To buy a .243, or not to buy it!

[WildmanJack]

Gents, I have been thinking about buying a .243 for a while now. I have an invitation to go out to a buddies house in Utah and shoot some prairie dogs, then I figured if the season was right,, maybe an antelope, ( if they're in that part of the country). An I know it would be a good dear and pig gun down here in SW Florida. I'm just not sure it will be a good all around gun for what i want. So let me hear you thoughts.. Please...
Jack

[badgeredd]

I probably shouldn't say anything since I am a 6mm fan. Personally I like the 243 and the 6mm Remington. I sold my 243 and kept the 6mm mainly because they are so similar in ballistics. YEP you should go for it, IMO. The 243 that I had would put the fear into any woodchuck around here, It also took a nice 10 point whitetail in the Upper. A couple coyotes met their maker from its medicine. Since one can hand-load anything from 60 grains to 110 for most game in North America, I think the 243/6mm are great cartridges. Obviously it wouldn't be a good choice for the fellow that want one gun for everything, but what is? BTW I built a 6x47 and a 6mmTCU on rifle actions and they are both a hoot to shoot. Now I'm in the process of trying to finish my 6mm PPC rifle and I want to build a 6mm BR yet. WAY to many projects!!!!!!!!!!

[Morgan Astorbilt]

I prefer the 6mm/.244Rem. I had a Mod. 70 in .243, and shot it a while, but didn't like the short neck, and wanted a bit more powder capacity. When I ordered my single shot Rem. 40XB, about 30 yrs ago, intending it only for varmints, and a little BR., I specified a heavy SS barrel with the old 14" .244 twist, and 2oz. trigger. I've still got it, and it's the most accurate, rifle I own. Had Remington originally brought the .244 out , with an all around 12" twist, the .243 would now be history. Instead, they waited 'till Winchester got the market, and then changed the twist to 10", and renamed it the 6mm Rem.. Too late to recover.
Morgan

[9.3X62AL]

I like the 243 very much. It surprised me with its cast boolit accuracy, and that is apparently a common trait. My 4 rifles in that caliber all did their best work with jacketed bullets weighing 85 grains or more. I think the 243 might be marginal for low-percentage shots on larger deer, and I would use premium bullets (e.g., Nosler Partitions) for game-taking. I haven't hunted pronghorn (yet), but it seems like a good caliber for the quarry to me.

My present 243 (Rem 788) has been a LIGHTS-OUT ACCURATE varminter with both castings (RCBS 95 SP) and J-words (85 grain Sierra HP, 90 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip).

ETA--Do you think this bin of rifle loons and handgun addicts is going advise against ANY purchase of a quality firearm in a capable caliber? Oh, please............

[onceabull]

Back when we were "young" some of my then hunting pards were married to ladies who thought one rifle and a 3rd generation handmedown pump gun(with Polychoke,of course) were all hubbie was entitled to..The most successful (on big game) of those lads used a rem 788,in 243 W,and whatever ammo K-Mart had on sale that fall.. Terry got a mulie every year,and killed 3 elk during the 5-6 yrs he hunted with us..HOWEVER,the only bull he shot took 5 rounds (all hits)within 75 yds,before losing his footing..I think Al's message on Nosler Partitions would have made a big differnce that day. Onceabull

[DLCTEX]

+1 on 243. Good medicine on deer, long range prarie dogs, hogs, coyotes( took 2 with one shot once). I've never taken antelope with it, but many have. DALE

[jackley]

I have both the 243 and the 6mm. I have shot everything from black bear to prairie dogs with a 243. It is my main hunting gun. Its in a Remington 600. Short and sweet. I even know people that hunt elk with one. The 6 MM only likes light bullets and is a old Tikka alot heavier so it just shoots in factory class shoots. Have a 6 PPC for benchrest. But if only one hunting gun you couldn't go wrong with either a 243 or a 6MM.

Jerry

[NoDakJak]

I have owned and used the 243 extensively and used it on varmints, deer and antelope a lot with no complaints. I prefer the 6 mm, especially for use in Mauser actions where the longer case has fewer feed problems. Either one is just about as good as you can get for Rockchucks but for high volume prairie dog hunting you need to use it in moderation. You can burn out a barrel in an afternoon if you shoot it like a 223.
Dromia; I used a borrowed Anschutz, 243 to shoot my first deer. A "Barking Deer". It was on the grounds of "Silverstone Circuit". Whoops!
Neil

[ktw]

I used to have a 243. Someone else wanted it worse than I did, so I traded it away.

I think a 243 and jacketed bullets makes sense for your trip out west. I would feel more comfortable with a larger caliber (25,26,27,28) for one all-around-cartridge that included a lot of big game hunting. I would jump all the way up to 30 caliber if this was to include a lot of cast bullet hunting/shooting.

-ktw

[Three44s]

The grand .243 Win and I go back to the mid seventies.

It's been a very good ride!

The good things that can be said about the 243 Win can be said plus a few percentage points about the 6mm Remy.

I don't see them as an elk cartridge but for deer and smaller ..... with careful good percentage shots ............. the dual purpose 6mm's are tops.

I also agree that for flat out varminting ...... pack a .223 and save the .243 for the really long bombs!

Three 44s

[bradh]

You will not go wrong with the 243. I shoot dogs in South Dakota with 22-250, 6mm Remington and 25-06. 6mm Remington is Ruger #1 and what it does to prairie dogs
is a sight to behold. I use all these rifles because wind is the determning factor. I like
the 25-06 the best of all for dogs.

[carpetman]

In 1955 Rem came out with the .244 Rem and Win with the .243Win. Remington was thinking a varmint round and put the wrong twist for heavier bullets. Guys were buying it for an all around and bought the .243 so they could use the heavier (100 grain bullets). Remington did not correct the problem until 1963 giving the .243 an 8 year headstart in effect. In 1963 they renamed the .244 the 6mm Rem and changed twist on barrel. (the old ammo stamped .244 rem of course would work in it as barrel twist was all that changed. I agree with Morgan Astorbilt that the .243 might be history now had Remington done this in 1955. Truth is the 6MM Rem does have a larger powder capacity and on paper is ahead of the .243, but I don't think enough so that a deer would know. I also don't think deer know you aren't using a premium bullet as is read all time to be required when you use a .243 (described as marginal at best). Even cheap jacketed bullets from a .243 placed in right place,you need a sharp knife as you have a gutting job to do. (It's unlike a .300 mag where you can hit em anywhere and they explode into 4 quarters of skinned meat---we all know this happens as it gets told across gun counters all time). It just now dawned on me---that PREMIUM bullet needed means a jacketed bullet---not a cast bullet on deer. Cast bullets in .243 did not work on deer the one and only time I tried it. The 95 grain RCBS cast bullets shoot great in .243 and would no doubt be great on prarie dogs---but it IS NOT a deer round.
Now to give my opinion on your question. One thing you hear about the 30-06 for example as a HUGE PLUS is the wide range of available bullet weights. To me,that really is no big deal. I selected the one I use and developed my load and sighted it in for that. To have to go resight everytime I changed bullet weights and try to remember which one it is currently sighted in for would be a nightmare. That really seems to be the way most 30-06 owners do it too. Same same with the .243. for me. I use the .243 for a deer gun and use 100 grain bullets,so I haven't even tried the lightweight bullets in it. The blast and recoil with 100 grainers is much more than I want for prarie dog type shooting---lots of shooting. For that type shooting I prefer .222 and .223,even the 22-250 is really more than I want. Maybe my goal is different--I just want them to drop dead and in time critters will eat most of the remains and the rest becomes fertilizer. Not interested in vaporizing, spectacular tumbles, million pieces etc,just kill em. If I wanted the vaporizing etc,I'd use my 30-06. The .243 works on deer,no reason it wouldn't on antelope. Great round--get one and also get a .222/.223. BTW my grandson hunted with .243 for several years and took a bunch of deer. I gave him a .308 and he has taken several deer with it. I don't think he has taken a deer with the .308 he would not have taken with the .243. I also gave him a .222 recently and in the past he did take a deer with a .222. Hit em right and have sharp knife handy.

[ebner glocken]

The 243 is a pretty decent round although mine doesn't get shot much. If something heavier is to be shot I usually grab my 6.5x55 swede and for most else .223s get grabbed. Having said that I have no complaints about the .243, great round, low recoil, not painfully loud, quite accurate. For what you're wanting to do sounds like a necked down .308 should do anything you want.

