Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 6mmx222 a little closer to done.

Got my lefty Charles Daly back from Pacnor today. This one is headed back out tomorrow to MPI for a stock and cerrakote. Should have it back in time for fur season. The other one, a 17 Remington, should be here tomorrow. It has a wood stock waiting for it. That will be a winter project.

Range sessions should be vastly more enjoyable than with the 400 Whelen.

Agreed. Although I have enjoyed working up loads for the 400, time behind that rifle at the range can wear a guy out. This little six should be pretty soft on the shoulder.

You'll hardly hear it 'bark'. What twist?

It's a 1 in 10" twist. It's primary purpose is as a fur calling rifle. I'll be experimenting with bullets from 58 grains to 100 grains but my focus is on the 70-85 grain bullets. I picked up a few hundred of the old Speer 80 grain spitzers. That was a favorite of mine when I had my 6mm Remington many, many moons ago. It was one of the few bullets that wouldn't turn a coyote inside out, at least in the few I shot with them. I moved on to 22 centerfires for fur hunting not too long after getting the 6mm Remington but always thought the 6x222/6x45/6x47 group would make a good fur rifle.

As it stands right now I have the Hornady 58 VMAX, 80 FMJ and 100 round nose, Sierra 60 HP, 70 HPBT, 85 HPBT, Speer 80 SP, Remington SP, Berger 68 HP, Norma 75 HP, and Nosler 85 and 95 grain Partitions to work up loads for. I made 200 rounds of brass from some LC 83 brass and have 200 rounds of new Sako 222 brass to run though my CH4D dies.

I'm hoping AA 2495 will be a good performer in it. I have gob of it and it didn't pan out in my 400 Whelen. I have lots of H4895 and BLC2, both of which are supposed to be good powders in this wildcat. I'll be running lots of loads through Quick Load over then next few weeks to come up with some other possibilities. Perhaps TAC or H322 will perform well.

Mart

Veddy nice! Wanna see it dressed up.



DMc

Any paticular reasons to go with the 6x222 (which is REALLY neat BTW) over the easy 6x45? Other than just to be different?

Should be a great calling round. Might want to add the 75gr Sierra HP to your long list of bullets to try. It's pretty explosive well above 3K but in the under 2800fps range (what I'm pushing it out of a 6x45) I have found it to be pretty fur friendly.

What kind of configuration stock do you have planned?

coleridge,

Yes there was a very good reason. The magazine box on the Daly action is a bit short to accommodate the 6x45 without either modification of the box or seating the bullets extremely deep. Here's a link to a thread I started when I was deciding what to build. Also, I like being a little different in my choices of rifle chamberings.

6x222

I'll add the Sierra to my list of bullets to try. The stock will be a standard classic configuration from MPI. It will be their OD green with black and tan webbing and the metal will be matte black cerrakoted.

My hope with this rifle is an efficient little calling rifle with enough power for the occasional poke at a wolf without being excessive on fox and lynx, my primary targets. I can live with a small exit wound but after handling scores of hides for other callers when I was trapping and calling coyotes, I have sewed up some real interesting jigsaw puzzles.

Mart

Mart, tagging this thread and the linked one for my own future reference as a 6.5 Grendel on a Zastava M85 action is calling me too, though a 6-222 is tempting.

I might first get one in 7.62x39 as there are a few second hand floating around here at present.

Thanks for the thread.

Sam Fadala did a 6/222 on a Sako long ago, by a smith in Arizona as I recall, ran 80 Speers over BLC, for around 3k, good for 250-275yd Goats and Mulies as I recall. I like the longer neck, there may be some setups that require deep seating with certain bullets using a 223 case, which eats capacity, closing the gap vs a triple deuce case.

Post results. B17 - a Grendel is a good set up on that bolt face/action. Guy on the web did one in Grendel improved, peppy round.

I considered the Grendel. If I am not happy with this chambering it shouldn't be too difficult to rechamber to a 6mm Grendel. Not sure if I'd have to set the barrel back or not. I really think the little 6x222 is going to be the ticket for what I am trying to do. Should give minimal fur damage on the lighter stuff and still have enough oomph for the occasional wolf.

One gentleman here in Alaska has done really well with a 6mm PPC on everything from fox to wolves. Velocities should be pretty similar. He uses FMJ's, a bullet I really have never had much success with for fur hunting. I have a bunch for this rifle and will try them but my past experience with them in 22 centerfires has been less than inspirational. I'll give them a fair try. Perhaps going up in caliber from 224 to 243 will make a difference. We'll see.

The action arrived at MPI today so I'm getting really psyched for getting the rifle back and heading to the range.

tagging this thread to follow. Nice project you have going and a LH as well.

Thanks. I should have bought a dozen of those left handed Daly actions when they were available 10 years ago. I did manage to find 3 of them last year. I still have one in the white that is going to be a 222 or a 221. I haven't decided yet.

Cool build.



Travis

Neat little cartridge. Barrel looks sharp too.

I run a little more horse power in my 6mm-204 and find the 58gr V-Max bullets great for our northern winter coyotes but pretty heavy handed for the one I've shot in NM.

The 55gr NBT Lead Free might work for you, I get good accuracy and it has been fur friendly on the couple of coyotes I've shot with it, no surface wounds either. It is much better in the fur department than the 62gr VG.

I need to work up more lead free loads as I think I'll be doing some hunting in the condor zone this winter.

For a plinking/PD load the 55gr Nosler SPFB/Shots have een quite accurate in my 6x45 and 6mm-204

I ran 90 FMJs in a Sako 243, shot decent, never hit fur but they should do what you need very well. Most of what I did w my TCU 21" 12 twist was 70 TNT. You either want something like a 60 HP that says inside, or a FMJ that pencils on exit.

Look fwd to results.

I have around 600 of the 80 grain Hornady FMJ's (found a good deal) and around 400 hundred of the Speer 80 grain spitzers. The rest I have in lots of 100 or less that I've picked up here and there to try.

I am a little leery of the 58 grain VMAX and 60 grain HP for fox and lynx, my primary targets. I think they would work well on coyotes but fox and lynx are far more fragile. I am leaning more to a little tougher bullet to limit the exit wound damage to a small hole. I don't mind sewing up a small exit wound. I just don't like putting the patch work quilts back together. Plus the tougher bullet should provide enough backbone for the occasional wolf.

I'll try the FMJ's this winter. My experience with them in the 22 centerfires didn't fill me will confidence when I used them on coyotes. With fox and lynx being a little less sturdy they may work fine. It will be an interesting test this winter.

Agree on small varmints fmj would save fur.

Cool build, Mart...

And I remember your thread when you started looking at this project. Great to see resulting pics, and looking forward to seeing what comes at you from MPI.

I'll be watching for your on game bullet tests, too.

Sounds like you'll have a ball...