The 243 Win.

[ugaarguy]

I just finished reading an article about the 243 Winchester in Handloader magazine. The article steeped my curiousity about the cartridege, and I figured it'd be an appropriate thread to start with my 243rd post. My thoughts on great firearms to have it chambered it in have always swayed toward compact bolt guns of the Model 7, Model 70 Featherweight or Compact, M77 Mk II Compact variety; and AR-10 or FAL carbines. It looks like a good round that can handle anything a 223 can, fill the gap between 223 and 308, and even be pressed into service for some 308 type tasks. Thoughts?

 

[CB1961]

I know people use this for deer with the heavier weight bullets. Just probably need good shot placement, but I suppose that is a given with any bullet. Good caliber to start out with and work up to something bigger, know some people start their kids out with a .243win for deer hunting. I think the bullets run almost as light as with the .223rem so it should cover that ground pretty well. .243win is a necked down .308win case I believe.

 

[Onmilo]

Great cartridge for game from varmints to medium size deer and antelope to 300 meters, maybe 400 if you are a good shot.
Less muzzle blast that a .22/250 and more versatile too.

Only cartridge in the class that is better on deer/antelope is the .250 Savage and it isn't so great on coyote and fox. Too destructive.

 

[JesseL]

Onmilo wrote:

Only cartridge in the class that is better on deer/antelope is the .250 Savage and it isn't so great on coyote and fox. Too destructive.

What about the .244/6mm Remington? Same bullets as the 243 Win, only faster.

 

[asknight]

If you're a handloader, go with the 6mm Remington as it gives you a little extra case capacity to play with. If you only shoot commercial loads, go with the .243 as it's more readily available and usually more affordable. Commercial .243 loads duplicate commercial 6mm ballistics.

 

[ball3006]

Been shooting a custom Mauser...

in 243 for 40 years. The barrel is twisted for varmit weight bullets but will still shoot dime sized groups......Been using IMR3031 powder all this time........chris3

 

[rangerruck]

the 6mm remmy is about 200 fps faster at the muzzle, with about 5 times the chamber/bbl life.

 

[Onmilo]

The 6mm Remington is also on the verge of obsolecence.
I cannot think of any factory production rifle still offered in the caliber without special order and a long wait.

I know I mentioned the .250 Savage, which is also facing the same fate, but I did so because used .250 rifles are actually more common in my area of the country than used rifles chambered for the 6mm Remington.

 

[yorick]

IMHO the .243 winnie is the best "do it all" cartridge on the planet!

My AR-10 is chambered in .243 - it can throw 55 gr at nearly 4000 fps for varmits or 85 gr at 3k for whitetail deer or 105gr VLD BTHP for long range paper punching.

Tons of good 6mm bullets to chose from for handloading - low recoil for the wife & kids - etc etc etc...

I even think the 243 would make a fine "battle rifle" calibre - certainly more versatile than the 223 - and you could almost carry the same load out...

 

[Sulaco]

Used to shoot a compact Ruger bolt action chambered for .243 Winchester. It worked fine on smaller Whitetail deer here in SC. I have since moved on to a .270 Winchester but would have felt fine keeping the .243. I noticed there is less room for error with a smaller bullet though.

 

[slzy]

would'nt the 243 been better militarily than the 223 or 308?i know it's a little late.

 

[TexAg]

The 6mm Remington is also on the verge of obsolecence.
I cannot think of any factory production rifle still offered in the caliber without special order and a long wait.

I don't know about special order or long wait, but both Ruger and Remington still offer guns in their normal catalog in 6mm.
As far as obsolesence, well you can still find 6mm cartridges fairly easy, but they are definitely not as pervasive as .243 (and only about $1/box more expensive). Remington, Hornady, Winchester, and Federal all make 100gr. SPs and Hornady makes 95 grain SSTs (balistic tips). However, handloading for 6mm can really make it shine.

And slzy, I think you're right!

 

[Vic303]

I love my .243! It is a tack driver--a PITA to tote around in the woods (long heavy barrel setup, but once you are in position, it is SWEET!

 

[ojr]

I have a ruger sporter in 243 ,I have replaced the stock with a Bell and Carlson , bedded and free floated it.I use 87gr hornady.It fits in nicely between the 22-250 and the 7mm-08.

 

[danurve]

You can cover alot of bases / ground with the .243 cal. Factory ammo from 55-100, if you reload you'll never be short on options. For recreational - range shooting there is little if any recoil to deal with. Tons of fun to shoot. And so it's great to teach with as well, if you don't have a .223 for example. The .243 can put the smack down on varmints and coyote, as well as have enough balls for whitetail. With the correct ammo respectively.
You might hear some say the .243 is a barrel burner. Well, if your consistantly shooting any varmint bullets at 3500+ what difference is the cal going to make. Plenty of options for ammo in the 3000fps range. And if I might add, the .243 is another great reason to enjoy some h380, h414 & imr4350!

 

[ojr]

I agree.

 

[Serendipity]

How about an explanation as to how the 6mm, with nearly identical ballistics and bullet weights as .243, has "5 times the chamber and barrel life?"

 

[asknight]

Serendipity, it's true. The 6mm has a much longer case neck, allowing the largest part of the powder "plug" or charge to cool before reaching the throat, enhancing throat life measurably.

It's all to do with the case design. The following page touched on it, but avoided the technical aspects. http://www.ranrrc.org/tech/BarrelLife.htm

 

[qajaq59]

"Please remember that, to a certain extent, I'm only guessing - the table represents only a general trend."

That's his quote from that page. And I wouldn't be inclined to take that table as gospel either.

 

[asknight]

I wasn't referring to anything in the table, but the commenting in paragraphs below the table. It's also been mentioned in hundreds of other places. A simple Google search will explain more.