243 win vs 6mm creed

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Reece123

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Another discussion tonight because I’ve got nothing better to do currently….

Getting the wife a new rifle. She’s never had one set up that’s tailored to her. She’s short 5’1 and needs a youth stock. I decided on a ruger American gen 2. For the money and the adjustable stock I think it’s a no brainer. As far as cartridge goes I think I’ve got my mind made up on a 6mm creed but wanted to see others opinions. She would be using this gun for general hunting, mostly coming with me to sit in the stand and watch pigs. I thought 243 100gr would be perfect but starting digging into the 6 creed with 115 gr it seems to carry the energy better with minimal extra recoil. As a hand loader is the 6mm a no brainer for recoil sensitive shooters trying to get everything out of it? Obviously it’s not needed for just pigs but I like to get the most out of everything I shoot.

Edit to add, the ruger 243 is 1:9 twist. The 6mm creed is 1:7.7
 
T

Thread 'Do fast twist 243's make the 6mm Creedmoor pointless?'

Does the availability of fast twist 243 factory rifles make the 6mm creedmoor obsolete? 6mm creedmoor is common enough, but it definitely hasn't taken off the way that the 6.5 did. I know that currently the factory ammo options for 6mm CM offer longer, heavier bullets, but I'd expect that'll change with time.
 
How far will she be shooting?

If inside 450ish then it’s shooters choice with factory ammo. The 9 twist .243 will shoot the Hornady Precision Hunter ammo just fine.

If it is hard to choose it is because there is no appreciable difference.

I would go 6 creed cause you can go down in bullet weight easier than you can go up with the .243.
 
If getting a ruger, maybe step it down to 6 arc even.

Not a bad choice between 243 and 6 creed though. I’m of the belief the creed has slightly better odds of shooting tight but either could be great.
 
hereinaz said:
How far will she be shooting?

If inside 450ish then it’s shooters choice with factory ammo. The 9 twist .243 will shoot the Hornady Precision Hunter ammo just fine.

If it is hard to choose it is because there is no appreciable difference.

I would go 6 creed cause you can go down in bullet weight easier than you can go up with the .243.
Click to expand...
Typical shots will be 100-200 yards on pigs. However we do have a spot where we can occasionally see coyotes about 400 yards away.
 
Reece123 said:
Typical shots will be 100-200 yards on pigs. However we do have a spot where we can occasionally see coyotes about 400 yards away.
Click to expand...
Either works ballistically. I think the 6 creed should always win unless there is some other compelling reason 243 make sense for you.
 
Theabove thread covers everything. The short version is this...
How far are you shooting? (To a feeder, probably not 350+ yds so the extra weight and bc do nothing for you.) 243

Do you need deeper and more expansive wound channels for larger/dangerous game? (No, they are hogs and you are in a blind) 243

Are you a hand loader? (Yes, then you could make the best of both cartridges. Therefore, 243 ammo is easier to find, larger variety for your needs and being a hand-loader, it is splitting hairs until you get to 400+ yards.) 243

If you read the thread above, you willsee i have an accurate Tikke T3x 243 I am rebarreling to a 6mm Creedmoor. Not because I need to, but because I want too! I am not a hand loader and I want the heavier factory ammo to hunt at further distances.

You honestly cannot go wrong either way. (Especially since you are a hand loader!) Go with what makes you happy. Dead is dead and both cartridges offer plenty of factory options and untold # of hand loader options that will make those hogs just as dead had they been struck by lightning!

I hope you enjoyed my less than scientific breakdown.

factory loads : 243 - 95gr Nosler Balistic Tip
6mm Creedmoor - 108 ELDm

Hand-made (rumor has it there will be a 116gr TMK soon that should work inbox of those barrel twists but I have not seen the specs myself.

P.S. look at the TikkaT3x. Far superior action amd trigger. With a $5 spri g from UM, you can gather it to break clean at 1.5#!
Down side is the safety must be off (and on fire) to work thebolt and empty a round

The ruger action has chop to it,the trigger is not as good, but it is cheaper to initially buy...

I went this route for a 223. Added an adjustable chassis and did trigger work... wish I would have bought the Tikka 1st. We now have 4 Tikkas and the 1 ruger american v2 that is only used as a "loaner" when all the others are taken.

The real question might not be 243 vs 6mm cm but ruger american vs Tikka T3x!
 
suggest you tune into the EXO mountain gear podcast where the owner of that company (Steve) did an exhaustive search for an optimum 243/6mm cartridge and settled on the 6mmCM. Lots of details covered in that podcast. He has killed moose, bear and elk with it. Seems very happy with his choice.
 
Honestly, flip a coin.

Me, I would go 243 1:8 twist Tikka (buy don't change trigger springs, aftermarket springs can lead to unsafe conditions).

But, if set on the Ruger I would go 6 Creedmoor for the faster twist.
 
Reece123 said:
Another discussion tonight because I’ve got nothing better to do currently….

Getting the wife a new rifle. She’s never had one set up that’s tailored to her. She’s short 5’1 and needs a youth stock. I decided on a ruger American gen 2. For the money and the adjustable stock I think it’s a no brainer. As far as cartridge goes I think I’ve got my mind made up on a 6mm creed but wanted to see others opinions. She would be using this gun for general hunting, mostly coming with me to sit in the stand and watch pigs. I thought 243 100gr would be perfect but starting digging into the 6 creed with 115 gr it seems to carry the energy better with minimal extra recoil. As a hand loader is the 6mm a no brainer for recoil sensitive shooters trying to get everything out of it? Obviously it’s not needed for just pigs but I like to get the most out of everything I shoot.

Edit to add, the ruger 243 is 1:9 twist. The 6mm creed is 1:7.7
Click to expand...
You will not see any differences between the two, both are good choices. The only thing against the 243 in your case is the 1-9 twist Ruger.
 
If you hand load, a compact Tikka T3x in .243 is as good as it gets (especially at EuroOptic's sale price). Any of the projectiles you'd want in 6CM will stabilize in the 1:8 twist, and the rifle is much better than any Ruger American.
 
They are equals if you reload for a fast twist 243. The 6mm creedmoor is the clear winner if you are shooting factory ammo. My tikka t3x .243 (1-8 twist) pushes 108 Eldms at 3000fps. The creedmoor does the same with the 108 and equal barrel length.
 
Having both and being a .243 fan for years, arguments can be made for either. I recently re-barreled a Rem 700 to a 6 creed which was a .243 prior. The .243 seems to feed better in 700 platforms with internal mags. The 6 creed really shines with 100+ gr bullets. The .243 works better with lighter bullets (under 70 gr) due to the slower twist rates.

If you're a handloader, you'll find you need to trim less with the 6 creed. Shooting 115 gr DTACS out of a 7.5 twist 6 creed is a hammer. There's no way a .243 can hang at distance. If shooting under 300 yards, you won't notice a difference in either.
 
I bought a 6CM barrel recently but 243 is fine too especially if you reload.

Personally for your use case I would do a Howa Mini in 6arc
 
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