6mm ARC vs 243 Win. Facts, Not Fiction. Explained. 

I retired and moved to a "in the valley" new location. So Rockchuck scouting and hunting will be a challenge in the non mountain new terrain, later this spring.

Thanks Bobcat. Wind and weather conditions are a hinderance indeed, but fun to practice shooting anytime.

This BCA 243 rifle has the 1-8 barrel twist and I have tested the 103-105 grain bullets. They shoot very well indeed and still higher velocity also. The ARC is a great small to medium game capable cartridge also, just slower due to less powder capacity in my 24" rifles. You are right though that the 6MM Creedmoor is a better suited modern case for the heavies. Thanks for your input here.

Brian's (CW) channel is great. He has a ton of knowledge and readily shares it here.

Thanks for watching and glad both you and I can laugh at the conditions but still have fun shooting.

You are spot on! You have actual field experience to share here. My 243 shown here does have the 1/8 twist for the 6mm heavier projectiles. The in between MSR ready cartridge that can achieve the Muzzle velocities that you mention is the 6.5 Grendel with 120gn pills. My Grendel is also a 24" variant and has the similar speed to the ARC with 90grain to 103 grain bullets, head to head. Thanks for your comment here.

⁠the velocities are similar but there will be differences in BC for a 90gr 6.5 vs 90gr ELDx 6mm. And the trade off isn’t in the 6.5s favor in that regard. I still think for the class of cartridge, the 6mm beats the 6.5 Grendel

@@zr1vetteman09 "Terminal ballistics and proper bullet construction is paramount. As you mentioned about your experience with a traditional .243 cal. bullet, they have a limited ethical shooting distance to provide the necessary energy on target. Check out the Sectional density of .264 vs .243 bullets, this fact, (if launched at a similar velocity), maybe more important to those who could care a less about higher BC's and not shooting past 300 yards, especially in limited small case capacity cartridges.. Thanks again for sharing your experiences here.

I agree the sectional density will favor the 6.5 but due to the lower BC, at 300 the wind drift and loss of velocity over the 90 6mm will be noticeable in anything over 10mph wind. Maybe even enough to miss the coyote or critter.

For example the 6.5 90 grain TNT vs 6mm 90eld-x both at 2800. With a 10mph wind You’re gunna see about 300 fps, 250ft-lb more energy, 6” less drop and 5 inch less wind drift at 300 yards in favor of the 6mm. Sizable difference IMO.

Thanks Dennis. I am envious of your indoor range indeed.

@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 I’m in GA. You’d be welcome to be my guest there anytime! I mean it. 😃

Go for it! Thanks for watching.

True, but I have a 243 with a 1-8 twist to shoot the heavier same bullets and the speed and energy are still extended by 100-125 yards. Suggest watching my BCA 243 Win. playlist. Thanks for your comment here.

Thanks for your comment and for watching. One thing nice about testing at 100 yards is shooter error (me) can't be hidden. HaHa!

Best wishes for you build project. Now that some components are in stock, the ARC may get the renewed interest it deserves.

Yes, just comparing the same against the same. A change in bullet weight and or powder charge changes everything. That is why a hand loader is always testing. LOL!

Drive safe. Best wishes with your 6 ARC.

Thanks for you comment here and for watching.

Sorry to say I do not have the 6mm Remington. Great cartridge indeed.

Thanks for watching.

Fun time for sure. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for the invitation Chris. Thanks for both of your channels.

Thank for the support @@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009

Look forward to your 6.5 Western videos.

@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 I'm putting together a Howa mini action in 6 ARC soon. It should be a fun project.

Sounds like you know your cartridge's capabilities pretty well. Thanks for watching and commenting here.

You gain velocity and distance with the 6 ARC. But for hunting the 6.5 Grendel allows heavier bullets. This video may help. Buy both! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q1kN3Kmuo8A.html&ab_channel=DaveStrohmeyer-SaddleUpShootin%27

Thanks

Thanks for watching.

No, I have not tried Superformance in the 6 ARC. Most all listed powders in the Hornady manual are fast to fast to medium burning powders. Have you tried it?

Fun though to shoot the newer cartridges. Powder and bullet materials and design construction sometimes retires older stuff. To me newer technology is exciting and helps our 2A community grow in their chosen endeavor be it hunting, target shooting or competition.

I'm with you but when a new caliber comes out in the same diameter bullet all I think is I'm just loading the same old boring bullet that been around for years to decades a couple hundred FPS higher or slower. I see Hornady has fi all got around to bringing the VT bullets to market in the last couple months. I get more excited about the new " so called" improved bullet designs. Wish they would have made some lighter offerings in .243 and. 224 versions thought. At least as low a 70 grains in .243 and at least as low at .60 grains in .224. Look like fun guns! Keep up the great videos!

