Somebody talk me out of this..please! I need another gun like I need another hole in my head! I have 2 243's in the safe along with 2 25 06, 270, 30 06, 7x57, 257 roberts and a 223, but I found a ruger 77 tang safety 22 inch barrel in the 6mm caliber and I just can't get her off my mind! My little brother had one growing up and it sure would be nice to have another on around. I also have 2 (very young) daughters so I feel like I am "stock piling" light recoil deer guns...."FOR THEM" so we have some choices--we can see what they shoot the best. Of course with the oldest being 2 years old...we have some time to get it figured out.

(Does this sound like the rationalizations of a gun nut? Man I need professional H-E-L-P)

So, anyone care to tell me why a 6 mm is better than a 243, or another other caliber I have in the safe-

Dave

Easy Dave,

The 6mm is obviously better than what you have or you wouldn't be obsessed with it!

The below "tirade" is one I posted on another forum (talking about 6mm hollow points on whitetails). It remains my opinion, based on 20+ years of handloading, and ~40 years of hunting. Nothing personal, just offered as one person's perspective.

I will relate the following: a good friend called me about six or eight years ago, mad as all getout about his .243. He had knocked down three Texas Hill Country bucks in the same weekend, and all three had gotten up and run off. The bullet: green box Remingtons, in 80-grain hollow point. I chewed his butt right good and proper about using hollow points on whitetails, then loaded him two boxes of 100- grain Nosler Solid Bases. End of troubles...

The .243 and 6mm are nothing but varmint rifles that a handful of hotshots a LONG time ago decided would kill deer, if they were loaded with a bigger bullet. They do. But they also wound and lose A LOT of deer, because folks put them in the hands of youngsters, or end up using the wrong bullet. And to boot, accuracy with the "big" bullets isn't nearly what it is with the 55-75 grainers. Add to that the idea that a fully expanded 6mm bullet won't leave but a 3/8" exit hole, and IMHO you are asking for trouble. Just not enough hole for a good blood trail, and not enough to let that cold air in, either.

All that to say this: either of these cartridges will kill deer if placed properly, but so will a .22 long rifle. And I wouldn't use either one on a whitetail. There are just way too many other cartridges that do a better job. And I think the animals deserve a quick, humane death without a lot of excess bloodshot meat in the process.

And once again just like on the other thread....

6mm's work.. DoubleSS, my friend.. have you personally used one or are you just reflecting your buddies frustration?

I'd have to tell the same guy that a Remington 80 grain HP is a varmint bullet.. It isn't meant for hunting deer.. it was the fault of the bullet not the caliber...or the fault of the person who picked it not knowing any better...

That rationale would make about as much sense as me taking a 30/06 with a 110 grain bullet and shooting a 3 deer and they got up and ran away.. so I went away with the assumption that the 06 sucks as a deer round and I need a heck of a lot bigger caliber.....

Sierra's 85 grain HP has a lot stronger and solid rear core than the 80 grain Remington HP... even their 80 grain SP is a better choice.. both are still 80 grains... It is bullet construction...

My goal is not to convince you to use a 6mm.. but I do suggest my friend that alot of us use them with Proper bullets and they do the job intended just as well as a lot bigger cartridges....

Kinda like " don't knock it until you tried it" sort of thing....I myself us to think that you couldn't kill a deer with anything less than a 30/06... a few failures with that and 180 grain bullets caused me to try a 300 WinMag with 180 grain bullets and 200 grain bullets.. a failure with a 200 grain load caused me to finally look in the mirror and take a look at what I might have been doing wrong, or that even when shot placement was great.. the old saying about "shit happens" might just be more true than I gave it credit for...

