Well originally I was going to build a .243. After doing some looking around I am interested in the 6mm. I am looking for some personal views on the two different rounds. I am building a gun for varmint and target shooting. I am looking to shoot out to 500yards, that is the longest field I have to shoot in. Thanks in advance for your responses.
I'll assume you are asking about a 243 Win and 6mm Rem. There are a HOST of 6mm's around. The 243 is common as dirt. It works. If all you want is varmints and targets, consider a fast 22 with a fast twist barrel and heavy bullets. Say maybe a 223, 223AI, 22-250, 222 Rem Mag, 222 Rem Mag Imp, 224 JDJ, 220 Howell.
I have the 6mm Rem and find it a decent gun for game under 200#. Between the 243 and 6mm, there is not enough difference to be appreciated. The 6mm is capable of about 100-150 fps faster velocity but that is hardly noticable in the field. The difficulty in finding 6mm ammo is a major strike against it as is the scarcity of loads. I play with it out to 650 yards on rare occasions and find its accuracy to be less than I would hope. I am not much of a rifle shooter as I am a shotgunner so my shooting technique and equipment is not conducive to precise long range shooting. At the ranges you are talking, I would second grimel and add the 22/250 and 220 Swift to the mix. The 223 has done well at the target range up to 600 meters but its effectiveness on larger varmints decreases rapidly over 250 yards or so.
If you're interested in really reaching out, you should look at a barrel with a faster twist so you can shoot heavier bullets. A heavier bullet, with its higher sectional density, will carry much better on REALLY long shots. Because a heavier bullet will be longer, it requires a faster twist to stabilize it. For shorter to intermediate ranges, you can still shoot a lighter bullet with one caveat; if you push the velocity too much, the higher velocity of a smaller bullet combined with the faster twist can result in centrifugal destruction. It doesn't harm anything - the bullet just self-destructs a few yards out of the muzzle.
NJ, We have a 500 meter range where I shoot and I own a 243 win.I've played around and shot at different things sitting out there. Bowling pins, steel plates, targets, etc. I shoot off of sand bags and have a 6x24 scope on this rifle. Man,500 yds is a long way. While hitting something isn't a big problem,is there still enough velocity there to kill it? I'd be trying to get a little bit closer. Even some of the hyper-velocity 22's are iffy out there. For hunting,we all need to accept our limitations. Most folks and please don't take this wrong because I'm including myself, have no business shooting much past 300yds. HWD
I use my Remington model 7 in 243 Win for all my doe mule deer and antelope hunting here in the great state of Idaho. I think my longest killing shot at an animal with the 243 was just over 300 yds on a big, fat doe mulie. There are better rounds for long distance target shooting but if you want a multi-purpose hunting, target rifle the 243 Winchester is a fine all purpose round.
I have one of each. My very first rifle was a 6mm Rem mod 788. I also have a Win mod 70 light weight .243. If you are into reloading, I find the 6mm slightly easer to reload and get better brass life from it. My .243 tends to split that short neck more often. Both rifles can shoot half inch groups at 100yds. If you are looking to be able to walk into any Wally World store in the country and find ammo, get the .243.
Better in what way? Balistically, its almost identical to 6mm Rem. As near as I can tell, you can even interchange the load data. From what I've read about the wssm cartridges, you can put them in a shorter action, but they generally don't feed as well as most of the more traditional cartridges. The biggest advantage I see in the .243 WSSM is the privilege of spending more money on the ammo! :shock:
GWP, Ive got one of the WSSMs and I've not been impressed by ANYTHING where it's concerned. Accuracy just isn't there from factory stuff. Trying to reload for this particular cartridge about drove me up the wall. There are 3 different 243 in my household, a Browning Abolt, a MarkX Interarms and the Browning Micro-Abolt chambered for the WSSM. Both Standard243s will shoot just about anything extremely well. The WSSM has yet to get a group under 1.5'' at 100yds. Another thing to look at is how many manufacturers dropped this cartridge recently but kept the original? Oh yeah,this particular rifle has been back to Browning 2 times with concerns about feeding and accuracy. The last conversation I had with one of their managers kinda set me back a bit. I asked the person if they'd buy one of these for themselves. They were pretty quick to say NO! To many problems that they couldn't seem to iron out. If this rifle was mine it would have been ong gne. Problem is, IT BELONGS TO MY WIFE. She doesn't shoot it any longer.It just stays in the safe. She now shoots my MarkX. HWD
:lol: We have had both 6mm and .243. My girl friend has a 6mm. Ammo is more expensive to buy new, and the brass is more difficult to find. Other wise, I see little difference. If I were going to a new 24 cal. I would pick the 243 just due to ammo. :wink: But if you are going to buy 500 rds. and use those til the rifle is shot out, then either would be fine. I have always wondered what a 6mm on a long action would do. It is similar to the old 257 Roberts handicapped by a short action. :twisted:
Wyo, Good point on the price of ammo for the 6mm. I've typically seen it priced about half way between standard .243 and .243 WSSM. I haven't actually bought "factory loads" for it for about 25 yrs. I typically just buy another bag of 50 or 100 brass and use the same components to load for it that I have for the .243. I suppose that I should get a couple more bags of brass for it while I can..... As far as life of the gun in 6mm rem. My father's early 1950's vintage Rem 722 in .244 still shoots half inch groups with ammo that it likes. It wouldn't surprise me if the number of deer that gun has taken over the decades numbers in the hundreds. That doesn't count the range time it has seen. This is one of the early 12" twist rifles. That particular gun shoots 85gr Sierra hollow points best at what is considered in modern load books as about 1.5 to 2 grains over max load! From what my dad has told me about how his brothers used to load for that gun, they started near their book's max and went up from there til they either got the best groups or the brass started sticking.
I've owned 5 243's,3 remingtons,a winchester classic and this browning blr in 243,all shot well,the remingtons were the most accurate,the last remington I kept the longest was the most accurate.5 shots all touching at 100 yards.The browning I own now is fairly accurate with 3 shots and the 4th starts wandering due to heat.With the remingtons I could load hot loads that were so close to the 6mm that it didn't pay me to switch,this browning likes slower loads.Both are great cartridges but as mentioned the 243 ammo is more readily available.Drop-Shot
243 for deer and some varmint work under 300 yards. If its going out to those ranges mentions, I'm thinking 22-250 or the 220 swift, as noted. I can't shoot worth a darn past 300 yards anyways.
Thomas, at least you'll admit that fact. Unless I've got a VERY good rest, I'll generally not takes shots beyond 200 yds. HWD
