ammo experts - question about .243
You guys were such a great help with the last ammo queston, here goes again:
What is the .243 good for? What other cartridges does it compare to? Is it an all around type (.308, .30-06, etc) or very specific use (25-250, .458wm) ? It's a necked down .308 case, right? High pressure, flat trajectory? How much 'ooomph' when it 'gets there'? How far is 'there' (generally)?
TIA for any info.
Got a new gun for my ex-wife.....pretty good trade, huh?
What is the .243 good for? What other cartridges does it compare to? Is it an all around type (.308, .30-06, etc) or very specific use (25-250, .458wm) ? It's a necked down .308 case, right? High pressure, flat trajectory? How much 'ooomph' when it 'gets there'? How far is 'there' (generally)?
TIA for any info.
Got a new gun for my ex-wife.....pretty good trade, huh?
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GOOD MUTI PURPOSE ROUND, VARMINTS TO DEER, 350 YRDS +-. NOT VERY GOOD IN THE BRUSH. 0 -
It compares very closely with the 6mm Remington, and it is just a bit under the 25-06. I have a Savage Model 99 in .243, and it is a great deer rifle. 0 -
Great caliber. Used to have one but it got stolen. I suggest the remington 700, for the gun. My dad killed several deer, and to many coyotes to count with this caliber, and the same goes for myself,except I have never shot at a deer with the gun, because I prefer bigger. But it is a wonderful all around caliber for smaller big game. 0 -
It's a good all around round. There is a pretty lively debate about the merits of the .243 versus the 6MM Remington. Without looking at my books, I think the 6MM has more powder capacity and flies a bit faster and flatter. My recollection is that the varmint people tend to prefer the 6MM, and the deer (dear??) people like the .243.
It is possible, however, that I have all that backwards!! Need medicine for a mushy mind.0 -
If you want some more umph out of a 6mm bullet you might look into either a .243wsm or a .244wthby mag. 0 -
Great medium all around-calibur, you can get ammo from 55 gr to 100gr. 100gr will drop deer where they stand at 200 yrds, could do the job further but I don't use it much longer than that. The lighter rounds are accurate to 400 yards. I have hit paper at that range with 55gr and 70gr varmit rounds and was very impressed, this is with a Ruger M77 with a sporter barrel. I like mine.[:)] 0 -
Those 6mm rounds I was firing the other day were a bit hotter than the 243, but comparable. The 243 is a 308 necked down to a 6mm bullet. Very flat shooting, very accurate. It still ain't as good as the 6mm though[;)]
Love them Beavers
SUPPORT THE I.N.S. , THE COUNTRY THEY SAVE COULD BE YOUR OWN0 -
I use to hunt quite a bit with a 243 and overall I was frequently less than impressed. MANY deer failed to even flinch when hit with it and then fell over dead somewhere else. That's as compared to hitting them with a 30/06 or 7mm magnum. Then they almost always just fall over dead. It is often hailed as a good antelope caliber but I don't really think they have the energy left by the time the bullet goes 3-400 yards. I love a 7mm magnum for that. I'm not big on losing and blood trailing game.
On the other hand the 243 is an incredibly accurate caliber. The rifles I've shot consistently shoot 3/8 - 1/2 inch with handloads. They are a joy to shoot like that.
I would be curious to know what real life experience other people have had with premium 6mm bullets ie:Nosler partition, barnes x, etc.
....I never met a gun I didn't like!0 -
rrfhunter has it about right.
Used a Sako Forester .243 some years back and took several deer and lots of coyotes with it. A deadly accurate rifle. Found it to be a better coyote cartridge than for deer. All the deer were one shot kills - one at a stepped off 329 yds with a Nosler 85 gr Partition semi-spitzer (the old type that had the machined groove in it). I just wasn't that impressed with it's ability as compared to the later 25-06, 7x57mm, 7 Rem mag, etc.
I'm not saying it hasn't accounted for untold deer, antelope and what have you, just that I think it's better suited for game in the small Texas whitetail and under catagory.
Keep off the Ridgeline0 -
As many on here know I have been in the midst of a .243 dilema myself. I have been around the gun for years. In my experience it is an awesome deer and Antelope gun. My aunt has hunted with it every year for the past 20 or so years and has got her deer and several Elk (yes ELK) with hers. She has never shot an Elk twice or lost an animal with it. She uses handloads with the 85gr. Sierra gameking SPBT. The nicest thing about the .243 is the pleasent recoil and extremely good acuracy. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer to 300 and a antelope to 400 with the gun.
Leeblackman, Correct me if I am wrong but in factory rounds the Weatherby is the .240 Weatherby and the .243 is the Winchester Super Short Mag and not the WSM. I am sure you could make a .243 WSM though and that would be killer!!!0
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