This is extended with all respect there Double SS..

cheers
seafire

I ain't gonna talk you out of buying a rifle,
Its fun and a good investment. Need is not part of it. want is everything ! If you want it ! buy it ! wifes have the silly notion feeding kids is more important than a new rifle. Thats why I am batchlor.
Im kidding of corse. I know of the same rifle in salem oregon, Price is 375.00. I think it could be had for 325.00. I would not mind having it. I like any cartridge based on the 7X57 case.
I really am not a fan of 6mm .243 bullets on deer, but I have a doe tag for the oregon coastal region, and I would try it out on a coastal black tail, they are small and I might learn to like it. The tang saftey rugers are iffy. Some shoot great some are awfull. They did not make there own barrels back then. If you buy it please be my guinnie pig and tell me how it shoots ! ...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
. . . I chewed his butt right good and proper about using hollow points on whitetails, then loaded him two boxes of 100- grain Nosler Solid Bases. End of troubles...

. . . And to boot, accuracy with the "big" bullets isn't nearly what it is with the 55-75 grainers.

My first centerfire rifle was a Remington 40-XB in 6mm Rem. I was stationed in DC at the time, and didn't have much in the way of rifle ranges to shoot at, but one of the gun clubs had a sighting-in day for the public, so I hauled my 40-X up there with a B&L 8A and a series of different loads of 4350 in Norma cases with 100gr Nosler Partitions. The fellow who represented the club helped me set up the gun on some bags, and may have given me some advice about aiming point. I didn't know everything yet, so I listened. I ended up firing three or four four-shot groups at 100yd. Every one of them was under .5". The one with 42gr was about .4", so I pretended that that was the best load, knowing full well that it was probably just chance and that I really didn't have any significant evidence as to which was the best load.

You may well be right that under a half inch at 100yd isn't nearly as good as what I would have gotten with the lighter bullets, but it seems adequate for the ranges at which one should shoot deer.

I actually have no quarrel with the bulk of your post - I simply wanted to put in my two cents on the accuracy of the 6mm Remington cartridge with heavy bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
The below "tirade" is one I posted on another forum (talking about 6mm hollow points on whitetails). It remains my opinion, based on 20+ years of handloading, and ~40 years of hunting. Nothing personal, just offered as one person's perspective.

I will relate the following: a good friend called me about six or eight years ago, mad as all getout about his .243. He had knocked down three Texas Hill Country bucks in the same weekend, and all three had gotten up and run off. The bullet: green box Remingtons, in 80-grain hollow point. I chewed his butt right good and proper about using hollow points on whitetails, then loaded him two boxes of 100- grain Nosler Solid Bases. End of troubles...

The .243 and 6mm are nothing but varmint rifles that a handful of hotshots a LONG time ago decided would kill deer, if they were loaded with a bigger bullet. They do. But they also wound and lose A LOT of deer, because folks put them in the hands of youngsters, or end up using the wrong bullet. And to boot, accuracy with the "big" bullets isn't nearly what it is with the 55-75 grainers. Add to that the idea that a fully expanded 6mm bullet won't leave but a 3/8" exit hole, and IMHO you are asking for trouble. Just not enough hole for a good blood trail, and not enough to let that cold air in, either.

All that to say this: either of these cartridges will kill deer if placed properly, but so will a .22 long rifle. And I wouldn't use either one on a whitetail. There are just way too many other cartridges that do a better job. And I think the animals deserve a quick, humane death without a lot of excess bloodshot meat in the process.

Doubless my first good factory rifle was a Browmning safari grade 1 in 243 got that rifle back in 1965 back then BT bullet were used for varmits and I used a Nosler for deer took about 25 Blacktail in California with that rifle and it's on I think it's fourth or fifth barrel now I also have another 243 plus two 6mmAI and 6mmrem one of the AI is my antelope rifle other LR varmit set up. Now with the lighter bullet the 243 and 6mm are used more for varmints here in Colorado we have a bullet and caliber restriction and 6mm is the smallest you can use as a big game rifle. I have alot of rifles and if I had to limit myself to just 3 it would be a 222,6mmrem and 30-338 my wife would keep her Browning 243. I think your partner just used the wrong bullet as to the other I never had a problem with the 243 and deer so hard to comment on other peoples shot placement. When I hunted up in Northern Calif and had some long shot I's use a 7mag instead of the 243.

