6mm Remington on Mule Deer

[Mausermolt]

what would be the ideal bullet (weight and manufacturer) for a Mule Deer and Pigs with a 6mm remington? i was thinking 100 grain Partition but my rifle doesn't particularly shoot 100's great (1.1'' at 100yds) but the 80's shoot like .2". i still need to try out some 90's but what would be the lightest bullet i could go for hogs and deer?

[JerryM]

I would go with the 100 grain bullets. For anything except long range prairie dogs 1.1 inch groups at 100 yards are great. In the field you will not be able to shoot that well.

My own choices in my .243, and M660 6MM have been 100 grain bullets by Speer, Hornady, and Sierra depending which shoots best. Deer and antelope are not so thick that a 100 grain bullet will not penetrate adequately, except on rear end shots. Shots through the lungs often kill in the tracks in my personal experience.

I don't have experience with pigs and it would depend upon how large and where you hit them. I would consider the partition bullets for large hogs.

Regards,
Jerry

[TheNatureBoy]

A hunting buddy of mine went on a Elk hunt about 3 years ago and another hunter harvested one with a .243/100 gr (neck shot). Not sure what the bullet was i.e. Partition, Core-Lokt, etc. I will say this about the Partition. I couldn't get it to group worth a hoot in my .280 Rem. When I went back to Nosler Ballistic tips the groups improved dramatically. I have read other posts where shooters talked about their rifles (various calibers) not performing well (accuracy) with this bullet. My advice would be to stick with the 100gr and try another bullet vs the Partition if the accuracy isn't where you want it to be.

[Daryl]

I use Speer 100 gr SPBT's in my .243 with good results. Very accurate, and performance on deer sized game is very good.

Nosler Partitions are said to be good performers too, but I can't vouch for them. I've never shot a Partition bullet in my life; too expensive, and I get great results with less expensive bullets. I've shot a fair number of Speer Grand Slams, and while they're great for larger critters like elk and bison, the 6mm and .243 are better suited for deer sized critters.

Daryl

[Mobuck]

There are some premium grade .243 bullets in the 90-95 grain range which might work for you. Look for a bullet with a somewhat blunter profile since the stability problems are length based not actually weight based. Stay away from nonlead bullets over 85-90 grains for this reason. We had excellent results with Speer GS 100 grain for whitetails and they are slightly shorter than Nosler Partitions.

[GeauxTide]

Mule Deer? 100gr Partitions. 1.1" is mighty fine for hunting.

[FrankenMauser]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with 80-90 gr bullets.

Like you, I don't like the performance I get from 100+ grain bullets in my .243. I have set my upper limit for bullets at 95 grains (Hornady SST), but my primary hunting load is just 87 gr Interlocks. The bullet is plenty tough, and the "light weight" is not an issue.

For easily obtained factory ammo with 80-95 gr bullets, your options are pretty limited.
Your choices are essentially:
Federal Power-Shok 80 gr Hot-Cor
Hornady Superformance 95 gr SST

If you reload, the flood gates open...
Nearly any big game bullet from 80 grains to 95 grains should work quite well.
My preference would be Partitions, Ballistic Tips, Interlocks, SSTs, or Scirocco IIs. Winchester Power Points (80 gr) and Remington Core-Lokts (80, 87, 100 gr) are designed for the .243 Win, and don't hold up well at high velocity (even in the .243).

[Mausermolt]

i do role my own ammunition, as a matter of fact none of my rifles or handguns have had more than a box of factory ammo through them. the 100 grain bullets i shot were hornady BTSP's. i have been shooting Muley's with my 300wsm since i was 14 when i first started hunting. and after this last year i am tired of destroying to much meat. the first elk i shot was with a 180 grain partition out of my 300wsm and i have never had a problem with them except the price. my plan is to find one bullet that my rifle realy likes and shoot everything from ground squirels to deer with this 6mm i have. so far the 80's have shot the best with a speer SP over 38 grains of IMR 4064. i think that i might just stick with them unless a 90 grain bullet will shoot beter. thank you all for the imput, i have gained much knowledge from this forum, and plan to frequent it as much as possible. have a wonderful Friday all!

[Cowboy_mo]

I don't know about different weight bullets for the .243 as I only recently got mine and so far only have loaded 100 gr Speer spbt.

I can tell you that the ones I loaded myself with a 2.70 oal shot much better than the commercially loaded shorter stuff. My groups with Federal and Prvi were about 1 and 1/2 inches @ 50 yds. My reloads at the longer length were 0.65 and they are still about .050 off the lands in my rifle.

