Thinking again!! I have a winny in 243 win. that may (or not) be a new project gun. I was thinking have the 243 bumped to a 6-284. Soooo, I got my new Hornady reloading manual out and compared a few loads, 243 vs 6-284. Both loads were shot out of an encore with a 10 twist. The 243 matched performance with the 284 using less powder. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I see no advantage in the 6-284 over the standard 243. Am I missing something. Keep in mind, we're talking 6-284 not the 6.5-284.
243vs6-284
- Thread starter pyscodog
- Start date
CatShooter
New member
Originally Posted By: pyscodogThinking again!! I have a winny in 243 win. that may (or not) be a new project gun. I was thinking have the 243 bumped to a 6-284. Soooo, I got my new Hornady reloading manual out and compared a few loads, 243 vs 6-284. Both loads were shot out of an encore with a 10 twist. The 243 matched performance with the 284 using less powder. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I see no advantage in the 6-284 over the standard 243. Am I missing something. Keep in mind, we're talking 6-284 not the 6.5-284.
"Correct me if I'm wrong... "
OK, you're wrong - there, wasn't that therapeutic
75 GR. HDY HP Winchester 760 .243" 2.640" 46.0 3447 50,100 CUP
75 GR. HDY V-MAX Hodgdon H4350 .243" 2.750" 53.0 3644 52,300 CUP
It's not a world of difference, but it is more of what we like
Of course, it eats up barrels fast, which is more of what we don't like - but you make your choice and pay the price.
"Correct me if I'm wrong... "
OK, you're wrong - there, wasn't that therapeutic
75 GR. HDY HP Winchester 760 .243" 2.640" 46.0 3447 50,100 CUP
75 GR. HDY V-MAX Hodgdon H4350 .243" 2.750" 53.0 3644 52,300 CUP
It's not a world of difference, but it is more of what we like
Of course, it eats up barrels fast, which is more of what we don't like - but you make your choice and pay the price.
2muchgun
New member
I must admit, I had a lot of fun burning out the barrel on my 6-06. But truth is a plain old 243 is hard to beat when all factors are considered. Nothing wrong with the big 6s, but a 243 or 243 AI is about as adventurous as I'll probably ever get again as far as 6mms are concerned. The 243 just plain works IMO. I currently have 3 of them. One is primarily for deer, one primarily for yotes, and the other a LR affair. Good friends now own a few of my others, that I still load for.....
CatShooter
New member
Originally Posted By: pyscodog58g v-max r-15 43.4 3800 243 win
58g v-max r-15 47.8 3800 6-284
95g sst r-22 45.3 3000 243 win
95g sst r-22 48.6 3000 6-284
These were taken from the new Hornady 8th edition. Seems like more powder, same results.
whimpy loads... Silly person!
Go to
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
... and browse around.
But the truth is that as a cartridge gets larger, it also looses expansion ratio - so you have more powder to burn, but it is slower, and now you have less barrel to burn it in.
So there gets to a point of diminishing returns, and the 243 and 6mm Rem are about as good as it gets for the 6mm bore size up to 26/28 inches...
Put a 34 inch tube on it and watch the 6mm-06 and 6mm-284 really shine.
.
58g v-max r-15 47.8 3800 6-284
95g sst r-22 45.3 3000 243 win
95g sst r-22 48.6 3000 6-284
These were taken from the new Hornady 8th edition. Seems like more powder, same results.
whimpy loads... Silly person!
Go to
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
... and browse around.
But the truth is that as a cartridge gets larger, it also looses expansion ratio - so you have more powder to burn, but it is slower, and now you have less barrel to burn it in.
So there gets to a point of diminishing returns, and the 243 and 6mm Rem are about as good as it gets for the 6mm bore size up to 26/28 inches...
Put a 34 inch tube on it and watch the 6mm-06 and 6mm-284 really shine.
.
Winny Fan
New member
I played with a couple of 6-284 rifles back in the late 19980's-early 1990's. They do provide a little edge over the standard 243 Winchester, but the most obvious advantage is they are something your neighbor probably doesn't have.
One possible down side for a rifle is you might have to have the action rails opened slightly to insure reliable feeding of the fatter 284 cartridge. Once done, its a fairly expensive venture to have them put back to normal width for something less than the 284 Winchester cartridge. It's something that a good smith/machinist can do. But it does require dollars.
For me, a standard 6MM Remington is a better choice in the 6MM variety if you want to nip the 243 Winchester in velocity for some reason.
One possible down side for a rifle is you might have to have the action rails opened slightly to insure reliable feeding of the fatter 284 cartridge. Once done, its a fairly expensive venture to have them put back to normal width for something less than the 284 Winchester cartridge. It's something that a good smith/machinist can do. But it does require dollars.
For me, a standard 6MM Remington is a better choice in the 6MM variety if you want to nip the 243 Winchester in velocity for some reason.
sixtwoeightyfour
New member
I get about 150 fps faster in my 6-284's than comparable 243's If I put the throttle down I can make this a little bigger but as a general rule of thumb 150. If you are looking for something a little faster, A little harder on barrels and a little different from everybody else, its a great cartridge.
yotehunter243
New member
iv shot the 243win for about 14 years now and as of yesterday got my first 6-284. I did alot of research and reading before i had the build. My main goal is to shoot 107gr bullet for long range. The 6-284 (from what iv read) doesnt shine until you get into the heavier weights and have to have the longer barrel like CatShooter said. Althought i wish i went with a 28-29" over my 27" o well. once i smoke the throat on this i will have it set back to either a 243AI or 6mm Rem. Figured while i was building might try something new. But i do agree the 243 win. and 243AI are all you need in the caliber. Best all around medium/small game caliber.
sixtwoeightyfour
New member
I have a 7 twist with a 27.5 inch on and it pushes the 115 grain bergers extremely well. I have a 9 twist with a 30 inch barrel and someday I think Ill cut it down to 26 or 27. You are going to have to "set back" almost 2 inches if you are going to go to 243 AI or 6mm.
