6mm .236 vs. .237 bore?

[JohnD]

Why are there 2 different bore sizes for the 6mm? Does one have an advantage over the other or does it depend on the aplication? I wound up with a .237 on my custom 6 and wondered if it may prefer certain bullets and or loads.

Thanks, John.

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

The only bullet that may not like that particular barrel is the 105 Lapua Scenar because it actually measures a little under .243 in diameter. That is assuming you have a barrel with sufficient twist to stabilize said bullet?

Mike

 

[rcw3]

I suspect the whole .236" vs .237" debate started because there were different barrel makers who used different specs for their barrels and people began pondering whether one was better than the other, etc. and off it went - - never to be resolved. I have shot many of each bore size and never really noticed a difference. I am told that for short range bench rest using the smaller 6mm bullets, that .237" is preferred (presumably because it deforms the bullet less). I don't do short range bench rest shooting so that's a non issue for me. I can say that with the larger 6mm bullets, I have never seen a noticeable difference between a .236" vs a .237" 6mm barrel. The .236" may offer a little more barrel wear potential for high round count applications but I really think that's about it. If you have some undersized diameter bullets a .236" may work better with them, but that's a bullet issue, not a barrel issue.