.243 vs 6mmm barrel life??

[Rsadams]

I was wondering if anyone knows if the 6mm remington barrel life is the same as the .243?? They are pretty close caliber wise and iam fixing to start reloading for my 6mm remington some.. I have been reading the .243 barrel doesn't live as long as say the .308.. Also why they don't live as long?? Smaller bore??

Thanks in advance for your time..
Shawn

PS sorry for the extra M in the title..

 

[watercam]

My .243 long range rifle gave up at about 950 rounds. The 6mm has a tiny bit more capacity so I would expect similar barrel life depending upon your load. The smaller bore concentrates a greater volume of 5000º+ gas relative to a 6mm round with smaller capacity or a larger bore to spread the heat further up the bore away from the throat. They shoot great while they last though!

 

[LHSmith]

http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/overbore-cartridges-defined-by-formula/
http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_case_capacity.htm

 

[Rsadams]

Thank you..

 

[Brians356]

Indistinguishable.

But 6mm Rem is the better cartridge. And if you ever decide to Ackley improve it, it yields more performance gain than 243.
-

 

[Patton243]

For hunting and general target purposes you should be able to get 2000 rounds out of a 243. For competition 1500 most likely. If you want to extend barrel life, use H1000 in your 243 for bullets 95 grains and heavier. That's the powder I use now. I would not build a 6mm Remington due to the fact of poor brass and dies are more expensive. If you want something other than a 243 look at a 6 Creedmoor, 6XC, or 6x47 Lapua. I'm currently having a 6x47 Lapua built by my smith.

 

[Rsadams]

For hunting and general target purposes you should be able to get 2000 rounds out of a 243. For competition 1500 most likely. If you want to extend barrel life, use H1000 in your 243 for bullets 95 grains and heavier. That's the powder I use now. I would not build a 6mm Remington due to the fact of poor brass and dies are more expensive. If you want something other than a 243 look at a 6 Creedmoor, 6XC, or 6x47 Lapua. I'm currently having a 6x47 Lapua built by my smith.

Oh no it's my dad's old hunting rifle. Would just like to shoot it every once in a while but don't want to burn up the barrel. Ammo is hard to find for it , I have to drive 40 mins one way to get a box so I wanted to reload some now and then..

 

[Hoser]

Use a slow powder like H-1000 and don't get the barrel too warm and you will be fine.

 

[Webster]

I was wondering if anyone knows if the 6mm remington barrel life is the same as the .243?? They are pretty close caliber wise and iam fixing to start reloading for my 6mm remington some.. I have been reading the .243 barrel doesn't live as long as say the .308.. Also why they don't live as long?? Smaller bore??

Thanks in advance for your time..
Shawn

PS sorry for the extra M in the title..

I consider the 6mm Rem to be the Rem copy of the 243. Both are 6mm and 243 burn the same amount and same types of powder so the barrel life should be the same. Both push the same amount of hot gas down a 6mm bore. Don't shoot max charges and wait 30-60 seconds between shots. This will increase barrel life. Both calibers are hard on barrels. I shot a 6mm Rem from 1970-2009 at GH. 6mm Rem harder to get brass. Poor resell value.

 

[Homerange]

I consider the 6mm Rem to be the Rem copy of the 243.

It's not, period.
6mm Rem evolved from the 244 Rem that Remington f***ed up with a too slow twist rate when released. Win 243 stole a good hunk of the market with a better twist rate to stabilize heavier bullets and Remington after realising their error corrected the twist rate and released 6mm Rem.
The 2 Rem cartridges are identical, only the rifles differ in twist rate.
In the hands of a capable reloader the 6mm Rem will always have an edge on the 243.

 

[Racebannon3855]

For years I listened to the "243 and 6 Rem are the same argument", Now that I have a 6 Rem I can tell you that they are not the same. The 6 Rem runs at higher pressure (SAAMI) and has more potential when hand loaded. Some sources will tell you that the longer neck of the 6 mm helps with throat life vs the 243. I have not burned up the throat in my 6 yet so I don't know about that.

