6mm Musgrave

The 6mm Musgrave was the brain child of Ben Musgrave and introduced by Musgrave Rifles in 1969[1] [2]and can be described as a classic Africa cartridge. It is based on necking down the .303 British with the original intent of it being a Springbok calibre for hunting on open plains in South Africa's Karoo, Kalahari and Namakwaland. It is also well suited for other smaller antelope where longer shots have to be taken. Although not designed for bushveld conditions, the calibre can be downloaded to drive 100 grain bullets at 2500 feet per second and makes a very good cartridge for Impala and Reedbuck.

6mm Musgrave
TypeRifle
Place of originSouth Africa
Production history
DesignerBen Musgrave
Designed1955
ManufacturerMusgrave Rifles
Specifications
Parent case.303 British
Case typeRimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter0.243 (6mm)
Neck diameter0.338 in (8.6 mm)
Shoulder diameter0.401 in (10.2 mm)
Base diameter0.460 in (11.7 mm)
Rim diameter0.540 in (13.7 mm)
Rim thickness.064 in (1.6 mm)
Case length2.222 in (56.4 mm)
Overall length3.075 in (78.1 mm)
Case capacity55.7 gr H2O (3.61 cm3)
Rifling twist1-10 inches
Primer typeLarge rifle
Maximum pressure49,000
Maximum CUP45,000 CUP
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
80 gr (5 g) SP 3,120 ft/s (950 m/s) 1,729 ft⋅lbf (2,344 J)
85 gr (6 g) SP 3,084 ft/s (940 m/s) 1,795 ft⋅lbf (2,434 J)
90 gr (6 g) SP 2,950 ft/s (900 m/s) 1,739 ft⋅lbf (2,358 J)
100 gr (6 g) SP 2,805 ft/s (855 m/s) 1,747 ft⋅lbf (2,369 J)
Test barrel length: 24"

Like the .243 Winchester it has a fast rifle twist of 1-10 inches, however if 105 grain bullets are used it is recommended that a 1-9 or even faster twist is used to stabilise the bullets.

PMP (Pretoria Metal Pressings) is one of the very few ammunition manufacturers of 6mm Musgrave ammunition, but a lot of South African distributors have the ammunition in stock.

Dies for handloading are available from RCBS and Lee Precision.

Most manufactures of bullets (like Hornady, Nosler, Barnes, etc.) manufacture 6mm (.243") bullets that are suitable for this chambering.

See also

References
  1. "6mm MUSGRAVE | Cartridgecollector.net". www.cartridgecollector.net. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  2. "R A Dynamic - Guns and Ammunition Distributor - 243- 6mm Musgrave". www.radynamic.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-27.


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