@ 03:58 am (GMT) |
John HodgsonReading about this somewhat obscure but still available calibre, originally known as 244 Remington, I note the bullet diameter is given as .2435in vs .243in for the 243 Win. Im guessing that in fact means off the shelf .243 dia bullets are not viable for the 6mm Remington? Its an academic question as I don't have a 6mm Remington to load for and am not that likely to. Except there is a nice looking BSA on TM tonight lol. Which got me reading. I load for 243 Win and have never noticed a .2435 dia offering on any 6mm shelf at the store. Special order? |
@ 08:28 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Bullet question for 6mm RemingtonHi John, the original bullets used may have been .2435" but the groove diameter was .243" (see SAAMI chamber drawings).Looking further into this, I can only hazard a guess as to what was going on at the time. The parallel section of the freebore is stated as being .2435" This would mean zero gap with a .2435" projectile (zero freebore) or a .0005" freebore with a standard .243 projectile which is highly risky (not a general practice). Either way, the design is very short sighted as it leaves no room for reamer wear during day to day production. These days, the gap is normally .001 while more recently, some target shooters have opted for .005 (not .0005) which also presents some problems, though most are still unaware of potential consequences. Zero or a half thou freebore might have been selected for accuracy (which was the focus of the design at the time) but I do not see how this was feasable, especially long term. It also makes little sense to have a steep engagement angle thereafter. Whether they started with a .2435" projectile or whether this was a print error - I don't know. Whatever the case, I suspect that they would have been forced to shift to the standard .243 projectile rather quickly. Most of would be none the wiser had SAAMI not released prints in recent years. Circling back to your question - a nice BSA? It might look good on the outside but what about the bore. These are now a very old rifle. Pretty much every bore has seen major wear and especially rusting under NZ conditions. Practically all are completely stuffed. Some have also suffered splits within the stock. If you want a BSA, buy it for the action only but do make sure it has a good stock. Go over every aspect of the rifle with a fine tooth comb, watching out for where others may have fiddled with it. In other words, don't buy this online. |
@ 06:47 pm (GMT) |
John HodgsonRe: Bullet question for 6mm RemingtonCool thks. It was a curiosity really. I know when I'm out of my depth lol. I got lucky with my old Zastava 243. Shoots better than I can. Took my first Red with it in Feb at 133m at 9pm in last light. 100gn SP handload, in high just in front of the shoulder, out below the spine at 3rd from last rib. Fell and rolled down the hill. Little meat loss. Lots and lots of internal bleeding. Like buckets it seemed. I'd like to say I hit exactly where I aimed but.... Dressed out at 58kg on the hook so not super large but a very nice eating fat 2.5-3yr old lopsided 6 pointer in late velvet. The Remington 6mm extra 50m doesn't mean too much to me, 220-250m is around my max distance and the 243 does just fine. Thks for the explain. J. |
@ 02:16 am (GMT) |
Howard AudsleyRe: Bullet question for 6mm RemingtonAs one with a now nearly 50 year old Rem 700 in 6mm Rem, it does indeed use same 6mm bullets as 243 Win and most other 6mm calibers. Mine, however, has a twist rate of 9 3/4", so closer to 1:10 twist of 243 Win than advertised 1:9 the 6mm was supposed to have come out with.Now as for Nathan's advice about a nearly 50 year old gun, he is spot on. I bought the Rem 700 above new way back then, and it has seen light as a deer hunting rifle since, using factory ammo only. Take a couple shots to confirm zero had not changed, plus a deer or two, then wipe the gun down and put it away until next year. it wasn't until I started reloading for it a year or so ago that trouble reared it's ugly head. Try as I might, could never get groups much below 2 MOA. That led me to taking it to a smith a month or so back, and we ran a bore scope thru it. What we found was deep pitted corrosion, affecting both lands and grooves......and that was coast to coast. Apparent use appeared to be light.....believed to be under 500 rounds total......but corrosion was really bad. The culprit in this was me. Care and cleaning of that chrome moly barrel back when gun was new not nearly what I do today. Wiped the gun down faithfully, and it exterior is nearly like new. Not a hint of rust or a scratch. But barrel's bore is another story. Ignorance was bliss......and gun paid the price. New barrel has been ordered and during install, action will be blue printed and all of it bedded. As for the 6mm Rem, while once a popular caliber.......it isn't now. Almost impossible to find factory ammo for it and same with new brass. So unless you have ammo or the brass, would not recommend buying a now obsolete caliber. Lucky for me, I have several hundred piece of both once fired and new brass.....easily enough to last the life of a barrel, so replacement barrel will be going back to 6mm Rem. Plan to take better care of it this time. |