Mark, do you have one of these (6mmJDJ)? If so do you shoot it much, how do you think it compares to the 6mm TCU? I am the guy that turned you on to those SSK barrels in Tucson a couple of years ago. I e-mailed JD about this caliber for Arizona whitetail, javalina, and coyotes but he felt it was not a good killer. But many others, including Mike think a 6mm would be good. The last deer I killed was 54lbs. Anyone else have one of these? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks

this is none of my business. but i guess this is what the forum is for(to discuss opinions). i can't understand why someone thinks the 6mm's will not kill deer. i'm not an expert on the subject by no means. maybe if a guy goes out and just takes any shot he gets with no regard for angle, distance, steadiness, bullet construction or whatever, then maybe a 6mm is not for him. you don't go hunt deer with a 60gr hp 6mm bullet. there are bullets designed for the job, such as the single shot pistol bullets by hornady and sierra, and thats what you should use. there are even other bullets that work well, such as the speer 80gr spitzer. this was proved many years ago by people like the late bob milek.
i've killed several deer with a .270 rifle, and it's just fine and dandy. but i think i could've killed almost as many with a small 6mm just as well.
some people think they have to have a monsterous magnum whatchamacallit to hunt with. thats fine and dandy,if thats what they want. it will work. but it's not a necessity.
as a handgunner you have to be prepared to pass on the wrong shot or circumstance. thats part of the fun or challenge.
different guns kill different ways. a very large caliber handgun with cast bullets is gonna be different than a smaller expanding bullet. bottom line, they both worked.
use whatever you enjoy, and don't worry about what henry hoehandle uses. hehe !
get you a 6mm whatever, practice till you know how to use it. you'll be happy, the deer will be dead. you'll come back here and tell about it, and then we'll be happy.
if a feller reads to much of that stuff they write and talk, they'll have us all using the same super magnum caliber whatchamacallit.
practice, pick the right bullet, chose your shots, and enjoy shootin your 6mm. the other guy can enjoy his as he wishes also.
i'm not trying to be a smart arse, just havin a little fun stating my opinion. good luck with your decision. it's half the fun just trying to decide what you want. my problem, i want em all. thanks for listening, and have a goodin. KYODE

Kyode, I know you have a 6 TCU and a 6Br, we spoke on an earlier post, which I appreciate. By not a "good killer" meant that often at handgun velocitys not much of a blood trail was left and sometimes it was hard to track deer that did not go down right away. I believe that was mentioned in an earlier post, maybe by GonHuntin, can't recall for sure. The Coues whitetail in southern Arizona are so small a rock would kill them if you could hit them. I'm just trying to get first hand info on some of my possible choices. I like the shorter barrels and have it narrowed to a .30 Herrett or a small a 6mm (TCU, JDJ, Bullberry, or Br in the Encore. By the why...what exactly is a smart ARSE? Have fun and Thanks for the reply...

Verno

I have hunted with 6mm Handguns for several years. Most of those years were either with a Custom Xp-100 in 6mm-223, or a Bullberry Contender in 6mm-223. I harvested a fair number of South Dakota Whitetails with both of these, and if memory serves me correctly, all were one shot kills.

Currently I have a V V C G 15" 6mm T/CU Barrel that I am working with. So far I have just been fireforming cases, but have managed to come up with a couple decent loads to do just that. One shoots a 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3003 FPS, and the other shoots a 80gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2716 FPS.

However during this past Deer Season I used a totally different load and bullet in this 6mm T/CU, and it resulted in the very first time I had to track a deer shot with a 6mm Handgun. I was using a 80gr. Remington Power Lokt Hollow Point at a muzzle velocity of 2647 FPS. The bullet hit the doe at a range of 164 yards, entered between two ribs, poked right on through the lungs and hit a rib on the exit, all without expanding. I did recover the deer, she didn't go far, and no there was no blood trail.

I am sure the results would have been different with one of the 80gr. Single Shot Pistol Bullets, or even the 80gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip, as these bullets SHOULD expand better.

