223 or 243

[Slick]

Okay, I want to pick everybody's brains. I want a sub .30 caliber rifle for shooting at 150 plus yards. Help me pick a caliber.
I've been considering the .223 and the .243, but am also open to suggestions. Keep in mind that I'd like to keep my ammo costs low, so I can shoot more. The biggest draw of the .223 is the cost of ammo. That aside...

Which caliber is better suited for shooting at ranges of 200-300 meters, and why?

Thanks,
Kurt

 

[Art Eatman]

Several quick questions: What kind of shooting? Target? Hunting? Long-range plinking?

How many times a week/month do you expect to go shooting? Roughly, how many rounds do you call a "session" at your range?

Art

 

[Steve Smith]

Art beat me to it...what's your intended target?

 

[bad_dad_brad]

Just my 2 cents, but if you are shooting at medium sized animals like coyotes or deer at 150-300 yards, I would recommend the .243. I have often thought that the .243 would have been a better choice for a common NATO round as many studies have determined that the 6mm is a better killer/wounder than the .223.

The only thing that makes the .223 cheaper than the .243 is volume. There a simply a zillion .223s made every year. If you are looking to plink, and to have an effective small to medium varmint cartridge within 150 yards, the .223 is the choice. If you are looking for something more balistically, the .243 is the way to go.

Armalite, and others make a .243 AR15. I suppose one of these days, I will have to get an upper in that caliber.

Here is an interesting link on the subject:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/243_service_rifle.htm

 

[Slick]

Thanks guys,
Art (and company), I normally shoot once a week, and for my rifles will only shoot about 30-50 rounds per "session". This is mostly due to time constraints, as anybody with a wife and three kids can relate to. Once I find a nice, accurate rifle in the caliber I like, I hope to spend more time per session, and shoot through 50-75 rounds, maybe more I don't know. I want to be able to work on my longer range shooting skills, I don't know if you call that target shooting or plinking. Plinking to me is just "making noise and throwing lead downrange" without a real care if you're improving, or not. I want to work to become a decent shot at shots from 150 yds out as far as I can find room to shoot. Then I would be interested in hunting across open farmland, for varmints up to coyotes. At this point, I don't plan on using this rifle for deer, but you never know. I'd really like to go after coyotes mostly. I like the idea of having the extra power of the .243, but I'm not sure if I'd ever need it.
Does that help?
I really appreciate your input, I never quite know if I should believe the local gunshop guys, especially when they all give me different advice.
Kurt

 

[bad_dad_brad]

Sounds to me Slick, that you are in the mood for a reasonably priced, accurate, and reliable .243 in bolt action. Consider the Savage 11.

http://www.savagearms.com/centerfire/hunter/11f.htm

 

[444]

If the uses you mention were really all you were ever going to use the rifle for, the .223 would be fine. However, if this is your only rifle, you might want to be a little more versitile; like the .243 which does everything you ask and then some. However, if you are shooting factory ammo, I believe the .243 will be considerably more expensive to shoot. Reloading would probably make the cost consideration a wash.
I may be all wrong on this since I don't own one, but what about .308 ? I believe I have seen surplus ammo offered for it. Surplus stuff is usually cheaper than regular commercial ammo. Maybe this would bridge the price/performance gap being cheaper than factory .243 and provide more performance than the .223 ? And it will do anything you mention plus be suitable for most big game animals in North America.

 

[Porter Rockwell]

Trainer-Plinker-Coyote Buster?

Hello Slick, unless you are a victim of Black Gun Syndrome (or a resident where they're illegal?) I belive you've defined a postban Bushmaster Heavy barrel in .223/5.56 Nato!
With the 1X9 twist you can expect minute of angle accuracy from all the various surplus ammo.

 

[Nero Steptoe]

"as many studies have determined that the 6mm is a better killer/wounder than the .223"

Bad dad: I'd be interested in checking a few of those studies out. Where might I find them? Are they available on the net?

I have Remmy varmint rifles in both .243 and .223. I believe the threadstarter has a pretty good grasp of what the two calibers offer. The .243 offers a great deal more versatility than does the .223, albeit a little more expensive to reload. With the .243, you get a lot of choices of bullet weights/designs from 55gr. @ over 4000 fps to over 100gr.

I believe a .243 would give you better bullet weight options for dropping coyotes @ 200 or so yds, but others knock 'em down with .223's with no problems.

If you're interested in the AR configuration, then, by all means, go with .223. For a bolt action, seems to me that you might be better served with the .243, just depending on whether you'll really ever shoot coyotes and/or deer.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Slick: One caveat- the .223 and all .22 cal weapons are illegal for use on deer here in VA. However, in certain counties in Virginia, a .22 centerfire is the largest legal rifle that can be used for any hunting. It depends on where you're at. Check the hunting guide if you need more info.