I'm considering a Rem M700 BDL conversion that is a regular Rem .223 now. Please try not to convince me that the factory chambering is the way to keep it; I'm a far-gone rifle loony at heart.

Thanks - redleg

Redleg: I think you'd have fun with it. I have a 6X47 (222Mag case) that I bought about 15 years ago. If I were doing it today, I'd get a 6X45 based on brass availability. It's been a great little gun. Equivalent to a 223 for varmits and with 85 gr partitions, not a bad little deer rifle.

[ 06-10-2003, 01:06: Message edited by: olarmy ]

Brass selection, Mild report, heavier bullets than a 223, long barrel life,

Well balanced cartridge. I also agree with Johnly of Oregon (since I am also named John and live in Oregon). Go with a Cooper or if you can find a Kimber, as cheap as rebarreling a Remington. and the quality on these two, the Remington doesnot even start to compete.

Hi
I have a little Remington 722B in good shape, chambered for 222Rem.(Original barrel at the end of it's usable life). I, not unlike yourself, have also considered rebarrelling to 6x45. With bullet weights from 55grains through to 105grains, I feel this is an excellent small to medium game walk-about style cartridge.
With modest velocity, report and recoil, this would make an excellent rifle for hunting in tight areas or for new shooters to progress to.

I had the opportunity to buy a Remington 788
that had been rebarreled to 6X45MM a while back
and really wish I would have picked it up.

Re-barrel that rifle.You'll be glad you did...

I've owned a number of guns in 6mm-.223 (aka 6x45) and have become quite a fan of this little cartridge. Extremely accurate and efficient as well, the 6x45 reall shines for larger varmints such as coyotes and chucks -- and with the right bullets, it will do fine on small deer. I've used it in both rifle and pistol format and have come to rely on the predictable performance of the Sierra 80 grain Single Shot Pistol bullet for 95% of my shooting needs. It expands well and yet holds together sufficiently to give ample penetration. It's not as spectacular on the smaller varmints but does the job nonetheless. ANd for the one powder reloader, it's hard to find anything that affords a better blend of accuracy & velocity than H-335. And for primers, Rem 7 1/2s are just the ticket...

I too have considered a rifle on this cartridge, so I have a question... What twist do you guys recommend for the 6X45? Thanks

Redleg155: I have a factory Remington 40XB-BRKS in 6X47 and it simply is incredibly accurate and performs very well in the Varmint fields. At the time I ordered it Remington was offering both the 6X45 and the 6X47 in the 40XB-BR. I opted for the caliber based on the 222 Remington Magnum (6X47). I am glad I did. A touch more distance in the field and the extra speed helps with the windage fight. I am sure your magazine will handle the 222 Magnum based cartridge as well as the 223 based cartridge.
I have been very happy with the brass that Remington is making in 222 Magnum but if you are super persnickety the availability of different brands of 223 brass may influence you. But again my 6X47 is supremely accurate with the only available brass now - Remingtons!
Tough choice as someone above suggested - selling your Remington and forwarding the money toward a Kimber or buying a top quality barrel and having it smithed to your action. I personally would stick with the action you already have and paying for the barrel and smithing at your convenience.
But if you are going for a Walking Varminter I would suggest a very serious look at the 6X47. You simply do not see Kimbers name winning many Rifle competitions. Remington 700's on the other hand are VERY well represented!
Good luck with whichever you choose!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

[ 06-13-2003, 07:07: Message edited by: VarmintGuy ]

Ol Blue-

All of mine have been 1:10, and they have all done extremely well with 55-85 grain bullets, which encompasses the most useful range of weights for this cartridge. There is at least 1 custommaker out there that will try and tell you that a 1:14 will do the trick. But they are simply reciting the charts and not taking into consideration real-world shooting and the modest velocity this cartridge operates (velocity is a key factor in stabilization).

Go with a 1:10 and never look back...

Thanks Bobby for the help. I have a 1 in 12 twist (kreiger) barrel laying around here, so was considering using that. Would I be loosing much with the heavier bullets with a 12 twist rather than 10? Thanks

ol Blue: according to the Sierra manual, the Remington 40XB has a 12" twist. The manual states that barrels with a 14" twist can only handle bullets of 75 gr or less. The Hodgden manual states that Kimber rifles had a 9" twist and could stabilize 100gr bullets. Sounds like with a 12" bbl you might need to stay at 75 or 80 gr max. Jim

At that velocity level, the 80 grain flat-based bullets will be at the upper end of what will stabilize properly. One thing to consider: when treading on the edge of stability, groups at 100 yards may not be the best assessment of the load. What may be a one-incher at 100 may open to 5-6 at 200 if stability is on the minimum side.

Bought a Rem 660 (in between the 600 and the Mohawk) in .222 for my wife. She wanted to go deer hunting so had it rebarreled in 6x45mm because I had access to unlimited .223 brass. That was back in 1970. The rifle still shoots great (even though the wife is now an ex) in the hands of our grandchildren. Do it and smile

I built a 6 TCU on a mini MK X action for my neice's and nephews to start hunting with. It has 4 deer to it's credit with 80 grn Rem bullets at 2880 fps.

TSJ-
That was a nice move on your part -- and a good caliber choice as well.

Even though you are having good results with the Rem bullets, you may want to give the Sierra 80 grain Single Shot Pistol bullets a try. They are tailor-made for this cartridge and provide the perfect blend of expansion and penetration in the small-capacity 6mms. I've used it on everything from vermin & varmints to small deer and exotics, and it is so predictable in performance that it is almost boring.I've used it for about 15 years now and have the utmost respect for its performance.

bobby tomek....glad to hear about the 80 grn sierra spssp's. i just loaded some in my 6 PPC for just the reasons your talking about... it's designed for the velocities of the small capacity 6mm's. but i haven't actually shot anything with it yet so it's good to kinow it actually works...cheers...bud