Hunting & Fishing 6br for deer

[ddubas]

My wife and oldest daughter want to get into hunting. My wife has shot my .243 some and doesn't care for the recoil. My thoughts are getting a 6br. Never shot one, but I'm thinking it should be less recoil and still have enough knock down power for deer on shots under 200 yards. I have looked at the Hornady custom lite ammo in .243, but I'm not sure it will have enough energy out to 200 yards. Any other suggestions. I live in Nebraska, so the last time I checked the min requirement for deer is any caliber that has 900 foot pounds of energy at 100 yards. That makes the .223 legal, but I'm on the fence to go down that road.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Seriously? Doesnt care for the heavy recoil of the .243 eh? You can load down a .243 to shoot the same as the 6br, and if she cant handle that, maybe photography is a better option.

 

[long range newbie]

better off just putting a brake on it. But 243's don't kick much at all.

 

[coldboremiracle]

.243's dont need a break! They need more twist so you can spin bigger bullets and be the champ! I'd mount a snow plow on a .243 before a break, it'd make more sense.



Now a can on the otherhand.....

 

[dogmessiah]

How is your 243 set up? Weight, stock angle, amount of recoil pad, ect.?

I used to have a lite weight 243 with a shitty stock and recoil pad that was less comfortable to shoot than my 7-08 with 150 gr bullets. The cheapest bet would probably be to change out the recoil pad and or stock.

From your original post it doesn't sound like you reload, now wouldn't be a bad time to start and use 80gr bullets instead of 100gr bullets, won't make a huge difference but every little bit helps. Also stick to minimum charges.

And one last thought, I know it is best to practice with a the gun you use to harvest animals, but what about having her practice with a rimfire and then get her within 100 yards to shoot a deer. I have never notice recoil at all when I am excited and shooting an animal.
Good luck.

 

[hahco]

the 6br is not gonna have appreciably less recoil than the .243. a little less but not a lot less. .223 is the next step down, but I'd say that if the .243 is too much, more work needs to be done with a .22 lr to work up to a centerfire.

nothing wrong w a 223 if you use the right bullets and take the right shots

 

[darrenk75b]

I have been down this road as well, though it was me wantin the 6br just for the accuracy they deliver. They do offer less recoil, as they use a fair bit less powder than a 243. Performance with mine was excellent using Berger 105 VLD's. Shots were taken up to 350 yards.

With that said, feeding was spotty and as a huning rifle I wanted something I could more reliably count on. I ended up going with a 308. If I was in your shoes, I would simply invest in some reloading gear and load down your 243. Also, with the good bullets available these days, a 223 can be excellent at the ranges you mentioned. Run a Barnes tsx/ttsx or some of the newer Winchester 64 bonded and go kill some things.

 

[ddubas]

I do reload but in the past I have had bad experience with reduce or mild loads. Dog I like your idea of having her practice with something smaller then switch to the 243 or I'm thinking about having her shoot the Hornady custom lite ammo for practice then drop in a normal hunting load when we go hunting. others have mentioned it that when its time to shoot you don't notice the recoil. In my daughters and wife's defense it was there first time shooting a 243. They are good shots with the 22 and 223. So it was something new for the both of them. They won't be in the field until next year. So they have plenty of time to practice.

 

[rancilio]

coldbore brought it up but didn't finish... you might consider a suppressor to tame that .243 and as a bene it allows for much less noise! Be cautious though, can addiction is very real.

 

[yote_slayer31]

Plus one on the suppressor. However 6BR will kill a deer. Shot placement as always is important. I killed a nice black tail with mine this year.

 

[coldboremiracle]

coldbore brought it up but didn't finish....

Its a problem I have.


A suppressor would go a long ways in Reducing recoil, and make a better shooter because of the lower noise, its less intimidating. Just yesterday I was shooting my .308 without my can (almost never happens except when in Kalifornistan) and I couldnt figure out why I was having such a hard time spotting my shots...

Duh.

 

[6.5BR]

Killed many deer with a 6BR, one at 400 yds, used 70 TNTs, 105 Amax, 95 Ballistic Tip, yes they kill as well as a 243 and as far as most jobs need done.

 

[MikeeBooshay]

Try a set of 85 grain TSX in that 243. Plenty of speed, a little less wieght, a little less recoil, I have ised same with kids for years,it works.

If you are shooting it thru a Mossberg or H&R, that is part of the issue. Get a 700 Remington, a bit more wieght, and that should help more than anything. I haave seen young 'uns get kicked pretty good out of the light "youth" model 243's. A proper 7-8 pound rifle will help tame that bite. If you need to, pull the recoil pad off it, drill a fat hole in the stock, add a couple pounds of lead shot and epoxy, replace recoil pad, problem solved.

 

[boudin]

85 gr Sierra Gameking
36.0 gr IMR 4064
CCI 200 Primers
Lapua Brass
2.277" Base-to-Ogive (0.15" off the lands)

This load shoots .5 MOA or less out of my Rem 700 .243 Win. (9.125 twist), has killed many a deer out to 200 yds, and has very little recoil. I don't think a 6 BR could offer much less.