Gentlemen, no offense taken. And if you read my other post, you will notice that I loaded two boxes of Nosler Solid Base bullets for Don's .243, and he didn't have any more troubles. So yes, the chambering WILL work on deer... But Don went the next spring and bought a 7 RM. I honestly think that he, like me, was bothered enough by losing those deer that he went to something with more authority.

I see a couple of things wrong with using the 6mm class for big game, and you saw those in the other post(s). I honestly believe it is an improper application, one the round was not originally designed to do. That is why you find hollow points in factory ammo for the .243 and the 6mm. They are and always were VARMINT ROUNDS.

But because of the light recoil, we are tempted to hand one to a youngster. Additionally, the bullet is just too small, I think. To increase the bullet's kinetic energy, the bullet is pushed faster, and some bullets, hollow points and Sierras in particular, just aren't up to the task. Bloodshot meat, and a lot of wounded and lost animals can and do result. Add to that the inexperience of a youngster, and the potential combination is less than desired. It also is unfair to the new hunter, because you never get completely over losing an animal. I know. I have done that, too.

When my son (who is now 20 and a junior in college) was 12, and ready for his first rifle, I had a friend build a 7X57 with a McGowen #4 contour barrel. Everything Mark hit with that rifle he flattened. Nothing ever ran. I attribute that to a large enough cartridge, a properly constructed bullet put in the right place, and bullet transit time through the animal being long enough to transmit the kind of systemic shock it takes to ensure a mortal wound. But I will also say this: Mark killed his first deer at age nine, while sitting on my lap and using my .270. He told me immediately after that he never felt the rifle recoil.

It is hard to convince someone who has done something that there are other, and maybe better ways to do it, and I understand that.

Final thought: I had a 150-grain .270 bullet come apart on an elk in 1997. I see that as very similar to the 6MM on deer: just too small a rifle for the job. We found the bull because of a fortuitously well-placed shot, and I will believe to my dying day that something other than me and the rifle guided that bullet. I was shaking like a dog passing peach seeds, but the bullet somehow got both lungs and the heart. The bullet didn't exit, and the following year I bought my 7 RM.

If you shoot a 6 or .243, I tip my cap to you. I just won't. There are just too many other rounds that do a better job. And if I were buying a rifle for a new hunter, I would look at the 7mm-08 or the .260 Remington. Both have about the same recoil as a .243, can be loaded down if you roll your own, and finally and probably most important, use enough bullet to get the job done right, as I see it.

quote:

He had knocked down three Texas Hill Country bucks in the same weekend,...

Then later....

quote:

But Don went the next spring and bought a 7 RM.

Not intended as a flame, but you're dealing with rather smallish deer, and feel a need for a 7mm Mag??

Hunt with what you like, but I think you have a little bit of a skewed vision of what it takes to kill a whitetail....

Oh, one other thing: the Remington 40XB is a bench gun. I have NEVER seen one in the woods, and suspect I never will...

The 6mm Rem will usually do a bit over 100 fps more than the 243 will. I absolutely love the two I have. I've never used either on deer but wouldn't hesitate with the proper loads. I will shortky just as soon as I finish my remodeling of one.

One of my long time freinds has used nothing but a Rem 788 in .243 to shoot deer with. He's never needed more than one shot. At two a year, his count is now over 50. Granted, these were/are TX hill country deer which rarely get over 125 lbs. But I think as is true in most cases failures have more to do with the shooter/shot placement and or ammo than the cartidge itself.

quote:

Not intended as a flame, but you're dealing with rather smallish deer, and feel a need for a 7mm Mag?

I totally agree. But I didn't buy the rifle. Don did...
And I don't have a skewed idea of what it takes to kill a whitetail. It is just a case of proper application, and the .243 and 6mm will always be varmint rounds. That was their original design., and what they still do best.

quote:

But I think as is true in most cases failures have more to do with the shooter/shot placement and or ammo than the cartidge itself.

