tell me about the 243 cartridge

[midland man]

What are it's typical uses, it's range, what it does well, what it doesn't do well. I'm still learning about rifle cartridges, so any experience and wisdom would be appreciated. I have a new h&r 243 and haven't tried it yet but are planning on it!

 

[HOOfan_1]

It is pretty much a bridge cartridge. You can run 55 grain bullets for varmint hunting, or 90-105 grain bullets for big game hunting (deer, black bear, elk if you really know what you are doing).

It has enough range for pretty much any shot at ethical hunting ranges. I'd say for varmint hunting 500-600 yards is attainable for a skilled shooter.

So, I'd say what it does well is serve as a cartridge for both varmints and medium game.

It is only marginal for large game though, and only experienced hunters should probably be using it to hunt elk or the like.

 

[bscott29]

Yep, will pump a 55 grainer near 4000fps and kill a deer deader than a hammer with a 100 grainer.

 

[Reloadron]

Works fine and has lasted a long time. That covers it.

The 243 Winchester is one of several spawns of the 308 Winchester cartridge. Loaded with an 80 grain light bullet in my humble opinion it really is an excellent varmint cartridge and when loaded with bullets in the 100 grain range it is really suitable for deer sized game including antelope. So the single cartridge covers small game including varmints up through deer sized animals. While I feel it is a little light for black bear I guess it has taken plenty of them from what I read.

Figure the cartridge was born in the mid 1950s and is still popular today says a lot about the round. This is also another round that has recently benefited and gotten a boost from many of the new bullet designs out there. Bullets like the Barnes triple shock, Hornady GMX series and a few others. The newer bullets open the doors for larger game to be taken with the round. Still not sure I would be comfortable using the round on larger black bears.

One caveat with the 243 is the claims of erratic performance for hand loaders. While I am familiar with the claims and have read some comments about the claims (including on these THR forums) I really don't know anyone loading the 243 Winchester that has personally experienced erratic behavior loading them. I haven't shot or loaded the round in years but all my experiences with the cartridge were good, no complaints anyway. Would I own another 243 Winchester? Sure!

Ron

 

[jmr40]

It was designed as a combo gun with varmints and deer sized game in mind. Over the years things have evolved and changed. Today most consider it bigger than needed for varmints with one of the 22 center fires preferred. With today's better bullets it is probably just about the perfect deer cartridge. It could be used on larger game, but is not ideal.

 

[AABEN]

The 243 is a accurate gun. They are easy to load. Also there is very little recoil they come with a 20 in barrel or up to 24 in most guns. I had a Savage 12BVSS 26 in barrel a varmint gun bull barrel laminated stock. It was to heavy foe me as I am now disable so I sold it and replaced it with a Savage 243 in a 20 in barrel heavy ta-parted both has a ACCUTRIGGER IN THEM. I had mine set 31/2 Lb Both shoot 1/2 moa at a 100 yard with my old eyes.74 years young.

 

[Sunray]

"...500-600 yards..." A highly skilled shooter with a very high end rifle.
"...claims of erratic performance..." Never seen nor heard that, unless you mean the people who use a varmint bullet for deer sized game. That being one of the issues with the cartridge(same with using a .223 for deer). The other is stabilizing bullets with the wrong rifling twist. Most factory hunting rifles are rifled for deer bullets(H&R doesn't publish the twist they use), even "varmint rifles". Isn't really a big deal.
Factory loads come in deer and varmint bullets. Deer bullets are usually 80 grains and up. Varmint bullets are made to expand rapidly upon impact with little penetration. Deer sized beasties need penetration. Ditto for Yogi.

 

[Reloadron]

"...500-600 yards..." A highly skilled shooter with a very high end rifle.
"...claims of erratic performance..." Never seen nor heard that, unless you mean the people who use a varmint bullet for deer sized game. That being one of the issues with the cartridge(same with using a .223 for deer). The other is stabilizing bullets with the wrong rifling twist. Most factory hunting rifles are rifled for deer bullets(H&R doesn't publish the twist they use), even "varmint rifles". Isn't really a big deal.
Factory loads come in deer and varmint bullets. Deer bullets are usually 80 grains and up. Varmint bullets are made to expand rapidly upon impact with little penetration. Deer sized beasties need penetration. Ditto for Yogi.

While I never experienced it as I mentioned I did find the old thread that mentions it. That thread can be found here. There was a comment by Frank C. Barnes to the effect that hand loaders could expect erratic performance. Barnes co-authored the Cartridges of the World books. He also makes reference to hand loaders and not commercially loaded ammunition. As I mentioned I never experienced any problems at all loading 243 Winchester and like the cartridge. Some argue Barnes was correct in his assertion while some claim it to be myth. I never found anything to support his claims. Don't tell me erratic and not explain the why of it.

Ron

 

[witchhunter]

Probably still one of the best dual purpose cartridges. They are overkill for varmints and on the small side for deer. I like the .243 very much though. It is fun to shoot, accurate, flat shooting, low recoil, etc. It drops coyotes like a hammer as far as you can hit em with a 58 grain Vmax.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

not bad, but a .22-250 on one end and a .25-06 on either make it irrelevant. just aint got what it takes even though some people swear by it....with all the calibers/rifles I have....I aint gonna spend money on any .243.all other calibers I got around it do a better job. but its your choice, your money, your rifle...have at it.

