6mm AI, 243 AI, 260 AI???

[cowboy717]

i'm looking at building a hunting/longrange/varmint all in one rifle. not too worried about weight, as i back a custom 7saum with laminate stock and 26" heavy barrel for deer season,,
so the question is, what would be the best bet? i know the 6mm and 243 will be close but is their accuracy differences?? and i'm throwin in the 260 just because of the heigher weights of bullets
thanks
Daric

 

[constructor]

The 243 with Sierras new 95SMK is flat to say the least. Flat shooting at unknown distances means accuracy to me. When I get the groups down to 1/2moa I call it good and work on my shooting more than load developement. I consider the 243 fine for deer but, light for Elk. I would go 6.5 Creedmoor before the 260 because it allows the use of longer, higher BC bullets.
I have a Stiller Tac 30 on the way and I go back and forth as to what to build between the 243 and Creedmoor weekly.

 

[7stwhunter]

you might want to give this post a read:
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/6mmbr/vpost?id=2165951

 

[Stev]

You don't have to shoot heavy bullets or large calibers to reliably get instant deer kills. I've killed many deer in the last 30+ years with what was planned to be a varmint gun and a marginal deer gun. I had Tom Brown in CA build me a 26" Shilen 10” twist no. 5 contour barreled Ruger 77. He tuned the action, recessed a target crown, trued the bolt and gave it a great trigger job. I glass bedded it with the barrel free floating forward of the barrel shank. I replaced the magazine an follower with a 7x57 so I could seat the bullets out long enough to touch the lands. I put on a Leupold 6.5-20 scope. I shot a witnessed 200yd 10 shot group of 5/8”.

The first couple of deer I shot with Sierra 85 gr hunting bullets but at 3,350-3,400 fps they came apart. After some experimenting I found the best hunting bullet I have ever found. It is the Speer 85 gr pointed BT,the same bullet I shot the above 10 shot group) I usually got exits from many angles and couple of times recovered the bullet from the off side hide perfectly mushroomed with minimal weight loss. I had kills from a deer at about 20 years and a Wyoming antelope so far our my two hunting partners couldn’t even see it with either their scopes or binoculars. From my hold,prone over my hat on a rock) it calculated at just under 600 yrds. Since I didn’t want to chance a cripple at that range and I had a broadside shoot I called my shot for the head. Even at that range it took the top half of the skull off. My “marginal deer gun” became my only deer and antelope gun to this day.

You can pick a good 85/87 grain 6mm varmint bullet and match the loads for a truly outstanding varmint/hunting rifle.