The 6mm Remington is the other .24 bore.

Everyone, it seems, is acquainted with the .243 Winchester. Almost anywhere you go you’ll see a vast array of choices in both rifles and ammunition. Everything is covered, the total gamut from lightweight 55-grain varmint bullets all the way up to controlled-expansion 100-grain hunting loads. We have even seen more than a few of the PRS, fast-twist, long-range match rifles chambered for the Winchester round. So what do I mean when I speak of the “other” .24 bore? No, not the .240 Weatherby Magnum, nor the new 6mm Creedmoor.

Like every other industry there exists rivalries, constantly competing for the affection of their potential consumers. In 1955, both Winchester and Remington introduced a short-action .24 caliber cartridge. The .244 Remington was introduced with long-range varmint hunting in mind, while the .243 Winchester was billed as a combination varmint and deer hunting cartridge. The corresponding twist rates were 1-12” and 1-10” respectively. According to some, the 1-12” twist rate of the Remington would not stabilize anything heavier than a 90-grain bullet while the 1-10” of the Winchester shot everything just fine. Never mind the 10 grains of difference in bullet weight, the .244 had much higher velocity and was introduced in the very affordable Remington Model 722 rifle. These two seemingly positive points were met with a collective yawn while consumers flocked to the Winchester round.

To further add to the confusion, the .244 was overhauled a few years later to address this slower twist rate issue. Besides being given a faster 1-9” twist rate, the .244 was renamed 6mm Remington. These two acts of faith were left standing at the proverbial altar so to speak and the .244/6mm got left in the dust while sales for the .243 continue to soar even today.

This isn’t to say the 6mm is a bad cartridge, far from it. With factory loads it handily outruns and outhits the .243 with no noticeable difference in recoil, making both cartridges very appealing to youngsters and seasoned shooters alike. An old friend of mine, Ted Morgan, had a P.O. Ackley custom Mauser rifle chambered in 6mm Remington. He could get 4,200 feet per second from 55-grain bullets. That, my friends, is fast! And it was absolute dynamite on coyotes and the like. While being the .243’s superior in each possible bullet weight and its equal in the accuracy department, the 6mm really shines as an antelope and deer cartridge. And I know of a handful of folks who use it successfully for elk hunting. This of course, being a stretch in my opinion, can be done. Ask the number of game animals Lyle McCumber has taken over the years whether the 6mm is adequate or not. Ask my sister Jenny Martin. Her first rifle, a unique Remington 788, has seen its fair share of freezer filling, and I could go on and on.

Everyone I know who owns a 6mm wouldn’t trade it for a dozen .243s. Those of you lucky enough to own one know what I mean. If there exists a gap in your gun collection, I suggest making room for a 6mm Remington, you won’t be sorry.

Are you a fan of the .24 bore? Write in at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com!