Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer's 6mm American Rifleman article

Enjoyed the article. Page might have sold as many 6mms for the gun makers as O'Connor did 270s and the 25s lost out through no fault of their own.

I've owned several 243s and a 6mm Rem. IMO there's not enough ballistic difference to justify the 6mm Rem if you ever try to sell or trade it. 243s are easy to move, 6mm Rems. seem to take a while.

I remember when several people I hunted with jumped on the 243/3-9 variable scope bandwagon so they could have one rifle for deer and groundhogs. Then they found it was a good idea to have different bullets for each with different scope zeros. That's when a lot of the 243s became dedicated deer rifles.

I think the 6mm Rem has the edge over the 243, by the same margin as the 240 Weatherby has over the 6mm Rem. Matter of fact the 6mm come close to matching the 240.

I wished I hadn't read it. Now, I want a new 6MM.

He shouldn't be tempting a rehabbing reprobate Rifle Looney with articles like that.

I bought a 6 MM Rem. on Pages recommendation and used it as my only rifle for years. I killed several hundred Texas cull deer and lots of coyotes/pigs with it. It is a Ruger 77 flat bolt/tang safety with a 1500 serial # and 2x7 Redfield; brand new in 1969. It still shoots about 3/4" with 90 gr. NP handloads.

It has been retired and I now use a Ruger 77 long action tang safety in 6.5 Rem. with 125 NP for the same duties. More bullet moving a little faster; 3315 fps.

Page was a genius!

I bought a 700 BDL 6mm new when I was 14 with my lawn mowing money. Used it almost exclusively through high school and most of college. It's accounted for at least 10 deer and hundreds of rabbits and rock chucks. Bore is looking a little worn but it still shoots. I also have a model 7 blued walnut in 6mm that I bought off a guy 10 or so years ago. Now I'm thinking I need this years CDL SF limited in 6mm.

I love a 6mm but when I had a new custom longish range varminter built last year I went with a 243 because it gives me more room to seat the long bullets out. Both are great rounds.

Bb

I haven't been without a 6mm Rem since 1971 , now own 6mm Rem, 243 Win, and 240 Wby. I love the 24's

Same here wish the military and DOD would have planted a 24 on the 223 case way back...

Whelenman,

The 6mm comes close to the .240 only if you load it pretty darn hot.

With a 100-grain bullet seated to standard factory overall length, the .243's water capacity is around 50 grains, the 6mm's 52, and the .240's 58.

Of course, capacity will vary a little bit with brand of brass in the .243 and 6mm, but not enough to change the ballistics substantially. They are far more similar to each other than to the .240.

I enjoyed the article, John is a great writer, but its hard for him to hide the fact that he likes the 257 roberts better than the 6mm.

HA!

Actually, I just bought a really nice little Husqvarna .243 from the Campfire. It weighs 7 pounds with scope, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it shoots. (I already know the .243 can kill stuff....)

Nice article, but it did not make me want out go out and buy one.

I've never owned a 6mm. Even as a kid in the '50's, I was attracted to the 25's and not the 6mm�s. The 25's were under loaded, but still seemed better.

243 for me. Started with one when I was 14, and have come back around to it over the last few years. I can't see what it can't do.

Wish Remington would make a factory 6-06 or the 240Bee.

I have always had a soft spot for the 6mm. I have a .243 in the house these days and there isn't a whole lot of difference between them, but if I get any lazier, I won't want to load my own ammunition anymore, and the .243 has a lot more options in factory ammunition.

Dad spoiled me rotten in the 1970's with the gift of a 6mm Rem 700 BDL, topped by a 3-9x Leupold. Pretty interesting gear for a kid, and I put it to good use!

These days my youngest son hunts with that same rifle. Great little cartridge for vicious rodents as well as deer.

I had just started a .240 Wby. project and read the article with interest. In fact, the article was cut out and is in my .240 Wby. folder in the shop.

John researches his stuff carefully and it shows in his writings.

Thanks, John.

DF

Thank YOU.

Good read ,I Had read how marginal the 6mm's were for deer and had passed judgement by way of gun mag's. I wanted to get a 257 for my sons when my neighbor told me his rifle was a 6mm Rem and what a killer it was.He owned a orchard and had shot hundreds of deer in his life. He had even shot two moose at crazy long range. When I asked how far the moose ran an what kind of blood trails he said they didn't run they just sank down dead.
So one day at Wally world I saw two Rem model 7's youth in 6mm Rem on clearance for 180. dollars. I brought one home and loaded some 100 gr Nosler partitions for the insurance and my sons slayed deer and with extreme effectivness.
Well they moved up to other rifles and the 6mm sat in the safe. Then two years ago on the fire folks were singing praises for the 85 grain TSX so I bit and the first load of 46 gr of Reloader 19 shot into an inch.I got about a 105 yard shot at a small WT buck. He reared up and fell back and there was blood 6' up in the trees. That was a test case of one Barnes but with the Noslers too I no longer feel its marginal in any way for deer.
My youngest shot a doe at 281 lazerd yards and she dropped he said its early and I have never seen you shoot a deer.I had a husky 30-06 with 165 powerpoints and hit a large doe about an hour latter at 90 yards and she ran about ninty yards sans the top of her heart my son looked at me and said your gun doesn't killum like mine.

Its a sad day when Dad's '06 don't kill 'em as good as Jr's 6mm. Hahahaha.

John, I read an old article you penned where you lost a deer overnight with the 243 and the coyotes had gotten to it by the time you found it the next day. You said the incident soured you on the 6mm's.

I know that was years ago but what warmed you back up to the 6mm's, I'm guessing its the new bullets...