which 6mm?

[grit]

Hey guys,

I've decided I can't live much longer without a 6mm. The situation is critical as I'm sure you all understand. I've been looking at rifles and calibers.

I like the browning varmint stalker because it has a medium-heavy barrel. The rifle seems a great compromise between my desire for a heavy barrel and my desire to be able to pack it. I'd love to hear some feedback on this rifle. Or any other you'd recomend. This is really the only one I've seen with a semi-heavy barrel. I also looked at remington sps, because it has a 24" barrel. And the Weatherby vangaurd sub moa, because it has a 24" barrel and a cool stock.

I've looked at the readily available calibers: 243win, 243wssm, and much less so 6mm rem. I want feed back on these calibers, and others.

I want to stretch it out, of course. So, I'm thinking the 105 a max. The rifle twist needs to be fast enough.

The Browning is $700ish. I'd call that top of my budget.

What do ya recomend?

 

[Ballistic64]

If I could only buy one 6mm gun on a $700.00 budget right now,I guess Id opt for the 6mm Rem VLS.JMO,but Ive always liked it over the 243 (more case capacity & longer neck).Plus Winchester makes brass for the 6mm Rem.,which is a plus.Only thing Im not sure of is the VLS's factory twist and it may be more of a heavy barrel than your looking for.

 

[Centre Punch]

Unlike the 243 VLS which has a twist of 1 in 9 1/8"?????
the 6mmRem VLS has a twist of 1 in 9"
I have only shot 90 grn bullets in mine but if memory serves me correctly, some shooters on this forum have successfully fired 105grn bullets out of their 243 VLS's.

Ian.

 

[bailey1474]

Savage 12BVSS .243. 9 1/4" twist. I've used it to take pds out past 1000 yds w/the 105 Amax. If your on a budget, don't waste your money on the Browning (which won't stabalize the 105 btw) or the VLS. I guarantee you the Savage will shoot .5 or better w/handloads (of course it may not be w/the 105, but there is a combo that will) straight out of the box. Take the extra money and put it in on a little better scope.

 

[Jimm]

What Bill said !!

 

[LB]

I am continuing to be unimpressed with the Browning as a hunting rig. Don't know the specs of whatever you are looking at, but I don't like the Boss and I don't like the 60º bolt lift, and if there was a choice between 6mm and 243, I pick the 6mmRem. every time. Unless the 243 is significantly cheaper, for some reason? It's a good cartridge, but the 6mm is better.

Good hunting. LB

 

[grit]

Thanks for the input. Let me add a bit. I want to keep the rifle as versatile as possible. The rifle will serve as a varmint / target rig for me, and a deer rifle for my wife.

I like both the vls and the savage, but they are a bit heavier than I'd like. I have my concerns about the browning as well (trigger mostly), but it caught my eye because it offered a good compromise.

I would lean toward the sporter weights before a heavy rig, for the sake of versatility, and my poor wife. Maybe you guys think differently. Perhaps a little education on the merits of heavy barrels would change my mind.

I have two rifles with heavy barrels. The benefits I see are stability, and consistency when shooting in volume. Is there more to it?

I don't mind carrying a heavy rig when varmint hunting, where the hiking is usually limited. I don't want to carry one when hunting deer and antelope, and I don't think my wife would like to carry one at all.

I suppose I may be complicating the issue. Just want to get something I'll be happy with. Besides, just making a decision wouldn't be any fun.

And what else is chambered in the 6mm rem?

 

[MU Ag Rho]

Howa makes a 243 that is very economically minded and shoots pretty dang good straight out of the box.

 

[sniper2]

Buy a Savage in 6mm and get a smith to ream out to .243 Ackley Improved,6mm Gibbs,6/06A.I. 240 WBY,6/284win not necessarily in this order but all are hot performers. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[skeeter]

I get 1/4" groups with my Winchester 70 stealth in 243 wssm with 87 grain v max 1-10 twist @ 100 yards.I have killed lots of deer with 22-250. Iam going to try the 87 v max this year.

 

[sniper2]

Good deal /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[grit]

I've narrowed the field to two choices. One is the Remington. The other is the CZ. The rem has a 1 in 9.25 twist. The CZ is a one in ten.

I like the feel of the CZ better. The CZ's a bit heavier, grip drops a bit lower, has checkering on the grip. All contribute to make it feel nicer to me. CZ also has the set trigger, and novelty appeal. The test target in the box with the rifle is about 5/16".

Remington has a tighter twist. Faaar more aftermarket options. If the tight twist is truly an advantage I'll buy the remington.

Basically, it boils down to the barrel twist. Unfortunately, I don't know the real world differences. My desire for the faster twist stems from an interest in long range shooting. The hornady manual says a 1 in 9 is required for the 105 a max. The sierra manual says a 1 in 8 for the 107 mk.

Difference between a 105 with a bc of .5 at 2900 versus an 87 with a bc of .4 at 3250? Don't know yet....

Ultimately, top priority is to stabilize an effective hunting bullet, for deer. What about the 95 and 100 grain bullets? Will the 1 in 10 handle them well? I read Liljas article stating the ideal is the slowest twist which will stabilize the bullet you're shooting.

Bear with me if I'm getting carried away by the barrel twist. This is new to me. The fact remington chambers thier rifles in 1 in 9.25 rather than the more widely used 1 in 10 makes me wonder why.

Somebody enlighten me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[sniper2]

You're not getting carried away with twist it is important to have the proper twist to stabilize your chosen bullet while high BC is one of the things I look for, accuracy is still formost to me.Good luck with your choices and I hope your project will turn out a long range rig you can enjoy for quite a while! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Ballistic64]

Originally Rem barreled the 6mm Rem with a 1 in 12 twist which is basically what killed this round when the 243 Win had a faster twist and would stabilize heavier bullets.Thats why the 243 is the most popular 6mm factory chambering even though the 6mm rem is a better case design.
Which ever rifle and chambering you choose a 1 in 8 twist would probably be best with the heaviest 6mm bullets but I dont know of an affordable factory gun that has that twist.The alternative is to shoot what will work for you in the gun you choose and rebarrel when the time comes or build what you want on a donor action. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif