Smallest & fastest 6mm to consider?

[Wild Monkey]

What Size Bullet would be considered the Minimum weight for Deer and what would be the smallest powder column? This would be for a viable Hunting Cartridge. Would something the size of a 6mm PPC be sufficient?

 

[Quintus]

How big are your deer? Saskatchewan or coastal Virginia or somewhere in the middle? How far are you comfortable shooting?

 

[Andrew Massi]

Absolutely the 6ppc is a sufficient deer cartridge. Likewise the 6 bra

6 arc and 108 eld-m would be my #1 pick.

Tons of good 6mm bullets- 95gr ballistic tip, 108 eld-m, 95sst, 95 tmk.

Keep impact velocity over 1800fps and you've got dead deer.

 

[Salmonhead]

for reference, we killed 7 deer last year with a 223 rem using 62 grain Swift Scirocco bullets at 3,000 fps. We had complete pass through on all deer from 56 to 180 yards. All were one shot kills. So that is a pretty diminutive round. Anything 6mm will be that much better. These were Michigan doe that weigh 100-130 on the hoof.

 

[Monster Toms]

We use a 6x47 Remington with 30 grains of 748 and a 70 Nosler ballistic tip when doing deer work in the orchards. Good to 250 yards. Mostly Mule deer does, but a few big, bodied bucks from time to time.

 

[Mikecr]

What Size Bullet would be considered the Minimum weight for Deer and what would be the smallest powder column? This would be for a viable Hunting Cartridge. Would something the size of a 6mm PPC be sufficient?

What distance?
Bodily vitals,, brain shot?

I personally believe that accuracy is the most powerful attribute for killing.
That it far overshadows other ballistic considerations.

 

[Rhett Crider]

Latest semi custom for me. 6mmCM. 26" Bartlein #3 cut at 22" for 5/8x24 threading, 8T on M-70 Classic. Mag box and follower/ spring from Winchester Arms (new Portugal M-70 parts) in 6.5CM fit perfect and surprisingly cheap. Alpha brass, 105VLD and 108 Elite w/ RL 16/17 are usually available. Now need to start load development. Expecting 2915-2970MV.
Edit-Around 40g of said powders. SAAMI chamber works fine.

 

[BillLarson]

I have a custom never fired rem.700..... wood stock by Cloward. Kreiger barrel,metal storage box buttplate,jewel trigger.
Alot of ivory in stock.

 

[unclecroc]

If I were going to use a ppc or a br for deer I would load a 55 hammer hunter or a 69 absolute hammer and go kill some deer.

 

[Weaver93]

I have a custom never fired rem.700..... wood stock by Cloward. Kreiger barrel,metal storage box buttplate,jewel trigger.
Alot of ivory in stock.

This requires a photograph! You can't tease like this!

 

[Greyfox]

For mid range deer sized game I would consider my 6mmAR(necked down Grendel/ARC comp)) the smallest I'd go. Using a 105-108gr bullet at 2750FPS (28.2gr R15) it generates approximately 2000FPS/1000FPE at 500 yards

 

[can1010]

while the grendel, arc, ppc are all good choices and more than adequate for deer, try and find brass that is going to be the biggest problem. look at the 6tcu that would be my choice. in the same case capacity and velocities as the others and using 223 brass which is readily available and in any quality you prefer. as for bullets anything in the 85-100 for cup and core just keep velocities in the optimum working range for proper expansion.

 

[Gary in MD]

For a deer hunting rifle? I'd get a Tikka in the .243 Winchester and work up a load using 95 grain ballistic tips, Lapua brass and go hunting!

 

[Gary in MD]

I have a custom never fired rem.700..... wood stock by Cloward. Kreiger barrel,metal storage box buttplate,jewel trigger.
Alot of ivory in stock.

What cartridge?