Remind me not to let you recommend the rifle I take when I decide to go kill a Grizz...

quote:

So, anyone care to tell me why a 6 mm is better than a 243, or another other caliber I have in the safe-

In fact there is no defining evidence that either of these cartridges are better than the other.

Further in my personal experience they are both excellent and totally adequate for the harvesting of deer and pronghorn size animals.

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:

quote:

But I think as is true in most cases failures have more to do with the shooter/shot placement and or ammo than the cartidge itself.

Remind me not to let you recommend the rifle I take when I decide to go kill a Grizz...

There is a world of difference between deer & the cartridges that will take then cleanly and Grizzly!

For decades, the .44-40 and even .32-20 were used quite a bit to take deer. Hell, on paper the old .30-30 pales next to the .243 but I know folks whose's Model 94's you couldn't buy from them.

Quit being a drama queen.

z1r, your statement was that "failures have more to do with the shooter/shot placement and or ammo than the cartidge itself."

All I inferred with my statement about Grizz hunting was that there is a proper application for every animal, and IMHO, the .243 and 6MM are an improper application for deer.

And you resort to name calling to defend an ill-advised statement when someone calls you on it. I won't stoop to that. I will simply say again:

"If you shoot a 6 or .243, I tip my cap to you. I just won't. There are just too many other rounds that do a better job."

And you have shown remarkably good judgment so far in not using your varmint rifles on deer. Don't mess up now!

Doubless, Don't want to get in the middle of things but when I was using the 243 back starting in 1965 the 7-08 and 260 weren't around and the 243 back then was use more for a light hunting type rifle latter on it became a varmit rifle as you call it. Back when I first came to Co the 243/6mm was a good antelope rifle along with the 257 roberts.
Today you have alot more caliber selection plus bullets but for some of use old timers the 243 and 6mm did serve a purpose as a good deer rifle. I also have acouple 40xbr one is a 6x47 that I take up to the high country for rock chucks just put it in a H&S stock alittle heavy but you get use to it.
If I had the caliber selection that we have today back in 1965 who knows what I would of settle on.

Doubless,

If the shoe fits, wear it.

I think I was more than careful in my assessment of the 6mm Rem. I simply stated the 100% success rate that a freind has had with his .243 Win. I did also state that his deer rarely exceed 125 lbs. I don't think I ever recommended it to anyone, I simply said I would use one with the right ammo without hesitation. You inferred a lot more than I put out there. You also made quite a leap from deer to Griz!

I'll say it again, in most cases failures have more to do with the shooter/shot placement and or ammo than the cartidge itself.

I've seen plenty of botched attempts to down deer with most cartridges to include the .270 Win, .30-06. .308, .300 Win. .45-70, .338 Win Mag, 7mm rem Mag, etc. All of which I'm sure you must agree are enough for deer? What was at fault here? In some cases, the ammo/bullet selection, but in most it was the shooter or shot placement.

quote:

The bullet: green box Remingtons, in 80-grain hollow point. I chewed his butt right good and proper about using hollow points on whitetails, then loaded him two boxes of 100- grain Nosler Solid Bases. End of troubles...

Doubtless,

I'd have to agree with z1r on this, you even state that after switching bullets he had no problems. That certainly seems to back up what Z said about selecting the proper bullet.

Some people love those light weight bullets driven to high velocities. When they work, they are spectacular. But, when they fail, they fail spectacularly.

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
Oh, one other thing: the Remington 40XB is a bench gun. I have NEVER seen one in the woods, and suspect I never will...

That's because you were never in eastern NC when I was, and I suspect you never will be. I liked the gun, had a reasonable-weight scope on it, and didn't mind carrying it. Plenty of folks carry heavier guns than that, but most avoid it when they can.

lubbockdave was looking for reasons to not buy a 6mm. I gave him more than a couple, I felt.

You guys go ahead and shoot your small calibers for deer. I am not going to do it. Like I said in the other post, once someone has done something, it is very hard to convince them that there is another and possibly better way to do it.

