The spring varmint hunting season is in full swing, and we have just shown six videos of groundhog hunting. Here’s a Half-Mile ‘Hog that is very accurate and can drill a groundhog from a long distance. When you want to “reach and touch” a groundhog from a very long distance, a case that can toss a heavier projectile at high speeds is needed. This week, we’re featuring a 6mm Remington Ackley Improved (AI) that belongs to John Seibel. John was the man behind the Varmints for Fun web site for many years. John’s BAT-actioned, handsome rifle fires the 87gr VMax at a blistering 3650 fps. This gun’s 1/4-MOA accuracy, flat-shooting, and flat-shooting ballsistics make it a varmints worst nightmare. It regularly kills groundhogs from a half-mile away (880 yards), and beyond. Quarter-MOA accuracy for long-distance varminting gunday report by John SeibelJohn reports: “This gun has proven to be an excellent long-range varmint rig. It has enough velocity to smack the critters at 800 yards and beyond. I still have more testing to conduct, but it appears that the 87gr VMax (molyed), pushed by 52 grain of N160 or 51.25 grains of RL-19, shoots well. Velocity is around 3675 fps. Both loads produced consistent 1” groups at 500 yards. Warning: These are the maximum loads that work with my rifle. Start at least 10% lower, and work your way up. My fire-forming method is to jam and shoot. I start with powder (such H414) for the parent case. I then fire a few rounds as I build up the load until I get a well formed case. Then I shoot them at varmints. Then, I load my load with the newly formed cases on a chrono. If a load is good at 100 yards, then I will shoot it straight for 200 yards. I’ve seen loads that group well at 100 yards not shoot well at 200. If it’s consistent at 200 yards, I’ll shoot a steel plate from 500 yards. Then, the truth will come out. Man, I love the BAT action! I’ve also tried Berger 88gr Low-Drag bullets. They have the same BC but are more accurate. The action is BAT Model B round action configured Right Bolt Left Port with a fluted-.308-faced Bolt. The port is 3.0 inch wide, which is perfect for the 6mm Rem Improved cartridge. I use a NightForce NXS 8-32x56mm scope mounted on BAT’s Weaver-style aluminum base with 20-MOA. Burris Signature Zee Rings are easy to use and self-aligning, and you can add more MOA if necessary. Krieger with Harrell brake
The barrel is a Krieger Heavy Varmint contour in stainless steel, with a 1:12” twist. It measures 26”. I installed a Harrell muzzle brake as I hate recoil. I also like to be able see my hits when hunting and target shooting. When I hunt alone, I like to see the shot I take flatten a varmint. I rarely miss (heh-heh). You’ll need earplugs though, because the muzzle brake is very loud. Easy-Steering Thumbhole Varminter
Richard’s Custom Rifles’ Model 005 Thumbhole Varminter is the stock. This is a large stock that rides very well on the sandbags. It took me a little while to get used this stock, as I had never shot with a thumbhole. It is easy to control and very comfortable when shooting at moving targets. My first kill was a coyote that was moving at a slow pace at about 200 yards. I had to give it the Texas heart shot in order to get her before she disappeared behind a hill. It’s rare that I shoot moving varmints, as at long range, I prefer to keep my cross-hairs on the target. Richard Franklin’s stocks are my favorite [now discontinued] because they suit my style of shooting. I prefer a flat stock that is angled backwards towards the action, because I shoot out of my truck’s window. His stocks also seem to track well on the bench. I think the stocks that I like most are his Model 001 F-Class and Model 008 F. [Editor’s Note: John often shoots while sitting in the driver’s chair of his truck, because he’s partially paralyzed. He has a wheelchair hoist in the truck bed. John tags more varmints than most of us will in a single season, despite his mobility issues. Choose a 6mm caliber with more punch for long distance
