6xc or 243win.

[jotrot]

trying to figure out the difference in barrel life. no competions and paying attention to heat, shooting 87,105 gr. bullets.
im very found of the 243 and geared up for it, would it be worth the switch ? and what other benefits of the 6xc.
I don't have much time to fool with making brass and I notice I can buy 6xc brass.
also is it quitter or less of crack to it.


thanks for your time

 

[Eric Leonard]

IDK how long it will last but I been shooting a Tac 30 action in an AICS 1.5 with Krieger 8 twist HV 28 inches long chambered in straight 243 throated long enough to seat the 105 VLDH at 2.875 and has 025 jump to lands,,

shooting the 105 at 3210 fps and it is really flat and holds better in wind than I ever dreamed it would,,it makes the 10 inch gong at 1,000 yards pretty easy,,

21.75 MOA elevation to 1,000 yards in todays conditions compared to a friend of mines 308 Savage BA shooting 168s that just about maxed his 12-42 NXS out at 43 minutes elevation,,

IDK about the Norma XC brass either but the Lapua 243 brass is good stuff,,

 

[RockyMtnMan]

If both cartridges were pushed to max speed capabilities using the same powder and bullet throughout both of their lives, the 6XC barrels will probably live longer. The 243 is easier to find brass and dies for no doubt. The advantage of the 6XC is efficiency. You can get pretty close to 243 Win speeds with less powder. Smaller powder charges equate to less heat and less recoil.

The 6 Dasher is very popular with long range benchrest shooters for the same reason. Besides it's inherent accuracy potential, it gives excellent speeds with small amounts of powder. The small charges don't generate excessive heat when rapid firing strings and the minimal recoil of the 6 Dasher makes it an ideal candidate for a heavy bench rifle to ride a front rest and rear bag smoothly and reliably with minimal contact from the shooter to stop recoil.

 

[watercam]

My .243 only lasted 950 rounds of competitive shooting. My 6XC went 2500 before I (regretfully) sold it. The .243 was a barrel burner to be sure but it certainly helped me with wind calls at 1K.

 

[jywolfe]

Our shop has been testing the 6mmXC pretty extensively. We have 3 rifles running right now. The XC is a super cartridge. The Norma brass is very good and anything from RE17, H4350, and H4831SC can run anything from 95 to 115 with excellent results.

I am pushing the 115 DTAC in a Krieger 1/7.5 5R with 29 OAL at 3050 fps with 39.2 grains of RE17. With the H4350, I'm getting 3010 avg. fps with the 105 Berger VLD. The later load achieved a 3.1 standard deviation and a .939" group at 300 yards. I think a better shooter could improve this, I just have failing eyes and was fighting mirage.

I did work up to 3140 with the 115 DTAC, but felt it was pushing a little too hard. Accuracy was very good at the higher node, but I just don't need the extra velocity.

I'm at about 250 rounds in the current Krieger and the throat is still excellent. I hope to get 2000 plus before accuracy starts to trail off. I am also not pushing it as hard as it will safely go.

In our shop, I see .243 chambered rifles come in for a barrel change after as few as 400-600 rounds. Most of these are guys shooting lighter bullets at max velocity however. The throats usually looked like cracked mud and are scaly for a considerable distance into the lead.

Another advantage if you are loading from the magazine is the shorter case length of the XC. It allows loading long without going past the maximum magazine length. My longest is 2.770" with the 115 DTAC.

 

[WyleWD]

trying to figure out the difference in barrel life. no competions and paying attention to heat, shooting 87,105 gr. bullets.
im very found of the 243 and geared up for it, would it be worth the switch ? and what other benefits of the 6xc.
I don't have much time to fool with making brass and I notice I can buy 6xc brass.
also is it quitter or less of crack to it.


thanks for your time

I've been shooting the 6xc since 2007. I've owned and loved the 243 since 1974. I have rebarreled the 243 after about 1200 rounds. I now have 3 6xc's. A 9 twist, a 10 twist that I use for varmint hunting, and a 12 twist. The 9 and 12 are used for bench shooting. I have just over 2000 rounds on my oldest 9twist and it is still in great shape. It is still quite competitive.

