[ARCHIVED THREAD] - .243 round (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 9/2/2012 3:37:44 PM EDT
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What can y'all tell me about the round?
What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. |
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What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Shoots flat, low recoil... What's not to like. |
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Quoted: What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Been used for everything up here by people that know what their doing.  Worked good on moose and bou for me.  Used any 100gr i had on hand. |
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What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Shoots flat, low recoil... What's not to like. Effective range? Availability? |
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It is basically a 6mm .308 round. I think they are great. Low recoil, accurate and can kill anything you want out to at least 300 yds.
I use 100gr Sierra Game Kings that are very lethal. You will need a 1:8-ish twist for the heavier bullets. They also like the 107gr SMK. What type of lower are you using? |
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What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Shoots flat, low recoil... What's not to like. Effective range? Availability? What kind of a scope do you have, and how good a shot are you? I watched a hunting show where a woman shot an elk at 618 yards with a .243 and dropped it in its tracks. Ammo readily available at Wal-Mart or any sporting good store. ETA: my mistake, it was 688 yards: 
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No problem, all types are easy to find.
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What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Shoots flat, low recoil... What's not to like. Effective range? I have shot the 107 SMK out to 1000 yds. A world class gun with a well developed and mapped load should be good for game out to 500 yds. Availability? |
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It is basically a 6mm .308 round. I think they are great. Low recoil, accurate and can kill anything you want out to at least 300 yds. I use 100gr Sierra Game Kings that are very lethal. You will need a 1:8-ish twist for the heavier bullets. They also like the 107gr SMK. What type of lower are you using? AR-10 lower and the upper has a 1:10 twist. With 1:10, what would be the upper limit you would use on bullet weight? This is why I ask here. People bring up great points about this stuff.
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What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Shoots flat, low recoil... What's not to like. Throat erosion...2-3k rounds max before you need to rebarrel |
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What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Shoots flat, low recoil... What's not to like. Throat erosion...2-3k rounds max before you need to reburial You mean rebarrel?
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It is basically a 6mm .308 round. I think they are great. Low recoil, accurate and can kill anything you want out to at least 300 yds. I use 100gr Sierra Game Kings that are very lethal. You will need a 1:8-ish twist for the heavier bullets. They also like the 107gr SMK. What type of lower are you using? AR-10 lower and the upper has a 1:10 twist. With 1:10, what would be the upper limit you would use on bullet weight? This is why I ask here. People bring up great points about this stuff.
1:10 should easily stabilize 85-90 gr., maybe even some 100's. The common twist rate is 1:9, and with that most people shoot 100gr. bullets. I shoot a 6mm (same bullet, slightly bigger case) for deer, and I find that 85gr. is about as good as it gets, but then again i'm kind of a speed freak. I'm not positive with the bigger bullets (107's, etc..) but I think they require 1:8 or so. |
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What can y'all tell me about the round? What is it good for. Effective range. Bullet weights. Availability of ammo. I am asking because I am thinking about getting a .243 upper to go on a new lower that I just put together and would rather hear what you guys say than reading opinions from people who may or may not be trying to sell me something. Been used for everything up here by people that know what their doing.
Worked good on moose and bou for me.
Used any 100gr i had on hand. [native] moose and caribou, I use a mini-14. but walrus are tough, you gotta use like a 250 on them. [/native] [oosik] 338 win mag is a minimum up here, otherwise you are going to get killed. I use a .375 and thats pretty standard for most guys who have been around.[/oosik] |
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I don't know about this elk and moose talk. Sure, some have done it but the .243 is generally considered a deer and smaller caliber.
Projectiles range from about 50 to 115 grains. Watch your twist rates with such a wide spread available. Cheap off the shelf stuff is $14-18 per box and usually 100gr soft points. Occasionally I see some 80gr varmint soft points. Then there is premium ammo which can be in the 50s for varmints or 85-115gr for big game. It shoots pretty dang flat. Some 1000yd shooters still use the .243. With the lightweight stuff you can push over 4000fps. Those fast loads are generally considered to be barrel burners though. On game It makes .223 look like a squirrel gun at best. Shooting jackrabbits with mine makes a mess. |
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To me, it's a great dual purpose varmint and deer/antelope round . I killed several deer with the .243 Win in my younger years. Very accurate and very light recoil make it an ideal choice for women and younger shooters.
