243/ 6mm remington

[Erik Cortina]

If you go with a .308 try the lighter weight Barnes X bullets. They are very effective for deer. Spend a little more and put a muzzle brake on the rifle. you won't wear out a .308 barrel.

ROLL TIDE

I would advise against a muzzle brake, they make the gun too loud and the "quiet" ones will blow dust in your face when shooting prone. If you think you need a muzzle brake what you need is a different caliber.

 

[GSPV]

I gotta ask: why not a straight 6BR?

 

[jonbearman]

I love the .243 but the 7-08 is a much better cartridge due to bullet selection and weights to choose from.You can download the 7-08 to a powder puff load or go all out and better barrel life.I also wouldnt spend alot on truing a remington action if all you are doing is hunting with it.I have many remmys that have never been touched and outshoot some customs I have shot against.I know I will catch hell for saying what I have but if you are on a budget,get them to true the threads andlocking lugs and recut the boltface only.

 

[GSPV]

The OP said it was a "range/hunting" rifle and mentioned spending a lot of time shooting it.

 

[normmatzen]

I have a 243 WIN long range bench gun. I have 2200 shots down the tube and just bought a new barrel and reamer(6BRX). I have shot 107 SMKs with 46 gr of H1000 and the barrel life extends out to a satisfactory level. My sweet spot load yields 2930 fps. So, if you use a 1 in 8 barrel and 100 gr hunting bullets or 107 g match bullets with a slow powder like H1000 you CAN double normal 243 barrel life.

But the fellow above with his comment about why not a 6BR is very valid. You will get the same velocity with 100-107 gr bullets as my light load 243 and use way less powder to do it. And, recoil is WAY down. Lapua cases can be re-loaded enough that their initial cost is trivial, and every one sells die for the 6BR. AND, it is easy and non-critical to load.

The only problem I forsee with the 6BR for hunting is with a magazine, it may not feed reliably. But if you can shoot, what's wrong with a single shot? In my black powder days there was a popular tee shirt that said, "Beware the man that needs only one shot!"

 

[Rooster50]

6mm AI with Berger 95gr hunting bullets. The 40 degree shoulder helps with the throat erosian and it packs a serious wallop. I have had mine up to 3250fps and not pushed it that hard.

 

[Centex Bill]

Trinity:

Forget the 6mm's. Go with a BOB. The 257 Roberts is a fantastic cartridge that will do the work of 6mm while still have modest recoil. The BOB is big enough to do deer and antelope with authority and will put coyotes down DRT.

Plus, it just has character.

Bill

 

[BoydAllen]

Let me propose something that is a little unconventional for the average shooter, but quite ordinary in the benchrest world. Build a switch barrel rifle. Have one barrel in 6mm Remington and another in 6BR. Switching barrels is really no big deal...15-20 minutes if you take your time, and a few tools. Deer season is short, and once you work up a load, you won't have occasion to shoot that many rounds per year. That barrel should last almost forever. For the rest of the year, you will have a more accurate, slower wearing barrel to have fun with at the range. you can use a heavier contour, and live with the bigger gap with a lighter barrel during hunting season.

 

[areaone]

WyleWD said it all. the 6mm rates high and with that Sierra 85 BTHP you got it all for what you want. Don't hotrod the load and you can get adequate barrel life, Lets say you get.25 on three shot groups when new, after 1000 down you open to.50 and so on. If you want a bench rester go to 6ppc, if not that 6mm should satisfy you, Good Luck.