What do you guys think about this for an all around varmit/deer caliber?

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
What do you guys think about this for an all around varmit/deer caliber?

When I first read this, I immediately read 6".5" Creedmoor. But you're speaking of the 6mm Creedmoor. My original opinion doesn't change much from my thoughts on the 6.5.

What kind of varmints? I understand you live in Kentucky, so woodchucks and coyotes? The 6mm would be perfectly fine for those. Maybe even perfect.

I can't imagine the 6mm Creedmoor would be a whole lot more or less effective than the .243 Winchester, which is proven taking varmints and deer. Keeping the ranges reasonable and using suitable bullets it should be fine. If you're lucky enough to hunt Kentucky Elk, it would be okay for those as long as the ranges were very, very reasonable. Shot placement is paramount, as is using an adequate bullet. Lots of elk have fallen to the .243 so it can be done. I'm not sure what the over-the-counter loadings are for the 6mm, but I've sure Hornady or someone else loads them with a suitable deer bullet.

I'm of the opinion any "all around" round is a compromise and there may be specific rounds that are better when it comes to deer, and especially elk. But the 6mm C should be fine as long as range is reasonable, and shot placement and bullet are proper.

6mm Creedmoor ballistics are very similar to those of 243 Winchester -- which has been used effectively for varmints and deer for many decades. A primary advantage of 6CM over 243 is that the 6CM's slightly shorter case, which plays better with heavier & longer bullets. The ability to use heavier bullets should help in game hunting. The ability to use longer bullets definitely helps in long range & precision shooting, due to the higher BCs of the longer bullets.

I've shot massive prairie dogs -- almost the size of marmots/woodchucks -- with 6.5 Creedmoor at distances of 300-400 yards. The cartridge and rifle were definitely capable at such distances, even beyond. 6CM will be no different.

Understand that a 6CM won't last all at long if you do high-volume varmint shooting. In PRS/NRL/steel competition, a 6CM will begin to noticeably lose accuracy at roughly 1500-1800 rounds. A slower shooting pace allows the barrel to last longer. Furthermore, not everyone needs the accuracy of steel match shooters.

6 Creedmoor accuracy can be outstanding. The cartridge has been successfully used in steel matches for years by top competitors. I have an AR10 in 6CM. I have a 6CM bolt rifle in the process -- the action should arrive in April.

Factory 6CM ammo has generally been available throughout the past year, and at prices that are a bit more reasonable than other calibers. If you're building a rifle from components, 6mm bore barrels are currently very hard to find.

I use 6mm Creedmoor with Berger 105vldh on deer and hog. It’s been the most impressive I’ve used compared to 6.5 creed, 6.5 saum, 6.5x47, and 308. That 105 at 3200 is just wicked.

quote:

Originally posted by jelrod1:
I use 6mm Creedmoor with Berger 105vldh on deer...

I would say I do too, but the last two years I've had problems with the "on" part.

(a sapling grew really fast in my way the first year and this year I rushed doing something pretty stupid)

Other than that, I'm kind of a "one of each" guy, so I can't say what it's doing any better for me than other similar stuff I have, but I don't need it to. It's "twisted" for longer heavier bullets.. that I don't really need, because of where I use it and what I use it in.

No complaints though. It's been simple to load for and very accurate, though that could be the rifle as much as the round.

I do have a fair share of ‘oddball’ chamberings, but I’d have to lean the common 243 for the intended use. Ammo is everywhere(normally) & it’s not going away.

If you want that tad more, the 6mm Remington should be enough.

What happened to that 223 WSSM? Even the 25 WSSM & the 224 Valkyrie are slipping.

Let’s say one gets to the upper limits on 243 ballistics & wants more? In that case, reach for that 308, next the 30-06, 300 Win or WSM, & so forth.

Even look at the 224 Valkyrie, the 243 trounces it with similar weight bullets.

If one is a true ‘rifle looney’ & wants something uncommon, scratch that itch.

I'd go with the .243 over the 6mm Creedmoor for purely hunting, too, if only for the ammo selection. But given the same bullets, the difference between the .243 and 6mm C are pretty much a wash.

The advantage to the 6mm over the .243 is the long bullets it can use and the accuracy it can achieve at long ranges. But that's a two edged sword with respect to hunting deer. GENERALLY, the higher the ballistic coefficient, the more velocity the bullet needs at impact to reliably expand the bullet and transfer energy. You can reach out further accurately with the 6mm C, but the question will be if you have enough velocity to expand the bullet and enough energy to transfer to create the kind of trauma needed to reliably anchor the animal. Once the velocity falls off expansion does too and high BC bullets will tend to pencil hole through a deer with much reduced energy transfer and small temporary wound channels. I've seen deer run a long distance hit in the lungs with a 150 soft point from a .30-06 that did a lot of damage to the lungs. And I've seen them drop quickly. But the vast majority I've shot went some distance before dropping. Trauma is important. Whatever round one picks, ranges have to be reasonable to keep velocity and energy up to inflict that trauma, and bullet selection and shot placement are paramount. The 6mm will do it as well as the .243 if ranges are kept about the same and bullet is made for the job.

For varmit shooting, it's not as big a deal. For deer, it is.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:

If one is a true ‘rifle looney’...

A true rifle looney doesn't choose between one or the other.

(no care the slightest about factory ammo)

I do not have much to add about the Creedmore rd. But the .243win is a great deer cartridge.

My first rifle was a Savage 110E in .243. From the time I was about 13 till about 23-24 I used it exclusively. I shot hundreds of crows and ground hogs, and dozens of deer and coyotes. Varmit hunting was a pass time to get me between duck season and deer season. A 100 grain Nosler ballistic tip with IMR 4320 was my preferred load. I say all that to say that I know my way around the .243. When I wasn’t varmit hunting, I was fishing. It’s all I ever wanted to do.

I had a 6mm PPC that I shot for a while, and ultimately sold. It is one of only three guns I truly regret getting rid of. On a 200 yard crow, there would be a feather explosion by the time the gun stopped recoiling. Stainless Ruger 77V with a blue printed action and 22 inch barrel. I miss it. So, I thought maybe the 6CM might be a good replacement in a Bergara.

I don't see a downside to the 6mm Creedmoor versus the .243 except maybe rifle choices and factory ammo costs. If you like feather explosions, loading a light bullet at high velocity at the rate of spin a 6mm C barrel will give it, it should make for some interesting small varmit/bullet dynamics.

243 is a horribly inefficient cartridge comparing to other cartridges available today. The steep shoulder angle has a tendency for pressure spikes, shoulder angle doesn't lend itself to inherent accuracy and poor consistency over the short barrel life.

6 Creedmoor, 6XC, 6x47 and 6GT are superior cartridges to the 243. Longer barrel life, more consistent over the life of the barrel, similar or higher velocity with less powder and better accuracy....