I hunted with a friend in the Hill Country for a few years, and two years in a row had to help find his deer after he shot them with a 60-grain Partition out of a .223. That bullet killed both deer dead as a hammer, but they ran a LONG way, leaving darned little blood other than a speck on a rock now and then. We spent well over two hours finding each of them. Did the bullet fail? NO. Was the deer dead? YES. Was it an improper application? ABSOLUTELY. And before somebody says there is a lot of difference between a .243 and a .223, I would state there is only .020" difference in bullet diameter. That ain't much, when you are expecting a hole in the off side.

And I faulted myself for either wrong caliber or improper bullet on the bull elk, if you read the other post. I felt like a GS would do the job. It didn't. So it all comes down to bullet performance, and I would expect we all know that.

Mauser, which shoe am I supposed to wear? The one that says I respect deer enough to want to dispatch them cleanly and limit the unpredictables, or the one that says I will limit the risk of losing game all I can by making sure I shoot enough rifle? Yes, I am opinionated, but we all are.

And Recono, I would love nothing more than to hunt NC, just can't afford to hunt out of state. But if I did, I wouldn't be shooting at whitetails 400+ yards away, like I have read about. I think that is what made Mr. Jarrett's rifle company what it is: the "bean field rifles"... I just know my limitations, the limitations of some cartridges, and have too much respect for the wildlife we are given the opportunity to harvest each fall. And I also know that if something can go wrong, it probably will.

A quote from Mr. Ken Waters, and I will leave the post to you other guys:
"The single most limiting factor with the .243, as well as all similar cartridges with small-diameter bullets, is the uncertainty of bullet behavior: more specifically, the question of how any given bullet expands when it strikes game, for without controlled expansion the small-caliber bullet becomes a wounder of game. Where a large-caliber bullet may prove deadly even when failing to expand, the small-caliber bullet is completely dependent on expansion without disintegration for effectiveness."

As he most often did, he boiled it down to its pure essence.

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:

Mauser, which shoe am I supposed to wear? The one that says I respect deer enough to want to dispatch them cleanly and limit the unpredictables, or the one that says I will limit the risk of losing game all I can by making sure I shoot enough rifle? Yes, I am opinionated, but we all are.

You seem to keep coming back to the notion that there is a magical caliber that is the minimum basis for a deer cartridge. You also seem to imply that if you use this floor your deer will drop dead where they stood each and every time. Just what is this magic minimum then?

I have news for you, a deer poorly hit with a .458 is just as likely to run a long way as that deer that was shot with a .223. Same thing if someone took that 458 and loaded 180's as fast as they could. Improper bullet selection for the game. I'll say it again, improper bullet selection and or poor shot placement are the cause of most failures. You illustrate this brilliantly with your repeated descriptions of friends using bullets of inadequate construction for the game they are after.

I suppose I respect deer enough to shoot them with a bullet of proper design in the right place rather than just blowing a huge hole in them wherever I happen to hit them.

This light bullet thing is kind of like the issue of abortion: not likely to sway anyone's opinion regardless of the perceived sanctity of your argument. But here goes:

I have shot and directy witnessed truck loads of whitetails harvestd with a 223 (50 VMAX), 22-250 / 220 Weatherby Rocket (55 Ballistic Tip & Sierra #1365), 243, 243 AI (even using Match Kings heaven forbid.) We shoot these critters on private land where they have to run a long way to reach cover; none of the have made it beyond 25 yards. The overwhelming majority do nothing but collapse.

In my situation anyting larger that a 243 is overkill. You do not need a friggin 130 gr premium bullet to knock the hell out of a 150 lb white tail, or any mule deer that walks this part of the earth. I contend that skill is more important than kinetic energy.

When I hunt in close quarters I use more gun. However don't tell me a 50gr VMAX between the eyes @ 200 yards will not drop any deer I decide to harvest. Try it - you WIll like it.

