243 catbird build
- Thread starter BeauD
- Start date
I honestly have no idea but will give my opinion.
Personally I would look more for one in 243 or 6mm and then ream it out to the 243 catbird or buy it in any caliber 30-06 and down to 22-250 and go with a new barrel.
Personally I would look more for one in 243 or 6mm and then ream it out to the 243 catbird or buy it in any caliber 30-06 and down to 22-250 and go with a new barrel.
rickiesrevenge
Silver $$ Contributor
Surely you mean rebarrel not rechamber? Can't make a .277" barrel into a .243"
I used both terms. 1 or both may have been used incorrectly. Thats also why im here to find out which would be the easier way to go. Id assume getting a 270 or 3006 would be the way to go and slap a new barrel on it. Or whatever its gonna take. Id also assume that would involve the least amount of money.
New barrel will likely make you happier. You're going to have a cartridge to challenge the XXXLoudenBOOMER!
Even if/when you miss, any coyotes within a mile will likely surrender - my pal, Mike B built one many years ago now - one winter day, I dropped him off at a abandoned farmstead on the west end of a 2-mile X 1-mile section, so he could slip in and call a pair of coyotes he'd observed hanging around.
I drove to the 1/2 mile line East of the drop, thus was also 1/2 mile North, and backed into a field entrance to observe. It was about -10 Deg. F, so I left the engine & heater running . . . as directed, the coyotes promptly responded to Mike's squalling (which I could not hear). No sooner did the first critter stop, than he did an instant act of DRT, followed a second or so later, by the THUNDEROUS ka-bOOM
of the CatBird! Turned out, the coyote wasn't faking.
The following spring, we were in SD (aka Forbidden Zone) shooting defenseless prairie dogs. During Mike's turn at the bench, using his trusty .22/250 and .223, he dispatched a healthy quantity of the vermin at a high hit:miss ratio . . . he grew somewhat bored and broke out the CatBird . . . I was sitting about 2 feet to Mike's left, peering through the spotting scope, calling wind/hits/misses, comfortably having my left foot resting over the right knee, with the boot sole parallel to the muzzle . . . the initial CatBird blast knocked the foot loose and I was certain that Mike had shot my foot off!
Fortunately, though it required some convincing, Mike was correct - he advised that perhaps I should move over another yard or two!
You will enjoy it while it lasts . . . and have tales to share later! RG
snert
Silver $$ Contributor
So you are looking to buy a 6mm caliber No#1 and rechamber to Catbird?
If that is the case, you have two options...
1) buy a 6mm bore used gun and have a smith take the barrel off, rechamber it and then put it back on.
2) buy any used number 1 that is currently set up for a 308 face (I am not real familiar but I suspect extractor etc is different given different case head dimensions?) and just have a smith put a new barrel on it chambered in Catbird.
#2 is the smarter, but more expensive route.
#1 might work out cheaper, but the odds are you will have almost as much $ in the work and it will be on a used barrel. And it might not shoot well, and maybe you have heard that expression, buy once, cry once?
The Catbird uses a 270 Winchester case...but it is necked down to a 6MM bore, so a 270 barrel isn't going to work. I assume you know that. But you might take a 270 number 1 and yank the old barrel off and do option 2.
If that is the case, you have two options...
1) buy a 6mm bore used gun and have a smith take the barrel off, rechamber it and then put it back on.
2) buy any used number 1 that is currently set up for a 308 face (I am not real familiar but I suspect extractor etc is different given different case head dimensions?) and just have a smith put a new barrel on it chambered in Catbird.
#2 is the smarter, but more expensive route.
#1 might work out cheaper, but the odds are you will have almost as much $ in the work and it will be on a used barrel. And it might not shoot well, and maybe you have heard that expression, buy once, cry once?
The Catbird uses a 270 Winchester case...but it is necked down to a 6MM bore, so a 270 barrel isn't going to work. I assume you know that. But you might take a 270 number 1 and yank the old barrel off and do option 2.
17VLD
Gold $$ Contributor
I really like number ones ,especially the varmint models. I was lucky enough to find one in 25-06 and while I didn't hold a lot of hope that the barrel was still ok it actually surprised me and shot well for a used rifle. I had figured someone had blazed away at pds or something silly like that. I had fully intended to rebarrel it with a faster twist, as luck would have it a moderate dose of H4831 slings the 85 Nosler BT out of that stubby 24" barrel at 3425fps. My point is simply that a used 25-06 might scratch your itch for a legitimate Ole wildcat that deserves your consideration. I'm very happy to say that Starline thought enough of it to offer brass too. Perhaps one day Randy with offer a 257 vld and then that old barrel will get changed. I recently found some reasonably cheap old Sierra 100 grain Spitzers from a member on this board and the dang thing shoots them well too so for now I am ready for any unsuspecting deer or woodchuck that happens along.
Matt
Matt
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Im just trying to figure out the cheapest way of doing this. I get by the time i get it put together and fire form cases theres not much in the form of cheap. But if i dont have to do a whole lot of work to the gun then that really keeps the price down. #1 work seems to be rare and expensive.
I want a number 1 because stocks can be had fairly reasonable and i want to try my hand at fitting a stock on one. If i mess it up i can akways put the original wood back on.
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
Buying one in buying one in 243 and re chambering it would be the cheapest way to go. Or one in 6mm Rem, but I don’t know if they made them in that cartridge. But then your stuck with the factory barrel which aren’t always very good. But that by far would be the cheapest route.
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
Also re chambering in 243 Ackley would likely give you all of the performance you could ask for with easily available dies. Have you looking into Catbird dies? They are probably custom order and extremely expensive.
Also make sure whoever you’re going to use as a gunsmith has the reamer. It’s not exactly a common reamer for any gunsmith to have on the shelf. There’s another $300 you might have spend if he doesn’t. Dies and a reamer could easily add $600-$800 to the price of your project..
Also make sure whoever you’re going to use as a gunsmith has the reamer. It’s not exactly a common reamer for any gunsmith to have on the shelf. There’s another $300 you might have spend if he doesn’t. Dies and a reamer could easily add $600-$800 to the price of your project..
6mm Remington seems to be a popular caliber in the No. 1 based on the times I've shopped GunBroker
spitfire_er
Silver $$ Contributor
Can't help you with the No.1, but I have a few rifles in a similar cartridge with 30 degree shoulder. Great for deer and yotes. Used to run 105's @ 3250, but now run them closer to 3150 to try and preserve brass a little.
spitfire_er
Silver $$ Contributor
Own a couple built by the wife's grandfather in the mid 70's. Built myself one around 2010. They built hundreds of them. His version was basically a 25-06, necked down and the shoulder bumped back to 30 degrees. He would modify dies for reloading them as well. They always just called it a 243-06. Haven't shot mine In a while, might need to take one of them out.
L-R, 243-06, 25-06, 270 win.
L-R, 243-06, 25-06, 270 win.
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