I chose the 6mm Rem Improved because it has a long neck to hold long bullets, and it doesn’t burn out the throats as fast as the.243 AI. I don’t use Remington Brass; it splits during fire-forming and appears to work-harden quickly. The 6mm Improved also appealed to me because of what I saw out in the field. It seemed like a great long-range groundhog gun. Richard Franklin, my stocker, would regularly flat-smack groundhogs at 900+ yards. The 6mm Improved’s OAL makes it difficult to remove a loaded cartridge from a standard Remington 700. It’s for this reason that I chose the BAT Model B with its longer 3.0″ port. A.243 AI would be better for a standard action. According to what I’ve read, the 6 Dasher is a good round. I’m a hunting enthusiast, and a lot case-forming doesn’t seem worth it to me. It’s bad enough to have to form the Ackleyized case. The 6-250 is very accurate and a real screamer, but it can’t drive heavier bullets like the 6mm Improved. I’ve also tried a.243WSSM with a Richards stock (#008), and a BAT Action. It may not perform as well as the 6mm Rem improved, but I prefer those short fat cases. John’s views on the Great Moly Debate
Editor: John began with moly coated bullets for his 6mm Rem AI rifle. He has since moved away from this. He has a lot of experience with coated bullets. However, he now prefers to use uncoated bullets with hand-lapped barrels. He only uses coated bullets for the small caliber.17. Moly or no moly…hmm? I have been using moly and Danzac, mainly Danzac, for several years. Both moly and Danzac work well in my experience for someone who shoots many rounds before cleaning. It doesn’t matter if you use moly, a barrel must be broken in correctly. I have broken-in barrels with naked bullets using the traditional method of shooting and cleaning until the copper stops sticking. I have also done break-in using molyed balls from the beginning. I think the barrels break-in easier with moly bullets. I think that if the barrel has any rough or sharp spots, the molyed bullet won’t grab them as hard and the moly will “iron out” the flaw without leaving behind copper. I think the main mistake most people make when using moly is improper cleansing. They don’t clean the bore from the start. Some people will laugh at me, but I use JB bore polish for the majority of my cleaning. I rarely use a brush. Just JB, Montana Extreme, or Butch’s Bore Shine. It works for me. Shooting molyed bullets is fine up to 500 yards. But any further, and you need a lot more tension on the bullet. You will get bad flying bullets if you don’t. I personally use coated bullets with.17 caliber rounds only. I used them initially in my Rem AI 6mm but I am now moving away from it. If you clean properly and don’t shoot too fast, the fine barrels that we have will not copper with proper break-in. Remember that powder fouling can also affect accuracy. JB paste is another reason why I use it a lot.
John lives and works at a farm in Virginia. Running a farm includes getting rid of varmints that are a nuisance. John’s bolt action pistol is very useful when shooting from vehicles. The Guru of Varmints For fun
John Seibel was the popular Varmints For Fun (now offline) website for many years. This site provided excellent advice to hunters and reloaders. John covered a variety of varmint calibers, including the big 6mm wildcats to the popular 6BR rounds, 22BR rounds,.22-250 varmint cartridges, and even micro-caliber wildcats like the 20 Vartarg or 20 PPC. Below is a 20 PPC rifle with a short version of Richard Franklin’s Model 008. John tells us that he started his website because he received a lot inquiries about hunting groundhogs and custom rifles. Plus, I thought it would be a great way to get kids interested in shooting sports. Lord knows that firearms and hunting aren’t taught anymore. Many young hunters and shooters ask me what caliber is best for hunting varmints. They also ask for help with reloading. It’s a pity, but they have no one to help them. I try to help. My website was also created to show others that people with disabilities can still shoot. I am a C-6-7 Quadraplegic. This means that I have no grip on my hands. Imagine shooting those 1.5 oz jewels that way! A therapist told me that I would not be able to reload or shoot once I left the hospital…that shows how much he knew! When I first got home, it was deer hunting season. Pops parked me near some woods. In thirty minutes, I had a 7 point buck on the ground! It didn’t hurt either to be raised on a small farm. It helped me figure out how to jury-rig things. I wouldn’t have been able to do much without my family and my wonderful wife Cathy[. John’s Favorite Varmint 20 PPC Rifle
Cartridge History Lesson – The Original.244 Remington
Here’s a little history of cartridges. The 6mm Remington (parent of John’s AI 6mm) was originally called the “.244 Remington”. What we now call the “6mm Remington”, was originally known as the.244 Remington. The cartridge was renamed as it was not initially a commercial success, and was overshadowed by the.243 Winchester. The.244 Remington is identical to the 6mm Remington — only the name has changed.
