Long range hunting and target rifle!

[matt_3479]

Like i said most people are saying to go with a 6mm dasher, 6BR and other calibers close to that.

6mmBR Cartridge Guide

when you look at this site and scroll down about half way there is a chart showing the comparative ballistics between the 6BR, 6mm Dasher, 6XC, 243. win and 243. ackley improved. Both the 243. win and 243. ackley improved have better velocities, better bullet drop and wind drift then the other 3 6mm calibers. The 243. win and the ackley improved shoot the same bullets at better speeds then the 6BR, 6mm Dasher and 6XC. So why such the hype on those cartridges?

 

[liltank]

So why such the hype on those cartridges?

They hype is accuracy, and longevity of barrel life. The big one is accuracy. You don't see many .243's competing except in maybe 3-gun or tactical shoots. Those are brute strength verses pin point accuracy. Now don't get me wrong... the 243 is very capable of excellent accuracy, it's just that these are proven in the competition world. If you you use the Dasher, BRX, and their derivatives of ackley type shoulders, the velocity is really not that much slower until you jump to the 243 AI, but then barrel life suffers. You get 3000rnds with a Dasher, and 1200-1500rnds with the 243 AI. Guys are setting up Varmint rifles in these calibers because they are better suited for hitting tiny targets way out there. The other is powder costs. You can load a Dasher with a max of 31+ grains. The 243AI loads to 46+ grains. So your pound of powder will last you longer.

So I guess it boils down to, barrel life, accuracy, and reloading costs. I know what I want and that is cheaper accuracy IMHO. I don't have the money to buy a barrel every 1200rnds and if I can stretch a pound of powder and still maintain the best accuracy with little loss in ballistics, that is the route i will go. It all depends on what a guy wants.

Tank

 

[Bravo 4]

I WILL NOT be doing competitions. This rifle will be for my pleasure only. I was strongly leaning towards a 243. win or 243. ackley improved either fully custom or on a rem 700 action, with a Krieger or Hart barrel, a Macmillan A5 stock, and possibly a Jewell trigger. I have witnessed first hand a 243. win take a mule at just short of 400 yards and drop him in its tracks, and a 243. ackley improved take a pronghorn at 627 yards.

Sounds like you have your mind set on the .243. Get the AI version with a little more horse power or just keep it simple and get the standard version. Either way you could shoot factory ammo in a pinch.

 

[liltank]

Sounds like you have your mind set on the .243. Get the AI version with a little more horse power or just keep it simple and get the standard version. Either way you could shoot factory ammo in a pinch.

I agree, +1 to the sensible suggestion. Plus the added bonus of factory ammo being available.

Tank

 

[joseph]

I had a verrry accurate .243. It was set up for bench rest shooting and varmint hunting. It would consistently shoot 5 shots in the .2s and .3s at 100 yds. bench shooting. By the end of the first summer (3 months) the barrel was shot out and would only shoot 3/4" groups or larger. To find out how bad the barrel was I cut the barrel on a band saw in half from one end to the other to see what happened to the bore. I was amazed that the rifling was almost completely gone for 8 inches from the chamber.

Now I shoot a 6mm Norma BR. using Laupa brass and have a tight chamber with a neck inside diameter of .271" and no neck turning of the brass.

joseph

PS: I was in a rush to get to work and should have added this. This was back in 1971 and at the time I did not know that you could burn out a barrel until it was to late. I also didn't know about not shooting it when the barrel was so hot you could hardly touch it. There weren't any ranges or clubs where I lived and only shot targets with friends on a farmers field. Anyway I know I shot it a lot, but don't know how many rounds went down the barrel. It could have been 5,000 for all I know.

 

[angus-5024]

Hmmm... maybe I should have mentioned that the .243win that I have has a burnt our barrel. I'm liking the sounds of a 6-47 Lapua now that I need a new barrel.

 

[KIWI AL]

i was wanting a high performance 6mm for long range and targets and am currently having a 6x47 lapua made with 28" barrell.
i chose the 6x47 over the 243 because i wanted some thing differant and since i'm wanting to use this rifle for varmits from 500-1000yds mainly the 6mmbr and its offspring just didnt have the legs i wanted with the heavier pills.
the best thing about these three cartages is being able to use lapua brass