Does anyone have any info on this calibre 24-06 Improved?

I've just read Kevin Weavers report on the thing and it sounds awesome!

If you are referring to the 6mm-06 AI, it represents about the maximum velocity you can get out without making barrel life totally unreasonable.

Given a quick-twist (1:7 or 1:8) barrel, powder in the Re-22 burn range and a good 26-28" barrel, you're looking at a potent long range coyote rifle or one capable of stretching its medium-game capabilities a good bit beyond what factory 6mm cartridges currently offer.

Owned a 6mm .270 IMP in the 60s. With the Barnes' 110 gr. bullets of the day it was an awsome mule deer killer. roger

Bobby:

Do you really feel it offers more than say a 6mm Rem AI, with a comparable length barrel?

not trying to be contrary, but interested in your experience...

I playing with the 6.5 versions of both, I found that the 06 case gave no real world velocity increase, but gave a powder gas mileage decrease...

after testing other friends rifles over my chronograph, I ended up building a 6.5 x 57 with a 28 inch barrel.. and called it good...

the longer case just seemed to be a powder burner and barrel burner and that was the only real difference...

I have a 24 inch barreled 6 mm Rem on a long action and then a 31 inch one on a Mauser that I have to finish assembling...but both do dramatically better for velocity than a 243 on a short action, that's for darn sure!

seafire2 wrote:

quote:

Do you really feel it offers more than say a 6mm Rem AI, with a comparable length barrel?

Of course it does. It's a simple matter of physics.

But whether the minimal gain is worth it when one weighs all the other factors is a matter of personal preference.

For me, I would not choose that chambering as I like to put quite a few rounds downrange and would be needing to re-barrel in a relatively short time.

The "6x57" will prove well in the killing fields with no "improvement" needed! .........now how many here will ask what a "6x57" is??? GHD PS: Necking down the 30-06 to 25 caliber created a tried and true chambering that GOD calls his own!!

The "cheat" here is the .240 Weatherby. Study the loading diagrams and it is the '06 case with a belt necked to .24. Not "improved" but ... You give up a lot of barrel life for a few more fps with heavy bullets and slow powder. For varmint blasting... worth it? Not for me. And the 6mm/284 has all the modern "improvements." Sharp shoulder. Short Powder column. Fat powder column. Your call. For all around, the 6mm International, (6mm/.250 savage) is hard to beat. Luck. Happy trails.

quote:

Originally posted by groundhog devastation:
The "6x57" will prove well in the killing fields with no "improvement" needed! .........now how many here will ask what a "6x57" is??? GHD PS: Necking down the 30-06 to 25 caliber created a tried and true chambering that GOD calls his own!!

Well GHD it is the other of GODS own chamberings, THE 6MM REMINGTON!

Which is what most 6mm cartridges want to be when they grow up!

And NO it is not the 25-'06...

But that is a whole different thread.

quote:

And NO it is not the 25-'06...

But that is a whole different thread.

Come on Flippy tell us more.

quote:

Originally posted by GOONMYSON:

quote:

And NO it is not the 25-'06...

But that is a whole different thread.

Come on Flippy tell us more.

Sorry for the late reply. Work, work, work.

Ask GHD about the 25-'06. It is his FAVORITE cartridge.

Don't own one yet, but I'm sure one will find it's way, accidently BTW, into my gun safe!

quote:

Originally posted by iiranger:
The "cheat" here is the .240 Weatherby. Study the loading diagrams and it is the '06 case with a belt necked to .24. Not "improved" but ... You give up a lot of barrel life for a few more fps with heavy bullets and slow powder. For varmint blasting... worth it? Not for me. And the 6mm/284 has all the modern "improvements." Sharp shoulder. Short Powder column. Fat powder column. Your call. For all around, the 6mm International, (6mm/.250 savage) is hard to beat. Luck. Happy trails.

Actually, the .240 WBY has a case that is smaller in diameter than the '06 case. It's head and belt are .470" like the '06, but it's body forward of the belt is smaller, thus its capacity is somewhat less than a 6mm/06.

But here's the simple fact: A larger case will always provide more velocity at the same pressure and in the same barrel. Whether that velocity gain justifies the extra powder, muzzle blast, recoil, and theoretically shortened barrel life is a somewhat subjective judgement.

Insofar as high-stepping 6mm's, the .244 AI or 6mm/284 will both fit in a "medium" (some call "short") action, provided you are using varmint weight bullets (don't expect a 100 grain Ballistic Tip to fit in there without seating it extraordinarily deep). Either of those rounds will give you similar velocities with 70 to 80 grain varmint bullets. All things being equal, you might get 50 fps more out of a 6mm/06 IMP, but you would be forced to use a long action.

Pay your money and take your choice.