Thanks for your comment here and for watching.

Really? Seems to me 6 arc shines with a shorter barrel compared to 243. Small sample size here but for example a 243 and a 6 arc with 24” barrels the 243 might have 250 fps on an arc but u shorten em up to 18” barrels and 6 arc closes the gap on the velocity difference down to like 100 fps. And yeah I don’t know of anyone in any caliber shooting 1s and 2s with a msr.

Interesting. No new cartridge can exist without a rifle matched to it. I am comfortable with what already has been proven and seek to match that cartridge to the intended game.

Yes, but the 6mm ARC does hit an "Inside the park home run" also.

Thanks for your input here. I agree properly constructed bullets need to be used for deer sized game.

The ARC cartridges are designed for long-for-caliber bullets and fast twist barrels. I have a high power over the course bolt action rifle built on a 1990s era Win M70 Classic Stainless short action, with a 26" Lilja 1:7" twist target barrel. It stabilizes the Sierra .243 107 gr Match King boat tail HP and will shoot around 3/4 MOA at 600 yards. If I were to build a .243 Win for the Hornady ELD bullets I'd put a 1:7" barrel on it. The ARC advantage is a more efficient cartridge and shorter OAL to fit in an AR or mini (.223 length) a tion like the old Kimber 84 or the Howa 1500 Mini... but really for AR conversions. No doubt that a .243 Win or 6mm PRC with the right barrel twist will significantly outperform the 6mm ARC. To me, the appeal of the ARC is what the industry (or at least Hornady and Browning/Winchester with the 6.8 Western) has learned... far better to use a shorter, wider case to get more efficiency and more consistent powder burn with a VLD-type bullet because any velocity gains with lighter bullets and more powder capacity are gone by 300 to 400 yards and the VLDs pull ahead and are never caught. Do you need this? For most hunting in eastern North America, no. For hunting in the west, for coyotes, mule deer, antelope, and elk, yes. I've had coyotes sit out at 700 yards and howl when I had a .243 shooting 55gr Nosler ballistic tips... but the 80 gr ELD-VX at 3400 ft/sec would have been a much better choice had it existed two decades ago. Where I think the ARC will shine is in the .22 ARC in an AR platform with a 24" barrel for coyote hunting, or also in a bolt action rifle. That's why I feel the two rifle battery for all North American game would be the .22 ARC and the 6.8 Western.

@@johnclifford1911 I would agree 1 in 7 twist is best for weight over 105 grain. Hornady did not design the 6 mm Arc or the 22 Arc, they copied it from what other people have already done. There has been problems with 22 arc getting bullets pushed into the case when feeding in a AR. Different pressure loads for AR and bolt action will get mixed up and cause problems.I recently saw 4350 powder selling for $75 a pound. So if you are going to be a Target shooter shooting a lot of rounds it would be a good idea to shoot a cartridge that burns less powder. For target shooting that also means less recoil. If you're spending money and time trying to get a shot at a trophy animal it's best to have something that gives you as much velocity as possible to decrease the odds of shooter misjudging distance. 6 mm Arc has a smaller bolt face than 308- 30-06 based cartidges. I do not think mod 70 win was ever made for 6mm arc-22 ppc bolt face. How does that work?

Thanks for watching. The ARC is an effective small game hunting round. There are more and more hunters that are using MSR's today than ever before, including me.

Yes they do, depending on bullet weight and charge weight of course.

I don't own a 6mm Creedmoor to compare, but do own three 6.5 Creedmoors. Check out my previous video on testing 100 -107gn bullets in the 6.5 Creed and see the similar velocity results to the 6 creed (compared to listed in the manual velocities). The higher sectional density .264 cal bullets is also a factor.

@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009thank you!

Agree with you about hunting distances. But this 243 does have the 1-8 twist to shoot the heavier high BC bullets the same as the ARC. Therefore with higher velocity/same bullet comparison, the .243 wins at longer distances as it should because of more powder capacity. Thanks for watching.

@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 1-8 twist 243 Win, nice. I didn't catch that.

1s and 2s would be getting into single feed bolt action bench rest territory. But if someone spent the time and money I bet they could come close, I just don't know why. I've gotten down to 3s and 4s and that's more than good enough for me.

Absolutely not!!!! They are literally the same bullets. With exactly the same B.C. You should not spread false information. Simply put the 6mm is a slower 243

Thanks for the feedback. RU-vid only approves their library of music. Not allot of choices for my western lifestyle and background.

​@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 great video Dave. Really liked the. Intro music!

@@B_mount Thanks for your kind words here.

The intro is just fine. Better than many, many, others.

@@dp981 Thanks for the kind words here.