I guess I am not sure why, or even if I can explain it, but I have always had a soft spot for 6mm Bore Handguns (and rifles too for that matter). I guess maybe it is just because they are so versatile.

I have never owned a 6mm JDJ, so can not comment on it at all.

Hopefully Gonehuntin will chime in here and answer your questions better than I can.

Larry

The 6JDJ may get a few more fps than the 6TCU, but it's not enough to make a difference in the field.

I've used the 6mm-.223 (6x45) on quite a few deer and exotics and have nothing but praise for it. An 80 grain Sierra SSP at 2700-2750 fps will cleanly take any of the smaller deer species as long as you place your shot where it belongs.

Your 6mm JDJ will do well on the smaller Coues deer you plan to hunt.

Kyode+ Bobby have it all said.

Pass up the extreme and marginal shots.
Practrice till you can put that bullet right where you want it.
That deer will be dead.

Mike

Verno

I haven't read all the answers given so far, so some of this may be repeated info...

I still have the 6 JDJ but I haven't done much with it. I also have a 6 TCU and I wouldn't be a bit hesitant about shooting a deer with either one! I'd probably pick a Sierra 80 grain SSP bullet and take only broadside shots.

I also have 257 JDJ and 250 Savage handguns. I killed a blackbuck antelope with the 257 and, just yesterday, a whitetail doe with the 250 Savage, both with 85 grain Ballistic Tips..... point being, there isn't much difference in the 257 JDJ with an 85 grain BT and a 6mm JDJ with an 80 grain SSP bullet.....put either through the lungs and a dead critter will be the result!

[ 12-29-2002, 22:30: Message edited by: GonHuntin ]

Verno I have hunted with my 6 TCU. Most of the time a Deer hit in the heart lung area will not travel far. ...BUT.......I shot a Mule deer three years ago that dressed out 187lbs here in california. The 8 point did not stop. It ran for over 150 yards and we tracked it into the dark. When we found the bullet just missed the mark But traveled throught the deer while puching a hole through the lungs. I was lucky to find the deer.
I know if I would have made the same shot with my 7-30 or my 44 mag the deer would not have traveled so far and a better blood trail would have been found.
I love the 6mm But shot placement is the key and I just do not feel that the 6mm is the right bullet for your one and only handgun since shot placement cannot ALWAYS be certain.
My opinion is a larger caliber is Better at Killing and tracking duties most of the time unless small deer are always the hunt.

Fireball

Verno,
I'm thinking the 6mm JDJ should be quite similar to my 6X50R Bellm. Granted, I've only killed ONE whitetail deer w/ my 6X50R Bellm (see my earlier "First Blood...." post), but I'm going to voice my thoughts anyway. (That's the great thing about the 'net--any/everyone can have an opinion, regardless of their experieince.... ) Although I've only killed one deer w/ the 6X50 R Bellm, I'll killed a fair number of deer w/ other handguns--6.5 JDJ (25), 300/221 (2), 35 Rem (6), and 375 JDJ (2). No doubt, w/ the proper bullet and circumstances, the 6 JDJ will kill deer quite dead; to me the question is NOT whether it will kill deer, but whether you're willing to live w/ certain LIMITATIONS inherent to using it. As far as I'm concerned, there are certain limitations I'll have to live w/ when deer hunting w/ my 6X50R: woods should be fairly open to minimize risk of losing sight of deer after it's been shot; deer should not be too big (our small whitetail deer are ok, here); shots will be limited to chest, neck, or head (no long, raking shots); no late evening hunts (right now, I'm not comfortable w/ the prospect of tracking a shot deer in the dark w/o a decent blood trail). W/ larger rounds, i.e. 6.5 and up, (although I may drop my personal lower limit from 6.5 to 25 caliber after I've had some experience w/ my newly purchased 250 Savage and 257 JDJ), I feel comfortable whitetail deer hunting under any reasonable circumstances. Gary T.