Tell me why you shoot .243 Does it have any advantages over other rounds?
Thanks

I find it to be an excellent round for pronghorn antelope and entirely satisfactory for prairie dogs, rock chucks and mule deer.

I find it an easy to load for, long range varmint chambering. In the 26" barrel of my Ruger M77VT it delivers 55-grain Ballistic Tips very fast, reducing drop and wind drift significantly out to the maximum of ~400 yards I shoot it. It outperforms the .22-250 and the Swift. Heavier 6mm bullets give more drop and wind drift, and more recoil (which affects field accuracy). And while I prefer more bullet weight than the 6mm can handle for the task, the .243 can be loaded with heavier bullets to take light game if needed.



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Fast. Accurate. Wide range of bullets to choose from. Nominal recoil. Kills well.

I use it for antelope, coyotes and varmints and in some configurations 1,000 yard match shooting.


Very accurate and easy to load for.

The only real reason one would buy a .243 is to have it rebarreled to a .260 or 7-08.

I have a pair of varmints in 243, one is a mid 60's sako 579 and the other is a much new Remington VS laminate. Just some thing different to shoot at the range with. Both are a little heavy for packing around the woods., just did a load with IMR 4350 and Vmax 58gr bullets to try out in each of them. IMHO. FS

The first two rifles I purchase when I got out of the Marines was 243 and 308. The 308 long gone but still have the 243 and it's 47yrs old this year.

One of my very favorite calibers...can be used for everything from varmint to whitetail...little recoil...great for youngsters
and the wife...huge selection of bullets for reloading....shoots a rope to 300 yds...what's not to like....should be a "core holding" in the rifle battery

I bought a Tikka 243 lite to complinent my custom 300WM. I've been carrying the 243 more and more. Dream to carry, I don't care if it gets dinged and the Berger VLD does bad mojo to deer.

Doubles as a great yote rig with the 75gn Vmax

quote:

Originally posted by kelbro:
Fast. Accurate. Wide range of bullets to choose from. Nominal recoil. Kills well.

Ding Ding Ding.....we have a winner here.....best answer....Pay dat

Started hunting woodchuck, then deer. So a 243 worked well for both and the 243 is "inherently accurate"

Nice, light, and accurate with more bullet weight than the various 22 calibers. Adequate up to deer with a 100gr spitzer or BT.

I use it as a 3rd varmint rig with either 55 grain or 70 grain bullets for the longer work.

You can get a 55g to move out above 4000fps which helps with trajectory and hitting stuff.

quote:

Tell me why you shoot .243 Does it have any advantages over other rounds?

Well, the trajectory is much better than a .45-70 and the recoil is lower too. ??

Many years ago my future son in law had a .243. One day he didn't have much ammo and thought the old rancher that leased his place would have some. He didn't. Shortly thereafter I found a deal too good to pass up on a Win mod 70 in .243. For years we both carried .243 so that between the two of us we should have ammo. When my grandson was 11 he started shooting .243. It has served me well for a lot of years. I shoot 100 grain Winchester Bulk packed bullets. In recent years Ive seen several deer that were one shot kills with .223 so if I ever shoot another deer I'l probably use .223.

I shoot a .243 just to annoy all the azzhats that claim it should not be used for deer.

It works just fine for anyone who is a decent rifleman.

Most of the game around my area weighs less than 50kg. The .243 with 85 or 100 grainers hits hard enough and shoots flat enough to work peeeerrrfectly for my son.

I use a 250-3000.

With 100gn bullets it will handle all UK deer up to big Red Stags - yes possibly a bit light for the big stuff, but put a good bullet in the correct place they drop just as well as bigger calibres.

243 is easy to shoot - little recoil and accurate. And if you want a long range foxing rig, then drop down to a light weight varmint bullet and flat enough all the way out to silly distances.

Oh and our firearms licencing like them - they not too happy on bigger calibres in certain areas.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
The only real reason one would buy a .243 is to have it rebarreled to a .260 or 7-08.

Or rechambered to 6mm-284...

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I use it for antelope, coyotes and varmints and in some configurations 1,000 yard match shooting.


Very accurate and easy to load for.

I run three rifles in a .243 bore and two are the Win. My rifles have a 12, 10, and 7 twist barrels which allows me to use the full spectrum of available bullets for this.caliber. Right now I'm enjoying playing with the .243 Win long range rifle I built,it shoots the 107 SMK well and I can't wait to try some 115's down the barrel. If I step up to custom bullets then I can run a 120 great bonded core bullet from Matrix. With what is available to put down my tubes the 6.5 doesn't offer a whole lot of advantages anymore.

Very good cartridge for Deer sized game and varmits too.
Mostly because its accurate, easy to load and the recoil is fairly light compared to other shootin irons in the safe.
there will always be the argument about the .243 being to "lite" of a cartridge for big game and to each there own.
I use mine for Deer and chucks and general range day shooting. It is not an issue to shoot 20-30 rounds in a setting and not have the sore shoulder or recoil head ache.
If and when i choose to hunt game larger than Deer, I have a few other rifles that start with 7 or 30 that I will take for a walk that day.

Shot placement and shooter abilities have as much to do as caliber selection. IMO

Get a .243 and see for yourself.
Enjoy

My quickest kill on a mature buck happened with a .243 heart shot using a factory Rem. 100gr Core-Lok. It dropped so fast I didn't see it fall. All the deer I have shot with up to .300 magnum and hit in the heart/lungs have died quickly but usually take a few steps before droping. One thing I don't like about the .243 is its neck stretches quickly and requires frequent trimming. I think the 6mm Rem. might be an overall better design.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
The only real reason one would buy a .243 is to have it rebarreled to a .260 or 7-08.

...or 358 Win!

quote:

Originally posted by kelbro:
Fast. Accurate. Wide range of bullets to choose from. Nominal recoil. Kills well.

This says it all... My 243AI takes on everything from crowes to roedeer.

M

I don't flog my firearms with high volumes of fire and my barrels last a pretty long time...

with regards to the 243, it is just a flexible and versatile round...manageable recoil, accurate, flat shooting....

it does a good job... it isn't my favorite round, but I certainly would never be without one, same as the 223...

My only 243 is on loan to a friend, He shoots deer that like to eat his apples and shrubs. He kills 10 to 20 every year, mostly in the Sept to Dec time frame. He is not a rifle guy, but he sure likes that rifle, I had a SA M-70 rebarreled and with a 6 x 42 mm S+B scope on it. He shoots the deer drop, he gets out a knife and his wife cooks venison. He keeps telling me that he will buy a rifle but he never dose. 243 is a fine cartridge for deer sized game and then some . And pretty much anybody can shoot one accurately enough.

My first deer rifle was a 243. Although I never had any trouble with it, I sold it and bought a Rem 788 in 30-30, which I hunted with for about five years. Recently, I bought a 243 for nostalga reasons. It's one of the old Winchester push feed actions in a youth model, but I have a new full size walnut stock for it, and new Williams bottom metal. Should be pretty and fun to shoot too.

KB

Uhhh... because I don't. There are far too many cartridges that do what it does better than it does. Period.

The 243 Winchester is a great cartidge with a whole lota plusses and very few minusses.

I've shot a whole lota game with it; primarily Deer from small to pretty large and of the larger, some large Red Deer Stags and a whole bunch of Fallow Deer Bucks, Does & Fawns; so it'll do the medium Game trick with aplomb.

I entertained an entire group of Brits at Bisely one year at the 600 meter range. The 243 Winchester I'd used to hunt with the week was loaded with 100 gr. Normas. I was in the X-Ring on the 3rd shot from my standard 2" high @ 100 meter sight-in and pluncked the remaining 17 cartridges all into the X & 10-Ring. That from a sporter weight barrel & 2.5-10x48 scope, too.

Of the responses so far only 4 Doomsayers are brow-beating this cartridge which pretty much refelcts the remaining 20+ positive responses & what's on ammo shelves not only in North America but around the World. It remains a top-seller and popular chambering because it does what it does well and Sales reflect that.

Of the negative repsonses; none bother to explain or depict potential 243 Winchester shortcomings; rather Off-the-Cuff remarks - Go Figure .....

Gerry--On any discussion you'll have some nay sayers with nothing to back it up. Frequently the same ones.

And there are some who don't actually contribute to the topic, which is: Why shoot the 243?

KB

quote:

Originally posted by Kabluewy:
And there are some who don't actually contribute to the topic, which is: Why shoot the 243?

KB

Because I like to kill critters with my 243!!!

Just had a new Lilja barrel put on it and man does it like the 80 grain Barnes TTSX bullets. We'll see if the antelopes like them as well.

right on cue

quote:

Originally posted by loiblb:
Tell me why you shoot .243 Does it have any advantages over other rounds?
Thanks

I started shooting the 243 in 1965 mainly for deer but few years later started used it on varmints. It's my oldest caliber that I still shoot.

Uhhh, regarding part of the initial question, what advantages does it have over other rounds?

Why shoot it and advantages are two questions, IMO.

Frankly, I would shoot it because it works for deer and hog size game, and coyotes too. Because it's fast and flat shooting, and relatively inexpensive to shoot, and because there are many factory rifles, and because it's reasonably accurate and has mild recoil, etc....

As far as it having advantage over other cartridges --- well sure it is better than the 223 or 22-250 for deer and hogs, and some say it's better for varmints, but I can't say the latter from personal experience.

As to it being better than or having advantage over a 260, for example, for deer and hogs, not a chance, IMO. It's a relative thing, but compared to the lowly 223, practically anything looks better.

It offers no real "advantage" within the catagory of real deer cartridges. It's just adequate, and readily available.

KB

quote:

Originally posted by George Semel:
My only 243 is on loan to a friend, He shoots deer that like to eat his apples and shrubs. He kills 10 to 20 every year, mostly in the Sept to Dec time frame. He is not a rifle guy, but he sure likes that rifle, I had a SA M-70 rebarreled and with a 6 x 42 mm S+B scope on it. He shoots the deer drop, he gets out a knife and his wife cooks venison. He keeps telling me that he will buy a rifle but he never dose. 243 is a fine cartridge for deer sized game and then some . And pretty much anybody can shoot one accurately enough.

Sure hope it's all legal......

quote:

Originally posted by loiblb:
Tell me why you shoot .243 Does it have any advantages over other rounds?
Thanks

Because I stumbled across a great deal on a bunch of 6MM bullets. So then I had to buy a 243 so I could use them. Makes sense, right?

.243 Shoots well in a light, easy-to-handle rifle, has light recoil, shoots flat, is readily available in a wide variety of factory loads, offers a vast host of reloading options, and is adequate for varmints and whitetail. What's not to like?

By the way wymple, I think the plague of deer in parts of the Northeast would be hard for most midwesterners to imagine. I don't know CT law, but where I hunt in VA the deer season with various weapons runs from Sep to the end of March. On private land you can kill as many antlerless deer per day as you are able. No maximum no. per season. Sundays you have to rest. Still the heard grows. Whitetail in these areas are like locusts... except locusts don't carry Lymes disease or CWD.