What's your opinion on the 243?
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rangerruck
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I love them. LUUUuvvvvve it; shoot some plain blu box federals, 100 grain soft points, doing about 3000 fps from your bbl; your deer will go splat right there.
I use mine for hoggies as well; goes through one shoulder , and out the other side, and the softpoint opens up decently , so will be plenty good for anything muley sized and under. Just be a good shot, or you will get a small wound track, with a bad shot, but anything through or under the shoulder, will be all she wrote, on any of your game , really. The only thing I would suggest as a better all arounder, with lightish recoil, would be the 270.
Plus 243 ammo is 14 to 17 bucks a box, anywhere you go, and sometimes on sale for cheaper than that, so that is another plus.
for some really accurate, and long reaching ammo, I use some HSM ammo as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voyw1H-0CBI
http://www.thehuntingshack.com/
I use mine for hoggies as well; goes through one shoulder , and out the other side, and the softpoint opens up decently , so will be plenty good for anything muley sized and under. Just be a good shot, or you will get a small wound track, with a bad shot, but anything through or under the shoulder, will be all she wrote, on any of your game , really. The only thing I would suggest as a better all arounder, with lightish recoil, would be the 270.
Plus 243 ammo is 14 to 17 bucks a box, anywhere you go, and sometimes on sale for cheaper than that, so that is another plus.
for some really accurate, and long reaching ammo, I use some HSM ammo as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voyw1H-0CBI
http://www.thehuntingshack.com/
R.W.Dale
Member
Ive owned several 243's and I think the record was me keeping one was 3 weeks
I don't get the fascination too big and inefficient for varmints and short range paper punching. Too small to interest me on bigger stuff.
yeah 243 is good for whitetail and targets past 300...........but I would have to not know that 7mm08 or 260 is even better for that task
I don't get the fascination too big and inefficient for varmints and short range paper punching. Too small to interest me on bigger stuff.
yeah 243 is good for whitetail and targets past 300...........but I would have to not know that 7mm08 or 260 is even better for that task
rangerruck
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the fascination, is it is a highly effecient cartridge, usually very-to super accurate, and if handloading, can easily be turned into a 1000 yard shooter, with just about the lowest recoil you can get for a long distance rig.
a vld bullet in the 105 to 110 range, will shoot as flat , as long, and as hard as any 25.06 cartridge, in a generally smaller package. and there are lots of good 6mm bullets to choose from, same as the 6.5's, not so much with the 6.8's/270's though, and that is a shame. a 270 with a vld bullet , weighing about 160 grains, would also be fabulous. Otherwise a 6.5/260 vld bullet will get you way out there as well, and it is nice for target shooting or hunting. but for some dam!#$%nable reason, factory 243 ammo is cheap, and 260 ammo is about 10 to 15 bucks a box more!!! So if you are not handloading, you should skip the 260... i would take a 270 next, and then a 7.08 if ammo is not rediculously priced as well.
a vld bullet in the 105 to 110 range, will shoot as flat , as long, and as hard as any 25.06 cartridge, in a generally smaller package. and there are lots of good 6mm bullets to choose from, same as the 6.5's, not so much with the 6.8's/270's though, and that is a shame. a 270 with a vld bullet , weighing about 160 grains, would also be fabulous. Otherwise a 6.5/260 vld bullet will get you way out there as well, and it is nice for target shooting or hunting. but for some dam!#$%nable reason, factory 243 ammo is cheap, and 260 ammo is about 10 to 15 bucks a box more!!! So if you are not handloading, you should skip the 260... i would take a 270 next, and then a 7.08 if ammo is not rediculously priced as well.
andyffer
Member
i love my old .243
Perfect for the javelinas!
Perfect for the javelinas!
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R.W.Dale
Member
I don't consider burning dang near 50grs of slow powder to get a 100grn bullet to 3k to be particularly efficient. Not to mention how being so overbore relates to bbl life.
In fact 243 is pretty darn inefficient if you compare it to 6mm BR which shoots the same bullets at the same speeds using roughly 65% of the propellant
define super accurate???? Either way you know as well as i do that the chambering has practically NOTHING to do with how accurate a rifle is or isn't
there I fexd eeet
the one non belted cartridge that burns EVEN MORE powder per unit of bullet weight and velocity delivered downrange
like this http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=619128
if that was a real concern you'd choose a 308 or 30-06 instead,
Probably my biggest beef with 243 is the rabid cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs fans who'll absolutely come unstitched at the seams if someone dares not be as loopy for the chambering as they are
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The 243 is fine and will do the job perfectly as long as you do yours. You don't need a 6mm br to kill deer...simple. These guys that get a 6 because they want to get crazy accurate that's great. You better have the rifle to do than because the round isn't going to do it for you.
mickeydim468
Member
If your putting 50gr of whatever powder through a .243, your going to blow something up! According to my reloading books, I am at near max with 38.5gr of H4350 with Speer 100 Gr SPBT's.
I bought my rifle to kill deer. Not paper! I kill a lot of paper to practice for killing deer. When I find one, I will do just that!