Dave

Doubless---"The original design of the .243 and 6MMRem was for varmints. Wrong. The .244 (1955)was designed for varmints. It wouldn't stabilize heavier bullets that the .243 was using for hunting. The .244 was converted to the 6MM rem in 1963 with intended purpose of being able to use heavier bullets FOR HUNTING. This obviously was the results of seeing how well the .243 was selling as a hunting round. You have stated your opinion of how much under gunned a person is with a .243 hunting deer. How well equipped do you figure they are with a bow? Just wondering.

Lubbockdave--Your original question is the 6MM better than anything you have in the safe? No. Yes it has some velocity advantage over a .243,but it is not earth shattering as some might suggest. In practical application,probably not even noticeable. You would pretty much be duplicating some you already have. This gun not really being a collectors item,unless a very good buy,I'd pass. You have two daughters and only one .22 centerfire---find a .222. You also don't mention a quality air rifle--might look for one of those too. YES your wanting the gun is rationalizing of a gun nut. This gun fills nothing not already well covered.

I also have both the .23Win. (Savage 110), and a 6mm Rem. (Remington VLS). I like the 6mm Rem. better. The longer neck is easier to work with. It's also marginally faster in all bullet weights but not a great deal. Whether it's more accurate or not probably depends on the firearm.
There's really not too much difference between these two.
Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Lubbock Dave,

If you are hankerin' for that 6mm, buy it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it. They'll kill deer as well as anything else will. (Dead is still dead...) My dad's killed all but two of the innumerable deer he's killed in his life with either a 30-30 or 6mm Rem and he's been hunting them for the last 45 years and only reported a couple failures.

Hell man, everyone needs at least one 6mm. Its on my list...

Tex

quote:

So, anyone care to tell me why a 6 mm is better than a 243, or another other caliber I have in the safe-

Dave

A 6mm rem fits and feeds from a mauser without any modification as if it were made for it.

A good 90gr bullet and the 6mm rem will kill white tail sized deer very dead if you hit it in the vitals.... if it doesn't die you took too long a route to get to the vitals or you missed them. Either way you will likely see the impact of the bullet and the game's reaction to it.

I have shot around 200 deer with the 6mm rem and 90gr BT....

Bought a 6mm Remington M660 for my wife way way back in 1967. She used it until she got tired of shooting. It was an excellent choice on the range and VARMINT hunting. She out shot a number of salty shooters with that little Remington, and it Never went deer hunting. Somehow I listened to other hunters and read enough articles (including O'Connor) to figure out that 100 grain bullets and smaller are marginal game getters. Now, having said that, I would still enjoy owning a well kept M700 or M77 in 6mm, or a Browning B-78, and I would never use it for deer or antelope. If you want mild deer cartridges try the .260 Remington or the 7mm-08. For that matter, go for the modern .257 Roberts +P ammo, or load up some hot .250 Savage loads in a good bolt gun. (I won't start ranting about European 6.5mm cartridges, even if I do like them too)
LLS - Mannlicher Collector

Dave, I'm with you! I think that 6mm would be a nice addition to your battery! A nice round, a nice rifle......

quote:

I'd have to tell the same guy that a Remington 80 grain HP is a varmint bullet.. It isn't meant for hunting deer.. it was the fault of the bullet not the caliber...or the fault of the person who picked it not knowing any better...

This is the same problem old Elmer Keith had with the .270 and the .30/'06... In the early part of the 20th century, neither of these rounds was loaded with a bullet that was up to the stress of the velocities these rounds produced, and performed accordingly when the inadequate bullets hit big game. And Elmer concluded that the cartridge was at fault! Well, it was, but because of the poor bullets. Then when they started making decent bullets for the faster rounds, he was not able to recognize (or perhaps admit) that things had changed........

Actually, Sierra2 O'connor felt the 6mm's with 100 grain bullets were just fine as deer cartridges basing his opinion on much use of the 257 roberts. He also did not take shots that would not go directly into the rib cage and waas an excellent shot. My exoperience with the 6MM remington is that with the kind of shot you should take they kill very quickly with bullets designed for deer but they are a bit more than needed for varmints.

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
A 6mm rem fits and feeds from a mauser without any modification as if it were made for it.