The real charm to the 6 Rem is making it an Ackley, then it really picks up capacity and speed vs the competition. If you want to hunt varmints and deer the 85 gr Sierra Game King HPBT is the way to go. For 100 gr deer bullets the Speer is priced right and they shoot very well in my 6 mm and 243s.

I have had a 243 since '83 and I have only added more, never been without one. I like them and load for a bunch of them. That said, the Chronograph will tell you that the 6 Rem has more to offer.

For those that complain about brass, they are correct. Good 243 Brass is everywhere, 6 rem brass can be tough to find and the last few times I saw ammo at a local gun shop it was twice as much as 243. Take care of your brass, go for slower powders and don't overheat it and you will enjoy it. Just don't let people tell you that it's the same as a 243.

 

[mikecr]

The edge goes to whichever has the best available brass.

 

[BoydAllen]

A little tip: A friend has a really good 6mm Rem. AI and the way that he gets good brass is to make it from Lapua 8x57. First he runs it into a 7x57 die and then I believe that he goes straight to the the 6mm die. His necks end up thicker, but he has a small drill press that stays set up to turn necks that makes short work of that. The up side is that he has perfect control of his first firing headspace, and can, if he wants to, turn at the larger caliber so that he has the same brass thickness in at the bottom of the neck and at the top of the shoulder, which gives a built in advantage as far as doughnuts are concerned. Of course this would be more of an issue with the straight 6mm Remington, since the bottom of the neck is pulled slightly into the top of the shoulder when AIs are fireformed.

 

[Homerange]

For years I listened to the "243 and 6 Rem are the same argument", Now that I have a 6 Rem I can tell you that they are not the same................ Just don't let people tell you that it's the same as a 243.

Exactly.

Of note is a comment added to the listing for 243 Win in Frank C Barnes's Cartridges of the World:
The 243 has gained a reputation among ballisticians for erratic performance. Handloaders should keep this firmly in mind.

Are these comments still relevant today ?


A study of this book and a # of its editions has this comment for very few calibers and in all editions that I have seen (3) always for the 243. That is not to say that it is a bad cartridge, on the contrary, just don't try to reinvent the wheel with it of you can run into erratic performance whereas the 6mm Rem can be pushed well beyond published data and still get excellent results.

 

[Rsadams]

I love my little 600 in 6mm rem. Its been in my family since it was new. Today I put the new Leupold scope on it that was on a.308 that's been a problem child. 4 rounds of crappy federal 100gr to sight it in at 25 yards. Then moved to 100 fired one shot , corrected next shot in the bullseye then the next shot went through the same hole. I had to pull the target and look at the back of it to tell, it was almost a perfect shot through shot off a duffle bag. I put it away after that figured good enough..lol

I thought the scope may have been the problem with the .308. Needless to say it wasn't. Now my 600 has a new Leupold becouse its staying on there. Back to square one on the .308 though.. I can only imagine what the little 600 6mm would shoot with good hand loads..

Once again thanks for your replies , time and wisdom it is very much appreciated..

 

[Brians356]

6mm Rem harder to get brass. Poor resell value.

I'm not so sure. 243s are everywhere. A vintage rifle in 6mm Rem seems to get attention these days, and the virtues of the cartridge (and its Ackley variant) seem to be more appreciated. I've got a '70s R700 BDL Varmint Special in 6mm Rem, bought at a pawn shop in near mint condition, that makes me smile just to ogle. I push 70-gr Speer TNTs through it at 3800 fps using Superformance. Devastating on Marmota flaviventris and Canis latrans. Cases, while not always available, are easy to form, from 7x57mm or 257 Roberts.

