recoil on .243 vs 30-06
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Yes, recoil is negligible.
Less then half as much as a 30-06.
But muzzle blast will wear on you after that much shooting.
It will also wear on the barrel rather rapidly if you get it that hot.
I had a friend completely shoot out a 6mm Remington Model 700 barrel in one morning on a prairie dog hunt.
(The 6mm Rem is just Remington's slightly different version of Winchesters .243.)
I think a .223 varmint rifle might better suit your needs.
rc
Less then half as much as a 30-06.
But muzzle blast will wear on you after that much shooting.
It will also wear on the barrel rather rapidly if you get it that hot.
I had a friend completely shoot out a 6mm Remington Model 700 barrel in one morning on a prairie dog hunt.
(The 6mm Rem is just Remington's slightly different version of Winchesters .243.)
I think a .223 varmint rifle might better suit your needs.
rc
TexasPatriot.308
Member
the recoil of the .243 is mild compared to a .30-06 with say 180 bullet.
A .243 Win produces about 7 pounds of felt recoil. The .30-06 produces about 18 pounds (per Williams Gunsight web). To me, I feel no difference in recoil between my .22-250 Rem with a 55 grain projectile, and my .243 Win with 58 to 80 grain projectiles. The greatest benefit of that .243 is the ballistic coefficient. For the fun of it, the felt recoil of a .223 Rem is 6 pounds.
Geno
Geno
MattShlock
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.243 feels sweet. A .30-06 is, well, definitive even in a semi auto.
Wear out a 6mm barrel in a day? Uh, yeah, ok...
Wear out a 6mm barrel in a day? Uh, yeah, ok...
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Well Matt!
It happened.
If you continue to shoot as fast as you can reload for four hours straight on a dog town with an over-bore caliber rifle on a 100 degree day?
You will burn out the barrel throat like a crispy critter!!
Believe it, or don't believe it?
But if I hadn't seen it happen, I would not have posted it!!
rc
allaroundhunter
Member
You certainly can burn out a barrel in a single day... But it takes some long strings of fire (almost ceaseless fire).
And to the OP: The .243 is a joy to shoot, even for extended periods of time. My .308 target rifle recoils softer than my .30-06 Garand, and both recoil noticeably more than the .243. I load my .243 with 75 gr bullets for coyotes and other vermin an it is a light recoiling, flat shooting round.
And to the OP: The .243 is a joy to shoot, even for extended periods of time. My .308 target rifle recoils softer than my .30-06 Garand, and both recoil noticeably more than the .243. I load my .243 with 75 gr bullets for coyotes and other vermin an it is a light recoiling, flat shooting round.
MarshallDodge
Member
I much prefer 243 over 30-06, even with 107 grain bullets.
Interesting. I have never really noticed a difference between .243 and 30-06 when it comes to muzzle blast. Maybe my earpro are doing a good job.
rcmodel said:
Interesting. I have never really noticed a difference between .243 and 30-06 when it comes to muzzle blast. Maybe my earpro are doing a good job.
Matt:
It is a matter of word definition. You can destroy (damage beyond using for quality accuracy) in a single morning, if for example, you sit and fire 1 shot per minute for 500 rounds? On a 100 degree day? Yes, you will wear-out thus destroy the barrel. Some argue that it is merely the lands, and that a gun smith can cut the bad part of the barrel off, re-chamber the barrel, or cut the damaged portion, then flip the barrel, chamber the muzzle's end, and reinstall it.
But, yes, for fact, you can wear-out a barrel, damaging the accuracy by damaging the lands, by not allowing sufficient time to cool between shots. For myself, I had my M700, 6mm Rem loaded up to fire 95 grain Nosler partitians at 3,371 FPS. That IMR 4064 powder would heat the barrel right quick. Therefore, I limited myself to 3 shots, and cool the barrel. Just me.
I agree. The .223 is a great choice, but ballistically, it's hard to beat a .243's coefficient, even with light (58 grain) projectiles. My .243 launches 58 grain projectiles at 4,400+ FPS. That's hard to beat, but requires cooling the barrel to maximize the barrel life.
Geno
It is a matter of word definition. You can destroy (damage beyond using for quality accuracy) in a single morning, if for example, you sit and fire 1 shot per minute for 500 rounds? On a 100 degree day? Yes, you will wear-out thus destroy the barrel. Some argue that it is merely the lands, and that a gun smith can cut the bad part of the barrel off, re-chamber the barrel, or cut the damaged portion, then flip the barrel, chamber the muzzle's end, and reinstall it.
But, yes, for fact, you can wear-out a barrel, damaging the accuracy by damaging the lands, by not allowing sufficient time to cool between shots. For myself, I had my M700, 6mm Rem loaded up to fire 95 grain Nosler partitians at 3,371 FPS. That IMR 4064 powder would heat the barrel right quick. Therefore, I limited myself to 3 shots, and cool the barrel. Just me.
I agree. The .223 is a great choice, but ballistically, it's hard to beat a .243's coefficient, even with light (58 grain) projectiles. My .243 launches 58 grain projectiles at 4,400+ FPS. That's hard to beat, but requires cooling the barrel to maximize the barrel life.
Geno
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I wasn't comparing the .243 and the 30-06.
I was saying the .243 muzzle blast will wear you down faster shooting it all day then a .223 will.
rc
Jackal
Member
Recoil is night and day. Its like comparing a .22lr handgun to a .40s&W. One is a non issue, the other can be offensive after a while.
At the range I shoot the .243 in my t-shirt.I shoot 3 shots walk 100 or 200 yards to the target and back.(part of my fitness program).Repeat this for maybe 7 cycles.Its a 1958 Winchester Model 70.I'm at least the third owner and the barrel is still in good condition.I don't mind the recoil at all.I use it primarily for deer,most of them are between 120 and 150 lbs.It really puts them down with 100 grain tips.