This is one of the very few real advantages I've ever read of the 6MM over the .243. I totally agree.
If I was reworking a '98 it'd be to the 6MM over the .243 for this reason alone.

Bought one for my daughter when she was 6 and she started to learn how to shoot shortly after. Since the time she was able to hunt [14 in N.D.] she has shot and killed 20 deer and all but one has been a one shot kill. She shoots the same rifle you are looking at. I reload 100 gr hornadys with a good dose of 4831 behind it and it does the job. My vote is buy it.

I'd use nothing less than the 100gr bullet in a .243 or 6mm Rem... With a premium 100gr bullet you'll have no problems on avg sized deer as long as you're not trying for tail-pipe shots. The Barnes TSX or Nosler Part will do the job nicely.

There's a significant jump between the .22's and the .243's because of bullet weight, not because of caliber increase.

Personally I prefer my '06 with 180's or my .375 because I like them and I can shoot them very well, but I'd not feel terribly undergunned with my .243 and a good 100gr bullet.

I have been shooting deer and varmints with a Remington 660 in 6mm since 1970. IMO, the 95 grain Partition is THE deer bullet for the 243 and 6mm, if your rifle won't shoot Barnes Xs. If it will, you can get more speed and equal penetration for a lighter Barnes X. Most of the deer that I have shot with the 243 and 6mm were killed with 80 grain Federal factory loads. Not very rugged bullets, but OK for lung shots in a pinch. A tang safety Ruger 77R in 6mm should be a nice rifle to own if it will shoot.

Jeff

I recently bought a 6mm Rem. simply because I don't own one. Nothing much beyond that. I'm quite happy with the rifle. It's a VLS with a 26" barrel that is attractive and quite accurate. The laminated stock is quite pretty, if on the heavy side, but it's hard to argue with a rifle that shoots in the .3 and .4"s (5 at 100yds). To each his own I guess. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Lubbockdave: Yes it does sound like rationalization! And rationalization is not illegal, immoral or inhuman!
Therefore you are free to pursue that Rifle with a clear conscience!
I love the 6mm Remington caliber - it was one of the neatest things the folks at Remington ever did!
It is a verstile and accurate caliber.
I have killed Mule Deer and Antelope with it, along with every imagineable type of Varmint!
Is the 6mm Remington better than the 243 Winchester - YES it is! But not by much!
My advice is wrangle your best cash deal on this used Ruger. Then hold a garage sale and recoup some of your money! That will do two things - help you clean out some unwanted stuff and make the cost of the Ruger that much easier to swallow!
My close friends here in Montana used a light recoiling Rifle to take a Mt. Goat a couple years ago! In fact my friends daughter used her "light recoiling" 223 Remington to take a mature Mt. Goat with! Katie was 12 years and 4 days old. As far as we could find out she is the youngest person to take a Mt. Goat in Montana! You must be 12 years old to Hunt any Big Game in Montana! Good for my friend Katie! Now on a somber note regarding that Hunt that she and her father were on! After harvesting her Goat with one shot and dressing the Goat out with the help of her father and just starting down the mountain, what do they come nearly face to face with - a Black Bear! Now with care and careful shot placement and a good bullet 223's will harvest Goats cleanly (as was proven!) but Black Bears are faster and more dangerous than Mt. Goats! And I have shot enough Bears to know that a 223 put into quick use on a Bear is not often going to be a one shot killer!
My close friend Ron killt his Mt. Goat last year in the same Mt. Range Katie got hers 3 years ago. Ron used a 243 Winchester to harvest his Goat. We saw no Bears on our scouting and Hunting trips that time but did see lots of Bear sign! I would rather he had a 6mm Remington for his Hunting but the 243 worked out well as it was!
I had a 6mm Remington many years ago in the Remington 40X Rangemaster Model! To say that Rifle was accurate would be a neglectful insult! That Rifle (and that caliber) was splendidly accurate! Like a FOOL, I traded that wonderful Rifle off!!!
I hope you will be happy with the Ruger 6mm!
Long live the 6mm Remington!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy