Had a power failure, will attempt to complete my thoughts.

Anyway, some years later Win.(1955) brought forth the 243. This round is loaded to higher pressures, cars are more powerful and airplanes fly faster. That's progress.
Maybe things arn't as unjustified as one thinks, perhaps time just caught up with the 250Sav.
To say that the 250 is a superior big cartridge just dosn't hold any water. Both are fine cartridges but the edge is with the 243 because of powder capacity (roughly 20% more).
Lets see how time treats the 243Win. After 45 years will the 243WSM have replaced the 243Win.?
I don't think so--the 243Win. is also a true classic, lets not forget that.

Call en in close____Pete

New .243's will still be selling when the .243 SSM is an all-but forgotten footnote in the 40th edition of "Cartridges of the World".

Many will agrue that the excellent .244/6mm Remington is a superior design to the .243 Winchester. I would agree that the .244 is an excellent cartridge, but the .243 fits in a true "short" magazine like the Rem 700/7, it can be made from plentiful and cheap .308 brass, and with optimum loads, only a chronograph can tell the difference in performance between the two. It has become the standard for a women's/children's deer rifle and is without peer for larger predators like coyotes.

If anything has damaged the .243 Winchester, it is the policy of factories severely underloading it, apparently due in part to it being chambered in some weaker actions and also due to concerns over a number of European rifles with allegedly undersized bores. Like the 7mm Remington magnum, the non-plus P .257 Roberts, the .45-70, and a few others, it is a cartridge with much to gain from handloading. Factory loaded 100 grain cartridges produce only about 2800 fps from my 23" Sako, while my own less-than-maximum 100 grain loads will yield 3100 fps with the same bullet. On the other hand, some factory 90 grain .244 Remingtons I chronographed gave outstanding velocities.

Forming 243 from 308? Good Lord, who has even TRIED to do that? Talk about a project.

Secondly, the 243 is being downloaded because it has this nasty habit of spiking pressures with the heavy bullets, and blowing things to pieces. No, the 243 is not a "good" design.

Wether the WSSM is better is yet to be seen (I'm firmly divided between yes and no). JMO, Dutch.

I've been shooting a .243 on and off for the last 30 years. I know a lot of people that own them and have never heard of anyone having trouble with one. Then I come over to the AR forum and they seem to be blowing up on a regular basis over here. I think I'll make it a point not to post here at least 24hrs before shooting mine in the near future I would suggest others do the same and you should be safe

Hi- TC1, how's the 35 Whelen treating you? Hope it produced a good shooting rifle.

I completely agree with Stonecreek about forming 243s from 7.60 Nato, no big deal although I have had to watch neck thickness.

In my first post I comitted an error. The 243 hold 10% more powder then the 250Sav., not 20%.

It escapes me how some people can tell the difference in killing power if the bullet weights 15grs. more and goes 300fps. slower.
Another thing I don't buy in to is this frontal-area bologne. We all need to rush out and trade our 30/30s for 32Win. Specials--a far better killer. Pete

Hey Pete, The gunsmith I took the action and the .35 Whelan barrel to, didn't think the action was upto snuff for the project so I got rid of all the components (minus the action) on ebay. I got the bug to do it again and found a very nice 1909 Mauser. I went with a Lothar-Walther 9.3X62 barrel this time. I've decided this time the project is going tobe a little more upscale. It's at David Genty's now waiting it's turn to be assembled. Keep an eye on the Medium Caliber forum pictures are forth coming.

Terry

Pete,
Shoot lots deer, elk and plainsgame with both calibers is one way..Paper figues have a tendency to lead some to false conclusions...

I arrived at my conclusion from using both on lots of game and it became very apparant to me, right or wrong, I can only go by what my experiences are....

You don't have to agree, you may have other experiences and that is fine with me...I just calls'em the way I see them, not because it supposed to be that way.

Ray,
Thanks for the comments. Always enjoy your input.
This time however your not the guy I had in mind.
Must be some guilt there, as you responded to what someone else was trying to argue .
Call em in close_____Pete

I own both a 6mm Rem. and a .243Win. and see very little difference between them except possibly in barrel life. .243Win.'s can be pretty tough on barrels. Still I don't see them disappearing in my lifetime. Don't be fooled by the new .243 WSSM's. Browning just announced that it is chrome lining the barrels. The only reason I can see for this is heat dissipation. Good heavens, what are we looking at, a 700 round barrel? I'm putting my wallet away until I know more about these new whizbangers. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal