Great shout
.243 calibre swap.
- Thread starter fivehole
- Start date
I have a 6 creed on sako 85 and it performs flawlessly. Go with a 24-26” barrel for optimal performance.
The new Hornady ELD-VT would be an excellent bullet to pick for vermin and then shoot a heavier 108 ELD if you want to shoot out long range.
The new Hornady ELD-VT would be an excellent bullet to pick for vermin and then shoot a heavier 108 ELD if you want to shoot out long range.
I wouldn’t consider it due to issues getting it to feed.
Get something like a 6mm arc, 223 rem or similar - think barrel life its the forgotten factor . The ARC is all uk deer capable , 223 only some , there are other choices . shooting crows with 243 has a fair cost , shooting steel still more
Re-barrel cost are higher than many decent shooting new rifles , how much do you love your stock and action ?
Re-barrel cost are higher than many decent shooting new rifles , how much do you love your stock and action ?
im not sure thats correct, properly fitted decent barrels can be had for as little as £800-£1000, where can you get a new rifle, built to match rifle quality, to your exact chamber/twist/length/profile specification for that money?
I was replying as regards what the OP stated Quoted below. I really like 243 win and have decades of 1st hand using them , they are great deer hunting / vermin guns. however if a man wants to ring steel etc on private land he has but 800 - 1200 rounds before the throat is FUBAR
That's a lot of beasts / vermin but it ain't a lot of range time
***Looking to the future, my .243 barrel won’t last forever.
When it’s time to replace the barrel l was wondering if there’s a better option.
The rifle is a sako 85 stainless varmint .243.
Crow bashing and a bit of steel targets are the main interest.
Bucking the wind is high on the list, easy shooting,easy to load for, "good barrel life would also be nice."***
Range would be around the 300 to 600 yards.
(However as regards shooting deer / foxes when the barrel is cool and a couple of shots a session , with some zero checks ? That will likely be a decade of shooting or more and being as most shots are on a cooled or cold barrel , with mid to heavy bullets your likely going to get more than the life stated or at least the higher end
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My recommendation would in light of the clear mention of " Barrel life " made by the op is.... 308 win ! Why ? Because it has " roughly" twice the round count and has a massive range of different ammo and components . Up to 300 yards it can hold its against anything and it can run to 1000 yards , heck it has its own class in comps "FTR". Want lighter varmint bullets for the crows ? Readily available ! Std 150 grain range ? Ready available ! Subsonic rounds ? Available loaded is boxes of 20 even " You will never be short of a different bullet or load that's for sure
Personally if it wasn't a tricky wind day my old 308 ( in my comp days ) held out to around 800 yards against anything in any hands ! After that to 1000 ? well that depended as at that extra range we are into the transonic period of the 308 flight path
Personally if it wasn't a tricky wind day my old 308 ( in my comp days ) held out to around 800 yards against anything in any hands ! After that to 1000 ? well that depended as at that extra range we are into the transonic period of the 308 flight path
jp 7saum
Well-Known Member
I’ve had 2 creedmoors and a 6.5x47 and I’ve just went back to a 243 and I’m loving it for long range varmints, I think a good idea would be to get it re barrelled in a 243 with a fast twist because it will do everything u need it to. You could run a 108gr eldm and push them plenty fast enough and because your rebarrling in the same calibre there woukd be no need for a variation which can be a right pain these days. Don’t get me wrong I have a fast twist 22-250 and love it to bits but I would still suggest 243 because you have the brass and loading dies and there would be no faf with the variation.
Just a suggestion
Best of luck for whatever you choose
Jp.
Easiest option is get it rebarrelled with a 1:8 twist & shoot 105-107gn bullets.
That way no agro or delay with a one for one variation.
I had a Ruger VT in 243W some years back, it had a 1:8 twist & would easily do what you’re after & more. Only sold it as barrel too long & heavy to go stalking with!
I run a 260 rem , i have to say factory ammo is no longer very available ( though it did have a rise up the the 6.5 creed gaining full acceptance) the only real difference between the two cartridges is 260 has an advantage with shorter bullets as it can take a tad more powder and the creed has the advantage of the longer throat and hence the extra long ELD stuff does not need shoving back into the powder room .
120 lead and / or 100 or 120 tTSX and the like are good ( so long as you have the twist to do it ) Mine has a 1-7.5 twist ( basically a creed kind of twist ) To be fair the 100 grain tTSX from the 260 is absolutely brilliant with 100 grain tTSX . Little muntjac at short distances a long way out on
big redsI have never had feed issues with a 6BR yet alone a .22BR.
