Is .243 Win useful for anything besides hunting?

It's not that it's a waste of cash at all, people shoot it in competition out to 1000 yards. The main thing that comes to mind, is it can be a barrel burner, depending on the load and how hard you run it. The barrel will likely wear out a lot sooner than other cartridges.

.243 is a good competition round out to 1000 yards. It ha a very flat trajectory and is very fast. Upwards of 3000 fps easily. If your only shooting out to 300 yards you couldn't find a better cartridge. Buy it.

Is anything "useful" for anything besides hunting? LOL... Target shooting is the only other use I can think of, and everything is useful at that. The .243 can easily be a target gun past 600 yards, just like the .308. I wouldn't use the .243 on Moose at 600 yards, but I'd hardly use the .308 for that, either. The low recoil is also a major plus.

The 243 makes a good 1,000yd round IF you rebarrel to a 1:7" twist to use the heavier VLD style match bullets, factory 1:10 twist could never dream of doing such. Alot of 243 fans leave the rebarreling part out but lighter weight 243 cal bullets have rather poor external ballistics when compared to what the 6.5mm, 7mm and 30 cal can shoot out of their standard twist.

So I did a little research on the caliber, and basically all I'm reading is that it's for hunting deer inside 300 yards,

Click to expand...

You left out that it is one of the best long range large varmint calibers invented.
Here in Kansas, it is a goto rifle for 400 yard coyotes, crows, and such.

As already noted, long strings of rapid-fire shots on a target will quickly cook a barrel, so if you use it for that, you have to slow down and let it cool off.

Other then that, there is no reason you can't use one to learn to shoot at 100 yards, 300 yards, or 600 yards.

rc

For target a .243 will smoke a 308 at any distance.

It would work just fine as a sniper rifle, too. And one that you can still find ammo for during crises, to boot!

Glad you clarified that by adding.."for target"...

The 243 Win is pretty a versatile round. It works with varminting, big game, and target shooting with the right bullet.


As a matter of fact I just happen to be playing with one yesterday morning. These groups were fired back to back on the same target face with 3 different loads.


243 Win. 105gr Amax, H4831SC @ 300yds resulted in 3 groups averaging 1.2 inches or .3moa.

.243 has better target ballistics than a .308. Ia m not sure what .243 you are buying but the bolt and action are probably identical to the same model in .308. Most rifles require only a swap of barrels to switch between .243/7mm-08/.308

243 is just a necked down 308 case. 243 is one heck of a varmint round.
If you like the rifle and you can buy it cheap, just twist a 308 barrel on it, same bolt face.

adelbridge said:

.243 has better target ballistics than a .308. Ia m not sure what .243 you are buying but the bolt and action are probably identical to the same model in .308. Most rifles require only a swap of barrels to switch between .243/7mm-08/.308

Click to expand...

?!?!? NO WAY! A 185gr VLD has .549BC and that will even work in the slow 1:12" twist on a 308, step up to a standard 1:10" and you can use bullets well into the .700s what .243 cal bullet are you talking about? Even the ultra long 115gr VLD only has a .545 and it NEEDS a custom 1:7 twist barrel. Some people have gotten the 105 A-Max to work out of the harder to find 1:9" twist but that one falls well shy of the 30 cals with a .500 BC

Kachok Inside of 300 yards they are identical left to right. Up and down the .243 has a 6" advantage at 300 yards.

.243 is one of my favorite cartridges.. right up there with the .260. Fast and like a laser our and even past 1000yds. Get some reloading gear and shoot Hornady 105 A-Max's or Berger 105 Hybrids. Super low recoil and great accuracy (with good loads). Try to get something as close to an 8 twist as possible to shoot the heavier bullets. I've heard of both the Savage and Remington 9.5 twists able to shoot the 105's, but not optimal. 9.5 twist I would stick wtih 85-100gr match bullets.

Lots of people shooting them at long range, here's mine.



And sorry Kachok, but there isn't a .308 made that will shoot with a .243 at range. You quote a BC for a bullet that is next to useless in a .308 due to the extremely low velocities you can (safely) achieve. And yes, I also shoot a .308 precision rifle. You don't see the .308 winning many ( if any) long range competitions except for FTR where the only thing that can compete is .223 or .308. Everyone winning on this continent is shooting a 6 or 6.5mm, and in England they are having some good luck with the 7mm.

A rifle is actually used for something besides hunting? Lordy! Why?

After reloading for a long time I've found a system that works well for me and doesn't break the bank. I use a RCBS RockChucker single stage. Dies, I use Forester sizing and Micro seater die then pick up a Lee Collet die. I only use Lapua brass now if it is availabe for the caliber I am shooting, but next would be Winchester. I don't think the Nosler/Norma brass is worth the price if Lapua is available (just me). Hornady makes a good 100gr Match bullet , but you might as well try a box of 105's, you may be able to shoot them. Powder: Hogdon H4350 is pretty much the go to powder for heavy .243.

My process with Lapua brass (Winchester requires sorting and prep)
1. Neck Size with Lee Collet
2. Prime (Standard or Bench Rest Large Rifle Primers)
3. Drop powder
4. Seat bullet
5. Shoot.
6. Clean
7. See if fired cases chamber w/o full length resize (they should)
8. If they do, start back over at step 1
9. If they don't, then full length size and move on to step 1 again.
10. After 3-4 firings read up on annealing, this can be done at home with a propane torch and a good eye. AKA saving your brass

I would recommend getting some comparitors for your calibers and an Overall Length gauge. Hornady makes both products and are invaluable when finding out your distance to lands and how long you need to seat out your bullets.

Then go look up OCW for load testing.

Go to Hogdons site and look at min -> max charges for your bullet and powder.

Have fun!!

I've got one of those too.. they are OK for handgun stuff, but no comparison to a quality single stage. Just my .02. The press is the key to things lining up.. if they don't you could have the best dies and components but horrible runout making all the other parts useless and putting out poor quality ammo.

I think if guns are banned in the US as in England and Australia the 75 grain Barnes Monolithic Solid loaded to about 3500 fps should prove VERY helpful at making such evil impossible to come to be, just sayin....

adelbridge said:

Kachok Inside of 300 yards they are identical left to right. Up and down the .243 has a 6" advantage at 300 yards.

Click to expand...

300 yards, heck I can group a 223 with iron sights 300 yards (and have) no I am talking longer range taking into consideration things like wind drift, don't get me wrong you trick out a 243 and it can be pretty bad ass, Rem 700 or Savage 110 action, with a 28-30" 1:7 twist tube pushing 115gr to just under 3k, nipping at the heels of the 260s at that point, but bullets that will work in a standard rifle are a bit lacking. My regular ol hunting bullets in 6.5 have better external ballistics then even a 105 A-Max so does my 180gr soft point Game Kings for my 06, that was the point I was trying to make. Shooting inside 300 yards a 220 swift can make them all look silly, so long as the wind is not blowing

Sounds like a good deal, go for it.

A 243 is a necked down 308 but it will shoot the pants off a 308 anyday of the week. For hunting you will want the 308 because it takes heavier bullets, where as the 243 can be loaded to 4,000 fps with lighter bullets that will buck the wind and shoot truer at longer ranges. Most 1,000 yard shooter use a 6mm for competition and a 243 is a 6mm.

For what you want to start out to do, the 243 would be fine is not perfect.

Jim

A rifle is actually used for something besides hunting? Lordy! Why?

Click to expand...

Because I like to shoot when the weather is warm and not 10 degrees above 0. Because I like to shoot more ofter than 10 or 15 days a year in the middle of winter.

Just a couple of reasons. (LOL)
Jim