LA round in a SA rifle

[M-Tecs]

Under elk hunting conditions (10 degrees and blowing snow, pulling a rifle bolt could be very 'inconvenient' for a second shot.

You don't have to pull the bolt when the cartridge is fired. Case has enough clearance to extract normally. You only have to pull the bolt when you want to remove an unfired cartridge.

[DeanWinchester]

If a .243 will bounce off what ever you're hunting, then I'd suggest you chamber your rifle in 30-378 Weatherby or maybe .338 Lapua. Or check local regulations and maybe just use a .50 Browning.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Back to actually hunting with a rifle that cannot be conveniently unloaded. To carry in a vehicle a rifle must have an empty chamber, to carry a rifle in a saddle scabbard, a rifle should have an empty chamber, having lunch, in camp, there are many, many times that a rifle should have an empty chamber. Most guides will not allow you to keep a cartridge chambered on horseback, in a truck, around camp or even when hunting. There is a serious safety issue with this concept.

[shawnba67]

So is all caps and underlined not the correct text lingo for sarcasm??

[M-Tecs]

M-tecs correct me if I am wrong seems depending on the throating one can slowly extract a full length 30-06 length cartidge unfired. Or at least that is what memory is stating. As for your statement that has been my experiance as well

The issue is the size of the ejection port on the short action when using rounds that are normally used in long actions like the 30-06. Since the bolt face holds the cartridge head the bullet catches on the front of the ejection port when unloading a loaded round. Not an issue when loading since bullet goes in first. Also on claw extractors its hard on extractor if you force the extractor over the rim since it too long to feed from the mag. OP has a Rem. so not an issue.

If it was mine I would use as is in 243 with good bullets or get a 308 barrel.

[C. Latch]

If I was going on a public-land elk hunt where I had to mentally and physically prepare to take any shot offered at any legal bull, I would want a .300 Winchester Magnum or larger.

If I was going on a private land hunt on relatively unspooked critters, I'd be happy with a .243. I'm no elk hunter; I have been three times in my life and have fired exactly one round at an elk; he went down instantly from an '06 bullet, but he wouldn't have known the difference if it had been a .243, methinks. If you insist on rebarreling your .243, just go with a .308. I would MUCH rather have a quickly available second shot than to have the extra 50' of velocity a 30-06 will buy you over a .308.

YMMV.


edit: Yeah, OK, you can eject a fired '06 hull from a short action, but, still, the idea is just goofy. What if one of your handloads misfires?

[DeanWinchester]

Yeah, OK, you can eject a fired '06 hull from a short action, but, still, the idea is just goofy. What if one of your handloads misfires?

.....in bear country?!?!?

[MBTcustom]

There is really nothing a 06 can do that a 308 can't . If you need to go with more velocity in a short action, go short mag or wildcat round.

I have don enough internet research to know its a FACT that a 243 will bounce off of an elk look it up.

While I suppose a .243 might bounce off those '400 point shooter bulls' on the whisper channels

Fellers, you're making my head hurt.

[M-Tecs]

I thought "purple" letters are used for sarcasm.

[M-Tecs]

Fellers, you're making my head hurt.

I do know for a "FACT" that a 243 will bounce of this elk, but so will a 300 Win mag. http://www.bigdogsteel.com/fusiarelk.html

[M-Tecs]

hmmm wondering would my 50 BAT bounce off??????

Velocity is the enemy to AR500. Most manufactures say at 2,800 to 3,000 you will start to see damage. Also steel core, armor piercing, and full metal jacket ammunition are not recommended for the longevity of the targets.

I have cut some for other people but I have only shot them a couple of times.

http://forum.snipershide.com/s4-snip...-my-range.html

[starmac]

M-tecs, you just blowed my chance of trading off that 300 mag. lol

[xpaholic]

several years ago, I did almost the same barrel swap as you are planning. at the time I had a 700 22-250 I really didn't have much use for and ran across a clean, no sites or holes, take off 35 whelen barrel. bought an action wrench and made a barrel vice, pulled the 250 barrel and screwed the whelen barrel on. I used a once fired, from a factory 35 whelen a friend had, case to check headspacing. headspacing was close but not enough, so instead of going to a smith I found a company who made different thickness recoil lugs, maybe someone here could help me with their name as I can't remember it, bought several different thickness lugs and screwed the barrel tight. the barrel lettering did not index correctly but it didn't take anything away from its accuracy. yes, i spent about what a smith would have charged me to do it, but I did it myself and learned something in the process and still had everything to heaspace several more rifles. a couple years later I got a good deal on a long action and installed the whelen on it and the 250 became a 243 for one of my sons. good luck xp

[lar45]

I realize that I'm kind of late to the discussion, but...
I'm a big +1 for a 308 barrel. Just use 165 or 180gn bullets. In my opinion the 150 are a little on the light and fragile side for Elk.

Several years ago, my oldest son got a Rem 721 30-06 from his gradpa on his 12th B-day. Well Grandpa is a hot loader from way back... What worked in G-pa's rifle did not work so well in my sons. They had to hammer the bolt open with a 2x4, take the bolt out and use some channel locks to get the case unstuck from the bolt face. I'll try to cut out most of the middle story here.
We threw all of the old ammo and brass away and started off fresh with new brass and some 165 Corelokts. At around 2700fps his rifle started shooting 1/2 or less groups, so I stopped there. I figured that the lower velocity might also be easier on a 12yo. The ammo loaded for his 721 also shot sub 1" in my Mauser. Facotry 308 is loaded faster than our loads. So we loaded up a pile and went hunting. I shot somewhere around 12 Elk with that load and my son has shot about 10 with it. Most were 1 shot kills. They only reason that I'm not still loading them is I can't seem to find them anywhere. My son used some factory 150 Corelokts on an Elk one year and it had terrible penitration.

I guess that i kind of wrote a book here, but the 308 should work great for Elk, just use a heavy enough bullet.

so FWIW