.243 to 6mm Rem.

Hawkshaw

I know you can rechamber a .243 win. to the 6mm Rem., but will the 6mm work throught the short action of the .243? Will the 6mm fit the short action mag box. This is all on a Rem. 700. From what I can tell from photos here on GB, they are both on the SA. A little help here please. HAWKSHAW

perry shooter

I would rethink rechambering the rifle the ONLY thing the Remington has going for it over the 243 is a longer neck and MAYBE a few more FPS Both will work in a Remington SA box magazine IMHO the 243 will have a wider range of ammo available and a Modified rifle will never have the value of a factory original rifle. I for one would leave your rifle as it is or trade your rifle for a 6MM Remington.

Edit Hello Nononsence I am one of your biggest fans from the valuable information you give on this forum. I also have a love for CUSTOM rifles IF they are well done. I hope we can agree to disagree when it comes to modifying an existing RUN OF THE MILL rifle. To build a rifle from scratch with an action of your choice a barrel of your choice and a stock of your choice then with good or better workmanship you most likely will end up with a rifle that has more value then the sum of it's parts. However if you go to gun shows and see a standard remington 700 that has had the barrel cut rechambered and hopefully remarked with correct cartridge the barrel to stock fit will not look very good because of the barrel taper and I STRONGLY suspect it will not sell as quickly or for as much as a standard rifle that has not been modified "not even adding the cost to rechamber" YMMV

nononsense

Hawkshaw,

"I know you can rechamber a .243 win. to the 6mm Rem..."

If you mean cut a 6mm Rem. chamber in a rifle that has a .243 Win. chamber, you are incorrect.

The .243 Win. has a larger diameter shoulder than what the 6mm Rem. reamer can clean up.

"...but will the 6mm work throught the short action of the .243? Will the 6mm fit the short action mag box."

Yes. 6mm Rem. factory ammunition is loaded to meet the OAL of the short action magazine length. Maybe not the most productive idea as far as ballistics are concerned but it sells more rifles that way.

Best.

perry shooter,

"...and a Modified rifle will never have the value of a factory original rifle."

This is totally false.

This is the second or third time I've read a statement like or similar to this recently. It may have been true regarding Mausers or Springfields and such but as far as modern rifles like the Remington are concerned, it is very incorrect.

Factory rifles are often thought of as being a stripped down chassis waiting to be modified for better performance. Factory rifles are frequently modified by their owners and by gunsmiths to other chambers as well as rebored and rechambered, or have had their barrels replaced and have lost no value. In most cases the value of the rifle INCREASES based on the quality of work performed.

Best.

Butch Stewart

To make the rechambering work the 243 barrel would need about 1/4" of the threaded end of the barrel cut off, rechambered and then rethreaded. I did it once, was really not worth it.

Hawkshaw

Thanks nononsense, and Butch

---

I had not picked up on the diff. in the two shoulder diameters. That changes the plan significantly.

stevecrea

Hawkshaw:

I do not know what your objective is, but I would assume that you are trying to get a bit more performance than what the .243 is giving you. You may have already considered this, but have you thought about modifying your chamber to the .243 Ackley Improved?

tsr1965

quote:Originally posted by stevecrea
Hawkshaw:

I do not know what your objective is, but I would assume that you are trying to get a bit more performance than what the .243 is giving you. You may have already considered this, but have you thought about modifying your chamber to the .243 Ackley Improved?


To modify a standard 243 Winchester chamber to a 243 AI, you still have to set the barrel back a thread or two. With the modified geometry of the case of the 243AI, you most likely will have to do some work on the follower, and rails to get it to feed properly from the magazine.

Not sure what you are after, but I would get someting different If I wanted more performance.

Best

RCrosby

RE: the issue of changes to an original platform reducing the value or not;
I may be missing something here, but it seems to me that both sides are correct, depending on the circumstances.
In terms of a collector piece, or (a big question mark here) a firearm that may one day be considered collectible, rechambering, stock work, etc. will most likely decrease the value. My closet is filled with beautiful guns I would not have otherwise been able to afford had not the collectors turned up their noses because of some aftermarket work done; usually holes drilled and tapped, parts replaced or stocks altered. For garden variety shooters the value may go up or down depending on the desirability of changes made , the level of workmanship, etc.
Personally my limited experience (3, .243's and 2 6mm) has been that the .243 is more accurate, but I'm sure that hasn't been due to any factors inherent in the rounds themselves.

Ambrose

RCrosby makes an interesting point. I, too, have a bunch of rifles that have been modified with refinished stocks, etc., that I would not have been able to afford if all origional. The first one that comes to mind is a pre-64 M70 Super Grade in .300 H&H. It had been cut off on both ends! It was well done in that the recoil pad was fitted very well and the barrel was cut and crowned @ 21.5" with the front sight re-installed by some one who was experienced in this work. It's a good shooter, velocity loss is minimal (100-175 fps depending on the load [I have another M70 with the 26" barrel]) and, of course, is much easier to carry than the longer barrel. I paid $600 for it. ($800 for the also modified standard with the 26" barrel) I would not have been able to buy these rifles if they had been collector grade. However, since I'm a shooter, reloader, and an occasional hunter, these rifles are good enough for me.

sandwarrior

Hawkshaw,

Something you could do here, without shortening your barrel is go to a 6mm Ack imp. The case gains about 8 gr. of powder. As far as accuracy goes it's pretty much up to how the rifle is built and the cases reloaded between the .243/.243AI and 6mm/6mm AI Same with the 6mm-.284. You are getting to a point that many shooters consider overbore. For some the overbore situation is already occurring in the .243. Thus the 6mm-.250 was started and that turned into the 6mm Int. And from another direction almost the same conclusion was arrived at in the 6mm XC (G. David Tubb, prolific shooter). In fact the shorter still 6mm BR is probably one of the top calibers used in 300m shooting and competes regularly on the 1000 yd. line.

So it boils down to whether you want to improve your case and how fast you want to wear out a barrel. There's no way around it, if you want speed you're going to wear stuff out faster. If you don't shoot a lot (1-2k or more per year?)...that's fine. If you do it's something to consider.
I shoot 'em all. They're all fun. Some get the bullet there faster...and cost me more in powder...as I watch erosion happen every hundred rounds[:0]. But shooting in general is just that. [:D] It's always a pleasure to get out there and do it.

Edit:

One of the best ways to get more performance from the .243 is to replace the barrel with a longer one. I have a .243 with a 26" barrel that gets phenomenal velocities. It's really made the difference between all the little changes you get with cases.

nononsense

perry shooter,

"I hope we can agree to disagree when it comes to modifying an existing RUN OF THE MILL rifle."

Gunshows are but one venue for establishing prices and there are others that I work with which accrue different pricing structures. But we have to have some frame of reference for discussion so long as we define which type we're using.

I am a staunch advocate and supporter of the 'Agree to Disagree' solution to some discussions and I have stated as much here on the AtE forum. I believe that there is no better arena for mental exercise and stimulation than a spirited discussion between gentlemen. There is very little that I find more pleasurable than excellent conversation/discussion other than admiring a beautiful piece of wood mated expertly to finely machined steel over an old single malt. Well, there might be a woman or two... [:I]

Best.