6BR vs .243 Winchester

More expensive to feed, but worth it.
thauglor
AAA Poster
AAA Poster
Posts: 628
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:18 pm

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by thauglor »

Doodaddy wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:46 pm
All wildcat loads are trouble until they're not:

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQ ... PerPage=48
Yup, the general saying on the accurate shooter forum is it's boringly accurate, you have to try and mess it up for it not to shoot
ywltzucanrknrl
A Poster
A Poster
Posts: 203
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:41 pm

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by ywltzucanrknrl »

You don't have to do all that brass prep now DavidABQ, you just buy it, plus get a chamber with a "no turn" neck. The 6br is very easy to load for---most any bullet and I powder I have ever tried worked fine. So don't let my comment about making brass in the 1980's scare you away from one, they are a great cartridge.
User avatar
DavidABQ
Expert Master Poster
Expert Master Poster
Posts: 1818
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:33 pm

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by DavidABQ »

Ok gentlemen. I am not in the market for a new rifle/cartridge but it is good to know. I am going to keep my El Cheapo Remington 700 as .308 for now but I am considering changing it next summer, maybe. I have been reading up on the 6.5 Creedmore and .260 Remington.

I do like the ideas of a easy to reload/not finicky caliber that has readily available brass.

Thank you, more for me to research and read. \m/
Jerry G
Uber Master Poster
Uber Master Poster
Posts: 2746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:34 pm
Location: Casa Grande, AZ

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by Jerry G »

The 6.5 cred or 6.5 lap use expensive brass. The 260 uses cheep 243 brass.
User avatar
Jason
Uber Master Poster
Uber Master Poster
Posts: 3002
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:36 pm
Location: Snohomish, WA

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by Jason »

With the broad industry support for 6.5 Creedmoor, there are lots of brands of brass available now.

6.5 Creedmoor Brass at MidwayUSA

Just that quick search shows new, good quality 6.5 Creedmoor brass as cheap as 45 cents each. There may be cheaper 243 brass out there, but good quality brass that I'd risk a high power match on isn't very much cheaper and there's no extra work/risk of losing cases, worry about neck thickness, or risk of confusion about ammo not being what the headstamp says if you use factory 6.5 Creedmoor brass. Over the lifetime of several firings of each piece of brass, the difference in price will probably be around a penny or two per shot at most.
User avatar
DavidABQ
Expert Master Poster
Expert Master Poster
Posts: 1818
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:33 pm

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by DavidABQ »

Jerry G wrote: Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:38 am The 6.5 cred or 6.5 lap use expensive brass. The 260 uses cheep 243 brass.
Jerry, I like cheap but I thought the .260 Remington uses cheap .308 brass necked down?
**==
Jerry G
Uber Master Poster
Uber Master Poster
Posts: 2746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:34 pm
Location: Casa Grande, AZ

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by Jerry G »

Same brass Dave. 308 is the parent case for many. Neck down 308 or stretch 243 neck out.Take your pick.
User avatar
Another Dang 9
Master Poster
Master Poster
Posts: 1333
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:24 pm
Location: The Peoples Republic of Massachusetts

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by Another Dang 9 »

.243 lapua bass has to be their all time low price brass. It's much easier to stretch to .260 than neck down .308 which will need a lot of trimming. Even the .243 I find discarded on the range is usually only once fired so that's always a good cheap source for brass. :-bd
But... When you spend major bucks to build a gun, don't cheap out on quality brass with the correct headstamp for the chamber your shooting. I get away with it because I don't own a .243, 7-08 or .308 that I could accidentally chamber the wrong round in the wrong gun.
Its a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing milk bone underwear.
NRA Endowment Member
User avatar
SteveD
AA Poster
AA Poster
Posts: 349
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 9:33 pm
Location: Dayton, OH
Contact:

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by SteveD »

After shooting the 6BR for a while and testing a bunch of different bullets on Rams I have a little to add to this discussion.

The #1 advantage of the 6BR is that any 95 to 108gr bullet you pick that is of even moderate quality will work for C, P & T and do so with the least recoil of any Silhouette permitted cartridge.

The #2 advantage of the 6BR is that it is the easiest cartridge there is to load for. Every load I have tried worked quite well. Right out of the box my, "let's dump something in there to get started" load, Sierra 107 MK, CCI 450 primer and 30gr of Varget shot a .25" 3 shot group at 100 yards and I was sloppy with the third shot.

It is the least expensive Silhouette cartridge to reload for. The bullets are less expensive than bullets of the same quality for any other caliber and you use less powder.

The Sierra 107, launched at 2,850 fps, has a calculated wind deflection by a 10 MPH wind of less than 12.49". I missed 3 Turkeys just off the upwind edge at the last HP match because I OVERCOMPENSATED for the wind. I am not quite used to how well it shoots.

I have tried a bunch of bullets on Rams (results posted in another thread) and am satisfied with the DTAC 115 RBT on Rams. Last HP match I shot I hit 6 Rams and all fell. BTW, this was with an 8 twist barrel so I would postulate that an 8 twist barrel is adequate for the DTAC 115, perhaps not optimum, but adequate.

I have some Berger 115gr Target bullets to try and that will be it. I tried the Berger 115gr Hunting bullet but I had to seat them really deep, lots of powder crunching so I am not going to use them.

Curiously the OAL of the DTAC 115gr is less than the OAL of the 107 SMK, both seated just off the lands.