If you are buying or building this rifle to hunt with only, either will do as what ever you hit won't know the difference. If you are going to shoot competition with it, definitely go with the 6xc. As far as one being more quiet than the other, the xc has a tune of it's own and slightly more quiet (maybe?). So you don't have to read between the lines, the 6xc WILL get so close to a 243 in muzzle velocity in almost any bullet weight range from 68 through 95gr there is little difference.... except the xc uses substantially less powder to get close to 243 muzzle velocities. Trust me. WD

 

[Eric Leonard]

Our shop has been testing the 6mmXC pretty extensively. We have 3 rifles running right now. The XC is a super cartridge. The Norma brass is very good and anything from RE17, H4350, and H4831SC can run anything from 95 to 115 with excellent results.

I am pushing the 115 DTAC in a Krieger 1/7.5 5R with 29 OAL at 3050 fps with 39.2 grains of RE17. With the H4350, I'm getting 3010 avg. fps with the 105 Berger VLD. The later load achieved a 3.1 standard deviation and a .939" group at 300 yards. I think a better shooter could improve this, I just have failing eyes and was fighting mirage.

I did work up to 3140 with the 115 DTAC, but felt it was pushing a little too hard. Accuracy was very good at the higher node, but I just don't need the extra velocity.

I'm at about 250 rounds in the current Krieger and the throat is still excellent. I hope to get 2000 plus before accuracy starts to trail off. I am also not pushing it as hard as it will safely go.

In our shop, I see .243 chambered rifles come in for a barrel change after as few as 400-600 rounds. Most of these are guys shooting lighter bullets at max velocity however. The throats usually looked like cracked mud and are scaly for a considerable distance into the lead.

Another advantage if you are loading from the magazine is the shorter case length of the XC. It allows loading long without going past the maximum magazine length. My longest is 2.770" with the 115 DTAC.

my 243 chamber was cut with enough freebore to seat the 105 VLD where the fat part of bullet is above the neck shoulder junction and the COAL is 2.865 ,which fits AI mags fine,and I have a .025 jump to the lands,,I am shooting 41.5 H4350 and getting 3200 fps from 28 inch Krieger bbl,,will 2-3 grs more 4350 and 190 more fps really ruin a bbl 4 times faster,,

 

[jotrot]

thank you for your time and experience.
I do shoot a lot and the 243 is the one I grab the most, im very close to another rebarrel and im considering something close to a 243 but more efficient and better life.

 

[dkhunt14]

my 243 chamber was cut with enough freebore to seat the 105 VLD where the fat part of bullet is above the neck shoulder junction and the COAL is 2.865 ,which fits AI mags fine,and I have a .025 jump to the lands,,I am shooting 41.5 H4350 and getting 3200 fps from 28 inch Krieger bbl,,will 2-3 grs more 4350 and 190 more fps really ruin a bbl 4 times faster,,

It is not only the powder amount but the angle of shoulder, the length of neck. Look up TP point. I think it stands for turbulence point. Rate of fire and type of powder used also can change the amount of rounds you get. Matt

 

[TAJ45]

It is not only the powder amount but the angle of shoulder, the length of neck. Look up TP point. I think it stands for turbulence point. Rate of fire and type of powder used also can change the amount of rounds you get. Matt

A good bud of mine will agree on the TP. He's put more than several hundred thousand rounds through quality well smithed bbls and actions when living out west, colony, rock chuck, gopher, jack and predator shooting. He's had several .243 AIs as well as 6mmRem AIs. Even burning more powder, he always had considerably more bbl life, apples to apples from the 6mmRemAIs and he likes to go fast until the brass starts to suffer. We're also doing the Palma 308 brass for more strength. He's talked to a lot of savvy guys, probably some have posted here, abt the XC and many say there is yet another node that needs the web strength. He's chambering one now, going for the longer neck, using the PBike257 dies on the brass and a neck reamer.

