[osprey572ci]

I was reading a thread Mike posted about 6mm and decided to start a new thread on this. I have a Custom rifle I bought years ago in Texas in a 6mm Rem. It has a Mauser type action, a Timney<sp trigger and a Shilen barrel. I absolutely love shooting this rifle and hunted whitetail with it for years. Question I seem to get asked alot is "isn't that the same as a .243?" People have told me it's exactly the same, and uses same bullet. My response is that if it were exaclty the same why do they sell different ammo on the shelf. Maybe you guys can educate me so I can back up my answers with some raw data. Thanks guys.

 

[osprey572ci]

Holy Crap! Anyways... I have a 6mm and i have alot of people tell me that it is exactly the same as a .243. My reply has always been that if they were the same then why do they have different ammo on the shelf? maybe you guys can educate me so I have some raw data to answer the question. Thanks Guys!

 

[broom_jm]

I'm thinking a new keyboard might be in order!

The 6mm Remington operates at slightly higher pressure and has a bit more case capacity. In truth, and by very small degrees, it is a superior cartridge. However, it was initially offered with a rate of twist that did not favor heavier bullets, as Remington figured guys would be using it for varmints, anyway. Well, the .243 had a 1:9 twist from day one, so it would stabilize those heavier bullets, making it a more versatile option. Remington realized this a bit too late, so despite going to a faster twist (and a misguided name change) they found themselves way behind in the 24 caliber popularity contest...something they've never recovered from.

For all intents and purposes, the two cartridges ARE interchangeable. For what it's worth, I shot my friend's 6mm Remington back around 1990 and was suitably impressed with the sub-MOA groups it was capable of, with 80gr varmint bullets and 100gr deer bullets.

 

[Oneeye66]

I just read an article about the 6mm and they writer also stated that the 6mm suffered by being offered in only a couple of rifle configurations while the .243 was offered in a wider range of rifles and configurations.

I have used the 6mm and it is a great caliber. BUT, I prefer the .243 due to the ubiquity of the ammo.
Dan

 

[osprey572ci]

I absolutely love shooting mine. It has a heavy Shilen barrel on it an it's extremely accurate. Shot many whitetails with it. I personally think it's a little underpowered for the big Minnesota deer I shoot but that's another story. So are you saying I could buy .243 ammunition and run it through this rifle?

 

[broom_jm]

I absolutely love shooting mine. It has a heavy Shilen barrel on it an it's extremely accurate. Shot many whitetails with it. I personally think it's a little underpowered for the big Minnesota deer I shoot but that's another story. So are you saying I could buy .243 ammunition and run it through this rifle?

NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!

When I said they can be used interchangeably, I was referring to their purpose, not putting the case from one rifle into the other! Both are superb long-range varmint guns and "adequate" for deer, but it would be completely unsafe to use .243 ammo in your 6mm, or vice versa.

Something tells me you already knew that and you're just keeping the conversation lively?

 

[osprey572ci]

No I didn't know that for sure, therfore would never do so, but I was asking the question because many say you can and some say they have.

 

[Tang]

Try this link, you should be able to see the difference in the rounds

http://ammoguide.com/cgi-bin/aicompare.cgi?sn=LgkLZdKkib&in=1&xl=1&xxsetindex=4&xxglbl=1

 

[osprey572ci]

Thanks Tang

 

[Tang]

Not a problem man. Here is another view, with a great cartridge in there for visual comparison

http://ammoguide.com/cgi-bin/aicompare.cgi?sn=LgkLZdKkib&in=1&xl=1&xxsetindex=126&xxglbl=1