R.W.Dale
Member
see what I mean
FYI three out of hodgdon's top four performing powders show a max load of over 46.0grs topping out at 47.5grs for "supreme780" as per hodgdon themselves. Another manual shows using 48.5grs of H1000
While many manuals claim close to 3K with lesser charges of faster powders my expariance has been that only the slowest powders will actually deliver these speeds in the real world
EXAMPLE: according to hodgdon 42.0grs of H4831sc is supposed to be good for 2924fps with a 100grn bullet. From a 22" savage this load averaged only 2723 fps
That's a 200fps discrepancy
I resorted to a different manual with stouter data and in the end to 46.0grs was requ'd to hit 2940fps
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I agree w/ krochus. If you are handloading then go w/ the 6mm BR, because it does the same thing with a lot less powder. That is efficient.
I don't remember what you need for building a 6mm BR, but just google it and you will find it. I was actually all for .243 until I saw the short barrel life and how inefficient it is.
Otherwise, .243 will get the job done for most anything except elk and larger (but elk have been taken with them).
I don't remember what you need for building a 6mm BR, but just google it and you will find it. I was actually all for .243 until I saw the short barrel life and how inefficient it is.
Otherwise, .243 will get the job done for most anything except elk and larger (but elk have been taken with them).
ozhuntsman
Member
if you can't kill it with a .243 you should invest more time at the range.
my first and favorite C/F was a howa 1500 lightning in .243, has never let me down on anything i've shot at up to Sambar deer though i've never used it on anything bigger.
i don't reload, i just use factroy 80gr federal power-shoks.
my first and favorite C/F was a howa 1500 lightning in .243, has never let me down on anything i've shot at up to Sambar deer though i've never used it on anything bigger.
i don't reload, i just use factroy 80gr federal power-shoks.
Sav .250
Member
The .243: Lots of folks own one and they have killed more whitetail than you can count. Plus other game as well. Use as intended, it`s a great round. IMO.
Do some more home-work on the .243 as the better informed your are the happier you will be "if" you follow through on your objective.
Do some more home-work on the .243 as the better informed your are the happier you will be "if" you follow through on your objective.
chas08
Member
My wife has shot one for several years and killed everything from 150 lb Whitetails to 300 lb+ hogs. We don't handload anymore, so the fact that ammo is so readily available is a plus, and it is usually one of the cheapest calibers to buy factory ammo for with prices in this area running $12 - $15 for 20 rounds. I think it's a great round, capable of far more than it's given credit for, but it isn't my first choice for "if I could only own one centerfire rifle" to perform all MY hunting needs. It sounds as if it would be fine for what you plan to use it for.
jpwilly
Member
.243 can be used for Medium sized Game - Deer and Antelope very effectively with bullets of over 90gr and some sort of controlled expansion. Many of the lighter bullets IMO are for varmints. Otherwise theirs plenty of power and long range performance.
shaggy430
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There are about as many .243 threads on here as there are ".308 vs 30-06" or "can I hunt with a Mosin" or ".223 for deer". It seems like a new one pops up every day.
Do a search and you will find lots of opinions on the .243. I guarantee you that most of the people who replied to those threads replied to this one.
Do a search and you will find lots of opinions on the .243. I guarantee you that most of the people who replied to those threads replied to this one.
Kernel
Member
This is a chart showing the Optimal Game Weight (OGW) for a typical .243 Winchester, 90 grain, at 3,200 fps, graphed over 500 yards.
According to this method developed by Ed Mantunas in the early '90's the .243 is “optimal” for deer out to about 350 yards, where the OGW is above 150 pounds. To that I would add that it’s “adequate” out to 450 and “marginal” after that, where the OGW falls below 100 pounds.
Not saying OGW method is perfect, if anything, it’s to conservative. Still, IMHO, there is much value in these types of analysis. Understand though, it’s just a tool, a series of calculations.
Apologies in advance to all the High Roaders that get their panties in a bunch whenever someone speaks of mathematics or any attempt to apply science or logic to our sport. And to you guys, “Yes”, if the range is 1 yard further, and/or the deer 1 pound heavier, the bullet will just bounce off. :banghead:
Further reading - The Killing Power of Centerfire Hunting Rifles by Chuck Hawks:
http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_killing_power.htm
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MTMilitiaman
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The .243 Win is a useful dual purpose cartridge--an excellent varmint and predator rifle, and an adequate deer rifle. IMO, while it is certainly adequate for deer when loaded correctly, it is probably a better coyote rifle than deer rifle. And as I am not one to usually suffice with "adequate (unless you consider my gradual acceptance of handguns in general)," I would prefer something a little bit bigger. Really "good" deer rifles start at the quarter-bores for me...right around the .257 Roberts.
rangerruck
Member
I agree with most of what has been said above; I should have been a bit more clear on my def of a efficient round- not in the classic sense, but what a 6mm softpoint bullet, going very fast, can do to game downrange. It is a small bullet, but does a very bigboy job. Great penetration, good controlled yet fast expansion, continues on through the game. That kind of efficiency.
In my school we had this science teacher. He had been teaching all disciplines for over 30 years, and had every lecture memorized. Science with him was like a story he would repeat time and again. He was seldom wrong or crossed up. We would be sitting there working and he enjoying his golden years would bring up factoids and stories, some of which we did not care to hear. Anyway one day out of the blue he said: Around here the best all around rifle for what we shoot around here is the 243 Winchester. You know what? When you add it all up he was right.
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