--- 18" Rifle Ballistics 243 vs 6.5-06 ---

blopez50

blopez50

New member
Ok guys, let's talk short(ish) barreled rifles!

Hopefully by next season I'll have my suppressors in hand. I've been thinking that I'd like to build an 18 inch rifle. I want something that I can hold on fur for as far as possible. For the sake of argument we'll call 400yd my max shot.

If you were going to build a rifle like this, would you go with the SA 243 sized case or the LA 30-06 size case? The 2 in particular that I'm looking at are the 243 shooting a 65gr bullet or the 6.5-06 shooting a 95gr bullet. I know efficiency will blow either way but I'm just curious if at this length the larger case is wasted...

*Edited to ask my question a little more clearly.
 
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I need more speed guys!

I have an 18" 6x45 and I'll have a 6x47L bench gun one of these days!

For this one I want a lightweight, compact (as it can be with a 7" can), flat (as flat as it can shoot out of a 18" barrel) shooter!

I just don't know how far they would be apart out of a short barrel.... ballistically speaking.


I thinkin 243, 260, 25-06, or 6.5-06. Small case or large case, that is the question...

If you're interested, these are the best numbers I can come up with after a couple hours of google-[beeep]. They're ballpark but not too far off...

Bullet and cartridge
BC
MV (average of 2 goo performing powders that I have around then -150fps)
Drop at 300yd/wind drift in 10mph 90*
Drop at 400yd/wind drift in 10mph 90*
“Pistol” MV guestimated from some pistol data and some user reports I could find

75gr 25-06
.290
3501
-5.1/7
-15.2/13.1
3126
-6.7/8.2
-19.8/15.3

95gr 6.5-06
.365
3237
-5.7/6
-16.6/11
2862
-7.6/7.2
-22/13.2

55gr 243
.276
3870fps
-4.1/6.6
-12.4/12.2
3515
-5.1/7.4
-15.4/13.8

65gr 243
.280
3530fps
-5.1/7.3
-15.2/13.5
3220
-6.3/8.2
-18.8/15.3

70gr 243
.310
3424
-5.2/6.7
-15.6/12.4
3167
-6.3/7.5
-18.6/13.8
 
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Skinny built an 18" 22-250 that of course he uses a can
Pretty sure it was an 8 tw barrel
Chad Dixon built it for him

May want to PM him as he knows all about what does and does not work with cans
 
I thought about it.... I'm just not sure that it's going to do anything more than the -06 in that short of a barrel. I could be wrong though!

While I know there's no EXACT way to tell short of actually shooting the thing, it looks to me like the gap between say the 260 and the 6.5-06 closes down quite a bit when you start chopping the barrel
 
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Originally Posted By: Buster HindendSkinny built an 18" 22-250 that of course he uses a can
Pretty sure it was an 8 tw barrel
Chad Dixon built it for him

May want to PM him as he knows all about what does and does not work with cans

I forgot about rifle! I'll shoot him a message. I'm curious why he went 22-250 instead of 243. From reading some of his stuff I'm sure he had a reason, just don't know what it is!
 
Originally Posted By: blopez50Originally Posted By: Buster HindendSkinny built an 18" 22-250 that of course he uses a can
Pretty sure it was an 8 tw barrel
Chad Dixon built it for him

May want to PM him as he knows all about what does and does not work with cans

I forgot about rifle! I'll shoot him a message. I'm curious why he went 22-250 instead of 243. From reading some of his stuff I'm sure he had a reason, just don't know what it is!

Hey bud, sorry I didn't get on this sooner... here are couple reasons why I decided to do what I did with the LRI, "The Coyote Rifle"

1) One of our main concerns was carrying around a platform always equipped with a can, and the way we hunt with our packs, the more compact rifle that is carried on our back, is much easier to carry in our scabbards, not to mention the center of gravity is more "efficient" with a weapon that is not long and always trying to shift left or right...

2) one of my "theories" is a shorter fatter barrel is more ridged, your always gonna have barrel harmonics, and they are going to be more extreme when you've got a longer thinner barrel, now think of your can as a weight hangin on the end of it... you get the idea.

3) I don't need to have a round going 4K fps, when I know my trajectory, keep in mind this platform was designed for 400yds and in... (but I've taken it to 800 with ease)

4) A few reasons I went with the 22-250, I've been around it my entire life, my dad has killed more dogs with his than I can count..., another is because it is an inherently accurate cartridge, you can't argue with that..., one of my favorite reasons is, you introduce a 65 grain 6mm round that's going faster than my .224 55 grainer, your just asking to blow $hit up (higher velocity with a bigger round is NOT made for fur)... I'm of the mindset of keeping what I kill, some people aren't... If I can get 30.00 for a decent fur that ain't blow all to pi$$, heck bro, that's a lb of H4350, or Varget, now do that all season long when the fur is prime and walla, you got your gas money paid for, and more than enough for some LR summer shooting, and not to mention next seasons recipe for disaster... Sure these animals kill, it's the only mode they know, they are more of a machine than you and I will ever be, I protect my cattle just like any Rancher does... But they've also got one thing to offer me, so I'll take it in one piece.
 
Thanks for the reply man!

Very good points all around. I'm definitely going to be going with a compact rifle with a short, stiff, barrel. I think your justification for the 250 is a good one. Honestly, I've never sold a fur and hadn't thought that much about it. Around here it stays pretty warm (even in the dead of winter) so I'm gonna do some research on fur prices... some extra money here and there never hurts!

Thanks again to everyone who chimed in. I'll make sure to keep you all updated as this build progresses.
 
Originally Posted By: blopez50 I'll make sure to keep you all updated as this build progresses.

Good deal, I'll be interested in seein what she looks like when she's ready to rock!
 
This may be useful to ya:
Im shooting a reduced load .243 55gr NBT (BC=.276) at 3612 avg MV from a 22", which isn't too far off what you have listed for a 18" barrel with a stouter powder charge. I can set this load up to have a max point blank range of ~320 yards for a 6" kill zone if my memory is correct...anyway its a very efficient little setup that's point and shoot for 95% of hunting

Also IMO if you go .243 I'd skip the 65gr due to the BC, the 55NBT has an near equal BC to it(.276 vs .280) and is 10 gr lighter/faster OR the 70gr NBT has a .310 BC and is just 5gr heavier/almost same fps

Good luck with your choice! Im curious to see what you end up doing
 
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