.243 - Just Enough, Not Enough or Perfect

Joel said:
What he's getting at is that the flinch is occuring WHILE the trigger is pulled, is all. Not after, as the bullet races down the b
Licensed to kill said:
But you have been stating all along that flinch is caused by the physical force of the recoil. There IS no recoil yet “as the trigger is being pressed”. THAT is a mental thing in anticipation of the coming kick. You just made everyone’s point that were countering yours.
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arrel.

I see the logic in what you're saying, its just that it only applies if the flinch happens while the recoil happens. It doesn't. There's a reason its called "anticipating recoil"

You don't flinch after someone punches you, you flinch when you see it coming haha. Know that whole "let the shot surprise you, just squeeze the trigger til the gun goes off" stuff? Its so you don't yank, mash or otherwise grab on the trigger in anticipation....
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This might be a good place to say that 98% of flinch can be eliminated with good ear protection.
 
At long range calibers that I shoot the best are the ones with the best exterior ballistics. Within reason, recoil doesn't enter into it. Within reason, mechanical precision hardly does. It's far easier to shoot higher scores with a heavy barrel hunting rifle in 300 Win than my FTR gun in .223 Rem. The difference in wind drift is for all intents and purposes half with the 300. Every mistake in a wind call is twice as bad with the 223. There's no amount of light recoiling, ease of shooting and bag manners that is going to beat 2 to 1 odds for long, even if you are betting against yourself.

So yeah; if the purpose of shooting is hitting it's easy to find examples where a heavier recoiling rifle is easier to hit with.
 
Dogleg said:
At long range calibers that I shoot the best are the ones with the best exterior ballistics. Within reason, recoil doesn't enter into it. Within reason, mechanical precision hardly does. It's far easier to shoot higher scores with a heavy barrel hunting rifle in 300 Win than my FTR gun in .223 Rem. The difference in wind drift is for all intents and purposes half with the 300. Every mistake in a wind call is twice as bad with the 223. There's no amount of light recoiling, ease of shooting and bag manners that is going to beat 2 to 1 odds for long, even if you are betting against yourself.

So yeah; if the purpose of shooting is hitting it's easy to find examples where a heavier recoiling rifle is easier to hit with.
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Being a dyed in the wool- never surrender TR shooter ( who is a mouse gun fanatic) I can certainly attest to the above .
I shoot the .223 in TR because I want to. Certainly not because it is better than the 308 at 900 meters!
But then, we are not shooting just one shot either at those distances .🤪
However on an animal inside 300 , one or two shots are a different story and the 243 will just fine all things being equal.
Cat
 
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Doug, I agree with several others the 243 is a great choice for what you described and then some.

What it's not: an ideal bear hunting or defence gun. And I know you never had that cross your mind although it's brought up in this thread!

I have taken white tail with mine out to 250m many were pass through shots and the furthest I've had a deer go was less than 100m.

My rifle is partial to federals 95gr fusion and Winchester 95gr silver tips. Both shoot sub moa all day long & not just 5 shot groups. Field accuracy is about 1.5 moa standing if I do my part. I assume with hand loads it would only improve. The 95gr+ weights are a must for the sectional density and quality constructed bullets will effectively make kills.

Another consideration was touched on; ammo availability is good with the calibre and most importantly in less travelled places. Price is reasonable and this matters if you intend to shoot well. I'm able to find my two pics at about $35-40 a box and sub $1.50 if in bulk.
I have several friends who shoot less common calibres: 270wsm and 7rum. Both are excellent however expensive and tough to find and will wear out barrels fast! The standard 3-shot annual sight in will not allow you to make the tough low light shots at a distance. The same points stand with new shooters learning. There is no substitute for quality practice and volume of rounds.

These factors all add up to a very important conclusion which only a handful of calibres will meet at. The accuracy, ballistics and energy (1300-1800ft lbs at 200), durability of your barrel, cost/availability to shoot volume and recoil for new shooters are all excellent for your task.

Spend the money on a high quality scope and lots of ammunition. After this the calibre of your gun will not matter anywhere near what some suggest.

** One tip to save you money in the start is to look up your manufacturers use of test rounds. Most will provide the top rounds they used to test your guns accuracy. This gives you a starting point when going to purchase some rounds to try. My barrel twist (1-10 howa) likes everything from 55 to 105gr with 85-100gr being the sweet spot.

Regards, Chris
 
ShrtRnd said:
Back to the orig question posed…

There’s a host of Cals, that could stand in as alternates..

260Rem
6.5Cm
6.5x55 Swede
7-08mm
25-06
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You might as well add the 7x57 if listing it's ballistic twin: 7mm-08. Both, however, deliver more muzzle energy. Factory 7mm Mauser loads (not to be confused with the much more powerful Euro factory 7x57 loads), on the other hand, are very comparable energy wise.
 
Rman said:
In BC, the smallest calibre possible is a 22(222/223), which is also plenty for deer.
I just don't get why people feel the need to get it done with ridiculously over powered rifles for medium sized game...See what happened there?
Lack of knowledge and experience makes most reach for the larger calibres.
If you shoot a 300WM well, you'll shoot a 243 better. Much better. Fact.

R.
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Speak for yourself. This is complete nonsense. My hunting partner has killed more big game with a 243 than most people will in four lifetimes. He now hunts his deer, and everything else, with a 338 Winchester Magnum. He has killed more elk with that 338 than most will in four lifetimes. He has also killed bigger elk than 99% of elk hunters would think possible. Just because you can’t shoot a bigger rifle accurately doesn’t mean someone else is incapable.

I’ve also killed a bunch of game with a 243. My brother has killed game with a 243 and the list goes on. Of course it works. I’ve killed big game with the 243 and 55gr ballistic tips going 4000 fps. Dramatic and very successful. But I’m not stupid enough not to see the difference a bigger bullet makes. Especially on larger game at goofy angles. When I hunt I hunt to kill something. Not to fart around with perfect shot angles, cute distances etc. shooting does at 1000 yards is fun. It isn’t hunting.

If you want to get into 22’s I can go put my hands on and photograph a 22 Savage High Power that was used to bounty hunt bears. To a significant degree.

You hunt with what you want. I’ll hunt with what I want. But the assertion that people aren’t recommending something because of lack of experience is not always true.
 
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