[MOshooter65202]

I agree 1.1 should be more than accurate enough to hunt with.
I have a 6mm Rem 700 that seems to do well with the light and heavy bullets,I mainly use it for varmints and during doe season.

[doofus47]

1.1'' at 100yds is 2.2" at 200 yards and 3.3 at 300 yards. I don't know that I'd use a 6mm on a mule deer past 300 yards.
I'd say that your bullet will work fine. Now all you have to is fine a mule deer...

[Scorch]

I am sure that under field conditions your 6mm will shoot as well as you can. 100 gr partitions would be my first shoice, otherwise there are many 90-95 gr bullets that will liely shoot very well. Partitions have never been known to be target bullets, but their terminal performance cannot be disputed.

[Daryl]

Just a note, for whatever it's worth...

My first centerfire rifle was a Remington 600 "Mohawk" chambered in .243. Nice, handy little rifle, but I was never able to get it to shoot under about 1.5" at 100 yards. It just wouldn't do it, no matter how many different things I tried. My dad bought me that rifle for Christmas when I was about 10, and later swore I burned more powder killing more coyotes than anyone he'd ever known.

That rifle killed a lot of critters. I shot several deer with it, and only the good Lord knows how many coyotes I killed over the years with that little rifle. The longest shot I can remember with it was at a javalina at around 450 yards, and I killed it just fine. I can't think of a single animal I ever missed that I could blame it on the rifle, and I didn't miss very many.

I finally shot out the barrel on that little rifle when I was about 16 or 17, and sold it to an ol' boy who wanted to re-barrel it. I replaced it with a Rem 700 in .270 Win, and a few months later I inherited a pre-'64 Win 70 in .243 when my grandfather passed away. This one has way better target accuracy, but it doesn't kill anything any better than that first rifle.

We all love accurate rifles, and most strive for that infamous sub-1" group "as long as we do our part", but it doesn't always happen. If you're getting 1.1" groups, smile and take it hunting with confidence.

Daryl

[Cjohnson]

I can only speak of my experience with my .257 Roberts using 117 grain bullets. I do know that the difference between the 6mm and the .257 is only miniscule. Over the course of about 10 years I killed many whitetails with the Roberts using Winchester power point. However , most of these were neck shots. I had several deer that I was very lucky to find after being hit through the boiler room ( a perfect shot by mos standards) deer ran like they were never hit. Typically a deer would go 50 yards or more before blood would hit the ground. Upon recovery of the animal I would typcally find about a nickel sized exit hole. I have since switched to hornady SST and have not had this problem. On body shots this bullet still exits but leaves a bigger hole and absolutely makes a mess of everything between the entrance and exit. All deer shot have gon straight tithe ground. I guess what I am trying to tell you is that you should have no problems with penetration even with lighter bullets and I suggest using something designed to cause destuction and not stay together.

[publius]

That partition that shoots 1.1 will be great. You could also try barnes X and Speer Grand Slam but the accuracy you're getting w/ the partition is not only adequate, but pretty darn good.

[hunter52]

I have an old Mossberg 800M it only has a 20 inch barrel but with Speer 105 gr Hotcor SP's over 43 grains of 4831 and CCI 200 primers I get 2880 fps average , they group around 3/4 inch and they have accounted for quite a few deer and several elk as well.

[Jack O'Conner]

6mm has faded while the 243 continues to shine. Sales figures for rifles and ammo are heavily tilted toward the ever popular 243. Unfair but true.

I've taken many mulies and 'lopes with my Remington rifle in 243. None got away. For several years, I favored Winchester Power Points in 100 grain. Wide wound channels are the norm but seems like the bullet ALWAYS stays within the animal. No exit hole yet results are quick and lethal.

About 9 years ago I switched to Black Hills Ammo featuring 95 grain Nosler Partition bullets. The Partitions blow out a ghastly exit wound just like 25-06. No kidding!!

In my opinion, Premium bullets have upped the lethality index for 243 (and 6mm) to match 25-06. This is saying a lot but I've observed the results as an eye witness so to speak. Nosler's 95 grain Partition is a superb mule deer killer.

Jack

[jimbob86]

1.1" at 100 yards

Off a bench? That is easily accurate enough, provided YOU can shoot up to your rifle. If YOU can put your shots into a 1.1" group at 100 yards from field positions, then you can shoot into a 4.4" circle at 400, provided you know your trajectory values and there is no wind or elevation to deal with. 4.4" is less than half the size of your target (heart/lungs): room for error.

The only way you can confidently do that is to practice at it. Leave the bench and do some usefull practice. Learn to use a sling and or sticks..... good hunting!