Flippy, ! Yes I am quite fond of both the 25-06 and also the 6MMRem(6x57). Both are quite good at what they do! But that darn 260 Rem is trying to invade their space also! 3 different factory chamberings that do a lot of things right! For the strictly varmint fields and long range..........the 6mm and the 25-06(newer projectiles may even stretch it's usefullness) are hard to beat without getting beaten to death on the shoulder end!......now this 260Remington deal.......gives up about 130-150fps to the 6.5-284 but compensates with longer barrel life and generating just plain accuracy and killing power on the far end!! I am a fan of the 25-06 and hope the gunsafe never has an opening where one used to be! Varmints to deer it will get the job done using the plain Jane old 100 grain Speer HP or the 117 Sierra SBT or the "don't think they make them anymore" Hornady 120 grain Spire Points......for acrobatics and S&G use some of the 87 grain Remington PLHP's or (best darn varmint bullet ever for EXPLOSIONS) 90 grain Winchester P.E.P.'s!!!
The 6x57...........stabilizes little bitty(65 grain to 80grain) bullets that cause extreme detonation of vermin when pushed at velocities acheivable. 87 grain Hornady VMax's tend to provide great accuracy and also devastation at extended ranges. The 105 AMaxs' provide GREAT ACCURACY and also decent killing effects at long range. Now to that 260 Remington! 95 grain VMAX's pushed to the max are hell on wheels when contacting vermin in that 300-500 yard window! But the beauty of this one lies in the 700-1000 yard window using the 140AMaxs'!! Deer or vermin! The Amaxs' seem to open up not much different than the VMaxs', just different name on the box!! And those darn 6.5mm bullets just seem to "fly" very darn well!!
Bottom line is, I like to shoot vermin!! I like pretty much anything you can think of from the 17's to the 30's! I have no real bones to pick arguing one over the other. I killed a boatload (big boat!!) of groundhogs using a .243 Winchester and 75 grain Speer HP, 36.0 grains of IMR 3031 at 3210fps) but would not choose that chambering anyday over the 6x57(6mmRemington). Case life, velocity, accuracy............6mm wins! Remington screwed up with the "12" twist in the .244 Remington and never caught up! 25-06.........unique sound when it goes off!! (22-250 has a unique sound also but that's another thread!)End result on vermin or deer...........NEVER had a crawl off with a 25-06 on vermin and NEVER had to trail a deer shot with my 25-06's!!(30+ years of doing it with 117 grain Sierra SBT). Now this darn 260 Remington!! Pretty good little ditty if I must say!!.....................and for all the inquiring minds, a .204 Ruger in the Savage VLP will get the 98% nod on groundhogs out to 500 yards nowadays! The big guys come out when it gets serious!! GHD

Goonmyson:

I am not familiar with the 24-06, but I do own a 6mm-06. It is a 700 Remington, with a Super Stainless Pac-Nor Barrel Sendero Contour. I don't have any conjecture to offer just my own experience.

It shoots bug hole groups, I use IMR4831 and a Hornady 87 Grain HPBT. Velocity is 3700fps+. I also shoot the 243 Win, which I really enjoy, but there is NO way it can keep up with the 6-06. I have the rifle sighted in at a 400yd zero. On a prarie dog hunt in New Mexico we had a town @419yds, lasered. There was a 15 mph cross wind. All I had to do was hold one mil dot windage, and bang down they went.

The 6mm-06 and its cousins are in my opinion "specialty" guns which are fabulous for a particular purpose, long range chucks & pdogs etc. If you want to have some fun, they are the nuts.

Jerry

I've had or have all the mentioned shooters at one time or another...and a passel of other wildcats. They all did their jobs very well and...as ALWAYS...you gain something at the expense of something else, be it velocity, barrel life, or whatever.

What you should be asking is WHAT will it be used for, HOW much are you willing to spend to get there and WHY the H*** have you gone nutz.

Some of the wildcats I played with back in the day would waste a barrel so quickly sometimes you never got a decent accurate load worked up before it turned into a shotgun.

In all these forum discussions and pecker waving about some "new to you" caliber, hardly anyone mentions or discusses another seemingly forgotten facet of "the need for speed"...and that is Ballistic Coefficient and Bullet Construction and the effects they produced on your "High Stepper".

I can/could crank my 22-243, 6mm-06 or 25-06, using 45-75 gr bullets, to fantastic velocities but depending on the bullet construction many times it wouldn't make 50 yds before blowing up from centrifugal forces. 50 gr Noslers was the only bullet in the olden times that would survive the 22-243 at a velo of 42-4500 f/s. Sierra's would produce a spectacular bluish gray puff of smoke about 50 yds out. Really would cause quite a stir with the other shooters.

And if you bother to look at the ballistics tables you will see that velocity and drop over a relatively short distance become a joke with the light bullets.

Going to a higher BC bullet will get you less drop, less velocity but longer distances before becoming a flying brick.

Everyone goes through "magnumitis" at some point in time when it comes to shooters and if you stick with it for long enough you will learn there are a few calibers that combine hi BC at an optimum bullet weight for the caliber and finally decide that you would be better served to work up an optimized load.

THEN, you will learn the drops for that load combination and not have to keep throwing money at the hi-vel money pit you THOUGHT was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

You will also learn that "the need for speed" has lessened in importance and hitting a rat at 600 yds from a slower moving bullet is much more satisfying than playing "Purple Haze" at shorter distances.

I really like the many 25-06's I've had over the years. Lately the 75 gr V-max handles my longer range varminting for the most part, but when the range gets to 400 yds, the 100 gr takes over and around 600 the 120 gr Hornady hp takes over and also for deer and antelope. I would use a Barnes bullet but try as I might, my Sendero just doesn't like Barnes at all.

My 22-243 still likes Noslers, either 50 or 60 gr but won't shoot a 55 gr for sh**. Go figure.

My 6mm-284 prefers the 55 and 58 gr Nosler and Hornady's and the 75 gr VMax at very stiff loads, but also likes the 85 Interbond at mid range pressures.

Of course...if your pocket book is deep and you can afford a really LARGE CALIBER varminter, the 50 BMG would suit you to a tee. HI-VEL, HI BC, LONG RANGE AND PURPLE HAZE...all wrapped up in one

Enjoy your toys.

Hi,

I've helped friends build three 6mm/06 AI's. All three barrels were shot out in 350 to 500 rounds. I looked down the barrel of two of these and saw 1" of throat erosion after 350 rounds. Our bullets were blowing up after 15' while we were fireforming brass. When I build another one, I'll use one barrel for fireforming and the other one for load developement and varmint hunting. Not shooting paper at the range.

Catch you later,