Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 243AI or 6-06

I've got a situation. I've got a Tikka 695 that I'm thinking about re-barreling. All I've all I need other than the barrel. I can get an SPS for $379 in 243, then grab a barrel, or just shoot it as is and if it'll run I can leave it. I've got a new LVSF takeoff stock that I can put it in. Either way, I'll thrown a Zeiss 3-9X40 with a turret on it. I just plan on using it for an all around rifle. Steel, coyotes, deer, pigs, and anything else that can't get out of the way fast enough. I've got experience with the 243, but none with the 6-06. What would you guys do, or do you have an opinion one way or the other? I don't think real world speed would make a difference, but I'm looking for accuracy over the speed.

In a 6mm bore, I can't see burning more powder than you can stuff into a 243 ackley case.

6.5-06 might be better ballistically

Yeah, I thought about the 6.5, but I'd like to stay with a caliber that I already use. Just trying to keep the number of calibers I load for down. If I was going to be hardcore about it I would probably build a 6.5WSM.

been shooting my sako 243 for 42 yrs . i load 41 gr of H414 behind a 100 gr. speer btsp .MAX LOAD killed more deer than i can remember . thats my vote

Thinking if I go the 243AI route I'll throw it in a McMillan Gamescout.

I guess if I stuck with the Tikka the 6mmAI would work also.

Wouldn't bother AIing a .243. My choice would be to leave it alone or go to a .257 Roberts, .260 Rem, or, in the longer case, .25-06 or 6.5-06. (I went 6.5-06AI.)

If going fat I'd still go .257 or 6.5.

Have had three .243�s and AI�ed two of them. The Improving doesn�t add a whole lot of speed but you will see a small increase. Basically you turn it into a standard 6mm Remington. Plus you get the usual advantages of improvement � less (or no) case trimming and the ability to still use regular .243�s if needed or wanted.

All three standard .243�s I�ve played with were really accurate from the get go, including one that had a severely burned out throat, which a .243 will do. AI�ing didn�t change accuracy for better or worse, the barrels shot just as well afterwards.

The standard .243 will do everything you ask of it with no muss and no fuss. If it�s too boring and you want to AI then there�s no reason not to, Ackleyed cases do look cool, just don�t expect any huge performance or barrel life difference that you could actually see in the field.

For straight accuracy my experience shows that the standard .243 Winchester is a very accurate chambering � dare I say it�s �inherently accurate�? - but that doesn�t say that something else can�t be as well. I�m building a standard 6mm Remington on a M70 with a Brux barrel right now, I suspect the quality barrel and good gunsmithing will have more effect on accuracy than the headstamp.

I would go 243AI. I am waiting for the day that some real high BC bullets become available for the 6mm that do not suffer when run at high velocities and fast twists. When they do I will rethink a fire breathing 6/06. 115dtacs are what I am settled on for now. I will admit I have not been keeping abreast of new 6mm bullets so matrix or someone may have already created a better mousetrap.

I think I'd go 6mm-284 if I wanted larger than the .243 Win case. I like the regular .243 myself and thinking of going 6XC when I burn out my barrel.