Personally, I would likely step up to a .260 Rem, 7mm/08 or even the .308 Win for elk etc. Still, with 100 gr Nosler Partitions, it would certainly do the job. I used to handload 70gr hollowpoints at say 3300 fps which would completely vaporize a crow into a cloud of feathers! |
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It is basically a 6mm .308 round. I think they are great. Low recoil, accurate and can kill anything you want out to at least 300 yds. I use 100gr Sierra Game Kings that are very lethal. You will need a 1:8-ish twist for the heavier bullets. They also like the 107gr SMK. What type of lower are you using? AR-10 lower and the upper has a 1:10 twist. With 1:10, what would be the upper limit you would use on bullet weight? This is why I ask here. People bring up great points about this stuff.
1:10 should easily stabilize 85-90 gr., maybe even some 100's. The common twist rate is 1:9, and with that most people shoot 100gr. bullets. I shoot a 6mm (same bullet, slightly bigger case) for deer, and I find that 85gr. is about as good as it gets, but then again i'm kind of a speed freak. I'm not positive with the bigger bullets (107's, etc..) but I think they require 1:8 or so. I agree with what this guy said 100gr's with a 1:9 are bullet dependent. 90gr Game Kings are just as kick-ass as the 100gr for game. Try the 75 and 87 gr V-max bullet, they are devestating on varmits, OMG-type explosions, lol.
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I don't really have the balistics at hand but believe that most of the experience here is with bolt guns and their longer barrels (24" or at least 22")
Going with a AR with a 18" or 20" is going to take the edge off somewhat. but I am not sure just how much. 243 might have reasonably priced ammo but not when compared to 5.56. General shooting doesn't make much sence but if the main goal is hunting or longer range use it could be a winner. I am thinking the OP has considered this stuff, I am just sort of tossing it out there for the other folks considering this caliber |
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ahh the sweet .243 WCF my all time favorite round
I been using it for 20 yeasrs. ANd have owned a lot of 243s. good for everything from mice to deer and slightly bigger. It will slaughter a deer shoots flat and soft and very accurate. Can make cases by necking down 308 cases in a 243 sizing die I found the all around best weight for the 243 to be 85 grains. The seirra 85 gr HPBT gameking to be a wonderful bullet. the 243 is useful out to some long ranges depending on bullet selection my pre 64 model 70 with its crow kills 
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I have read several of the Capstick books, and I remember a guy named Bell in one taking elephant with a small caliber that I think was .243 but I might be wrong. I just remember the story and how it was essentially just expert shot placement by the hunter. you are wrong DWM Bell used the 6.5 and 7 x57 to kill elephant |
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I don't really have the balistics at hand but believe that most of the experience here is with bolt guns and their longer barrels (24" or at least 22") Going with a AR with a 18" or 20" is going to take the edge off somewhat. but I am not sure just how much. 243 might have reasonably priced ammo but not when compared to 5.56. General shooting doesn't make much sence but if the main goal is hunting or longer range use it could be a winner. I am thinking the OP has considered this stuff, I am just sort of tossing it out there for the other folks considering this caliber Like I said, this is why I ask here. More good points. You guys have made me look at the ammo. The 95gr ballistic tip that I find is the same price as .308 175gr BTHP from Georgia Arms and only about $2 difference for a box of 20 from Federal for the same 2 types of ammo. Not sure it's worth the small difference in price. I already have uppers for .308/7.62x51 and a ton of the ammo. What do you think? |
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Fantastic flat shooting round. Loaded with 115 DTACS I reach 1000 yards with 7.2 mils. It' doesn't go subsonic until 1400+ yards. It has virtually no recoil and is very accurate. It absolutely embarrasses a 308 if loaded properly. Unfortunately, the barrel would be 1:10. Would that stabilize 115gr? What others say seems to indicate it would not, but 1:10 and 1:11.25 stabilize 175gr .308. |
| I have taken two deer at 400yds+ with a 75gr ballistic tip. It has about a 9in drop at that range, so almost decapitated them. We were worried that it would not get enough penetration at the range. So for another one we use a solid 100ish gr bullet and it went right through the deer and it dropped right there. I think it is a great round and does fine for everything I will hunt. |
