6mm Remington

[rjb]

Idaho, I'll 2nd the choice of 6mm Rem. I've
used several in Xcourse and Long Range rifle
matches out to 1000yds. And own a Ruger #1
in 6MM Rem for woods and field. If you persue
the long barrel 1:8 barrel route it might help to know the following. Almost all Factory spec chambering jobs will result in a much longer than necessary "free bore". That is the section just following the case neck leading into the rifling. In custom reamers this area may be shortened. 107 gr. SMKs will still seat close and so will 70 grs. The factory legacy reaming cuts a long lead designed for 117 gr. round nose bullets.
The lower weights have to "jump" alot. This
can easily be cared for by gunsmith or reamer
choice. Thats all it takes to make the best kept secret caliber a "hummer". Also if one
peeks at the measurements a) standard 6MM Rem
has case volume equal to 243 AI. B) in manuals browsed so far the 243WSC does not top the handloaded 6mm Rem by much and burns
about 10% more powder at that.(think barrel
life and more bangs for the buck$) Others mileage may vary

[ 10-10-2004: Message edited by: rjb ]

[ 10-10-2004: Message edited by: rjb ]

 

[LB]

It always depends on your application, but for all around duty, it is hard to beat a 6mm Remington; plain vanilla. My first was a Remington Model 660, and boy, I wish I still had it! (stolen) Had a few 243's and 6's since then, they're all good.

Plenty gun for medium to long range varmints. I find the most useful bullets to range from 75 to 87 grains, but did manage to kill a kudu with a 100 grain Sierra from a modified Model 600. Ran a bit, but one shot.

This is just personal opinion, but if you are looking at 6BR or 243 AI or any similiar version of the 6mm Remington, I'd stick with the factory cartridge, perhaps with a tight neck, OR if you want more speed, with less barrel life, the 6/284 is a logical choice.

No hassle, no special dies, good performance, excellent barrel life, good resale.

Good hunting. LB