Remington 700 SPS V .223 vs .243

keener53

keener53

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Hey everyone

So I have been looking at a Remington 700 SPS V. But I have been in between either a .223 rem or a .243, I want to use this gun for ground hogs, coyotes, and bench rest shooting out to 500 yards. I just don't know what one is better. I know that .223 is a little cheper and is a great gun. But the .243 is a little heavier bullet and will bet better out to 500 yards won winder days.

Just want to know what people think about these calibers.
 
Go with the .243 win. the .223rem will be effected by the wind much more at 300yds to 550yds and if you what to hunt deer with it you can.
 
I had that gun in .223. It was an absolute tack driver right out of the box. Cloverleafs (which in .223 are damn small) weren't uncommon at 100m. Put it on the sandbag and it'd hit the 300 gong all day.
 
.243 is probably a little more versatile than the .223.

My 700SPS...

'Only used on groundhogs, but 75gr. V-max turns 'em inside out with a solid hit.
 
I like both the .222, .223, .222 Magnum family of cartridges as well as the .243. I believe you would get a bit more versatility from the .243, but even the .243 will suffer in the wind when you choose bullets that are appropriate for use on small varmints, the Nosler .243/55 gr BT is dynamite when it hits a live target though. If you choose the .223, those long heavy bullets that are wind resistant, and suitable for long range shooting , will require a fast twist in order to stabilize, and might not produce the explosive terminal performance that puts red mist in the air, and prevents ricochets. In other words, both cartridges, as are most cartridges, something of a compromise for general utility. Its up to you to decide how you wish to balance that compromise, but it sounds from your post that you're already leaning towards the .243.

As for barrel life with the .243, I doubt if you can detect a change in accuracy once you break the 1000, 2000, or even 3000 round barrier, particularly if you adjust your seating depth to make up for the throat erosion. But even if you don't, we generally measure accuracy based on a number of rounds fired from a specific distance, and measure the resulting group to determine our accuracy. That means little when shooting live targets; game is not normally killed with a group, although I did put a nice group into my wildebeest that evening, but they we hitting a mite low. By the time your rifle won't keep a cold bore shot on a ground hog size target at 200 yards, you can replace that barrel with a clear conscience, it won't owe you anything.
 
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I honestly wouldn't concern myself too much with .243 barrel life. I have seen my friends rifle with over 4000 rounds through it (700 varmint) as well as my own m77 with over 1500 rds with no accuracy fall out. Mine mostly had shot factory ammo, his mostly hand loads, switched them up regularly as he enjoyed playing with loads. Besides, it's a great caliber, and barrels are relatively cheap, and accuracy gets better with an aftermarket.
 
I would get the tatical version on the .223 in stead to get a fast twist. It's really a toss up between the two as for what's better. 223 is cheaper to shoot but a properly loaded .243 is a hammer on deer sized down critters.

Don't worry about barrel life, if you wear a barrel out then you've been fortunate enough to shoot a lot.
 
CyaN1de said:
Keep in mind that the .243 will probably need barrel replaced somewhere between 1000-1300 rounds......the .223 will go 3000+
Click to expand...

Hogwash... .243 has been my principle cartridge for 40+ years... I have half a dozen with more than 3000 rounds down the pipe and one BDL with 5000+ the BDL "may" have opened up a 1/4 MOA from its (my) peak accuracy... I suspect that is due more to my failing vision and the crotchety impatience that accompanies increased (old) age...

For the OP... if you are only going to do one, I would recommend the .243... but at some point you will likely want both... and I won't dissuade you from that... I shoot both .223 and .243 more than any other cartridges...
 
Like many others have said, do not worry much about barrel life.
I have had the privilege of shooting enough to "wash" out several barrels.

Of those, 4 were 6mm Remingtons. [very similar to the 243]. Not a one was actually done until 3K or so rounds.
I even managed to get almost 3K rounds out of a Swift before accuracy was unacceptable.

A couple of 6.5x55 barrels have gone south due to 4K+ shots each.
A 7mm STW made 2K, a 257 Weatherby about the same. The 264 Win Mag x2 each made 2.2K rounds.

And, good barrels are still at reasonable prices...Have a decent smith screw one on properly - voila! back, better than ever.
Buy the 243 and never look back.

Regards, Dave.
 
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