Ebner

[alleyyooper]

I bought a 243 many years ago. Still have it and the one my dad left me in his will.Dads will go to my grand son some day.
I have shot turkeys, crows(more than I care to count), wood chucks, youtes and many deer. I hand load a 85gr. Sierra HPBT game kings for every thing. No you can not shoot a deer in the rear hams and expect to harvest it. But if you place the bullet properly it has bang floped for me every time.
Crows explode in a cloud of feathers.
I would recommend a 243 as an all around gun but would never say that out loud in front of my wife.

:mrgreen: Al

[carpetman]

alleyyooper---what gun can you shoot a deer in the rear ham and expect to harvest it?

[carpetman]

alleyyooper---If your grandson is old enough to shoot the .243,give it to him now. You wont be shooting two at a time and you still have one. I have given my son in laws and grandsons some guns and I get to enjoy that they are enjoying them now.

[WildmanJack]

Thanks for all the help guys. Tomorrow I'm off to the Gun Show in Ft. Myers, FL. So we'll see if there's anything to be had. My first priority is a few thousand pistol primers, both large and small. Then we'll be off to see the "DEALS" that are there!
Again, you guys are amazing, the info I get from this website is just amazing...
Thanks again....................................
Jack

[1hole]

I first used a borrowed 243 to hunt deer in the 'Glades in '67. Liked it so much I soon got my own and woundn't part with it as the most versitile rifle I own. Yeah, my 22-250 is a tiny bit more accurate and my -06 blows bigger holes but the old 243 has done it all and with class. Crows, ground hogs and deer, they all die.

In fact the only people that don't seem to like the 243 are those who never used it and those who did but expected butt-shot deer to drop like a hit with an RPG!

I know one fellow who wants to trade his 7 mag for something bigger, seems most of his heart/lung shot deer frequently run maybe 50 yards in the 3 or 4 seconds it takes for them to go unconsious on their feet. That's exactly what I get with my .243. And my - 06. And my .35 Rem. And my bow. So... what's not to like about the 243?

Get the rifle and have fun!

[dk17hmr]

243 is a great round, but I like my 25-06 better. That said my dad killed his speed goats with a 223, so it doesnt take much to kill one. The 223 is going to be better for long day on a P-dog town.

280 yard shot dropped at the shot.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c324/skruske/Scottsbuck.jpg

The only real down fall for a 223 would be whitetail and pig hunting I guess. No doubt it would work but the margin of error might not be all that great.

Get a 243 or two

[JohnH]

I took a 243 barrel for my Encore prairie dog shooten' in Oklahoma last year. The Nosler 55 gr and 70 gr Ballistic Tip and the Sierra 60 gr. HP are all great Pdog bullets. However, if you are going to use the gun double purpose on the same trip, then I'd suggest that you carry a spare scope set up for your goat load, as trajectory will be different enough that resettin' a single scope gets a bit iffy.

If you are like most handloaders, you like experimentation, and it will be difficult to resist having several loads to try out on the dogs. Resist, resist, resist. I spent my first morning out whacking 'em like crazy. Ran out of one load, shifted my adjustments for the next load and whacked happly away again. Rained that night, got out and had the origninal load but not my cheat sheet. Couldn't see the bullet strikes to get set back up properly, my hit rate fell 50% and my frustration level went up 1000%. I'd carried out another barrel (223) but made a similar mistake. I'd bought a batch of the older Remington 55 SP bullets. They shot great at 100 but miserable at 200+. I'd never shot them before I left at greater than 100 so had no idea how lousy that load really was. Find a place to shoot at ranges like you expect on your trip and shoot at those ranges.

Best part of the trip though was whacking them out at 150-180 yards with cast in my 25-06 barrel. Wind was so bad that hits past 100 with that load were tough. The Sierra manual has a statement in it..."a prairie dog shooter will learn more about his rifle and load in a day than a deer hunter will in a lifetime" That is absolutely true. It was the most fun I ever had shooten' and my learning curve went straight up.

Good Luck, Be Safe and Have Fun!!!!