AndyTaber
New member
I have a Remington 700 in .223 w/heavy varmint barrel. After attending a couple of short range benchrest for score matches at the local club I thought I would give this a try. So, while the rifle is at the smith's getting trigger and bolt work, new crown and bolt handle and waiting on a harwood laminate stock to be pillar bedded, I'm still planning. I am thinking a Match grade barrel is in the near future and came across the 6x45 (6mm/.223) while searching the net. What i've read so far is the 6x45 was a popular benchrest round and did well back in the 70's. It has since been replaced by the 6ppc in competition. All of the newest buzz is in short barrel AR style rifles as a varmint round. If I am going to stick with the 223 case when I re-barrel, are there any advantages (other than a larger hole) for short range? It seems to basically come down to .224, 80 gr, 1-8 twist vs .243, 80 gr, 1-12 twist. Small diameter and long vs larger diameter and short. What is the upside and downside for each? What about barrel length? 20" vs 26" range?