6BR vs .243 vs ? - Savage vs CZ vs Cooper vs ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jackbrownii

Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2011
Messages
5
So. I have a profit sharing bonus heading for my bank account soon. :D

It is time for a new rifle. The intentions are paper punching and varminting. Chucks, prairie dogs, and/or ground squirrels. Given the way things have worked in the past, there will probably be more rounds fired from the bench... Travel/initiative/etc. :eek:

I fully intend to reload. Have a Remington Model 600 in .243, my first deer rifle, that shoots decently, but isn't exactly new and spiffy like I'm looking for. Also have spent a fair amount of time with a Savage 112 BVSS in .223. Reload for both.

I would like something with a little more zip than the .223. The 6BR is attractive for the accuracy that seems to accompany the cartridge. While I will reload, I would prefer to not have to neck trim if possible.

The .243 is a bit more common and I've loaded for it. Never heard a bad word about it.

Thoughts on choosing between the two? Other considerations?

As for rifles, I've been quite happy with the Savage I currently own. I'm strongly partial to laminated wood stocks, which leads me to look at the Model 12 Bench Rest which would give me 6BR. Lower end options open up with the .243 such as the 12 VLP DBM. Although, that has a magazine. General preference for single shot, too.

I've heard good things about CZ, and love the idea of coming from the factory with set triggers. That's the main thing keeping them in this list, as they don't seem to offer .243 or 6BR in the configuration I like...

Cooper rifles up the dollar amount a little, though that's not a total deal breaker. What are their triggers like? How low can they be adjusted? I've also seen intimations that their delivery times can be ... longer than my sense of immediate gratification may be satisfied with.

Thanks if you've read this far. Any input and discussions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Welcome Jack!

I'll start by saying I own a .243 and the love the caliber for targets and varmints. A friend also owns a 6BR, his is a truly custom rig and, as a handloader myself, what I understand the difference to be is more neck surface with the 6BR, most everything else being almost equal.

I've never found the magical load to be one at maximum power, so case capacity, unless you're loading for long rang (which no 6mm is good at), is probably not a factor.

.243 and 6mm share the same bullets. Buying quality cases should be at the top of your list and you're in luck because Lapua makes cases for both.

I do not feel my .243 target rifle (a Tikka) falls short of expectations, though my friends $2000 custom 6BR will certainly out shoot it. It's a matter of what you want.

As for rifles, I like to break them down into three classes... Custom rigs and factory rigs -- you get a third category with the Cooper because I believe it falls in between custom and factory. My point is, with the luck of the draw you may get a shooter and you may not -- with factory guns. With custom guns you can usually be assured you'll get a shooter.

The higher you climb in to the custom area, the more consistent results I've seen from those possessing those types of rifles.
 
Jack I bought Savage 12 LRPV in 6BR 1:8 twist and had to re-barrel it, because of the awful chamber job, also mine came with laminate BR stock, just to get my story short, this rifle with new barrel from Criterion shoots bugholes. If you have your other savage, why not give it upgrade to 6BR, since you have 223, you will need new boltface, but that's easy anyone can do it. After I was done with LRPV, I rebarreled my 111 model to 260 Rem from 270 WIN, this 260 has very slight recoil, just like 243, but BC of 6.5mm is much better then 6mm, but I still like my 6BR to take out small targets far away.
 
Unless you are an accuracy nerd

forget about the 6BR. It is a great cartridge and the Savage has a great reputation. I owned 9 model 12s at one time including one in 6BR. Even if you reload for it it is just too expensive at least it was for me. My 223 and 204 will shoot 1/4 MOA so it just wasn't worth it for me. Last time I checked Brass was about $1 each. Match grade bullets are very expensive also. If all you are doing is trying to shoot one hole groups then it is probably worth it, if not, don't bother.
 
It costs me no more to load my 6BR then it does my 243. In fact the 6BR takes less powder then the 243, and bullets are the same if you buy good stuff for eather. The 6BR is just such a nice rd. to shoot. No recoil and shoots little holes. It's just such a fun rd to shoot. You will love it !!!!
Dave
 
I own several of each of the 3 you mentioned. With that said I would choose the Cooper over the others.

