308 or 243?

.308, much more factory and hand load options, can really do everything a .243 can do with the right load and gun.

That said, I love my only .243, but more because of the gun than the cartridge.

I’ve had some fantastic .243s. Really a great round, but given the choice today, I’d go with .308 for ammo supply reasons.

Either, but my preference is .308

I agree with the above and would go with the .308. I think the .308 is a great round in a varmint style gun. I have and have had quite a few rifles but probably none that I enjoy shooting more than my .308 Varmint if I'm in a situation conducive to a heavy gun and .30 caliber round (I wouldn't want to tote it on a long walking hunt nor shoot off-hand with it). It's the easiest gun I have to shoot tight groups with, and recoil is very mild due to the weight.



Near-twins in .243 and .308, but not heavy barrels. If I were keeping only one of them it'd be the .308.

308. No doubt. Can go light if needed, but does very well with heavier bullets, generally higher B.C., longer barrel life, better selection of bullets. Not even a contest in my mind at a range of 600yds, 308 is gonna win.
Lots of young deer hunters cut thier teeth on .243 and it's a great option for some things, but a once and forever choice between the two goes to .308

Depends how heavy overall we are talking. I've got some seriously bull barrel .243s in bolt guns and ARs that are like lasers out to 800 yards. Not a lot of energy left way out there so you need a good spotter. I load my .243 rifles heavy and the lightest target one I have is probably 13 lbs.

.308 will get you to 600 without a hitch as well. Its probably more versatile overall. I've hit 600 yards with barrels ranging from 16-24" using pretty hefty muzzle brakes and/or suppressors so I can spot my own shots.

If you think you'll be shooting past 600 yards and up to 1000 yards in the future I might give a nod to the .243. I prefer a 1:8 twist in my barrels. Your mileage may vary. Either is more than capable for your intended job.

I’ve owned both. I still own a fast-twist .243 Ackley and a couple standard 243s. Got out of .30 cals several years back with no regrets. My .308s were the last to go. But either will work well for your purpose at those distances.

Factory gun and factory ammo?

308

Factory gun and handloads?

Toss up with an edge to 243

Custom gun and handloads

243

Reasons:
There's alot of great 308 VLD match ammo out there. It's hard to ignore. Not as much selection for 243, and even less VLD bullet loads.

If you're using a factory barrel and handloads, selection of factory loads is less important. The 243 will be flatter shooting, less recoil a little cheaper to shoot as well, but you won't have as good of selection of good VLD bullets, being limited by the factory twist rate on 243 barrels.

If it's a custom barrel, and handloads you can run a 243 with a fast twist and shoot some real good bullets at warp speed and will be alot easier to shoot well with a dialed in handload.

243win for me. I made that choice around 20yrs ago, having shot 30-06 for a lot of years before that, a few 7mm’s, and a 308, and could compare that to my cousins’ 243wins - so I had seen the advantage firsthand. My path included fast twist barrels and 243AI, which I highly recommend.

It does go without saying though, the 6 creed is simply easier to accomplish that task, as does the 6 GT, both which offer factory ammo. After those couple decades and dozens of barrels on 243 win and AI, I’m converted wholly to 6 creed for my “fast 6mm” work.

I6turbo said:

I agree with the above and would go with the .308. I think the .308 is a great round in a varmint style gun. I have and have had quite a few rifles but probably none that I enjoy shooting more than my .308 Varmint if I'm in a situation conducive to a heavy gun and .30 caliber round (I wouldn't want to tote it on a long walking hunt nor shoot off-hand with it). It's the easiest gun I have to shoot tight groups with, and recoil is very mild due to the weight.

View attachment 1089470

Near-twins in .243 and .308, but not heavy barrels. If I were keeping only one of them it'd be the .308.
View attachment 1089471

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Wow, those twins are gorgeous!!!

If your asking me for my personal opinion.....fast twist .243, because i don't like the .308.
If your asking from a performance standpoint, fast twist .243.
If your asking from a practical standpoint .308.

Ive got vids of the .308 and the 6.5s, 6, and 7 and 300 at 600yds in crappy condition.....6.5 and 6cm were overall the easiest to hit with

As some of the other guys said, with the right twist, I'd take the .243.

I shoot regularly with a friend of mine out to 800 yds on my place. His .308 with 168s uses about a 3rd-1/2 more windage than my .243 (now a 6mm SLR) with 105 Berger Hybrids. In practical application out to 600 I can completely screw up a wind call and still ring steel and he's half a target width off. My 6mm SLR is also cheaper to shoot and has less recoil.

The only downside is the .243 has less barrel life than the .308.

The only problem with a factory 243 for target shooting is finding a fast twist barrel.

308- more ammo options, less wind sensitive, less of a barrel burner. I love 243- in a low round count light sporter for deer.

I have both a 243 and 308 with heavy barrels. The 308 is a 1-10 twist and the 243 is a 1-8 twist. Both shoot well out to 600 yards. But I would keep the 308 if I could only have one. I shoot both SMK's and Berger VLD's in each rifle. The 308 is my ride to the stand and sit all day rifle. I use Sierra 150's for deer.

I studied hard before choosing the 243 to build around. There are a lot of new 6mm's to choose from and I finally chose the 243, mostly because Lapua made 243 brass. The 6mm BR was a close 2nd.

igotta40 said:

. . . target shooting from 100 - 600 yards and your only options were 243 Win or 308, which would you want and why?

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10 years ago, definitely .308 because most of my supply of projectiles comes from Caliber Junkies upgrading to the latest Creeedmoah! and selling last year's cool gear for 50% off. That market's dropped hard these two years.

Today, especially if you don't hand load. . .
- .308 for long term flexibility
- .243 if recoil is any concern

ETA: lots of reloading equipment is caliber, not cartridge, specific. That's why .308 is a more flexible choice.

Of those two, 308. If I wanted a 6mm for that range I’d probably get a 6 BR if 100-600 means almost all inside 300 with a few between 3 and 6, might even consider the 6PPC.

If you’re inclined toward the .243 caliber go with a 6BR or one of it’s many successful variants, assuming you reload.

243, no need for the extra recoil.

.243......would pick a twist that makes it a varminter first, target rig second.

igotta40 said:

Just a hypothetical question- if you wanted a bolt action heavy barrel rifle for target shooting from 100 - 600 yards and your only options were 243 Win or 308, which would you want and why?

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I lOVE the .243 but ammo seems hard to come by these days.

Hokkmike said:

I lOVE the .243 but ammo seems hard to come by these days.

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Yes, but 6mm bullets are available to the well-stocked hand loader.

Hokkmike said:

I lOVE the .243 but ammo seems hard to come by these days.

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An ammoseek search shows .243 pretty available. You might can't always find it locally.
https://ammoseek.com/ammo/243-winchester

.308 is definitely cheaper if you are looking for factory ammo.
https://ammoseek.com/ammo/308-winchester

But as another poster indicated, 6mm bullets are plentiful for handloaders.

243 especially with a 1:8 twist would be a better performer. If you compare similar bullets such as a 108gr ELD to a 168 gr ELD for both, you will have about 20% less wind drift with the 108 eld. If you just want to bang steel and learn, a 308 would be perfectly fine though and the barrel will last a lot longer if your going to be shooting 1000 rounds a year. A 308 is going to beat you up a lot more than a 243 will for long shooting sessions.