Incidentally, did you know the 6mm Rem is the virtual ballistic twin of the 243 WSSM? Compare max charge weights and velocities for Hodgdon family powders common to both cartridge listings, they are essentially identical within a couple percent.
-

 

[Rsadams]

I'm not so sure. 243s are everywhere. A vintage rifle in 6mm Rem seems to get attention these days, and the virtues of the cartridge (and its Ackley variant) seem to be more appreciated. I've got a '70s R700 BDL Varmint Special in 6mm Rem, bought at a pawn shop in near mint condition, that makes me smile just to ogle. I push 70-gr Speer TNTs through it at 3500 fps using Superformance. Devastating on Marmota flaviventris and Canis latrans. Cases, while not always available, are easy to form, from 7x57mm or 257 Roberts.

Incidentally, did you know the 6mm Rem is the virtual ballistic twin of the 243 WSM? Compare max charge weights and velocities for Hodgdon family powders common to both cartridge listings, they are essentially identical within a couple percent.
-

It is just a great little cartridge.. Ammo and brass were hard to find but places like cabales and a few local gun stores keep them in stock these days.. When cabelas has an ammo sale like now I just throw a few box's back for future use.. As far as resale it's great on the 600s and only going higher , people always ask me about it at the range becouse it's different and so darn accurate.. Altho I could never sell mine..

Like the 1908 colt .32 the prices for some reason have skyrocketed over the last few years. I saw one like mine but in pretty rough shape at a LGS for $750 and thought hmm that's high becouse last I looked the were $350. Now a good one is $1000. The old Remingtons and colts have a following... People like us that have like new old rifles will get a premium for them as time goes by , if we can part with them..lol

 

[Webster]

It's not, period.
6mm Rem evolved from the 244 Rem that Remington f***ed up with a too slow twist rate when released. Win 243 stole a good hunk of the market with a better twist rate to stabilize heavier bullets and Remington after realizing their error corrected the twist rate and released 6mm Rem.
The 2 Rem cartridges are identical, only the rifles differ in twist rate.
In the hands of a capable reloader the 6mm Rem will always have an edge on the 243.

The case it evolved from and the twist have nothing to do with barrel life. If you look in the reloading manuals the loads are somewhat conflicting. One manual gives the 6mm Rem more velocity than a 243 with a given bullet weight another manual gives the 243 Win the edge. Some manuals list powders that are not in the other manual. They are so close in fps I call them the same or similar. If I wanted a rifle for casual BR shooting and varmint hunting I wouldn't buy either. If I wanted target, varmint and deer it's a more difficult choice. I own a 6BR and a 6BRX. These keep me happy for accurate casual BR shooting and GH.

Based on LHSMITH's bore wear chart I like the 6.5 X 47 Lapua. You couldn't shoot 55-70 gr bullets but it looks like a good all around caliber for everything with reasonable bore wear. It shoots 100 gr bullets at about 3100 fps. Accurate and good bore life.

 

[Homerange]

A little tip: A friend has a really good 6mm Rem. AI and the way that he gets good brass is to make it from Lapua 8x57. First he runs it into a 7x57 die and then I believe that he goes straight to the the 6mm die. His necks end up thicker, but he has a small drill press that stays set up to turn necks that makes short work of that. The up side is that he has perfect control of his first firing headspace, and can, if he wants to, turn at the larger caliber so that he has the same brass thickness in at the bottom of the neck and at the top of the shoulder, which gives a built in advantage as far as doughnuts are concerned. Of course this would be more of an issue with the straight 6mm Remington, since the bottom of the neck is pulled slightly into the top of the shoulder when AIs are fireformed.

Boyd, why would your mate use 8x57 brass to form 6mm and not 7x57 ?
Is there good reason ? More neck thickness to play with ?
Could you possibly find out for us ?

 

[BoydAllen]

Boyd, why would your mate use 8x57 brass to form 6mm and not 7x57 ?
Is there good reason ? More neck thickness to play with ?
Could you possibly find out for us ?

Because they do not offer it, and he is willing to pay for quality brass. If you have a source for 7x57 brass that is of adequate quality for your purpose, I see no reason for not using it.
http://www.lapua.com/en/reloading-components/cases.html