Yes, the Cooper will cost more as it's accuracy is guaranteed, has superb fit and finish, many models to choose from and you can order one exactly wih the options you want. The triggers are great and adjustable, mine are at 1lb. If you order one to your specs the wait can be long, my longest was 7 months. You can search gunsamerica for a over the counter Cooper to your liking.

While Savage makes a decent rifle, mine are nothing special. Personally I do not care for the trigger. The advertised "red target" trigger on my M12 F/TR dosent adjust correctly, the lack of bedding/free floating and stock finish on a target rifle leave something to be disired.


With the CZ's, they offer good craftsmanship, though limited in models. Again, the triggers dont do much for me. While the "set trigger" can be set to under a pound the overtravel is just crazy and hard for me to get used to. If you like the mauser style action that's a plus but the safties are backwards on them, it must be a european thing.

One thing you might consider is building a custom rifle. I am just about done with a fast twisted 243 Win for 1000yd shooting.
 
Im a big fan of the 6 BR, I have two of them. One is factory savage bench model your talking about and with no load development at all using cheap hornady 75gr v-max's I shot in a 600 yard IBS match last week and agged 3.9" for the day. The results were

1st = savage 6BR agg 2.9xx"
2nd = savage 6.5x284 agg 3.5xx"
3rd = savage 6BR agg 3.9xx"
4th = savage 6BR agg 3.9xx"

I forget what everone else was shooting in factory class, but you can kinda see a trend here.

It's a cheap round to shoot, brass is high but I've herd of people getting up to 25 reloads out of it. No recoil, and great shooting at most ranges.
 
Lapua brass for 6BR cost 83 bucks for 100, then 243 WIN Lapua brass cost 93 for 100 so reloading for 243 could cost more if you stay with Lapua.
 
DIM said:
If you have your other savage, why not give it upgrade to 6BR, since you have 223, you will need new boltface, but that's easy anyone can do it.
Click to expand...

Oh, I still like my .223. Looking to add to the collection...:evil:
 
Skyshot said:
I know the 6mmBR is faster, but have you considerd a 6PPC.
Click to expand...

An interesting thought. I wasn't looking for that one in my browsing, but it does seem like there are fewer options in that chambering. Unless I want to go full custom, and there we get back to my sense of instant gratification...
 
dubbleA said:
I own several of each of the 3 you mentioned. With that said I would choose the Cooper over the others.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, especially from owning each.

One thing you might consider is building a custom rifle. I am just about done with a fast twisted 243 Win for 1000yd shooting.
Click to expand...

I'll probably get there at some point down the road. :)
 
Racinready300ex said:
Im a big fan of the 6 BR, I have two of them. One is factory savage bench model your talking about and with no load development at all using cheap hornady 75gr v-max's I shot in a 600 yard IBS match last week and agged 3.9" for the day. The results were
Click to expand...

Nice numbers at 600.

It's a cheap round to shoot, brass is high but I've herd of people getting up to 25 reloads out of it. No recoil, and great shooting at most ranges.
Click to expand...

25 reloads? Hot diggity!:what:
 
I own both a 223 and a 6br savage, the 6br is not faster and not much more if any more accurate than the 223. price of everything just stay with the 223.
 
you should try at least 500 yards to compare both, you'll be amazed ;)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

V
  • Locked
For you Savage shooters..........
Replies
9
Views
993
JDGray
J
R
  • Locked
243 VS 7mm 08
2 3 4
Replies
75
Views
46K
Kachok
K
JeeperCreeper
  • Locked
.243 vs .308 again... in Savage 11 VT
2
Replies
35
Views
5K
midland man
midland man
J
  • Locked
Savage 14AC vs. Remmington 700CDL
Replies
1
Views
452
Safwan
Safwan
T
  • Locked
.223 vs .243 bolt action rifle - advice please
Replies
21
Views
8K
Big_E
B
Back
Top