Thinking of getting a 243
I'm sure it's been asked here lots but would like to here some opinions on the 243 round. How it is for deer and accuracy and what not thanks guys!
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With an appropriate length barrel and proper bullet selection it is fantastic. The mild recoil will make for easy practicing which will promote better marksmanship. Practice makes perfect. Hit the vitals.
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Is a under appreciated round for big game.
Good for yotes, deer, even larger animals elk, moose and black bear with the right bullet and shot placement. And shot placement is easier because if it’s soft recoil. 100gr Nosler partition works excellent on all game. Just my two cents. |
Definitely my favorite coyote gun---good for my 11 yr old too
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Big fan of the .243 and the cartridge family based off the same case. Great round, accurate and can even shoot long range with it. Mild recoil and still cheap enough to plink with if you don’t reload.
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My current go to hunting rifle is the 243 and the 80 gr ttsx. Very effective combo and minimal meat loss when you clip a shoulder. Made the switch a few years ago and couldn’t be happier.
Highly recommend mono metal bullets and keeping shots on game to 300 yards or less. |
X2 for all the above ... my 9 year old just shot mine the other day with 90% gong hits at 100m... first centrefire he has squeezed the trigger on..100gr's
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I had a Savage in .243 for a short while, but changed gears. I'm back considering .243, especially since the new Mauser M18 will be offered in that caliber. :)
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Used a BLR 243 for twenty years with good success. Bigger is not always better.:)
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I shot my mule buck at 270 yards this last season with my 243. It’s a pieced together Remington 700 with a 26” varmint barrel. Overall it’s about 12.5lbs. It also shoots the 100 grain Federal Power Shoks incredibly well. I haven’t had time to get out to the rangeland test my hand loads as my membership is about 2.5 hour drive either way
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For sure. I as using it based more on circumstance and proving I could do it for the weekend. Next time my wife decides to stay home I’ll probably use her Remington 700 VTR or if my son wants to use it, I may use his rifle which is also a 243. Or if I ever get all my rounds developed, maybe my grandfathers old M17 in 30-06. It is nice to have choices. |
Great gun but just as others have mentioned proper bullet selection is pretty important. Go with sturdy heavy bullets. Bonded or mono are best, partitions are good too but in my opinion A-frames are best.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
There's a Remington Model 7 in .243 in the buy and sell right now if you so inclined
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have had great performance and easy shootability from the few i've owned
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one of my favorite rounds
Unfortunately since my boys moved out it doesnt get nearly enough use. Stone cold dead right now as they were able to practice a lot and become very proficient due to light recoil and cheap components. One shot kills for deer were the norm. Cant see ever shooting out this barrel as on average 10 shots a year were fired when boys were here sighting in and hunting. I have used it for coyotes a few times due to the very flat trajectory. I have a heavy barrel which is the only downfall for this particular rifle since I usually opt for something lighter for extended hunting trips.
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That said this .243 was rarely shot much so it has a really long life ahead of it still lol. A grendel would go a couple generations easy on a barrel with typical zero and hunt use. Thousands of rounds. |
Just ran quick comparison of standard hornady loads in the bison calculator of 6.5 Grendel 123 gr vs .243 95 gr sst superformance and .243 100 gr btsp standard velocity load.
If 1000 ft/lbs minimum impact energy for deer is your rule of thumb the Grendel holds that to 400 yards and both .243 loads hold it to 375 yards. If 1600 fps min impact velocity is your rule of thumb then the Grendel holds that to 625 yards, both .243 loads to 650 yards. Transonic at about 1050 yards for the Grendel and 100 gr .243 and 1100 yards for the superformance .243. Muzzle velocity factory stated 24" barrels by Hornady: Grendel 123 gr 2580, vs 3185 for 95 gr superformance and 2960 for the 100 gr standard velocity load. Barrel life quick searches show .243 in the 1500-3000 range and Grendels in the 5000+ range....good enough for rule of thumb cartridge shopping data. |
If I were starting from scratch - I would likely choose a 7-08 or a 6.5 just for the better bullet selection. The .243's max out at about 100grns
That being said - I have a .243 and I think it is a perfect deer / coyote combo gun. Lighter 55 grain bullets can be loaded down to about 3200 fps and they are decent on coyote pelts, or you can speed them up and hit them like the hammer of Thor! Loaded with heavier bullets, you have a great deer rifle that has surprised me with the amount of damage done to the insides of every deer I've shot. Massive wound channels. .243 is in no way undersized for deer IMO |
6mm/.243 is an excellent round for sure, Im rebarreling my Carl Gustaf target rifle and Im going with the 6mm Creedmoor just to test the waters with this cartridge.
One of my favourites is the 240 Wby, an awesome cartridge for deer size game. |
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I would like to revisit the 243/6mm as that is what I started hunting with. I would go with a fast twist 24-26" barrel capable of shooting up to 115 gr Bergers. Someday I'll have another 6mm.
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I have had a few 243's over the years and taken some deer with them,none of them went over 50 yards and most dropped on the spot.I have gone to the 6.5's(creedmore) now just for better balistics, longer shots and better barrel life,but a 243 used for just for hunting should last a life time.I don't notice any difference in felt recoil between the 2 of them.The 6mm creedmore would be my choice if I was going back to 6mm because most rifles come with a 1-8 twist and should shoot the heavier bullets.I wouldn't hesitate to look at a 7-08 rem either for a hunting round and bullet selection.
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All calibers mentioned are good.
One big factor is ammo availability . Walk into a gas station / hardware store and ask for 6.5 Creedmore / 6.5 Grendel . Huh what ? |
gobs of creedmoor last time i zipped through cabelas and even wholesale on close of store deals but its the first 6.5 to really succeed in north america and it's taking over, will put the .308 to rest ;)...the rest will come in time, i suspect the prc will do better than the grendel too but eventually all three will become pretty mainstream, ballistics too good to ignore...the prc for the big boys, the creedmoor for the masses and the grendel for women/kids haha, the whole 6.5 family:fighting0074:
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I’ve got a .243 for sale on CGN right now. Good deal if you want an X-bolt.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...9#post14875249 |
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