Where is the love for 243?

[foesgth]

I picked up a NEF Handirifle in 243. So, I am about to launch myself into the world of .243 boolits. When I run a search for "243" on this site I get no hits. Yet, I have paged through this forum and found some threads on .243. I guess my search powers are lacking.

I have ordered an RCBS 243-095-SP that seems to be the most popular mold. The mold and the rest of the goodies (gas checks, etc.) should be here this week. Any of you folks loading cast in 243? Any fatherly advice for this poor lost boy?

[Camper64]

Here is a hit list for your mold.

Under Advanced Search, Single Search Content Type tab enter "RCBS 243-095-SP" in the keywords field including the quotes.

[foesgth]

Here is a hit list for your mold http://castboolits.gunloads.com/sear...archid=6115206

Well, something is going on with my computer! When I click your link I get a "no hits message".

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use the NOE 245-75 FN with my Savage Axis in 243win
I use a 94-3-3 alloy, air cooled for light loads and heat treated to 22 BHN for hot loads.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...eat&highlight=
sorry, all the photobucket images are gone

As to searching.
just type 243 into "google custom search window" on the top tool bar and get lots of hits.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/goog...s=375j113825j3

[Uncle Grinch]

The 243, i.e., 6mm Remington for me, is the only caliber I don’t load cast bullets for. Nothing wrong with the 243, I just live on the other side of the tracks!

[Dan Cash]

Where is the love? Don't have any. Pretty big for varmints and coyotes, not big enough for serious deer and larger. Had a beautiful #1 in .243 years ago and satisfied my curiosity.

[MT Gianni]

I get good success with 2400 starting about 12 gr and going up or down from there. You should get near what you can with jacketed at 100 yards. I do have to raise my scope 40 clicks or so.
As far as jacketed you could fill a dump truck with the deer and antelope I have killed over the years with it.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Just cast yesterday, my mould is an old "Ideal" 245403 that throws an 83.5gn 'Loverin' style boolit.

[Hawks Feather]

While I don't shoot cast in my .243, I do love the rifle. In fact a .243 was my first high power rifle and it would drop groundhogs at over 400 yards. Too many new homes have been built in the country since I used to do the long shots so now I am down to using a smaller case and do the sit and wait when I go out.

[Rich/WIS]

Have used the RCBS 243-095, a Lyman whose number I forget that was modded to a PB 75gr for mouse fart loads, and the NOE 246-105 in three 243's. Currently only have the NOE mold as the 75gr PB didn't shoot well in my current rifle and the NOE is a five cavity versus the RCBS double. Cast of approximately 93-5-2 and sized .244 with Gator checks they come in about 105 grs. Tried a lot of loads but settled on 12.5 grs of Blue Dot for @1600 fps. Accuracy is good, but not great, about 2 MOA or slightly less in a new controlled feed Win M70 FWT. In my daughters Rem 700 Classic and a Rem 788 carbine accuracy was about the same. With J bullets had no issues as a deer rifle, but no longer hunt and only took four deer with the 243, and my daughter two. None went more than 40-50 yards although the shots were well within 50 yards. Got equally good or slightly better results with IMR 4198 once I found a sweet spot, but no luck with 7625, 4759 (3-4 MOA) and Red Dot was even worse. I haven't attempted to tweak the load as all I shoot anymore are steel plates and the smallest we have at 100 yards is 6 inch. Even with the heavier cast bullets it is economical on alloy and very user friendly recoil wise.

[tdoor4570]

Where is the love? Don't have any. Pretty big for varmints and coyotes, not big enough for serious deer and larger. Had a beautiful #1 in .243 years ago and satisfied my curiosity.

Don't know where you get the idea that a 243 is not big enough for serious deer and larger game. I have a Rem 788 I bought in 1971 and that rifle has accounted for lots of deer and elk over the last 49 years. the biggest problem I see is some people who bash the 243 can't shoot. I just got an RCBS 243-95-sp mold and have not had a chance to use it.

[Bohica793]

RCBS 243-95 sized .244 with 17gr RL-7 in a Ruger American 243 does MOA at 100 in my tests.

[Tripplebeards]

The 243, i.e., 6mm Remington for me, is the only caliber I don’t load cast bullets for. Nothing wrong with the 243, I just live on the other side of the tracks!

Yep...some like it hot!

My 243’s are made for speed. Nosler ballistic tips get ran in all. My AR10 243 shoots .3” at 100 yards using 55 grainers at 4100 FPS , my 26” heavy barrel Remington 700 go all in the same hole using a charge about 2 grains over max with 70 grainers at 3650 FPS(my coyote hammer), and my little 1967 Remington 600 gets 90 grainers at a max charge for best accuracy shooting .3” groups or better when I do my part. I floated the barrel, glass bedded the action, and installed a Rifle basics trigger that uses the original safety for originality. The NBT’s like to be pushed hard in my guns for best accuracy.

