I am thinking about my next long range varmint barrel. Presently I have a 243 Winchester. I did have a 6-284 barrel on this action but I think that I probably want something in between the 243 and the 6-284 in velocity. The 243 is said to burn throats faster than it should based on its powder capacity due to its short neck and the 6-284 burns throats due to its large powder capacity to bore diameter. So I am considering the 6mm Remington or the 6mm Rem Ackley Improved or most recently I have been thinking about the 6.5x55 Swede necked down to 6mm. Possibly I would improve it to the Vais version. One of the major advantages I see of the Swede is that Lapua makes brass for that case.

So I have a couple questions about the Swede and the Vais version. What is the case capacity of the Swede and how much larger is the Vais version? Is the Swede larger than the 6mm Rem? What velocities could I expect from the Swede necked down to 6mm shooting the 107 Sierra from a 26� barrel? How about if I did the Vais version? Thanks, Rufous.

6 x 62 Fr�res.

Carcano

.257 Bob(AI)

6/06 hands down

55==4400 fps
70==4000 fps
95==3500 fps

25" tube

Its the one for me

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Ruff:

I crossed the bridge of bigger than a 243 and settled on rebarreling an '06 to 6mm Rem.

Will give a good balance. Since the case is based off of the 7 x 57, a 6.5 x 55 case will not gain you anything.

As a side note, I took a 260 Rem case and a 6.5 x 55 Winchester case and filled both with H380.

The Swede case only held one more grain of powder!

A 6/06 just burns barrels and throats as quick if not quicker than a 6.5 x 284. I was at a gunshop attached to the Nosler plant and some guy bought back a 240 Weatherby that he had shot out the barrel in about 400 rounds or so. He had the rifle 2 weeks and took it prairie dog hunting and then wanted to send it back to the factory. He was shooting 4400 fps 60 grain bullet loads.

Just passing on experience, not advise

rufous, Why not get the barrel you have now rechambered in 243AI? Set it back a turn and recut the chamber and you'll have for all intents and purposes a new barrel! You will also get to your stated goal of being between the 243 and the 6x284. Just a thought! GHD

If a fella burns out the throat of his big six in PD town it's becasue he probably really wants to in my opinion.

The big 6's are not for PD shooting-will they work-yeah you bet but that is not real intelligent if you ask me.

My last tube I got 1700 rounds out of it b4 it puked-that is a lot of chucks, yotes, and big game.

My big 6's see very little range time-I want to burn out tubes on the hill not at a firing range.

For long range (400 on out) shooting of chucks and yotes this is one to seriously think about.

I guess I should ask what type of varminting are you thinking about using it for?

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

I just don't buy into this thing about 243s throats burning out faster then 6mmRems. If that were true then a Swift would out last a 22/250 and a 223 throat would burn out alot faster then a 222.
I have shot both 6mm and 243 for years and if one lasts longer than the other I could never tell.
Also the velocity difference is about 100fps. at best in equal barrel lenghts.
Call em in close_____Pete

Pete I am 100% with you on this throats of 243 vs the 6--I think it is pure horse hockey!

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Hope your health is good Pedro-I saw a nice Griz yesterday-5 goats and a few elk. Looked at a whole butt load of yogi's this spring-didn't drop a hammer on one of them. Was trying to help my wife get one-she passed several in the 6' range but couldn't get her on a really big one. Did however see a bear I have hunted for 3 years-I call him Pringals-what a gorgeous bruin-multi brown and should be in the top 25 ever taken in the state.

Mark,
Thanks for your concern and good wishes. They cooked the cancer spots on my liver and thing are back to square one. I will have to go through chemo again. The doc. says I'am just to tough to let something like cancer keep me down.
A coulpe of days ago I saw 2 nice 5X5 whitetails in the wheatfield about 250yds. above my house.
Come fall I think I know 2 or 3 brush pockets they use. Chemo or not I'll be hunting them. Hunted while taking chemo last year and got a buck. Problem was getting him out,I quartered him and took one quarter at a time but begged off on the hind quarters and got help from a friend.
The doctor nearly flipped when he found out but when said if I was strong enough to hunt and bring out half a deer while on chemo I could do just about anything I felt like. Pete

PS--I promise my wife to lay off any new gun projects until things straighten out a bit with my health.

Pedro good to hear about your health-you've been in my prayers.

For what it is worth I always kind of thought that a good gun project was a really good medicine!! Grins

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Congrats on the buck Pete, and may I say "well done". As for the next 6mm, may I suggest a 240 Gibbs. Easy to make, and it's quite a little rocket. - Dan

My .243Win. has a 1 in 10" twist and doesn't do all that well with the 100gr. bullets, although it's quite accurate with anything smaller. I recently bought a Remington 700 VLS in 6mm Rem.
It also has a 26" tube compared to 22" in my .243Win. and the twist is marginally faster at 1 in 9 1/4". Will I notice any improvement with the 100gr. bullets? Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

cAL,

I have a 243 Model 700 ADL. Mine had a lot of trouble giving me groups better than 2 to 3 inches. It has the 9.25 twist.

Then I was playing with H380 in a 60 grain load, and same thing, until I got to 50 grains of H 380.

It turned in a 5 shot one hole group at 100 yds.!

I went home and loaded some more, and same thing.
This is 4 grains over what is listed as max in older reload manuals. However I was vindicated by my critics, when Nosler came out with their manual and listed 53 grains of H380 with a 55 grainer. I don't think the case I am using will hold the other 3 grains, but in testing the case for the 50 grain loads, it did just fine, after 5 loadings on the case.

I tried several more bullet weights and load them hotter than the manual and they give one hole groups. With manual velocities I am right back to 2 & 3 inch groups. Doesn't figure, but that is what I am getting.

Hope your 6mm is not a finicky. I have a rebarreled 6mm, but I went with a 1 in 7.5 twist in that one. that one shoots anything, including the 107 grainers. I do have an aquaintance at the range that does shoot the Hornady 105 grain AMaxes in his stock 6mm with the 1 in 9.25 twist.

good luck, Eh?

Seafire,
Check your PM board. Pete

[QUOTE]Originally posted by seafire:
I crossed the bridge of bigger than a 243 and settled on rebarreling an '06 to 6mm Rem.
Since the case is based off of the 7 x 57, a 6.5 x 55 case will not gain you anything.

Seafire, couldn't agree more in regards to the 6m/m Remington. It is the ideal long range varminter, so to is the .257 Roberts. Both posess the qualities needed in the "dual purpose" varmint/big game rifle combination.

The only problem is finding them in a rifle of other than sporter weight. With custom rigs, all bets are off.

I have to point out something though, the 6.5x55 m/m is a Mauser case unto itself. It differs from the other Mauserwerke's smokeless powder cartridges by not sharing the same basic dimensions. The case rim is thicker, and the head is some .015" larger. Physically, it is just larger. One should not attempt to make cases from another source "work".

packrat