Pro's/Con's of .243 ammo

[XDinmyXJ]

I am thinking of trading my Colt M4 .22 for a remington 700 ADL in .243. What are the pro's/con's of this ammo? I know its capable of knocking down deer and all the varmint-sized animals. Is there anything that would steer me away from .243. I would like .308 or 30-06 but .243 is acceptable.

 

[VanillaThunder]

i have a .243, have only fired it a few times though. planning on using it to plug a few coyotes next week (landowner wants 'em gone!).

very manageable recoil, pretty readily available, but not as much as .308 or 30-06.

 

[mettle]

I am thinking of trading my Colt M4 .22 for a remington 700 ADL in .243. What are the pro's/con's of this ammo? I know its capable of knocking down deer and all the varmint-sized animals. Is there anything that would steer me away from .243. I would like .308 or 30-06 but .243 is acceptable.

My cousin in Montana takes down Muledeer with his Browning bolt in .243. He's never fired more than one round.

 

[42769vette]

i love the 243. its capabable of deer and varmint size game. the think i love about it is you can get a fast bullet that is still capable of bucking the wind pretty well.

to me a 243 is almost a must have caliber

 

[IndyMonkey]

Cons, cost to much and takes to long to shoot 1k rounds.

 

[prtrrssll]

In the of Indiana I believe 243 can only be used in a handgun to hunt deer. I dont think you wil get the distance that you would with a rifle

 

[XDinmyXJ]

In the of Indiana I believe 243 can only be used in a handgun to hunt deer. I dont think you wil get the distance that you would with a rifle

I'm aware of that. I will not be hunting with it in Indiana. Got family with property in KY.

 

[slow1911s]

You'll wear a barrel out faster with .243 than with, say, .308. The plus then is when you do rebarrel, you can put a .30 cal tube on it and change nothing else (.243 and .308 use the same parent case).

Other upsides are mild recoil and high accuracy potential. Lots of info on the round here - .243 Win + .243 AI Cartridge Guide

 

[sloughfoot]

.243 is one of the most versatile cartridges out there. It will burn out a barrel faster than the 308 but that only matters realistically for a target rifle. I make my .243 brass from .308 brass. I try to use just R-P brass if possible.

 

[kludge]

I don't have anything against the .243, but as mentioned it has a reputation for being a barrel burner, but anything a .243 can do a 6mm Rem can do better. I'd rather have a .257 Roberts or a 6.5 Swede, both can be just as accurate and have better bullet choices for deer. The 7mm-08 can do varmints too with the right bullets, and is much more versatile on larger game. If you don't reload though that might be reason enough to choose the .243.

 

[tuoder]

Really, .243 is big enough for deer, as long as you do your part with shot placement. It's too bad it isn't legal to use.

 

[WLW]

A fine caliber with light recoil as others have said. I own a Mauser from the late 60's in .243. Its been used for hunting ever since and the barrel looks great in it. I suspect that the "barrel burn out" is pointed more towards someone who would shoot one a LOT such as benchrest shooting.

What I like about the .243 is... medium length action for quicker follow up shots (if needed liken when shooting at a herd of wild hogs), you'll find ammo for it nearly anywhere (Wallyworld, etc.) recoil is minimal considering the power, and bullet selection is terrific. I believe it's listed as one of the more popular hunting cartridges in North America. In Texas you hear and see fellows use them all the time as the perfect deer gun (remember deer there are smaller bodied, with big antlers).

So... if you are looking for a light recoiling high-power rifle with near universal ammo options and selections and the opportunity to buy ammo nearly anywhere's (in case you make out on a hunting trip to find you left your ammo at home) I think a .243 is a fine caliber to own. Here is a little more insight: .243/6mm Cartridges

 

[1946]

If I recall correctly, the .243 came to the market in the early 50s. Was touted as the ultimate deer gun at that time. Recoil is mild and components are readily available. Ammo is almost always in stock at most stores that sell ammo.
As for being a barrel burner, that would/could be relative as to how much you plan on shooting it and how hot you load. I've put over 700 rounds through mine and the accuracy is as good as the 1st day I shot it. Some of the loads were hot. Crony checked at 4,000fps (Varget powder). That load does amazing things to a Coyote.
You have decent range with the round (out to 500 yds on ground hogs).
As for the 6mm, the case capacity is nominal compared to the .243 and they both use the same bullets. One thing I have noticed is it is usually easier to find .243 on the store shelf than the 6mm. Just my experiences and two cents.....

 

[XDinmyXJ]

It will mainly be a gun to shoot at the range and occasionally take to KY and hunt family property. I won't be putting 100 rounds through it at the range every time. Maybe 20 if I am by myself or 40 if I have someone with me. I'm not a rich man! I've got the 9mm and the .22 for extended fun at the range.

 

[dbd870]

My 6mmRem barrel has taken 1 doe (I wasn't the shooter) with no problems. I wouldn't have any concerns about using a .243 as a dual purpose deer/varmint rifle.

 

[melensdad]

Really, .243 is big enough for deer, as long as you do your part with shot placement. It's too bad it isn't legal to use.

.243 is legal in many states for deer, and is legal here in Indiana for land owners and invited hunters to use when culling deer on their land using depredation tags. Its plenty powerful enough to humanely take a deer and, as pointed out, is actually legal under some circumstances.

 

[kludge]

...but please use the proper loads with proper bullets, not varmint bullets.

 

[42769vette]

for varmint i just a 95gr berger vld hunting bullet (they make a 95gr hunting and a 95gr target)

ive never used it for deer but if i did the barnes 80gr ttsx would be on the top of my list to try.

im going pronghorn hunting in october and ill probably use the 95gr vld hunting bullet

 

[parson]

Most people have their "favorite" calibers, but I've rarely met anyone who shoots a .243 that doesn't like it. I've owned a Savage for going on 20 years. Hunted with it when I lived in MD, and still enjoy target shooting with it.

As far as barrel burn-out, I typically load less than max, and I can't tell any difference in mine after several hundred rounds.

My experience with it has been positive.

 

[hntrdav]

I love the .243 very accurate and mild recoil.