Pronghorn cartridge in 6mm

[Jburr]

Build a 6mm AI on a long action and don’t look back! I’m running 103 ELDX at 3400fps and consistently getting groups under .5 moa.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I’d buy a Remington Model Seven SS in 243, if I wanted a 6mm. I’d use 80 ttsx, if I wanted to go mono.
Or, this Remington Model Seven SS in 7-08 sitting next to me has been deadly on whitetails. I’ve had great luck with the 120 grain NBTs and 140 grain Partitions. I’ve only killed 4 bucks with it(3 with the 120s and 1 with the 140), but have gotten pass throughs with on all of them.

 

[MT_Chad]

If you are buying an off the shelf gun I would say 6 creed, if you are building a gun I would say 243 or 243 ai. My only complaint about the 243 is they are difficult to find with a tight twist for heavy bullets, therefore if you go custom you can specify the barrel twist to shoot heavier bullets. The 243 has the best brass selection and is the most plentiful.
I have been shooting everything from gophers to deer with my 243 since I was 12, the 6mm in general is extremely versatile. I shoot 85 gr barnes tsx out of mine, would like to shoot the 95 lrx but I have my doubts they will be stable with the 9.25 twist in my gun.

 

[Knight.54]

Dang guys this is great advice.... lots to ponder here.
I’ve got a pile of 7mm rifles but I’ve only owned one 6mm, a .243 that I’ve never been happy with.
I’m going to look harder at a couple of these, the 6mm ai and the 6mm-06 seem interesting.
After tag application season I’ll be getting in motion on this.
thanks!....shoot em up!

 

[ImBillT]

I wasn’t aware of the 6mm ai... I’ll be looking into that.... I’ve read 6mm gives the handloader more options insofaras bullet length and seating depth...

You can AI anything. Only the .280Rem AI has been made into a SAAMI spec cartridge. The 6mm Rem AI is very popular among wood chuck shooters.

 

[ImBillT]

Go 25-06, the perfect pronghorn cartridge. Flat shooting and hard hitting. A 100 grain TTSX out of a 24” barrel is a pronghorn slaying lightning bolt.

But why not upsize .007” and quadruple your bullet options, many of which are among the best bullets on the market?

The choice between the .257”-06 and the .264”-06 should be a clear one.

As mentioned, if you build a 6mm Rem or 6mm Rem AI, do it with a long action.

 

[VikingsGuy]

But why not upsize .007” and quadruple your bullet options, many of which are among the best bullets on the market?

Because 25-06 is an under appreciated classic and the TTSX does the job so no need for 4x alternatives. YMMV

 

[HandgunHunter]

For right now the 25 still has more well proven hunting bullets....that will change in years to come...

 

[FLS]

I’d choose a 6 Creedmoor. No need for custom ammo or rifles and it will flatten an antelope as far as you care to shoot one. Everything else listed so far is going to be a custom or semi custom.
Ive watched my buddy kill all of his antelope in the last several years with a 6 Creed shooting factory ELDM. Every kill has been a bang flop.

 

[6mm Remington]

I've shot a lot of deer, antelope, and an elk with the 6mm Remington. All of mine have been taken with 100 gr. Nosler Partitions. The 6mm Remington is a great cartridge and if I were building a bolt action I would look at the Ruger Hawkeye, Winchester Model 70, or the Montana Rifle Company. The reason I would go with one of these is that the short actions in each of these three makers are longer than most and figure out to be right at 3" in length for the magazine box. That seems plenty long to seat bullets further out if need be. Each make is also very well made. My personal 6mm Remington is a Ruger 1B with a 26" barrel. I love that rifle and it shoots very well, and carries nicely, and it's just a classy rifle. My son has two 6mm Remingtons. The one is a Remington 600 and his new rifle is a Ruger MKII that he payed for half himself when he turned 13.

As far as bullets it would be hard to beat the following.

90 gr. E-tip - That's what my son shoots in his 6mm. He's taken two or three antelope, a couple deer, and his first cow elk with that rifle. The cow was broadside at 350 yards and she went about 20 yards and tipped over after he hit her perfectly in the lungs. I've tested the 90 gr. E-tip in gallon water jugs from 25-100-200-300-400 yards but have not yet gotten to shoot one at 500 yards to see how it performs. They penetrate, expand nicely, and retain a lot of weight just as one might expect and on-game performance has been excellent also.

90 gr. Accubond - I have used the Accubond in other calibers with great success, and I think it would be fantastic in the 6mm Remington. I used ONE 140 gr. Accubond in my 280 AI this past August to take a very nice grizzly bear in Alaska. The bullet performed perfectly and the bear died almost instantly. I've shot Accubonds into gallon water jugs from 25-100-200-300-400-500 yards and tested expansion, penetration, and recovered weight. They performed superbly.

