243 vs 6mm vs?

Sidewinder

Sidewinder

New member
Help me out, I have an urge for another rifle! I want a long range coyote rifle, like out to 600 yards. I have a 204 and 223 but would like to reach out further. Pelts are not worth much in my area so quick kills are my concern. I was thinking about the 243 / 243 WSSM / and the 6mm Remington. I was thinking about an Ackley Improved, cause I don't have one. I have a Remington 700 in 25-06. Maybe I should just get a new barrel for it and have the action worked over, as it just is not as accurate as I think it should be. What are your experiences with these calibers? I want accuracy to reach out and touch that reluctant yote!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
how about a 260 remington?

at extreme range, wind drift is what will screw you up. launching a 140 gr @ 2700 fps with a BC of .550+ is a gooood thing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

long action = 6.5-284 or 6.5-06
 
If you are looking to shoot out to 600 yards or more I would lean to a .308 or 7mm-08 or even the .260 rem if you want a short action gun. Penny wise I would say work over the 25-06 and work on a heavy bullet load. Any of these can be done as an Ackley, many times they become hard to sell if you decide your life went in another direction. Put your money in a good piece of glass with target turrets for shooting that far. Just my opinion.
 
I have both, the .243 handles the lighter bullets better the 6MM handles the heavier bullets better in my opinion. The .243 you can find tons of used brass for it. Conversely the 6MM Remington finding used brass is like pulling teeth without whiskey. Since fur is not an issue and long range is I’d opt for a 87 gr. V-Max or the 105 A-Max with it’s .500 BC. So a little faster than a 1-9 twist would be where I’d go. An AI is an option but both my .243 and 6MM make regular hits on Prairie Dogs at over 500 yards in the wind with 70 gr. Sierra Gamekings so Coyotes are not a problem.
 
I am a .243 fanatic of sorts. Have several, from heavy barrels with muzzle break down to true lightweights. My favorite calling caliber. Really puts the hammer on predators.

Now, all that said, I have taken far more coyotes and cats under 100 yards than over 100.

I believe that a .243 is minimum for the ranges you are talking about. If I wanted a 600-yard gun, I would be looking at larger calibers with a close eye on ballistic coefficient. Just my gut feelings, after using about everything from .17 through .375 H&H.
 
FWIW, I have a 700 in 6mm Rem that's currently at the smith's getting rebarreled with Krieger after I finally shot out the factory barrel. In it's factory form, I have hit a few pdogs nudging an honest 800 yards using 75 grain VMaxes launched at a leisurely 3050 fps. It's a pdogs absolute worst nightmare at the 650 range, even when conditions are less than perfect.

I like the 6mm Rem because it's different.

That said, I doubt you'd really see any appreciable difference in the field between the .243 and 6mm out to any range you may consider shooting.

In the real world, I think you can safely call them "ballistic twins".

Mike
 
Howdy
I have all the 6mm's you mentioned and a 25-06 the 06 will move 87gr bullets 300fps faster than the 243win and 6mm rem and 200fps faster than the 243wssm acording to the Hornady data, I like them all but would take the 25-06 for the longer shots. I also have a extra 700 action laying around that should become a 6.5-06 much better bullet selection than the 25-06.
 
I would go with the 243 for the availability of brass and bullets and go with the Ackley for the velocity gain and the "cool factor". Shoot 70-87gr bullets and you will be dropping them at 600.
 
243 vs 6mm, hmm. I like the 6mm. Since I reload the slightly longer neck helps. If I was just using factory ammo then the 243 would be my choice. I feel the jury is still out on the 243 WSSM.
 
I have a couple of 243's and a 6mm. If I had my choice of either in identical rifles, I'd go with the 6mm every time. Twist it up for 85-90 grain bullets, put good glass with repeatable adjustments on it, and kill stuff. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
F1
 
The .243 and 6mm rem are virtually identical ballistics wise unless you reload, in which case the 6mm gets a very slight nod.

If you are really going to shoot coyotes at 600YDs (successfully), you will be setting up for that distance, and (if you like it) will very likely start wanting to shoot them at considerably longer ranges. You might want to consider something with higher bc bullets available from the get-go and save having to buy another gun down the road for 1000YD shots. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Ditto every word you said!

While I consider my 6mm a pretty decent long-range rig, long range for it is 800 yards, and barely a step further. I tried it a month ago at 1000 at the same time my buddy was trying out his brand new custom .22-284 with 80 grain VLD's....He got a 6.75" 5 shot group. Me, with my 6mm....well, let's just say I had to pull the target back in to 800 yards.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

That's the problem with wanting to shoot long....it makes you want to shoot longer, and the truth is, unless you're shooting something fairly exotic, you run out of horsepower about 85% of the distance to the target..

Mike
 
Work on the 25/06.
The bullet selection is not as great as some of the others, but there is enough.

First off you already have it. Maybe just a bed job and a little trigger work and you will be where you want to be.
 
just remember high BC will outrun velocity in the long range game, I'd go 6.5 diameter, the 6.5/284, 6.5/06 or the 6.5 Gibbs. the 139 gr lapua scenar has a BC of .615, the 142 gr SMK is .595 launch these at around 3000-3100 fps and you got a 1K varmint rifle.
RR
 
Sidewinder,
If you are a reloader then my pick would be the 6mm A.I. from your short list. If you don't reload I would recommend working on the .25-06, in my experience the .25-06 shoots really well in most rifles. The .243 is a really great round but is a bit lacking in case capacity (actually so is the 6mm). If you decide to go all out then I would take a long hard look at the 6.5-.284, brass is relatively easy to get and it seems to be the current long range accuracy champ. You can shoot 600 yards with about anything that will group but like the others have said once you connect at 600 then you will want to shoot farther!
Bob
 
Quote:
just remember high BC will outrun velocity in the long range game, I'd go 6.5 diameter, the 6.5/284, 6.5/06 or the 6.5 Gibbs. the 139 gr lapua scenar has a BC of .615, the 142 gr SMK is .595 launch these at around 3000-3100 fps and you got a 1K varmint rifle.
RR


My vote is for the 6mmRem.
While I agree that B.C. rules. A fast twist 6mmRem pushing 95gr VLDs with a B.C..514 @ 3250 or a 107VLD B.C. of .556 @ 3050 or better yet a 115 VLD B.C. of .595 @ 2900+ all but equals any of the 6.5 offerings within their usable range. Go with a 6mmAI or a 6mm/284 and a few hundred fps more...then your really talkin!!!
 
I hunt with coyotesmoke and have seen his .243 Ackely in action. It is great round for 600 yards. I am having a 6mm Ackley built just to be different. But I sure either will get the job done.
 
Just go up to a .308, or have your 25-06 reworked check out the bedding closely before you go rebarreling it. I like the 243 myself but for that sort of range I would go with my 270 WSM or 308.
BTW I am building an AR in 243 wssm for longer than 223 coyote shots
 


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