.243Win - Tell me about it!!!

Until the Angels Fall

Until the Angels Fall

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Hey CGN.

I am looking at getting a rifle in .243Win. I currently have a .223Rem and a .22 Savage High Power for my center fire rifle cartridges. In my eyes I see the .243Win as the perfect place between .223Rem and .308Win. Do you agree with this? Also I cannot use anything above .275 in my area but do not want a .270!

I like to do it all...target shoot at "long" range, hunt big and small game, ect. I am kinda board of my .223 to be honest and want a bit more punch and range and who doesn't want more guns? :)

From what little I have read .243Win is awesome for bullet choices but I have never really played around with different bullet weights and only used 55gr .223Rem for ALL my shooting/hunting. Is this something that is hard to get used to? Re-sighting your gun if for all the different loads? Is there one "do all" grain weight?

The only BAD I am worried about is it being a "barrel burner". How true is this? If I shot a string of 5-8 shots in a minute would I be damaging my rifle?

Thanks,


UTAF
 
My 11 yr old grandson shoots a 243 I picked up for him but this year is switching to my 7mm08 that I just finished building.

You can shoot a 243 all day and not hurt it or you

Dave
 
Love it. Great cartridge, not just for women and children to learn to shoot but a good multi-role predator/medium game round. Good trajectory, shoots flat out to as far as I care to shoot, deer/coyotes no problem, ammo is cheap, they don't kick hard enough to develop a flinch, easy to find reloading data and components for, lots of gun options out there (I'm thinking Ruger American Rifle with a 3-9 Redfield Revolution for my next one).
 
The 243win has a rage in bullet weights from aprox. 55gr to 109 gr.
The lighter weight bullets can be pushed to well over 3000fps and .243" is the largest caliber for the infamous Barnes Varmint Grenade.
The 100+ gr bullets will require a 1:9 or better twist to adequately stabilize the likes of 109 VLDs.
For everything 100gr and under a 1:10 is suitable.
1:12 will not take best advantage of 95-100gr bullets however.
A similar cartridge the 244/ 6mmRem has slight advantage over the 243Win as the parent case for the Rem is the 8x57Mauser while the 243Win is the smaller 308Win.
The Rem fell into disfavor after initial rifles were made in a 1:12 twist barrel pattern and the cartridge got a bad rap for being inaccurate. Successive rifles used a 1:10 twist and renamed the cartridge 6mmRem.
Some companies still offer 243Win in rifles with 1:10.75, 1:11, 1:12 apparently either not learning from Remingtons mistake or intending their rifles to shoot light weight bullets specifically.
For this reason,be careful when selecting a gun.

Not having personal experience with burning a barrel out but I have heard that the 243 WSSM is a barrel burner. This cartridge shoots the same bullets as the old 243 but is a Super short Magnum and packs a whole lot more powder behind them.
Simply put;
High Speed = barrel death.
 
As a "Double Duty" rig what's not to like about the .243?

Just switched from 7mm Rem Mag down to a .243 due to lack of use on the 7mm front. Main duty of my .243 is a 'Yote rig, where it'll be a little better in open fields & windy conditions BC wise (80-87Gr) where I hunt & also double as a light deer gun when called upon. There's a ton of info & componets avail. From 55Gr-100Gr+ you should be able to find something light enough for the Yotes, as well as have Deer covered off effectively & possibly something inbetween.
 
http://w ww.6mmbr.com/243Win.html
Some good info there. I am currently waiting for my savage in 243 to arrive. I plan to shoot 90 ish grain bullets out of it. Maybe the 105's if it'll shoot them.
 
It's great for women and children or places where there's a caliber restriction. The problem with 243win is that it offers nothing over 308 except reduced recoil. Cost and action length are the same, but you lose bullet selection and knockdown power. 308 can be loaded down, or purchased in reduced recoil cartridges effectively making 243 redundant. Some people may point you toward 7mm-08, but you lose ammo availability and it seems to cost more at the stores I shop.

In the end the only argument I have ever encountered that makes 243 a viable cartridge is when bullet restrictions are in place for hunting.

I would absolutely love to hear someone come up with a real reason that 243 is better than 308 other than hunting calibre restrictions. Keep in mind that recoil in the 308win can be tamed down with commercially available reduced recoil loads. I think you'll find in the end there's really no reason to get a 243, but people will always say otherwise, despite not having any reason for their opinion. Not that you really need one, this sport isn't about science it's about enjoyment so do as you will.
 
Before I got out of hunting it was the last rifle I sold, and the most accurate(Carl Gustaff) Now that I am back hunting I have another 243 and trying to buy back the CG. Cheers Roscoe
 
Haha something about that comment about 'getting out of hunting' really worries me. I make sure that I take time off to hunt and I'm worried that there could be something I don't know about waiting for me in my 30's that will make it hard to get out there.

EDIT: Oh crap, posting too much on the internet might be one of them
 
Awesome advice...keep it coming!!!

The rifle I am thinking of getting has a 1:9 twist so it seems to be good for just about everything?

I only ask about the "1 round to do it all" as I just have a thing for stuff like that. I am thinking either an 85gr-100gr should fit this bill? And by do it all I mean...coyotes and deer...if I am am shooting ground hogs or crows I do not eat them so over destruction is more fun to watch:p
 
Until the Angels Fall said:
Awesome advice...keep it coming!!!

The rifle I am thinking of getting has a 1:9 twist so it seems to be good for just about everything?

I only ask about the "1 round to do it all" as I just have a thing for stuff like that. I am thinking either an 85gr-100gr should fit this bill? And by do it all I mean...coyotes and deer...if I am am shooting ground hogs or crows I do not eat them so over destruction is more fun to watch:p
Click to expand...

Yep, definately, the 243 is for you and your needs! No more hestistation, go hit the buy it now button! ;)
 
I think the .243 is probably the best cartridge for Southern ontario (.275 rule)

Will flatten coyotes at any range you can hit them. Obliterate groundhogs and drop any big mature buck if you put a round threw his boiler room.

Minimal recoil, very common. Whats not to like about it?
 
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