100 gr. Partition - Probably in the neighborhood of 40 antelope, 20 or more deer, and one spike bull have been taken with my 6mm Remington using 100 gr. Nosler Partitions. It has done a wonderful job. The 95 gr. Partition would be worth a try also. Maybe your rifle would like it better and shoot it more accurately if you could not get the 100 gr. do work. It's hard to go wrong with a Partition and again I have tested it on gallon water jugs from 25-100-200-300-400-500 yards. It works just like you would expect a Partition to work, very well.

The 6mm Remington has shown itself to be very easy to reload for and accuracy has been very good. It is one of the faster 6mm's available and I have not had any trouble finding brass for it. Someone previously suggested the 6mm-06 as a possibility as you are going to be reloading. 25-06 brass is very easy to find and would be simple to neck it down to 6mm. It would be a screamer of a rifle and would be fun. When I built my 280 AI toyed with the idea of chambering the rifle to 6mm-06 but I already had my Ruger 1B and I really wanted another 280 Remington or 280 AI after I had sold my old 280, and I wanted a 280 again.

My vote goes for a 6mm Remington or 6mm-06. I'd go with a 24 or 26" barrel.

 

[ImBillT]

If

Because 25-06 is an under appreciated classic and the TTSX does the job so no need for 4x alternatives. YMMV

I’m fine with classics. One of my favorite rifles is a .222. That said, the 6.5-06 is dramatically superior to the 25-05(for handloaders) due to lack of support by projectile manufacturers.

 

[BuzzH]

Another vote for the 6mm Remington, I've shot one for a long time and its great for pronghorn, deer, and even elk.

I wouldn't go over 24" if you're building...wouldn't shy away from a 22" either. If you aren't planning on shooting the long mono's or anything over 105ish in cup and core...1-8 twist is fine.

 

[FLS]

I would definitely have a 6.5-06 if someone made good 6.5-06 headstamped brass. Just a personal pet peeve.

 

[cahunter805]

I would definitely have a 6.5-06 if someone made good 6.5-06 headstamped brass. Just a personal pet peeve.

I see this a lot. Get Nosler 25-06 brass and run it through your FL or Neck die.
You should be running all new brass through your die to straighten necks and to get consistent necks anyway.

 

[antelopedundee]

I would definitely have a 6.5-06 if someone made good 6.5-06 headstamped brass. Just a personal pet peeve.

I just picked up some Quality Cartridge brass in 6.5mm - 06 and it looks as nice as any other brand. It isn't cheap at about $2 per case after sales tax and shipping, but if you want that headstamp it's about your only choice. Weight variation was about 4 grains for 30 cases, but for hunting needs it doesn't matter, esp. if you use a powder that results in a slightly compressed load. IIRC from last summer they shoot about as well as other brands of .25-06 or .270 Win cases. Graf and Sons is about a wash pricewise with Midway even with free shipping from Midway.

I'm not sure at which stage the headstamp is put into a case, but it seems that some enterprising person should be able to buy 50,000 unstamped .25-06 cases from a major manufacturer, expand them up a smidgen and stamp them 6.5-06.

 

[FLS]

I see this a lot. Get Nosler 25-06 brass and run it through your FL or Neck die.
You should be running all new brass through your die to straighten necks and to get consistent necks anyway.

I’m pretty well versed in reloading techniques. I have a 25-06, 270, 30-06. Just don’t want a similar sized case without the correct headstamp.

 

[shb]

6BR



Light
Handy
efficient

Holds all the long range bench rest records.

Just all around awesome.

 

[Don Fischer]

I’d choose a 6 Creedmoor. No need for custom ammo or rifles and it will flatten an antelope as far as you care to shoot one. Everything else listed so far is going to be a custom or semi custom.
Ive watched my buddy kill all of his antelope in the last several years with a 6 Creed shooting factory ELDM. Every kill has been a bang flop.

What is the difference between the 6mm Creedmoor and the 243? I assume the 6mm Creedmoor is on the 6.5 Creedmoor case?

 

[Don Fischer]

I just picked up some Quality Cartridge brass in 6.5mm - 06 and it looks as nice as any other brand. It isn't cheap at about $2 per case after sales tax and shipping, but if you want that headstamp it's about your only choice. Weight variation was about 4 grains for 30 cases, but for hunting needs it doesn't matter, esp. if you use a powder that results in a slightly compressed load. IIRC from last summer they shoot about as well as other brands of .25-06 or .270 Win cases. Graf and Sons is about a wash pricewise with Midway even with free shipping from Midway.

I'm not sure at which stage the headstamp is put into a case, but it seems that some enterprising person should be able to buy 50,000 unstamped .25-06 cases from a major manufacturer, expand them up a smidgen and stamp them 6.5-06.

I use a 6.5x06. case's are made from factory 06 case's. Pretty darn inexpensive.

 

[sbhooper]

I would definitely have a 6.5-06 if someone made good 6.5-06 headstamped brass. Just a personal pet peeve.

Don't need it. Just get some 30-06 brass and run it through the die. Take your pick on brand.