JerrySchmitt
New member
I used to be one of the Fastest is bestest crowed but over the years I've come to learn that you can't miss them fast enough to make a difference.
My .243 Ackley was built to shoot 105 AMAX at 3000 FPS. That's plenty fast enough to get out to 1000 yards. Lately, I've been playing with 87VMAX bullets to get a little more splat on the prairie dogs and have found that it is plenty accurate at 1000 also. What really turned me around was the little 6MM BR. It stays around 200 FPS behind the .243 and I've never had a prairie dog walk away. It also works just fine on our Wisconsin White tails. When it comes to pin point accuracy, the little 6MM BR is just hard to beat.
Slow down and snipe the roses. (at 1000 yards)
My .243 Ackley was built to shoot 105 AMAX at 3000 FPS. That's plenty fast enough to get out to 1000 yards. Lately, I've been playing with 87VMAX bullets to get a little more splat on the prairie dogs and have found that it is plenty accurate at 1000 also. What really turned me around was the little 6MM BR. It stays around 200 FPS behind the .243 and I've never had a prairie dog walk away. It also works just fine on our Wisconsin White tails. When it comes to pin point accuracy, the little 6MM BR is just hard to beat.
Slow down and snipe the roses. (at 1000 yards)
2muchgun
New member
I'm getting 3002fps with my standard 243 and 95 gr Bergers. The 105 A-max is just a hair slower but trajectories are nearly the same.
My other 243 runs 87gr V-maxes exclusively. I have been telling folks around here how much I like that bullet for years now, but most around here always seemed to use the 75gr version. However, it seems that recently many having been discovering the merits of the 87gr....
My other 243 runs 87gr V-maxes exclusively. I have been telling folks around here how much I like that bullet for years now, but most around here always seemed to use the 75gr version. However, it seems that recently many having been discovering the merits of the 87gr....
yotehunter243
New member
that 87Gr Vmax with the BC of 400 and is easy to load for. Whats not to love about it. If i ever build a 243 in a 9 or 10 twist thats what im going to shoot out of it.
Dogwood Creek
New member
If I were going to fiddle with a 6mm semi custom for recreation, it would be a 6XC. There is some good reading on the round over on the accurate shooter forum home page. Is it better than a good 243? Not from a hunting/cost perspective. But,if I were looking to re-chamber or re-barrel a 6, that would be my first choice.
coleridge
Active member
Originally Posted By: JerrySchmittI used to be one of the Fastest is bestest crowed but over the years I've come to learn that you can't miss them fast enough to make a difference.
My .243 Ackley was built to shoot 105 AMAX at 3000 FPS. That's plenty fast enough to get out to 1000 yards. Lately, I've been playing with 87VMAX bullets to get a little more splat on the prairie dogs and have found that it is plenty accurate at 1000 also. What really turned me around was the little 6MM BR. It stays around 200 FPS behind the .243 and I've never had a prairie dog walk away. It also works just fine on our Wisconsin White tails. When it comes to pin point accuracy, the little 6MM BR is just hard to beat.
Slow down and snipe the roses. (at 1000 yards)
I'm spitting 105 Amax at 3010 out of my 26" barreled 6BRX. All that with 33 grains of powder. The BR & variants will really ruin it for a guy...
That said, I just picked up a 6AI reamer & will give that a try before long to see what burning a bucnch of powder is like for a while
.
My .243 Ackley was built to shoot 105 AMAX at 3000 FPS. That's plenty fast enough to get out to 1000 yards. Lately, I've been playing with 87VMAX bullets to get a little more splat on the prairie dogs and have found that it is plenty accurate at 1000 also. What really turned me around was the little 6MM BR. It stays around 200 FPS behind the .243 and I've never had a prairie dog walk away. It also works just fine on our Wisconsin White tails. When it comes to pin point accuracy, the little 6MM BR is just hard to beat.
Slow down and snipe the roses. (at 1000 yards)
I'm spitting 105 Amax at 3010 out of my 26" barreled 6BRX. All that with 33 grains of powder. The BR & variants will really ruin it for a guy...
That said, I just picked up a 6AI reamer & will give that a try before long to see what burning a bucnch of powder is like for a while
ARCOREY
New member
Originally Posted By: yotehunter243that 87Gr Vmax with the BC of 400 and is easy to load for. Whats not to love about it. If i ever build a 243 in a 9 or 10 twist thats what im going to shoot out of it.
This was one of two bullets I had in mind when I did my 9 twist 243. The other bullet was a 87VLD Berger. Accuracy wise, neither was a slouch. The Berger seemed a little tough for varmints, but looks like it would be great whitetail or antelope medicine.
This was one of two bullets I had in mind when I did my 9 twist 243. The other bullet was a 87VLD Berger. Accuracy wise, neither was a slouch. The Berger seemed a little tough for varmints, but looks like it would be great whitetail or antelope medicine.
yotehunter243
New member
I have a ton of 87gr VLD ANd love shooting totes with them. They left nasty exit holes and my my favorite shot with them was a full frontal shot. It gave the bullet plenty of time to work its magic inside.