6 mm Musgrave
Encyclopedia
The 6 mm Musgrave was the brain child of Ben Musgrave and introduced by Musgrave Rifles
in 1955 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 grainers at 2500 feet per second and makes a very good cartridge for Impala and Reedbuck.
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. A lot of international manufacturers (like Hornady
, Nosler
, Barnes, etc.) manufacture 6mm bullets for handloading
.
Musgrave Rifles
Musgrave rifles have their roots in target shooting and were designed and built for full bore target shooters, in an era where surplus war rifles such as the Lee-Enfield, Lee-Metford, P14 and others dominated on shooting ranges. The accuracy and performance of these rifles made them very popular...
in 1955 and can be described as a classic Africa cartridge. It is based on necking down the .303 British
.303 British
.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...
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 grainers at 2500 feet per second and makes a very good cartridge for Impala and Reedbuck.
Like the .243 Winchester
.243 Winchester
The .243 Winchester is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. Initially designed as a varmint round, it is now more frequently used on medium to large game such as whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, wild hogs, and even black bear and caribou...
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. A lot of international manufacturers (like Hornady
Hornady
Hornady Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of ammunition and handloading components, based in Grand Island, Nebraska.The company was founded by Joyce Hornady in 1949 and is currently run by his son Steve Hornady who took over after his father's death in a plane crash in 1981.Hornady...
, Nosler
Nosler
The name Nosler applies to a number of companies involved in the manufacture of ammunition and handloading components, specializing in high performance hollow point and soft point hunting bullets. Current companies include Nosler, Inc., Nosler Custom, and Nosler Reloading...
, Barnes, etc.) manufacture 6mm bullets for handloading
Handloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
.