I have two buddies that I’ve used them for deer hunting for over 20 years now and they both dump deer where they stand every year. Loaded up some 100 grain hornady fro buddies kid to try. He put down two deer in their tracks with them the season before last. I’ve read but haven’t tried them yet that the 95 grain nosler ballistic tip is the “goto” bullet if you want to drop deer in there tracks. Maybe I’ll try it with my little 600 next year with the 90 grainers I already have loaded up. I sure there’s not much difference between the 90 and 95 grain ballistic tip. I know the 90 grainers will flip coyotes backwards. The shooters that have trouble with them are poor shots and end up hitting deer in the guts and butt that would not drop a deer with any caliber imo. Most that comment on them never shot one and have only read about poor reviews. There are hunters that drop deer every year with lesser energy calibers...300 B.O,22-250, and 223.

[ole_270]

I've posted before that the three largest bucks I've seen killed, all B&C eligible, were killed with a 243. One at very close range, one at roughly 285 yards. I've used mine on several deer and antelope with my M70 Fwt Classic using the 100 Hornady flat base, the 95 Partition, and 95 Ballistic Tip. It stays sighted for the Ballistic tip anymore, but has taken a back seat to the pair of 250-3000 rifles these days.

[Tripplebeards]

Not to mention it’s about the flattest shooting standard production caliber out there with a 55 grain bullet out to 500/600 yards. The 17 Rem might be hair flatter until the wind blows.


After the ultra mags came out and all the super short mags it got beat...and then the super short mags all died out. The 243 was the number one most accurate long range caliber for competition shooting for years till the 6.5’s started coming into play... And they’re still going back to the 243 lately.

[444ttd]

i've shot the rem 700 adl and bdl and the m7 in 243. i've used it hunting deer, foxes, groundhogs...etc. for hunting varmints A+++. for hunting deer F--------. it didn't matter if the deer was shoulder shot or behind the shoulder shot, the deer ran about 100-125 yards away. i used 85gr barnes x bullet, 100gr speer, 100gr hornady and 100gr sierra bullets. the deer were 30-50 yards from the muzzle. there was also no or little tracking blood. i shot a really big doe at 40 yards+/- using 100gr hornady rn. i shot it behind the shoulder and it went clean thru. she ran about 150 yards+/- before she died. there was a little tracking blood but thankfully it snowed the nite before. oh, i forgot to mention she ran into mountain laurel that was thick as fleas. meaning i was down on all fours most of time. i found her and dragged her out. i gutted her and the lungs had only a pencil sized whole. the entrance and exit wounds were minimal too. i can't remember(25+ years ago) if the bullet hit a rib or two. that was the last deer i shot with the 243. i traded it to a 270 win. i shot 6 or 7 deer with the 243. i found all of them.

i had shot one doe in the head with the 22-250ai. that was enuff head shots(one) for me.

[Dapaki]

Wheres the love?

The 6.5 Creedmoor is getting it all.

From Sniper Country: "Up to 500 yards, the . 243 Win rounds show a flatter trajectory than the 6.5 Creedmoor rounds and at 700 yards, the two have a near identical bullet drop. At 1,000 yards, the 6.5 Creedmoor shows a little over 50 inches less bullet drop than the . 243 Win".

With the popularity of long distance shooting, the . 243 Win just can't keep up.

[MT Gianni]

243 did give me one of the weirdest experiences ever while hunting. I shot an antelope at 80 yards with a 100 gr Hornaday which was my go to bullet and 4064 powder for a 2900+ fps. The bullet entered just behind the left shoulder and exited just behind the last rib on the left side. Buck was angling towards me at about 30 degrees. I put him down but it was ugly as he broke into a fast run. I still have no idea how the bullet turned after entering the ribcage to exit it on the same side.

[Dan Cash]

Don't know where you get the idea that a 243 is not big enough for serious deer and larger game. I have a Rem 788 I bought in 1971 and that rifle has accounted for lots of deer and elk over the last 49 years. the biggest problem I see is some people who bash the 243 can't shoot. I just got an RCBS 243-95-sp mold and have not had a chance to use it.

We could extend that argument to say, the largest problem with the .22 LR is that people just can't shoot. No argument that the .243 won't kill deer or elk or grizzly bears; it is just not enough gun for reliability.

[foesgth]

Wow,
I stirred up a hornets nest with this caliber! I used to be a run and gun steel shooter. I got rear ended a couple of years ago and broke my back. I am now a hobble and plink shooter. Some of the guys where I shoot have an informal single shot competition. I found this NEF for cheap and thought I would go play. JonB, good info in your old post. Had a tuna sandwich for lunch yesterday and the stupid can has a plastic lining! Don't know how well that will do in the oven. I have been powder coating most of my boolits so I am going to try quenching them out of the oven and see how fast I can go. The way I figure it I can't come in any farther back than last. Last place has to bring the donuts next time so it could get expensive.