Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .243 or 6mm Remington

I am having a 23" barrel made for a deer rifle. It will either be in .243 or 6mm. In factory loads/handloads does the 6mm really get 100 fps faster. Or only in some cases. If I have it made in .243 there is the advantage of easy access to factory loads (I am not reloading as much as I once was). If the 6mm easily av 100 fps faster that is a deal breaker for me.

A hundred fps will never be detectable by you or any critter you may shoot.

243, much more skookum a fit and with today's bullets a few fps means not a damn thing.

Course you could go 243AI and have the same as a 6mm, with the same skookum fit.

I'm assuming you are twisting it properly?

If on a short action, 243.

!-9" twist. AI would make factory loads a tad weak and force me to reload all the time. 100 fps is the difference between a .308/30-06 that so many people argue over. Encore barrel so action length means nothing.

95 gr CT Ballistic tips, VLDs, maybe 85 gr TTSX.

Currently have both and the 6mm is about a 100 fps faster than the 243. I would keep the 6 over the 243 if I had to dump one, which I may do in the future. Works just fine in a short action with 95 Ballistic Tips.

I'd go 6......

Not as popular as the .243, the 6mm Rem, IMHO, is a better round. One can get some great performance with RL-17.

DF

Yep it's a hummer out of my #1 with 85 gr TSX's

There's only about a 2-grain difference in powder space between the two--about 4%. This doesn't mean there's a 4% (100 fps) difference between the two rounds in velocity, given the same pressure, because of the 1-4 Rule (any difference in powder capacity between cartridges of the same caliber equals 1/4 as much difference in velocity, at the same pressure.)

I used to be a 6mm Remington nit-picker, but gave it up a few years ago since 1% difference in velocity is way too minor to worry about, especially when .243 brass is far more avalable in many different brands.

Flip a coin. Heads you win.....tails you win. Regards, Rick.

But the 7x57 parent case is just plain sexier than a 308..

I think so, but tell that to the AI crowd...

DF

I am such a fan of Lapua brass on many levels - I would go 243

243.............thank us 243 guys later.

I will say this. I am a 243 fan like no other. I have recently played with a 6mm Rem during fireforming for a wildcat. Found myself wondering why not 6mm over 243.
I came up with this. Grab a SA, Toss primers, powder, and bullets at it and it will produce very acceptable results.
The 6mm, seems to take a bit more across the board. NOT much, but enough to push me back to .243.

I have had both. I still have the .243, for all the reasons discussed. Game can't tell the difference. Good luck, jack

One word, Lapua

My next 6mm/243 barrel will be a 7.5 twist.

But short and fat is where it's at.... accuracy wise...