10 GREAT 6MM-06 LOADS
Bullet	Bullet Weight (gr.)	Powder	Charge Weight (gr.)	Muzzle Velocity (fps)
Nosler Ballistic Tip	55	H414	52.0	3,817
Sierra Hollow Point	75	V-N160	53.0	3,644
Sierra Hollow Point	80	Magnum	55.0	3,382
Barnes X-Bullet	85	IMR-4350	49.0	3,479
Swift Scirocco	90	H4831	53.0	3,428
Hornady SST	95	RL-22	52.0	3,364
Nosler Partitiion	100	IMR-7828	52.0	3,273
Sierra GameKing	100	AA-3100	50.0	3,236
Speer Grand Slam	100	H4831	51.0	3,215
Speer Soft Point	105	RL-22	51.0	3,210
Notes:All powder charges are maximum and should be reduced by 15 percent for starting loads. Velocities are averages of five or more rounds clocked at 12 feet from the muzzle of a 26-inch T/C Encore rifle barrel. Cases were formed by necking down Remington .25-06 brass and Remington 91⁄2 primers were used.

The deer and the antelope were taken with a Swift 90-grain Scirocco, loaded to 3,450 fps. I have yet to come up with a reason for switching bullets. When zeroed three inches high at 100 yards it strikes about four inches high at 200, dead on at 300 and low by about half the body depth of a whitetail deer at 400 yards, where it is still packing close to 1,200 ft.-lbs. of punch.

The 6mm-06 is far too much cartridge for prairie dogs, but its ability to push bullets of high ballistic coefficient at high speeds makes it a great candidate for shooting rockchucks and eastern groundhogs at extremely long ranges.

Choosing between the 6mm-06, the 6mm-284 and the .240 Weatherby Magnum is easy. If you prefer to use factory ammunition, then the .240 Weatherby Magnum is your cup of tea. If you handload and prefer a short-action rifle then the 6mm-284 is the way to go.

The 6mm-06 makes more sense in a long-action rifle, and .30-06 cases are usually easier to find and less expensive than .284 Winchester or 6.5-284 cases.

Everything including bullet weight, barrel length and the pressures to which they are loaded being equal, I find the 6mm-06 to be about 300 fps faster than the .243 Winchester and 200 fps faster than the 6mm Remington and .243 WSSM. Whether or not that gain in velocity justifies owning a rifle chambered for a wildcat cartridge is for the fellow who is spending the money to decide.

Warning: The loads shown here are safe only in the guns for which they were developed. Neither the author nor InterMedia Outdoors assumes any liability for accidents or injury resulting from the use or misuse of this data. Shooting reloads may void any warranty on your firearm.