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WTBguns10kOK
member
I own both and enjoy shooting the .243 much more than the .30-06, due to the difference in recoil. You can hunt all kinds of wonderful things with a .243
lloveless
Member
Prior to buying a deer rifle a buddy of mine loaned me his .243 and 30/06 with 5 rounds each. Both were scoped. I shot 2 from the .243, and quit because of the very sharp whiplash recoil. I shot all 5 of the 30/06 with no problem. The 30/06 rolls you back. IMO You need to shoot both before you decide.
ll
ll
Dthunter
Member
We need to compare apples to apples.
If you have two rifles of identicle make/model/design, and chamber them in 3006 & 243win.
The 3006 will recoil significantly more. The 30-06 delivers much more kinetic energy.
The typical/normal 3006 rifle weights more than a typical/normal 243.
Stock design can make a huge difference in how the recoil is delivered.
So it is possible to have a heavy, well designed 30-06 seem to recoil not much worse than a poorly designed,light 243win.
I find the recoil from "most" 243win's very mild, and easy to shoot well.
Most of the 30-06 rifles I have owned, recoil conciderably more. It took allot of trigger time to shoot a 30-06 as well as the 243.
If you have two rifles of identicle make/model/design, and chamber them in 3006 & 243win.
The 3006 will recoil significantly more. The 30-06 delivers much more kinetic energy.
The typical/normal 3006 rifle weights more than a typical/normal 243.
Stock design can make a huge difference in how the recoil is delivered.
So it is possible to have a heavy, well designed 30-06 seem to recoil not much worse than a poorly designed,light 243win.
I find the recoil from "most" 243win's very mild, and easy to shoot well.
Most of the 30-06 rifles I have owned, recoil conciderably more. It took allot of trigger time to shoot a 30-06 as well as the 243.
I've seen the front stocks on my SKS have smoke rolling off of them from intense firing or 7.62 x 39. It's a durable rifle that stood up to that torture but many barrels wouldn't. It depends on what you think shot out means I guess. I know shooters who change barrels every 1000 rounds or so on a .22. They're shooting bench rest competitions. Trust me I know that barrels can be shot out in an afternoon. It might not be easy but it can be done in a .243.
The weight of the bullets, individual loads and rifle weight make a huge difference. A lightweight 30-06 shooting hot loads with heavy bullets will out kick a 300 mag. More moderate loads in standard to heavy rifles can be quite pleasant in a 30-06.
All things being about equal the 243 will recoil roughly 1/2 what a 30-06 does. But standard loads are going to recoil quite a bit more by my calculations than has been stated above. Using online recoil calculation programs shows about 12 ft lbs for a 100 gr 243 and 22-24 ft lbs for a 30-06, if both are fired from 7.5 lb rifles. Which is about right for scoped bolt rifles. Heavier guns will show less recoil.
A 223 has about 1/2 of a 243's recoil by the way, 5-6 ft lbs
All things being about equal the 243 will recoil roughly 1/2 what a 30-06 does. But standard loads are going to recoil quite a bit more by my calculations than has been stated above. Using online recoil calculation programs shows about 12 ft lbs for a 100 gr 243 and 22-24 ft lbs for a 30-06, if both are fired from 7.5 lb rifles. Which is about right for scoped bolt rifles. Heavier guns will show less recoil.
A 223 has about 1/2 of a 243's recoil by the way, 5-6 ft lbs
sixgunner455
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A 100# teenaged ballerina will happily shoot your .243 until you are out of ammo. She will shoot 1-3 shots from a .270 or .30-06 and say, "Wow, that's a lot more, right there (points at shoulder). Is there any more .243 in the can?"
Mmc978
I bought a .243 Browning A BOLT 2 years back. Broke in the barrel with a couple boxes of 100 grn Rem ammo. Went home cleaned her white clean and came back the next day with my 95grn Hornady Ballistic tips and 100gr Sierra Game Kings SPBT's. At 100 yrds the 95 grns went 5 shots inside a dime and the Sierras in a nickel. So I had no load development. It's light, detachable box mag and the most accurate rifle I own hands down. I've run 40 rounds a couple more times through it and I go home smiling and don't even feel like I shot that day. Plenty of pop for even the largest deer around here to 150 yards and absolute cold dearth on coyotes. May be a little light for really large deer but not with good bullets and shot placement. You can carry it all day and don't feel tired between set ups and never feel worn down. It may well be my favorite rifle in the pine and upland woods here.
I bought a .243 Browning A BOLT 2 years back. Broke in the barrel with a couple boxes of 100 grn Rem ammo. Went home cleaned her white clean and came back the next day with my 95grn Hornady Ballistic tips and 100gr Sierra Game Kings SPBT's. At 100 yrds the 95 grns went 5 shots inside a dime and the Sierras in a nickel. So I had no load development. It's light, detachable box mag and the most accurate rifle I own hands down. I've run 40 rounds a couple more times through it and I go home smiling and don't even feel like I shot that day. Plenty of pop for even the largest deer around here to 150 yards and absolute cold dearth on coyotes. May be a little light for really large deer but not with good bullets and shot placement. You can carry it all day and don't feel tired between set ups and never feel worn down. It may well be my favorite rifle in the pine and upland woods here.
cougar1717
Member
Yes. Recoil is relative. It would be an exaggeration to say "feels like a .22 in comparison." In similar bolt-action rifles, the foot-pound numbers play out to be about half compared to a 30-06, and honestly, that's what it feels like. Most youth rifles are chambered in .243 and 7-08 for a reason - easy to shoot and they don't kick a lot.
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