To the previous post that 243 ammo is cheap and readily available;
Another Dang 9 wrote: Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:20 am .243 Win. Because wally world always has a box for less than $20.00
True, but;

1. All factory 243 cartridges that you can buy at Wally World will perform poorly on Rams. B-)

2. The Sierra 107 and DTAC 115 reloads I posted above are significantly less expensive than any 243 cartridge you can buy at Wally World.

Much to my amazement quite a few Silhouette shooters don't like to reload. I enjoy reloading so I understand that I have a different perspective.
Image
User avatar
Another Dang 9
Master Poster
Master Poster
Posts: 1333
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:24 pm
Location: The Peoples Republic of Massachusetts

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by Another Dang 9 »

SteveD my statement was aimed(pun intended) at new shooters who don't reload yet. Yes any reload is far less expensive than any factory ammo but the .243 win is the least expensive ammo you can buy off the shelf and the 100 gr. bullets will (with the wind just right) take down a ram.
Its a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing milk bone underwear.
NRA Endowment Member
User avatar
SteveD
AA Poster
AA Poster
Posts: 349
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 9:33 pm
Location: Dayton, OH
Contact:

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by SteveD »

Another Dang 9 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 1:48 pm SteveD my statement was aimed(pun intended) at new shooters who don't reload yet. Yes any reload is far less expensive than any factory ammo but the .243 win is the least expensive ammo you can buy off the shelf and the 100 gr. bullets will (with the wind just right) take down a ram.
Ahh, missed that. No pun intended, of course. :D
Image
CoastDog
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:29 pm
Location: BC coast

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by CoastDog »

I know there has been a lot of interest in 6BR and variants in recent years. I've spotted for a few. As noted there is little recoil. But I also witnessed a lot of rung rams. Lots of long faces when a nice score gets trashed by a rung ram. Then of course comes a call for light set rams, and so the integrity of the game gets corrupted.
The NRA rule book calls for full foot setting. One of the tenets of HP silhouette is power. Enough power to knock over a full foot set ram.
I'm not intending to bad mouth the 6mm choice. This is about full disclosure. Do your due diligence and make the best choice of caliber for the game. **==
cedestech
Distinguished Master Poster w/Palms
Distinguished Master Poster w/Palms
Posts: 2324
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 3:06 pm

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by cedestech »

CoastDog wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:36 pm I know there has been a lot of interest in 6BR and variants in recent years. I've spotted for a few. As noted there is little recoil. But I also witnessed a lot of rung rams. Lots of long faces when a nice score gets trashed by a rung ram. Then of course comes a call for light set rams, and so the integrity of the game gets corrupted.
The NRA rule book calls for full foot setting. One of the tenets of HP silhouette is power. Enough power to knock over a full foot set ram.
I'm not intending to bad mouth the 6mm choice. This is about full disclosure. Do your due diligence and make the best choice of caliber for the game. **==
:-bd
Emmett Dibble, Houston, Texas. Where's my buddy Jason? Keeper of electronic records and banisher of little pieces of paper?
User avatar
Merlin
AAA Poster
AAA Poster
Posts: 771
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:56 pm
Location: Friendswood, TX

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by Merlin »

http://www.shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php

I found this interesting.... I have a new 6BR in my hands now and figured (based upon the linked calculator) the difference in recoil energy from my current 7-08 load and my "projected" 6BR load with 107 Sierras. Substantial.

Just for grins try out a factory 6.5 Creedmoore load.
"Only God can judge me." Merlin

"Merlin..Your'e a rimfire whore." God

NRA Lever Action Silhouette - You get more clang for your bang with lever action silhouette.....
TSRA Lifer
NRA Patriot Patron Lifer
CoastDog
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:29 pm
Location: BC coast

Re: 6BR vs .243 Winchester

Post by CoastDog »

The recoil between 6BR and 7-08 is substantial. Certainly.
The purpose of the exercise is to reliably knock over rams at 500m. Hunting buffalo? Take the appropriate caliber, no question. Knocking over rams, use the appropriate caliber.
I regularly shoot a 6.5x47 with 108 and 140 in hunter class. For heavy rifle a 7-08 with130g and 168g for rams. Some one asked me if there was much difference between them and I was hard pressed to choose one over the other. Depends on rifle set up I suppose. I just like the 7-08. There is a level of satisfaction, for me, in shooting it well.
The trend is toward lighter recoil. In some cases it yields better scores. My real concern, as a 25 year veteran of the sport, is keeping the character of the game. Power, accuracy, recoil. Putting enough power onto a ram at 500m is a key part of the character of the game. Chicken, pig, turkey more about accuracy and the ram is about power.
The game has changed over the years. Now we all shoot custom hunter class rifles where is used to be an off the shelf rifle. Guys were out shooting the potential of the factory rifle, so the rules evolved to where we now all shoot super accurate custom built hunter class rifles, often with ultra light stocks to accommodate a heavier barrel. Things change.
When it comes to setting rams "light", dropping the power needed to reliably take a ram in favor of light calibers, such as the 6BR, we change the character of the game.
I don't think making things easier makes them better. I think there is satisfaction is rising to the challenge of doing something that isn't necessarily easy to master. That's what makes it a noble sport, in my opinion.
Yes, I prefer an old Porsche, with a lot of driver involvement, over a new Porsche that does all the "thinking" for the driver. Kinda old school, I guess, lol.
Post Reply