.260 vs .243 (cont.)
The good Capt locked this topic to soon (and I was right in the middle of replying with a VERY important safety warning.
In answer to your question concerning what would happen if you were to try shooting .243 ammo in a .308 chambered rifle, it would be VERY VERY bad news[xx(]!!! I am somewhat concerned and disappointed that the other two fellows who replied to this question did not tell you the exact same thing that I am about to say.
If you were to attempt to shoot .243 cartridges in your .308, the absolute minimum problem you would experience is GROSS inaccuracy. The most likely scenario, is that you would damage the bore throat and barrel rifling. The hot gases from the burning powder would blow by the bullet and quickly destroy the bore throat (permanently destroying the accuracy of the barrel), the case neck would rupture, there would be moderate to severe gas blow-by, and extraction of the blown cartridge would be difficult. I doubt that the .243 bullet would achieve even 50% of its capable velocity, and the bullet would literally rattle all the way down the barrel.
In short, DO NOT shoot .243 cartridges in a .308 rifle[B)]!!!
Bert H.
Real Men use a WINCHESTER Single-Shot!
In answer to your question concerning what would happen if you were to try shooting .243 ammo in a .308 chambered rifle, it would be VERY VERY bad news[xx(]!!! I am somewhat concerned and disappointed that the other two fellows who replied to this question did not tell you the exact same thing that I am about to say.
If you were to attempt to shoot .243 cartridges in your .308, the absolute minimum problem you would experience is GROSS inaccuracy. The most likely scenario, is that you would damage the bore throat and barrel rifling. The hot gases from the burning powder would blow by the bullet and quickly destroy the bore throat (permanently destroying the accuracy of the barrel), the case neck would rupture, there would be moderate to severe gas blow-by, and extraction of the blown cartridge would be difficult. I doubt that the .243 bullet would achieve even 50% of its capable velocity, and the bullet would literally rattle all the way down the barrel.
In short, DO NOT shoot .243 cartridges in a .308 rifle[B)]!!!
Bert H.
Real Men use a WINCHESTER Single-Shot!
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naconst,
Bert's right that it isn't a good idea to fire .243 Win. cartridges in a .308 Win. chamber. Safety should be paramount for all shooters and reloaders. The worst that will happen is that the neck area of the .243 Win. case will split. And that's about it. The pressure will drop significantly and instantaneously due to the plasma blowing by the .243 bullet and exiting the barrel. The smaller bullet can't obturate enough to fill the cross section of the .308 barrel. And yes, the bullet will be very inaccurate but I doubt that you would allow this to happen more than once. The case should extract just fine considering the case taper and the damage will be limited to the neck area. It will be a good case to keep around to remind you to tell the story.
As to damaging the throat and bore of the .308 Win. barrel, this happens every time that you pull the trigger on a live cartridge. The current factory chambers have so much leade (freebore) and long throats that there is some blow by as a matter of course until the bullet fills the cross section. The hot plasma then fills the barrel and continues to push the bullet out of the muzzle. The plasma does erode the throat and the lands but it occurs with every barrel and every time you pull the trigger. It is not a case of quickly destroying a throat or the lands, it's progressive and one .243 Win. fired down a .308 Win. barrel is not going to destroy the throat any faster or with any additional significance.
None of this is a good idea but it is certainly not catastrophic.
Best.
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If you got your 243 and 308 ammo mixed up , you will never get a a 308 to chamber in the 243 , If you did put a 243 in the 308 it could chamber but I dont think it would hurt you if fired. The 243 bullet would just rattle through the bore , the case neck would blow out to 30 caliber and might split,there wouldnt be any gas erosion or damage as it would not have near the normal pressure or temperature due to to the bore not being sealed .
Worrying over having both calibers is really a lot of nitpicking.
<BR>0 -
I have .243, .260 and .308. Never had any problems confusing the ammo. All would work better if I were a better shot though... 0 -
The concern for having similar ammo is genuine. It can happen when the excitement gets too you. An example is a teenager at a former hunting camp in GA. He and his dad used a 270 and 308. They tended to switch rifle every now and then. The son entered his tree stand one afternoon and immediately saw a big buck coming his way. He had unloaded the rifle for the climb into his stand - [^]. He unknowingly had a 308 in his pocket along with a bunch of 270 for his 270 Win Mod 70. In his excitment he threw the 308 into the magazine of his Mod 70 and the controlled round feeding picked it up and put it into the chamber. Yes it went off[B)]. No he wasn't hurt. No, he didn't get the buck. I was about a 1/2 mile away and could tell the sound of the shot was not right. I'm not sure what happen to the rifle. It was left as is and was taken to a gunsmith. I moved the following year and never hunted again with those guys. Both the father and son were very safety conscious yet it still happened. Moral is to only carry one type of ammo and account for every cartridge when switching rifles.
Be careful
Ron0 -
I agree with Bert. Why take a chance of a human error?
Thatis why I sold the .243 and got my son a .308 just like me and grandpa.0 -
I could definately see more of a problem with a .270/.280/30-06 and a .308 combination than a .243 and a .308 combination being a big problem. The .308 will chamber in a .270/.280/30-06.
However, I wouldn't go as far as to say I would sell similar rifles because I might chamber the wrong round. I would develop some habits that prevent mixing up ammunition. First, I would not take two rifles hunting that can chamber each others rounds unless they were the same caliber. Get these issues worked out before you go on a trip. When storing ammunition at home partition the storage area if possible or put the individual ammunition boxes into larger storage boxes. It's just like reloading, keep the original components in the original containers and don't mix them. Dont' have two hout at the same time.
This is a good opportunity for each of us to evaluate our personal organization of the firearms we keep. And make sure we stay organized before we begin working with firearms.
We have the second amendment so that all the rest are secure....UNK>0
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