I keep seeing the various 6mm based rounds inching up in case length from 6mmBR. It won't be long
before they will be as long as a 243 Win. Is there something inherently wrong with the 243 Win?
Why isn't it used instead of the wildcats? It seems that a fast twist 243 Win shooting 105 grain bullets would be good at 1000 yards. Can someone
explain the reason for NOT using the 243 Win.

Several years ago David Tubb won one of the 1000yd matches with a 243. Fast twist with high BC bullets should work well.

One of the guys I shoot with has a Savage .243 with a 26" LW barrel. I don't now the twist but he is pushing 107gr bthp hard from lapua brass. It has the same velocity as 300gr .338 lapua mag at 1k. My son-in-law shot a 148-6x with it, in June 05 at 900yds his first time out. The draw back is that barrel life is short, about 1500 rounds or so. It would be great to have the time to shoot it out.

Yes, barrel life is the problem with the 243. The theory is that the case shoulder and short neck focus the powder gases right at the lands and grooves in the throat area of the barrel. I shoot a 6mm rem with a 1 in 8" twist and have shot a 197-11x at 1000 yds with a scope. The sharper shoulder and longer neck of the 6mm rem supposedly should give me better barrel life(I hope to live that long myself to find out-I only shoot the thing about 150 rounds a year, and I'm 66).

Look here:

http://www.snipershide.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000946

WOW

I really love the 243 but it has its drawbacks. The standard case tends to grow on you making triming neccessary more often but other thatn that it is a wonderful caliber. The word is that you can go to the 243 Achley Improved and stop the case from growing so much.
Larry