Is having a 223 and 243 Redundent

[mdchambe]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a tikka t3 hunter in 223. This rifle was bought as my first centerfire rifle and will likely be used primarily just to plink/target shoot. I also bought it for use should I go prairie dog hunting.

I figured my next rifle would be a larger caliber, such as 30-06 or 308, but recently found a kimber 84m in 243 that I am very interested in.

I wanted to get peoples thoughts in whether or not they think having these two calibers is "worth it". I know that the 243 would be allowed for deer hunting in my state (Iowa) which is of course a big benefit over the 223. But what else can the 243 do that hte 223 can't.

Thanks for your help and thoughts!

 

[SGR]

Unless they changed the law, you cannot hunt deer in Iowa with a high-powered rifle

 

[Onmilo]

I own six or seven AR15 rifles in .223 and one Winchester 70 bolt gun in .243

I guess I am redundent.

At current factory ammunition pricing, the .243 costs less to shoot than the .223rifles and I get improved performance from the round over the .223/5.56mm.

 

[BridgeTooFar]

I have an AR in 5.56 and a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless in .243. The T3 is my backup deer rifle (also have an identical T3 Lite in 30-06) and my coyote gun.

If it's redundant, so be it.

 

[aftCG]

Not redundant at all. The .243 is a great round, and I'm sure the Kimber is beautiful.

But I'm kind of in the same boat as Onmilo. I've got a trunk load of ARs, a Rem 700 in .243 and a Sako in .22 PPC

 

[mdchambe]

SGR "Unless they changed the law, you cannot hunt deer in Iowa with a high-powered rifle"

I am fully aware of what the laws are in Iowa. A centerfire rifle (.243 or larger) is a perfectly legal weapon during the January Antlerless season in the southern two tiers of counties in the state of Iowa.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Keep em coming!

 

[Dr T]

No. With Nosler partitions (or equivalent) and reasonable range you can use a 243 on elk.

But, you should also have a 22 magnum to kick around with, a 22 Hornet for short shots, a 22-250 for longer shots, a 220 swift for real long shots, a 6mm Remington, a 257 roberts, a 260 remingon, a 7-08 and 7x57,.........

 

[ms6852]

No it is not redundant. Some will disagree but if you reload and like to shoot long distance, the 243 will do great at long distance shooting out to 1200 yds. It bucks the wind better than the 308. I hope I don't start anything with this comment.

 

[lopezni]

no, the .243 has a completely different purpose that a .223. the effective range of the .243 is much farther when varminting and only jerks use a 55-69gr .22cal bullet on deer.

 

[WYcoyote]

I have a .17 Rem, 2-.223s, a .243, and a 25-06.
I don't feel redundent.

 

[ArmedBear]

I own six or seven AR15 rifles in .223 and one Winchester 70 bolt gun in .243

I guess I am redundent.

Nah. You have to have ONE decent rifle.

 

[jmortimer]

+1 on the Nosler Partitions - the .243 with a Partition can humanely kill just about anything.

 

[jmr40]

I'm going to not go with the flow. The 243 is a step up, just not a very big one and there is a lot of overlap. I would agree that the 243 will kill any deer in the country just fine, but with the right bullets so will the 223. I know the 223 is not legal for large game in some places.

For game weighing much over 200 lbs the 243 is a better choice, but the 308 or larger rounds are even better still.

Look into your future. If you don't ever envision hunting anything larger than deer the 243 may be perfect for you. If you think you may hunt something larger than deer I would more seriously consider something in the 308 or 30-06 class of cartridges.

 

[pmeisel]

get the 243 .... you'll never regret it.

 

[Welding Rod]

.243 is one of the best cartridges going IMO. And there is a substantial performance gap between the 223 and 243. Buy without remorse!

 

[Al LaVodka]

Nope. Realize a .243 is a necked-down .308!
Al

 

[Bluehawk]

Having both a .223 and a 6mm Rem rifle, I never felt it was redundant.
The .243 (6mm) can handle heavier bullets than the .223 with a lot more authority...in my opinion. Farther effective range and flatter shooting too!!!
My 6mm can push a 60 grain bullet 3,600- 3,800 fps...no normal .223 can (safely), that I'm aware of. I have yet to see a .223 Rem. that can handle a 100 grain or heavier bullet either.

 

[KodiakBeer]

A .243 is a great deer round! I hunted with one for many years. If you like it, buy it! Try the 100 grain Nosler Partitions - deadly!

There's nothing wrong with having a rifle for each task. If you ever decide to go after moose or black bear, then step up to something appropriate for that size animal.

 

[22-rimfire]

If I were you, I would jump up to something in the .270 > .308 > 30-06 caliber size unless you are going to get seriously "into" varmint hunting. A 243 is not redundant, but it is not a very big stop up in caliber/power from the .223. It depends where you are headed in the rifle ownership/shooting department. I always say.... 223, .243, .270, 338 win mag, .375 H&H as my steps.

 

[Bluehawk]

My "steps" are: .22LR, .22 Mag, .223 Rem, 6mm Rem, .30-30 Win, 7.62x39mm, 7.62x54R, .30-'06, .45-70, and .458 Win Mag...and to top it off .58 caliber muzzleloader just for the rabbits in the back yard!

 

[mdchambe]

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts. I currently have .22 (marlin model 60), .17 hmr (CZ 452), the Tikka .223, a few shotguns and a .50 caliber muzzleloader. If I get this, like a number of people have said, I would still plan on getting something like a 30-06 or 308 in the future.

 

[Al LaVodka]

If I were you, I would jump up to something in the .270 > .308 > 30-06 caliber size unless you are going to get seriously "into" varmint hunting. A 243 is not redundant, but it is not a very big stop up in caliber/power from the .223. It depends where you are headed in the rifle ownership/shooting department. I always say.... 223, .243, .270, 338 win mag, .375 H&H as my steps.

Howd'ya leapfrog right over .30-06/.308 from .270 to .338 WM? What's THAT about? Skip the .338 and just get a .30-06 Ackley Improved.
Al

 

[bushmaster1313]

Even Walter Dellinger, the attorney arguing against the Second Amendment in Heller said you can have multiple hunting rifles:

JUSTICE SCALIA: You mean you can't have any more arms than you would need to take with you to the militia? You can't have a -- you can't have a -- you know, a turkey gun and a duck gun and a 30.06 and a 270 and -- you know, different - different hunting guns for different –

MR. DELLINGER: Well -
JUSTICE SCALIA: You can't do that? I mean a State could say you don't -

MR. DELLINGER: Of course you could do that.

(BTW, only reasonable thing he said during the whole oral argument )

 

[bpl]

A 243 is not redundant, but it is not a very big stop up in caliber/power from the .223.

Actually, its a pretty substantial step up. I believe the .243 has the energy at 200 yards or more that the .223 has at the muzzle. I was suprised when I looked it up myself.

 

[Maverick223]

The .243Win. is a good step up in performance for both varmint hunting as well as moderate sized game, but assuming that you don't have other rifles in the region between the .22cals and .30cals a .260Rem. or the like might suit you better, but then again it might not. If you don't have anything larger than .223Rem. (you did say no .308 or .30-06) then a .260Rem. or a 7mm-08Rem. would be the next logical choice IMO. The .243Win. is a good cartridge the only real flaw that I see with it is the reduced bbl life WRT similar cartridges in its class with a slightly larger bore diameter.