.243Win - Tell me about it!!!
- Thread starter Until the Angels Fall
- Start date
- Location
- In the Badlands of Alberta
Oh really?
Yup,OP wants something inbetween a 223 and 308. 243 falls on the too close to 223 side the way I figure it. That's why I suggested what I did. Not talking size of the case,but instead size of the bullet.
Shocked it took 22 posts and only a single reply recommending a 6.5.
Would be my choice all day. Still pleasant to shoot. Not a barrel burner. Excellent selection of high BC bullets 120-130-140gr in both hunting and paper punching varieties, yet can still shoot 85gr or so for varmints.
6.5x55 is my personal preference, in a long action you can still get a magazine long enough handle heavy bullets seated out to the lands. In a .260 short action, this can be a bit of a dilemma unless you're willing to single feed - but it's still a great cartridge.
- Location
- London, Ontario
Awesome round...finding a bolt gun under $2000 chambered in this seems impossible tho!!!
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
It stops with the limitation of the shooter. In the realm of big game cartridges, there is no such thing as too big, but there is such a thing as too small. Thats why the crown for the top all around big game cartridge goes to the .375 H&H and not to the .243. The various .375 bore rifles produce a desirable balance of power and recoil which makes them effective in the hands of folks who don't normally shoot powerful rifles, if we disregard the .375 Ultra and the .378 Weatherby. The .416 Rigby falls just short, not because of trajectory or power, but because its more difficult for the occasional shooter to master from supported field positions. I worked hard top dominate mine, and quickly became reasonably proficient with it, even from prone. With 350 gr bullets loaded to 2850, it shot flatter than my .30/06.
The .50 BMG has a problem with bulk and weight in both the rifles and the ammunition making it unsuitable for general hunting duties. But I have hunted with a .500 NE. Loaded with bullets that expand to a full inch, and penetrate 3' of heavy game, the .500 is a good killer for any game on the planet. This compared favorably to a high velocity small bore whose bullet expands to a third of an inch and penetrates 8"-12" in tissue . . . if you don't hit a bone.
On light game these "big" rifles kill with less meat damage than would be expected from a high velocity small bore; so you can literally eat right up to the bullet hole. This is the reason that the shooter's recoil limitations should dictate how big he can go, rather than the game he hunts. In that light, the fixation some hunters have for minimalist cartridges is disturbing. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be done, simply to avoid a bump on the shoulder, or to embrace a level of rifle accuracy which simply cannot be exploited in the field.
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Well said.
For all in southern ontario effected by the 275 and under the 243 is perfect as we don't have a centerfire deer season(that I know of) and except on rare occasions we don't have any larger game walking round. However if your hunting area and game choice spills out over that silly line a 243 altho capable becomes much like a 410 on the skeet field. Will get the job done most times but needs more expertise. Not so much for white tail but black bears boar caribou elk and moose deserve to be taken respectfully imo. The 243 has been measured and found wanting IMO There are many calibers with proven records even for recoil shy hunters that are better suited to larger game. 6.5 swede 2506 708 3030 300savage 303 british 270 260 308. But for down SO way 17-6mm they all work for ground hogs crows and song dogs. 243 is cheap accurate and easily availible for small game and paper punching.
For all in southern ontario effected by the 275 and under the 243 is perfect as we don't have a centerfire deer season(that I know of) and except on rare occasions we don't have any larger game walking round. However if your hunting area and game choice spills out over that silly line a 243 altho capable becomes much like a 410 on the skeet field. Will get the job done most times but needs more expertise. Not so much for white tail but black bears boar caribou elk and moose deserve to be taken respectfully imo. The 243 has been measured and found wanting IMO There are many calibers with proven records even for recoil shy hunters that are better suited to larger game. 6.5 swede 2506 708 3030 300savage 303 british 270 260 308. But for down SO way 17-6mm they all work for ground hogs crows and song dogs. 243 is cheap accurate and easily availible for small game and paper punching.
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
Oh God, there's that wsm stuff, again! sure glad there were no 88's or 100's in wsm!
no, I did not, I don't draw in the salary of a fine Doctor or Lawyer! I would have been the middle man for you, had you sent me your CC number a little sooner, though! ya gotta be quicker on the ball bud, next time! those $800-900 dollar 243 88's go fast! 11 for the 243 carbine!
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
My sister beaned her first deer with a Browning BLR 81 in .243 at
just over 400 yds. off the hood of her hubby's truck.
I've always had a soft spot for 6mm cartidges as well as 6.5's.
With the powders and bullets available today, theres no reason for
needing anything outside these cartridges for any game in North America.
But being gun nutz, we natually got to have lots of variety in our
gun safes. From air rifles to elephant guns and beyond, we just
gotta have'em. That's the best part.
just over 400 yds. off the hood of her hubby's truck.
I've always had a soft spot for 6mm cartidges as well as 6.5's.
With the powders and bullets available today, theres no reason for
needing anything outside these cartridges for any game in North America.
But being gun nutz, we natually got to have lots of variety in our
gun safes. From air rifles to elephant guns and beyond, we just
gotta have'em. That's the best part.
my dad took his moose with the .243 I shoot with today. I plan to use it for hunting Deer. I reload it with Nosler 70gr bullets and it shoots very well for a gun made in 1972-ish
