. Don’t worry — all the archived entries since March ’07 are still there.

If you had book-marked our old bulletin page, www.6mmbr.com/bulletin.html, please change your bookmark. The new URL for the Daily Bulletin is:

http://accurateshooter.com/bulletin.html

VIDEO VAULT
We have also moved our dedicated VIDEO page to the new AccurateShooter.com server. The new link is:

http://accurateshooter.com/videovault.html

Find Past Features with Search Tools

Folks email us regularly saying: “Hey, there was an interesting item in the Daily Bulletin, but I can’t find it now.” Take heart. Every Bulletin story is saved in our archive. You can always navigate to all previous posts using the “Older Posts” link at the bottom of this page.

The fastest and easiest method to find older posts is simply to search by keyword, or click one of the topic headings. If you want to find a video, for example, just click on “Videos”. If you’re looking for all stories about scopes, click “Optics”. To find a particular item, such as the story on Barnard actions, just type “Barnard” in the search field and click “Search”. Our search works very fast! Try it, you’ll like it.

Miculek Provides Pro Tips for Wheelgunners

Champion shooter Jerry Miculek is widely acknowledged as the finest competitive revolver shooter in the world. His exploits with Smith & Wesson wheelguns are legendary. Jerry has competed against talented semi-auto shooters and beat them straight-up on a timed, speed-shooting course, including multiple reloads. When it comes to revolver shooting, if you want to learn from a true master, Miculek is the man.

CLICK HERE to watch MICULEK VIDEOS

Jerry “stars” in an excellent series of videos that cover all important aspects of Wheelgun Shooting: Revolver Grip, Reloading, Trigger Control, The Draw, Stance, and Target Acquisition. These six video clips are presented together on a dedicated page, so you can watch them all in sequence. We’re sure you’ll want to stop and “rewind” at points though. Jerry gives very clear and effective instructions, but he can shoot so fast, you’ll sometimes want to re-play his demos. A high-speed internet connection is recommended.

You can also read transcripts of Jerry’s Video lessons on the Shooting USA website. There are six separate web pages, each dedicated to a particular topic: Reloading, Grip, Draw, Stance, Target Acquisition, and Trigger Control. Each page features multiple photos accompanied by Miculek’s specific shooting tips.

Nosler Offers Free Shipping on Orders over $75.00

This is Nosler’s 60th Year in business. To celebrate six decades in the shooting industry, each month Nosler is offering a special promotion. This July Nosler is offering FREE shipping on all products orders totaling $75.00 or more (with the exception of gun safes and firearms). This applies to direct orders through the Nosler Online Store.

You’ll find that Nosler’s direct-from-manufacturer bullet prices are competitive with other premium bullets sold by major retailers. Here are a few examples of the current Nosler Store prices:

Keep Cool with Mesh-Top Hats

It’s the middle of summer. Temps are hot and the sun is intense. Skin cancer is a very real risk for those who spend a lot of time in the sun. You should wear a hat that provides sun protection for your ears and the back of your neck. That means something with better coverage than the ordinary baseball cap. Cabela’s offers three mesh-top hats that provide excellent sun protection, with good ventilation. Mesh panels in the crown provide cooling airflow.

River Guide® Canvas Breezer Hat — $29.95
This is a great hat with a nice wide brim that offers superior sun protection. The River Guide hat looks good and holds its shape well, even after extended use. Vent panels extend all the way around the crown, with solid material on top.

Cabela’s buyers loved this hat:

“Purchased quite a few wide-brimmed hats in the last few years due to experiencing skin cancer. This one is a quality product, well constructed, with a brim size wide enough to keep the sun off your face, but not so wide that it would be cumbersome moving through the woods. The brown hat is an appropriate color for hunting as it blends well in the woods.” — FranF, Pocono Mtns.

“I took my family and a friend’s family on the Colorado River for a three-day river rafting trip. I only had baseball caps to wear. After the first day, my ears, neck, and cheeks were toast. My buddy kindly loaned me his Cabela’s River Guide hat for the next two days – it was GREAT! I stayed cool and kept the sun off of all the areas my cap couldn’t.” –Gilpin, CO

“This headgear has proven to be exceptional quality and value [and is] currently proving its worth on a farm [in] Zambia. Excellent through the last of the rains… and is now keeping the sun and the dust away from a what was formerly a hot-headed farmer. The hat [is] very light-fitting, sits easily, and stays put, even in open vehicles.” — Adfather, Zambia

Packable Yellowstone Breezer Hat — $29.95
Cabela’s Yellowstone Breezer Hat (item IJ-951344) is a comfortable design, very popular with backpackers, beach-goers, and anglers. The specially-treated fabric offers oustanding sun protection, with a UPF 50+ factor.

This hat is lighter and softer than the River Guide hat, but the brim still holds its shape in the wind. This is a great all-around summer hat that combines light weight with superior sun protection.

“This is the perfect packable hat. Can shove it in a suitcase or wear it and be able to lean back and sleep on a plane. Excellent sun blocking material and a nice wide brim. It is so light you forget you have it on your head which is great if you need the sun protection. Great hat!” — P. Dalton, California

“Extremely good vented hat for the hot, dry California weather.” — C.A., California

Cabela’s Mesh Boonie Hat — Just $5.88
This mesh-top is a great bargain at $5.88 (on sale, item OG-942503). Very light-weight, it can easily be rolled and packed. It doesn’t provide as much sun-protection as the wider-brimmed hats shown above, but then it’s one-fifth the price!

This is a “one size fits most” design, so if you have a very small or very large hat size, you may want to try a different design. Otherwise, it’s a great value. One Cabela’s purchaser, in Sydney, reports: “[This hat offers] Good ventilation for a hot Australian summer. The brim could be wider, but easy to pack and carry.”