Shawnee
member
Deerhunter's thread prompted me to take a wee closer look at the comparison between the .243 Winchester and the 6.55x55 Swede (both of which I am a 110% fan of).
Now I know the bullets and fps. etc. I chose can be argued but I tried to get to a fair comparison between loads that would be typical in the deer fields.
The . 243 load - Hornady 95gr. SST, BC = .355.... at 3100fps.
The Swede load - Hornady 129gr. SST, BC = .485.... at 2600fps.
Bullets are +/- the same price. Powder charge is 3grs. less for the .243,
Recoil is 2lbs. less for the .243 (in 7.5lb. rifles)
Sight-in distance is 275 yds (figuring most shots will be 350yds. or less).
So..... let's talk ft.lbs. of energy...
At 100yds. 1697 for the .243 - 1686 for the Swede
200yds. 1413 " 1462 "
300yds 1168 " 1261 "
400yds 957 " 1083 "
500yds 778 " 926 "
The Swede has a little more energy after 250yds. (but also has a larger bullet which requires more energy to function correctly)
How about trajectory...
At 100yds. the .243 is 3" high and the Swede is 4.4" high
200yds. " 3.2" high " 4.4" high
300yds. " 1.8" low " 2.4" low
400yds. " 13.1" low " 17.1" low
500yds. " 32" low " 41" low
Mostly this tells us either one could be held on the same spot on a deer's body and a lethal hit would be likely out to about 350yds. and a 400yd. shot with either would require holding just slightly above a deer's topline.
Though the .243 shoots a wee dram flatter, this isn't to say the Swede is "bad", or, in the field, "appreciably less".... because it really isn't. Mostly it just shows what truly excellent calibers both of them are for the typical deer hunter. Either one will flatten any deer born on this continent since the Ice Age IF the shooter does their part.
But when you look at them - neither one of them asks much of the shooter. If ever there were two calibers that can make a so-so shooter look good, these two have to be the top candidates.
Now I know the bullets and fps. etc. I chose can be argued but I tried to get to a fair comparison between loads that would be typical in the deer fields.
The . 243 load - Hornady 95gr. SST, BC = .355.... at 3100fps.
The Swede load - Hornady 129gr. SST, BC = .485.... at 2600fps.
Bullets are +/- the same price. Powder charge is 3grs. less for the .243,
Recoil is 2lbs. less for the .243 (in 7.5lb. rifles)
Sight-in distance is 275 yds (figuring most shots will be 350yds. or less).
So..... let's talk ft.lbs. of energy...
At 100yds. 1697 for the .243 - 1686 for the Swede
200yds. 1413 " 1462 "
300yds 1168 " 1261 "
400yds 957 " 1083 "
500yds 778 " 926 "
The Swede has a little more energy after 250yds. (but also has a larger bullet which requires more energy to function correctly)
How about trajectory...
At 100yds. the .243 is 3" high and the Swede is 4.4" high
200yds. " 3.2" high " 4.4" high
300yds. " 1.8" low " 2.4" low
400yds. " 13.1" low " 17.1" low
500yds. " 32" low " 41" low
Mostly this tells us either one could be held on the same spot on a deer's body and a lethal hit would be likely out to about 350yds. and a 400yd. shot with either would require holding just slightly above a deer's topline.
Though the .243 shoots a wee dram flatter, this isn't to say the Swede is "bad", or, in the field, "appreciably less".... because it really isn't. Mostly it just shows what truly excellent calibers both of them are for the typical deer hunter. Either one will flatten any deer born on this continent since the Ice Age IF the shooter does their part.
But when you look at them - neither one of them asks much of the shooter. If ever there were two calibers that can make a so-so shooter look good, these two have to be the top candidates.