6mm Caliber Opinions?

[EOD Diver]

Guys,
Not sure if you remember the problems I was having with my FN .243 that was a gift to me, but I just got off the phone with my gunsmith and he explained that the barrel was too small! The groove diameter is two thousands undersized and causing the excessive pressure I described. No wonder I was popping primers at two grains under the listed minimum. So, it looks like a rebarrel is my future, as it's a special rifle, with a beautiful stock, from my father-in-law. I'm thinking 24" to keep it as is.
Any caliber recommendations for me out there? I'm thinking of staying with something 6mm, as we've already got the quarter bore covered with a .257 Bob and I want to keep the recoil light for the kiddos. David, I know you'll push for 6mm Rem and I like the longer neck over the .243 Winchester and the added case capacity. I'd like to be able to shoot 75 grainers to keep the speed up for coyote, but be able to shoot heavier stuff for deer. I think it'd be fun to shoot the 115 DTAC bullet out of it occasionally, or something along those lines that cuts the wind for going long. I've got my fingers crossed that Nosler will get around to making an AccuBond LR in 6mm, and figure it'll be heavier than their current 90 grain bullet, so that also brings up the subject of twist too. Is 1:7 too tight to push 75 grainers? It's what Berger recommends for 115s. Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks,
Joe

 

[JD338]

Joe,

The 6mm Rem and the 243 Win are both excellent rounds. If you want something a little different, consider a 243 AI.

JD338

 

[DrMike]

Joe,

The 6mm Rem and the 243 Win are both excellent rounds. If you want something a little different, consider a 243 AI.

JD338

Excellent suggestions in this.

 

[Anonymous]

Don't know what action length you have- but .240Wby is the king of the 6mms or a 6-06 if you want to lose the belt.

 

[FOTIS]

I got a 6-284.... That might be fun

 

[RiverRider]

It would...I will probably rebarrel my 6-284 before too long, but I am kicking around the idea of a 6mm AI for longevity's sake. Maybe the fact that I see this rifle as a light deer gun plays into that line of thought, though. I am sticking with .25-06 with 85-grain BTs for coyotes and the occasional long-range varmint.

 

[Hegland]

Any of the suggestions above would be intriguing. That said, far be it from me to argue with the good-ol' 6mm. If I didn't already have a .243, I'd likely have one. Or a .257...

I digress. If you're primarily shooting the heavyweights, a quicker twist may be appropriate. On the other hand, I've seen a lot of 100 grain bullets shoot itty bitty groups out of a 9" twist.

Good luck with your dilemma!

 

[gerry]

Too bad on the undersize barrel, never heard of that one before. I would stick with the 6mm Rem or 243 myself they provide great performance already, have no idea on what twist to use but more experienced guys will be along shortly.

 

[cloverleaf]

Well, since you reload I'll be a fly in the ointment and suggest that you stick with .25 and rebarrel to a 250-3000 Savage. Now I know that the posted notices say the 243 is faster but not buy much. My limited chrono time with my 250 shows 2900+ fps with a 100 Gr bullet. Some one on this board loads the 250 with 110 gr AB and has a regular deerslayer. Now, my plug is done.
There is nothing wrong with the 243 and there are lots of bullet options. Heck, Im working on buying one myself. OF course its a Savage so I can eventually rebarrel it to 250.

What about a 260 Rem or one of the new 6.5's? They should be easy on the shoulder. The 7mm-08 was to much for my busted up shoulders, but I was buying off the shelf. If you reload there are options. I wish I could have found some 120's for the 7mm-08 I might still have it. CL

 

[BK]

I'm not familiar with that particular rifle, but I would figure out what length the magazine will accomidate... 6mms are really too long to fit well in a, for instance, Remington factory magazine if you want to run heavy bullets. In something like a Model 70 with it's longer mag length, I'd go 6mm in a heartbeat. Though I'd probably have the barrel marked ".244 Remington", just to screw with people's heads.

 

[Africa Huntress]

Don't know what action length you have- but .240Wby is the king of the 6mms or a 6-06 if you want to lose the belt.

or the 244 H and H if you want to reach out even past the 240 weatherby, but the 240 weatherby would be a good one. In both cases the action could be a problem and in the case of the H and H , the barrel life is a problem

 

[Woodycreek]

I would say 243 AI since I'm just a bit biased :mrgreen:

 

[HTDUCK]

I don't know.
You have me in a quandry.
I'm thinking either 243 Win or a 243 AI.
For a dual purpose rifle either would be very hard to beat.

You've already got a Bob......

Howard

 

[EOD Diver]

Guys,
The FN Mauser rifle is a long action, but has a plug in the magazine box to shorten it up some. I've thought about doing a 6mm-06, so I don't have to pay for the .240 Wby brass, but figured I'd stay short so I don't have to mess with the mag box and keep the recoil down a bit more for the kids. That .243AI looks like a bad dude and I figure the 6mm Rem AI would work too. Considering the way my Nosler Legacy shoots, I've thought about sending it out to PACNOR for the tube. What do you guys know about pre-fit barrels? Anyone ever go this route and how did you like the results? The timing for this couldn't be worse, as I'm still working on my pre-64 .270 Win build. Too many projects, not enough scratch. I think it's a problem every rifle junkie has...

Joe

 

[usmc 89]

I think if your going to use a 24" barrel i would use a 6x47 lapua, 6 creedmore 6xc or a 243 size case, reason being with that barrel length you wont bring out the full potential of tje larger cases such as tje 6-284 anf 240 weatherby. I would think about the 1-8 twist barrel and look at the 105 class of bullets. I am not sure you will get a 115 up to speed to really hold an advantage over the 105 vld bullets. Lots of guys going to the 6mm in tjeir comp rifles as of late.

 

[super-7]

Sounds like the action would easily accomadate a 6MM rem-AI. A 8.5 twist and AI velocity s will should have good success with the 105-107 weight bullets. That's the route I would personally go.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

The 6mm Remington gets my vote. Although the 243 WCF is a close second. But then I'm boring I guess. Something about the reliablility and utilitarian nature of both cartridges. Also in a pinch, you could buy ammo OTC if you suddenly needed some. Just a thought. Not being a Killjoy!

 

[onesonek]

I really like the 6mmAI myelf, with two rigs here with different twist rates for specific use's. However I agree, an 8.5" twist would do well for most as well. I also really like the Pac-Nor SM Polygonal rifled, if you don't mind the plug for a rebarrel blank recommendation.
For me, it just don't get much better for a small bore deer rifle, with a secondary use of long range varimints.

 

[Rigbymauser]

I would said the .240Weatherby Magnum. Interestingly it's a caliber that really
hasn't caught the American market. With a 100grain bullet @ 3400 ft/sec from 26 inch barrel
it isn't that far from a .257Bee.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I'm wondering if your barrel couldn't be lapped up to a reasonable size, set back and re-chambered and then re-crowned. It might just be easier to re-barrel but if you want to keep it somewhat original the lapping thing might work and actually make a really smooth barrel out of what are normally really rough factory barrels.