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It killed the 6mm Remington, I can hardly find 6mm ammo anywhere now. remingotn killed the 6mm rem by giving it a twist rate suitable only for 70 grain and below. while Wincchester chambered the 243 with barrels that would handle up to 100 Remington fucked up the .244 rem by using the 1:12 barrel. The 6mm is fine though .243 is more common. |
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Quoted: Quoted: It is basically a 6mm .308 round. I think they are great. Low recoil, accurate and can kill anything you want out to at least 300 yds. I use 100gr Sierra Game Kings that are very lethal. You will need a 1:8-ish twist for the heavier bullets. They also like the 107gr SMK. What type of lower are you using? AR-10 lower and the upper has a 1:10 twist. With 1:10, what would be the upper limit you would use on bullet weight? This is why I ask here. People bring up great points about this stuff. 87gr amax and some 95's.. u need 1-8 to shoot the 105+ match |
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Probably the best deer-varmint dual purpose round. Barrels last longervthan you would care to shoot. Can find ammo for it most everywhere. This is probably the most intelligent post in this thread! I started shooting a Rem 700ADL in .243 in the early '60's. Yeah, I'm kinda old (but I started really young  )
I sold the .243 and bought a 6mmRem at the Mainside PX on Camp Pendleton in '72. Still have it. I've killed a pickup truck bed full of deer, hogs, a couple elk etc with various .243's. A dump truck load of coyotes, foxes, bobcats crows etc. It is NOT a Big Game rifle! Sure, it could kill a moose or grizzly, but that's really pushing it. Take it for what it is... a decent deer rifle (with good bullets) and a little over-powered small varmint round. I wouldn't be happy unless I owned a good 6! |
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Send a bolt to George at GAP and have him send it right back
with a barrel matched to it in 6mm Creedmoor. Barrel should last a tad longer than the .243WIN http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2814921 http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3302562 http://coppercreekammo.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=47 |
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Can make cases by necking down 308 cases in a 243 sizing die http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad201/shawnm4a1/009-13.jpg Actually it's NOT that easy! It can be done, but an intermediate step between .308 and .243 is better. I have over 4,000 rounds of military brass that I picked up at Edson Range,CamPen,Ca in 1969. Just knew it would be the cat's ass for forming .243 cases. I still have that brass. Easier to buy bulk Rem or Win. |
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grandfather swore by it. but if you already have a. 308 ar-10, I'd say not worth the cost the. 308 can do everything the. 243 can do. the opposite is not true. this is coming from a 7mm Mag fan, so..I like the light and fast rounds for hunting ....... Good point. I have 6 right now and 2 spare lowers and ArmaLite has a .243 upper. That would mean a different caliber but the mags would be the same, so that's not a factor. |
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It is basically a 6mm .308 round. I think they are great. Low recoil, accurate and can kill anything you want out to at least 300 yds. I use 100gr Sierra Game Kings that are very lethal. You will need a 1:8-ish twist for the heavier bullets. They also like the 107gr SMK. What type of lower are you using? AR-10 lower and the upper has a 1:10 twist. With 1:10, what would be the upper limit you would use on bullet weight? This is why I ask here. People bring up great points about this stuff.
87gr amax and some 95's.. u need 1-8 to shoot the 105+ match Thanks. I am probably gonna forego it due to the twist rate. |
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Send a bolt to George at GAP and have him send it right back with a barrel matched to it in 6mm Creedmoor. Barrel should last a tad longer than the .243WIN http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2814921 http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3302562 http://coppercreekammo.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=47 Not gonna get all that involved. I have 2 spare lowers and ArmaLite makes a .243 upper and a .260 upper, so I was just considering the .243. |