As most of the BR chamberings are custom chamberings any potential feed issues should be sorted out at the design stage. The only potential resson for feed issues is the weight of the projectile relative to the length of the overall cartridge. With the 6BR the cartridge, especially with the 105 grain projectiles and heavier, do tend to be nose heavy, however these are mostly used for target shooting and often hand fed. Even with these heavier projectiles a well designed rifle will not have feed issues.
The .22BR on the other hand will probably be using projectiles in the 35 - 55 grain weight and do not come up nose heavy and do not have feed issues.
Do not let unqualified nonsense get in the way of an informed decision. If in doubt speak to one of the known and reliable smiths on this forum and seek their professional advice.
For your use fast twist 22-250 or .22 creedmoor, or and AI in 22-250 or .243.
You won’t get >.22 for vermin if your FLD are working to the guidance.
Bucking the wind and hood barrel life are not usual bed fellows.
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The original poster is on about using his existing rifle and magazine system. It is well known that the short BR cases are difficult to get feeding 100% of the time. You identify the issues when using heavier bullets which are needed for long range shooting. The BR case was designed for Benchrest Competition and single feeding. As I own a Sako 85 model S which is the same size action at the OP and having tried the BR case with dummy rounds and 75gr V-Max prior to having a 6mm Creedmoor barrel fitted I can say that the BR case doesn’t feed from the factory magazine. There is too much movement in the magazine due to the residual space as the BR rounds are short. This isn’t a system designed from the ground and BR specific AICS magazines are not an option for the Sako 85. I may not be qualified but I have experience.
Cheers for the reply’s so far. The comments regarding barrel life has made me realise that the vast majority of my shots fired are checking zero, checking if it’s shooting straight after I missed the last crow etc.
In a perfect world if the rifle was capable of shooting consistently tight groups, then if every shot was at a crow then the barrel life would be less important.
In short I want a consistent shooting rifle.
It will be only shot of a bench and I have other deer legal rifles.
In a perfect world if the rifle was capable of shooting consistently tight groups, then if every shot was at a crow then the barrel life would be less important.
In short I want a consistent shooting rifle.
It will be only shot of a bench and I have other deer legal rifles.
Not owning a Sako 85 I am unable to comment, but if it didn’t work 100% it didn’t work 100%, and that is not good if a quick follow up shot is required. Out of interest what chambering/calibre did you try the dummy round in? The factory magazine will probably be the issue but one that can be easily remedied. A BR chambering would be a custom chambering but no more exotic, difficult or expensive than any other chambering to cut and would account for any potential feeding issues.
On my Tikka M595 I regularly use, long for calibre, YewTree 80.1 grain .243 copper without problems, just my experience.
Light rounds, 35-55 grain? as would be used for crows and in .224 as per poster, do not present the same issues as the heavier rounds, in my experience, but then I’ve never tried it in a Sako 85.
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
I will reiterate my earlier reply, but add to it.
For the simplicity of taking it to your chosen smith and getting back a finished rifle. Then sticking to your original cartridge is easiest. No vagaries of your local FLD and a variation.
The guy who built my last rifle does quite a few for the local game keepers. One came wanting a fast twist .243 to shoot 105’s for long range crows (500/600yds iirc).
A 1 in 8” barrel was decided on, and subsequently fitted. The ‘smith set the rifle up and shot it in as per the customer’s request. However the only surplus ammunition to hand was 58 Vmax. The resulting groups were one hole at 100yds, I believe the keeper used 58 Vmax for some time afterwards (kind of defeating the object) but later tried the heavier bullets with good results.
So the same cartridge with a 8” or personally I would go a little faster at 7.5”. If you felt that way inclined you could get small primer brass it would just mean necking down some Palmer from 308. But that’s probably taking it too far.
Is this on a Sako S action? Do you have any issues with COAL in the mag or extracting an unfired cartridge? A 1:7 twist 6mm Creed in a Sako 90 or Tikka T3x is still calling me. The 26" creed isn't stalking or car friendly. I'd shoot the Yew Tree 80.1gr/ 95gr or Hornady 108 ELD-M. The COAL of the YT 80.1gr in my current rifle is 2.8". I don't have any YT 95gr, but they look as though they would increase COAL.
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