naconst

first, are guns still made in 6mm ?
should i buy a used gun in 6mm or just get a .243 for mainly deer
also will a .243 cart. shoot out of a 6mm gun ?

Vapodog

1. I don't believe the 6MM is production chambered anymore.
2. NO...you can't fire a .243 in a 6MM chamber
3. For all accounts they're identical in performance and one is popular and the other is almost obsolete.

It' ought to be an easy decision.....but there are true diehards out there that still say the 6MM is superior.....in fact it's not.
get the .243

chma

Ruger still offers the 6mm Rem. in the m77 mk 2 bolt action rifle. I hope this helps chad

zrexpilot

6mm has a slight advantage on paper, you couldnt tell the difference in the real world though. .243 has a lot better selection of cartridges. .243 isslightly more accurate out of the box.
go for a .243

Rebel Hog

.243

Scott Gags

Vapodog you asked for it:

"OK...when this discussion is done maybe someone will start one about the differences between the .243 and the 6mm Rem "

Like my Mom always told me "Better watch what you wish for, you might get it".

James B

The 6MM Rem has a bit more powder capacity than the 243. They both shoot the same 6MM Diameter bullet but the casings are different. I have had several of each and as a matter of opinion, I like the 6mm Remington much better. It killed deer much better for me. However the reason was the bullet not the caliber. I shot Hornady 100 grainn round nose bullets in the 6MM. These days I wouldn't use either for deer and would move up to the 6.5 Swede, 25-06, 260 or 7MM-08. This said I will be using a new 270 this year.

trailer

You can get a Remington 700 VLS in the 6mm Rem. This rifle has a heavy 26” varmint barrel so it wouldn’t be practical for deer hunting unless you would set your self up for sitting in a location for long shots. The .243 is definitely a more popular cartridge with a better selection of bullet on the shelf. I’m no diehard for the 6mm yet, since I only got my rifle this summer but give me a couple of years of reloading and I’ll be able to comment on the 6mm a little better.
Now I wonder why the .243 would be slightly more accurate out of the box????

zrexpilot

Efficiency. Shorter cases burn all the powder. The .308 case is inherently more accurate than most guns. .308, 7-08 .260 and .243 are all based on this case and are all very accurate out of the box.
The 6mm ppc is probably the most accurate gun in the world, it shoots a super short fat case.
Efficiency!

Vapodog

I'm surprised there's no one singing the praises of the "vastly superior" 6MM Remington.....Usually there is and that poster is conspicious by their absence.

Usually one makes the argument that the 6MM is more accurate because of it's longer neck.....which can't be confirmed in the minds of the .308 crowd.

About the only difference that is concrete is that the 6MM Rem has a slightly greater powder capacity and subsequently somewhat greater velocity. However it's very slight and for all practical comparisons, they're identical in performance. They shoot the very same bullets with the same accuracy potential and at the same velocity.
The local hardware store has one in stock and the other you often can't find at all. That's the difference.