 

[fredo]

I'd surmise that to get an honest comparison of barrel life between any two cartridges, one would have to develop loads for each @ equal chamber pressure as a baseline, first & foremost. Then load the same bullet at same distance to lands & see what comes of it.

After establishing that, one can also take note of what, if any, velocity improvement the larger case affords, and if it's worth the extra powder burn to achieve it. Assuming same length barrels, naturally...

One thing the larger case will allow for, is option to run a slower burning powder to achieve "x,xxx" fps. That can possibly be attributable to realizing increased barrel life over a less capacious cartridge. Case efficiency & "TP" notwithstanding.

 

[dkhunt14]

I'd surmise that to get an honest comparison of barrel life between any two cartridges, one would have to develop loads for each @ equal chamber pressure as a baseline, .

Why would you want to alter the pressure if that is not what they are really shooting in the gun? The question was about how many rounds will they get. The TP is really important for barrels lasting. Many studies done it. If the cartridge burns it in the case rather then the throat it will last longer. Matt

 

[fredo]

Just making commentary how comparing barrel life at different pressures is subjective, at best.
Study up on the scientific method & the use of controls to form a viable hypothesis.

Then, consider how a barrel could get ~2500rds of life at moderate pressure, yet that same barrel could be toast @ <1500rds if run with hot loads. Same barrel, yet widely different results. This is common knowledge...


There is no free lunch in reloading, everything has a tradeoff. You can't burn less powder, net more speed, and enjoy more barrel life...all at the same time. Least not from simply going to a case with slight shoulder improvement, you can't.

 

[Raptor]

Get the best of both worlds, use a 6SLR. It is a 243 with a 6XC neck and shoulder on it. Use H1000 and you will get over 2500 to 3000rds out of one. I push the 107s and 105s at right at 3000fps. I pulled my last barrel at 4300+ rounds with a set back at 1800+. It was still shooting great at 600 but was getting unexplained flyers at longer ranges so I pulled the barrel...

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Get the best of both worlds, use a 6SLR. It is a 243 with a 6XC neck and shoulder on it. Use H1000 and you will get over 2500 to 3000rds out of one. I push the 107s and 105s at right at 3000fps. I pulled my last barrel at 4300+ rounds with a set back at 1800+. It was still shooting great at 600 but was getting unexplained flyers at longer ranges so I pulled the barrel...

I don't agree with this at all. I can buy 243 Win ammunition in lots of varieties and 6XC ammunition in 3 flavours. I wouldn't own a rifle (in 6SLR) that I couldn't buy factory ammunition for at a pinch.
Regards
JCS

 

[Dgd6mm]

I don't agree with this at all. I can buy 243 Win ammunition in lots of varieties and 6XC ammunition in 3 flavours. I wouldn't own a rifle (in 6SLR) that I couldn't buy factory ammunition for at a pinch.
Regards
JCS

I wonder if this is a concern of the original poster? If it is I see your point, but if it doesn't I see Raptor's....

 

[jotrot]

thank you for your time. I do not want to make brass or fireform referring to ackleys, I do load my own.
I work out of town and some times out of state and I come home every weekend which means I want to spend less time at the reloading bench.
I was reading the berger manuel on 6xc and it seems to me to be a excellent cartridge.

thanks joel

 

[Raptor]

"IF" you reload making 6SLR brass is not a concern. You simply run a 243 case into the die and you have the SLR case. Your fist shot "Forms" the case to final size but you don't know the difference when shooting a new case or a formed case. The rifle shoots the same. In fact I have shot some of my best groups with new brass. So you "Don't" loose barrel life forming brass. Another reason I like it but if your into factory ammo then it would not be for you....