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Posted: 5/2/2010 8:21:49 PM EDT
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Would like the pro and cons to a 20" barrel vs. a 24" barrel chambered in 243WSSM.
Have the option to get either one. This gun will be used mostly for deer hunting. Also would it be a good round to use for long range shooting. 300-400 yds? Thanks to all. |
| If you're only shooting out to 400 yds, you can get great accuracy with the right 16" barrel. Most 24" barrels only come in bull barrel widths, which makes for a really front heavy rifle. Not ideal if you have to take a standing, off-hand shot past 100 yds. We're also talking about a rifle that is heavy overall, which sucks to carry all over the woods while hunting. The main benefit of a longer barrel would be increased velocity, but only by a couple hundred FPS. I'd stick with a mid weight 16/18/20". |
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The 5.56/.223 and 243WSSM are totally different beasts in regards to velocity related to barrel length. The .223 is a fairly low capacity cartridge and the amount of powder that it can contain of the appropriate burn rate will be consumed in a fairly short barrel and increasing or decreasing barrel length within the 16-24" range has an effect on velocity but not a huge one. Going shorter or longer than that range starts having bad effects.
The .243WSSM has a larger case capacity and likes slower powder. That slower powder needs a longer barrel to burn. Start shortening the barrel past 24" and the velocity falls off fast. Currently the only 243WSSM AR barrels that I know of are 24" and stainless. That makes for a heavy rifle because a stainless barrel needs to be of heavier construction to maintain adequate rigidity than a chromoly barrel of the same length. If a company would make a lighter weight CM barrel in the WSSM chamberings they would have the potential to be great hunting rifles. |
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Quoted:
The 5.56/.223 and 243WSSM are totally different beasts in regards to velocity related to barrel length. The .223 is a fairly low capacity cartridge and the amount of powder that it can contain of the appropriate burn rate will be consumed in a fairly short barrel and increasing or decreasing barrel length within the 16-24" range has an effect on velocity but not a huge one. Going shorter or longer than that range starts having bad effects. The .243WSSM has a larger case capacity and likes slower powder. That slower powder needs a longer barrel to burn. Start shortening the barrel past 24" and the velocity falls off fast. Currently the only 243WSSM AR barrels that I know of are 24" and stainless. That makes for a heavy rifle because a stainless barrel needs to be of heavier construction to maintain adequate rigidity than a chromoly barrel of the same length. If a company would make a lighter weight CM barrel in the WSSM chamberings they would have the potential to be great hunting rifles. I concur here. I've got an Oly Arms 243 WSSM upper, 24" bbl. You really do need that 24" to fully exploit the velocity potential of this fine cartridge. Its not as bad as I thought it might be lugging around the sticks. Tthe only thing I'd change if given the chance is fluting the bbl to lighten it up some. Other than that, I really like this round. If you're just wanting a good little deer rifle, look at the 6x45.. I just built a nice, light little 16" carbine in 6x45. I am more impressed with this round every time I shoot it. Shooting 80gr TTSX, I wouldn't hesitate taking a clear 400-450 yd shot on a deer. Load it with 55-62 gr varmint bullets, and you've got a nice coyote/predator rifle. |
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