6mm Remington

The 6mm Remington has the advantage of a relatively low recoil of about 10 ft/lbs depending on load. Some gun writers, including Chuck Hawks of Guns and Shooting Online believe that this has the advantage of allowing shooters to be comfortable with the rifle without developing a flinch, allowing them to focus on accurate shot placement.[3][4]

Inevitably the 6mm Remington cartridge is highly comparable to the 243 Winchester. Both were intended for the same purposes, both developed out of wildcat loads and both were introduced in the same year. In 1963 Remington produced both cartridges using their own sourced brass, primers, powder and bullets. This allows for comparative data from a single manufacturer and in the case of the 100 grain bullet, identical bullets were even used. The following table summarizes performance data published in Remington's 1963 catalog:[5]

The following summarizes comparative trajectory data between the 6mm Remington and .243 Winchester using the same 100 grain bullet:[6]

In the mid 1950s, Remington singled out and marketed the .222 Remington, not the .244 Remington for varmint applications in catalogs and flyers. In present times, many mistakenly believe Remington originally developed and marketed the Model 722 in .244 primarily as a varmint rifle. By the 1990s, even Remington itself sometimes promoted its 6mm rifles specifically for varmint applications thus further propagating the perception.

While this lingering perception is not accurate, it does serve to underscore contributing factors to beliefs held since the mid-1950s. As noted earlier, Remington developed two .244 loads, one using the heavier 90 grain bullet specifically designed, marketed and intended for medium-sized big game such as deer and antelope. As Remington saw the 90 grain bullet to be well suited for big game hunting they elected to match the slowest twist to that length of bullet specifically and avoid excessive projectile spin in favor of velocity. A 1 in 12-inch twist was selected and used initially.

Since the newly introduced .243 with its 100 grain bullet was also available, it is thought many consumers believed that to be the minimum mass needed to hunt deer. Likewise, the early Remington 722s often would not consistently gyroscopically stabilize 100 grain Spitzer bullets depending on their length and the original slower twist.[6] While the rifles are now known to be inherently accurate with appropriate bullets, early misguided attempts to shoot longer 100 grain bullets that might not stabilize, gave the cartridge a bad, if inaccurate, reputation.[7][8]

In December 1955, Guns Magazine writer, H. Jay Erfurth in an article titled Two Varmint-Big Game Rifles discussing the .244 Remington and .243 Winchester wrote "the Winchester bullet of 100 grains is the better one for deer and medium game than the 90-grain Remington pointed soft-point, though the differences seem mostly splitting hairs." He went on to write "With the 90 grain load, the 244 is a good deer cartridge and certainly effective on antelope and any lighter game."[9]

Ultimately 90 grain hunting bullets such as the soft pointed Spitzer used by Remington are known to be well suited to medium-sized big game and the 722 to be an inherently accurate rifle.

Remington also offered a more upscale 722BDL Deluxe Grade chambered for .244 with more features including figured walnut stock, sling swivels mounts and checkered stock making it more directly comparable to the Model 70. The 722BDL list price was $120.95, still less than any of Winchester’s .243 rifle offerings. Three years later Remington offered the 725ADL in .244, a feature rich model akin to the modern Model 700. Had the early rifles chambered for .244 been more successful initially, critics could have just as easily pointed to Winchesters lack of value priced rifles in .243.[7]

Erfurth went on to write about the Model 722 in .244 Remington, describing it this way: "Remington's [.244] offering comes in the M722 which is one of the least expensive, yet most modernly designed, bolt guns on the market."[9]

The 721/722 rifle line was an overall success for Remington in various calibers and competitively priced as a value offering for the market.[10]