How close can .308 come to .243 ?

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luftmech

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I have been looking at getting a .243 for the fun factor of the speed/flat and got to thinking. How close can you reload a .308 to the .243 velocities and traj. say with a 130 gr or smaller. Has there been leaps and bounds made in the last while with powder/bullets that weren't around when the .243 was thought up


I am guessing that the .243 would not have come around if this was possible but I would rather spend the cash on reloading kit for my .308 then get a rifle if the .308 can come close.
 
You can shoot light bullets in .308 and get fast muzzle velocities but it won't carry very far down range as the ballistics of the short bullets will lose its energy quickly.

The 80 to 107g 6mm bullets have superior ballistics, they fly through the air with very low drag and is not affected by the wind as much as a light .308 bullet.
 
You might get a very accurate light weight .308 load. It's just that the energy won't carry as far and it will start dropping very rapidly at distance.
 
If you want a flatter shooting .308, I have had very good accuracy with Nosler 125 grain Ballistic Tip bullets. You can run the numbers yourself on any ballistics program (I like JBM) to find out when they start dropping faster because they are running out of speed faster, but I would guesstimate that they ought to be pretty flat out to 500 yards or so.
 
What do you want your rifle to do? Both the .308 and .243 have been used with success out to 1000 yards when match bullets are fired from capable target rifles.

Within normal hunting ranges .243 has it over the .308 as a varmint rifle in that very light bullets can be driven very fast (55 gr at 3900) produce spectacular kills, and it is unlikely that these bullets will ricochet. The .308 is often accurate enough for varminting, but I haven't seen a .308 bullet yet that won't ricochet if that is a concern in your area.

As a big game round, the .308 is superior to the .243. This statement usually raises the ire of those who have successfully taken big game with the .243, but to my thinking the .243 is at its best on game limited to 100 pounds. With bullet weights exceeding 130 grs, the .308 has enough velocity and momentum to ensure sufficient penetration for fast humane kills. With bullet weights over 150 grs, the .308 ensures good bullet performance with inexpensive copper cup lead core bullets. Once impact velocities exceed 2500 fps, it can be beneficial to consider a premium bullet regardless of caliber.
 
if you look at a ballistic table for the .223 .243 .308 you can notice two things one at ranges further then 500 yards the .308 takes over... and two its all boils down to BC..

Here is what it boils down to these are all common match bullets and weights for the approperate caliber notice how the slower and heavier .308 has less drop in velocity then the two light weight higher speed bullets
table.jpg


Beger a well known long range bullet mfg. has .224 90 Grain VLD with a BC. .517 - .243 115 Grains VLD BC .595 - .308 210 Grains BC.631

To maximize your long range shooting potential you have to match the weight of the bullet your barrel is setup for and find the max BC for that weight...
 
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