 

[Legionnaire]

In addition to what has been stated, the .243 Win is an excellent cartridge to introduce youngsters to hunting. My kids who hunt took their first deer with a Remington Model Seven Youth in .243. It is a flat-shooting and accurate cartridge with low recoil. And in a carbine-length rifle, it is great for small-statured individuals. I plan to keep at least one .243 in the collection.

 

[rule303]

I am very impressed with the .243. Every one I have ever seen has been very accurate, and I have seen many deer taken with them-all one shot DRT. Varmints, deer, antelope, long range targets, all with common factory ammo, light recoil, and plenty of rifles to choose from. What's not to like?

 

[Kingcreek]

Easy to load, easy to shoot, reasonably accurate.
But best thing is it really seems to perform in the field above its pay grade ie a little better than should be expected based on the numbers. I like it for groundhogs, coyote, antelope, and up to and including deer. I use 100gr softpoints for everything because that's what mine shoots best.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

What are it's typical uses, it's range, what it does well, what it doesn't do well.

Some of this will be repeats of previous posts, but that's okay.

It's a great combo varmint/medium size game round.
It is a little "overkill" (really no such thing) on small varmints but no big deal there IMO. I think it is absolutely perfect for medium sized thin skinned game such as antelope and deer. It gives great on game performance with very little felt recoil making it a great option for ladies, young hunters and even adults who are recoil sensitive.

I am fairly new to the caliber as well and only have experience with one rifle, an older tang safety Ruger M77 and it has been surprisingly easy to load for. It seems to shoot very well with various bullet weights.

I've killed one deer with it, a medium sized doe (100 pounds or so) and it only went about 30 yds. That was a factory soft point bullet.
I started handloading for it and my wife killed one with a Sierra Gameking BTHP. At 157 steps it never made it out of its shadow.

As far as what it doesn't to well, I wouldn't go after elk or moose with it. Not that it wouldn't kill them, I'm sure its been done but I'll take a .30-06 with a 165 grain bullet for that application.

Basically just use it for what it was designed for. It does its job extremely well.

 

[Willie Sutton]

For a guy who doesn;t have both a .30-06 (or a .308) and a .22-250 it's a good compromise.

Me? I have a .30-06 (and a .308) and a .22-250, liking .30 caliberfor deer and .22 for smaller critters. these selections use bullet diameters that I can share with other cartridges as a handloader, and the bullet selection in those calibers is huge in comparison to the .243, thus putting the .243 into the 'Meh' category of cartridges in my humble world view. Others love it. It's a big world with many environments and where it works, it seems to work well.


Willie

.

 

[denton]

There are several cartridges that have a reputation for being finicky. That includes the 7mm Mag, the 338 Lapua, and the 243. Specifically Hodgdon withdrew one of their powders, 405 IIRC, because it often did not produce a nice smooth increase in velocity with increasing charge in the 243.

I think the 243 gets an undeserved rap for wounding rather than killing cleanly. I think that comes from inappropriate choices of powder and bullet.

If you're shooting a Partition, no worries. If you're shooting a standard cup and core bullet, bullet performance degrades considerably with impacts above about 2800 fps. And it's very easy to surpass that in a 243.

So if you want to hunt big game, I think the recipe is a 100 grain Partition, or other premium bullet, at 2950 fps.

It's like any other cartridge: There are things that it does better than others. The art and skill is matching the load and bullet to the application.

 

[Scot43]

As a long range coyote hunting rifle, the 243 really performs. I use 60 grain Sierra HP varminters in mine with IMR - 4007 SSC and easily shoot 1/2" 100 yard groups. With a heavier Nosler partition bullet it will drop a deer in its tracks. Its an easy cartridge to load for…just a great all-around rifle.

 

[KenW.]

The .243 Winchester and the 6mm Remington each came out post-WWII (1955). They are very similar cartidges, but the .243 won acceptance faster.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

The .243 Winchester and the 6mm Remington each came out post-WWII. They are very similar cartidges, but the .243 won acceptance faster.

Yeah Winchester kicked Remington's butt back in those days with both the .243 and the .270.

The 6mm Rem and the .280 are both fine rounds but came out the loser due to the popularity of the Win offerings.

 

[PowerG]

I like the round very much, to echo some others most of the ones I've owned were very accurate. It's a great all-around cartridge if you stay within its capabilities. I'm not so fond of it for beginning deer hunters, I feel if they can handle the .243 they can handle the 7mm-08, which is more capable on deer-sized game.

 

[tubeshooter]

A lot of the ground regarding .243 has already been well covered. It's a pretty good dual-purpose cartridge that has been around for awhile now.

My little bit of input...


Pro: The ammo is (very) readily available. A lot of people will tout the minor and marginal advantages of some other rounds of similar ballistic profile... but you might have trouble finding it at Wal-Mart and/or borrowing a box if needed.

Con: The round has a bit of a reputation as a barrel burner, from what I understand. It would take quite a few rounds to do this however; something like between 2k and 4k, depending on how hot your ammo is. You could buy another rifle (or another barrel) with a fraction of what 4k factory rounds will cost you. Something more to keep in mind for a used purchase, to be honest.



Low recoil is especially nice for the small of stature. Obviously with the lack of horsepower, there is a slimmer margin of error on medium game (than say, .308 or similar). I guess that's the basic tradeoff. I have one, and I like it. I think of it as something that will basically do much of what my .30-30 will do, but a little farther and flatter. And then much better suited for the varmint side of things. No offense to the old .30-30 intended, I'm a big fan of that cartridge. Anyway, one last comment, please don't use a varmint bullet for medium game. It's a dis-service to all.