Your pushing it with any cartrige that pushes a bullet faster than 2900,fps, 22/250, 220 swift, pushes it to the max, the bullet it self can not with stand the cyntifical forces and pull apart at above a certain g factor,, in v see. It, bullets exploding 59 yards down range from cyntifical forces,, there is a limit to things people, pushi g bullets as fast as you can is t always the best thing,
@marktemplin1159 That's a crock of buffalo chips. Weatherby mags wouldn't exist if that was a hard and fast rule. The equation for bullet RPM (your CENTRIFUGAL force) is (velocity x 720)/ twist rate. I've shot a pretty fair number of 75gr and 87gr VMAX from a 26" 1-8 twist at well over 3000fps and they poked holes in the target just fine.
It's one in 7, and tighter one has to watch it,, I'm goi.g from what I saw 1st hand at the range, from dudes pushi g the envelope, IV seen bullets go pop 50/60 yards down range cuz they are just to hot of a load,, if also seen the bang bang pop baang?, Fuck, squib,, found bullets stuck together because they where light target loads, not enough to blow the gun up, but enough to, push the stuck bullet out with next round, a d yep, about 25 feet out, there it is on the ground, now that's revolvers on bullseye range, not PPC, rifles are 🤔each to thier own,,, and combination of powder, primer, bullet , rifle , a d twist of the barrel all come into effect, my Winchester, 70, 22/250, yeah now that's a tack driver, at distance, hand loads, 55 grain, my Remington 788, 243, is nasty at out to 250, can drive primers out of spent brass at 75 yards,,, but Jack up them loads to hot, and yeah it's flater ,but there is. A thing of being to hot, for any given cartridge
Also I was using the 3000 fps as the yeah any faster and your pushing it,,, I have 22/250 cracks out at 3200 avarage, but any faster and idk, I sold my 220 swift, not that sucker ,, yeah wow,,, but some of its in the powder,,, slow burn fast burn, is the bullet pushed or sledge hammered from the propellant🤔 my 243 deer round is 42, grow s of 42,1/2 grains of 4350, with a rem.primer mag primer, and a Hornady, 70 grain btsp, it hits like a brick
Savage has been making the 243 with 1:9 1/4 twist for decades. Shoots 70 to 105 grain with no problem. Sweet spot seems to be 80 to 85 grains in mine. It is over 30 years old now and still holds 1/2 moa with handloads. Granted I haven't shot 10000 rounds through it. If I do wear it out, I'll just do a barrel set back and rechamber. The rifling is fine. It's the throat that takes the beating on this caliber.
243 is legendary around the Texas hunting community. People I know would swear to its abilities, for all the same reasons that you touched on. Its here to stay and it deserves to be. If I had one choice of rifle it would be one in the 243 cartridge. Thanks Kyle!
@@fnsniperr I would expect it to. It's a very easy round to place extremely well. And if you can say that, then you can say it will kill anything. And it will.
Not withstanding getting into cartridge pissing matches, I personally think it's accurate, low recoiling, highly available, easy to reload which drives cost down, and it spares meat if your round ventures a bit off-course. I have six women in my household and they all love this cartridge because it is very mild on kick and I like it most because I can reload it very inexpensively so they can get even more practice in and have a little fun along the way. There's absolutely zero wrong with 308. Hell, it's among the three most prolific rounds ever designed! Shoot it Josh and like it as you do! It's great. My favorite is actually my ultralight 270. I pack light and stay on the move because that's my style but I fully know I can pick up any of these rifle cartridges and kill any deer I see in a good range so they are all good in my book.
Great video .243 my favorite round -my dad had a Winchester mod 70 over 50 yrs later and with a new barrel it’s now mine and still a tack driver 👍👍👍👍👍👍
The 243 has always been my go to gun for deer, axis, hogs to auodad. It just flat out works. Use the right ammo for the game your hunting and put into the kill zone and it will put the meat in the freezer. Of all the game I have shot with the 243 I'd say 80% rolled up their landing gear and went straight down. A few of my hunting buddies have purchased 243's after seeing the effectiveness of it. I love the 243. When I pull the trigger, I know it will do the job. Keep up the videos. I enjoy them all.
I have a 243,6.5 and a 308. I like to swap between my 6.5 and 243 during hunting season. I rarely touch my .308 I just bought it bc it was on sale😂 got my first deer with a single shot .243 it was my dads buddys rifle that my dad bought him bc he was paralyzed and didn’t want too much horsepower since he was in a wheelchair. My dad took him on a high fence hunt and the 12 pointer he smoked is still mounted in my parents living room
Big .243 fan here. I've hunted with the cartridge regularly most of my 52 years. It was the round of choice when my sons got old enough to hunt. I bought both 700's in .243. About three years ago I got a wild hair and decided to build an AR-10 in .243. Everyone on the planet has an AR-10 in .308 or 6.5 CM, but you hardly ever see .243. Honestly, I had never seen one in the wild. So far, I have around 500 rounds through it. Other than the teething issues after the new build was complete, I haven't had any feeding or ejection problems. I've taken whitetail and several hogs with it. Fun one to watch.
@@SocialRegressive I'm anywhere between 2.5 to .5ish MOA with different standard hunting ammo. Not like there's many other options. LOL! The best groups I seem to be getting with 90 grain and up ammo. Lighter varmint rounds, like Nosler Varmageddon 243 Winchester 55gr and Superformance Varmint 243 Winchester 75gr give me pretty good groups but at range start to deviate pretty badly at around 300m+ out of my setup. Granted I live in North Las Vegas, and the desert winds were full value. Just the same it was more than I was liking. Federal Power Shock 100gr JSP and believe it or not cheap Winchester Super-X 100gr Power Point seems to give me the best groups out to 600+. If you're thinking about it just do it. I love mine I think you will to.
You can hunt anything with it from varmints up to whitetail deer I even know a lot of guys who are excellent shots at have taken elk and even bear with them. While not optimal I'm guessing there's even been more than a few moose killed with one.
.243 is highly popular here in the UK on roe deers and boars, even in Scotland with big red deers (European deer, much larger than white-tailed deers) ! Even though we've git 6.5 creedmoor, .308, 30-06, 300Win Mag, 7mm08... most hunters still sticks to the .243 : low recoil, flat trajectory, excellent accuracy, and efficient energy !
The deer there can't be bigger than an elk here in the states and I have seen people harvest elk with 243. You guys have a pretty ideal cartridge in the 243 for your locality.
When I was a kid maybe 10, 54 now, I watched my dad drop a deer at around 300 yards, first time pulling the trigger on the 243 with open sights. He was used to a 30-06 so his first shot was high, but the second shot you could hear it smack the deer.
I really like the 243! Besides the whitetails I have bagged, a big axis made the mistake at 200 yds of coming out of the cedar and mesquite and I poked it thru the rib cage with a 100 gr. Power point. It hit the ground, didn't even kick! To my astonishment, it went plumb through, not bad for the 243!
30 to 40 years ago, the .243 was thought of as a youth or women's rifle. It is good to see the .243Win is being seen as a serious all around cartridge. I think my next rifle will be a 25-06, I have a lot of once fired 30-06 and .270 Win brass I can resize.
Well, that was clear as a Trump speech. Well, that was as clear as a W speech Well, that was as clear as an H W speech. See? You can use the same line for most of our presidents. Lol.
The fact that any of you "grown" men want to be fanboys for any government official is almost as pathetic as the fact that you are also fanboys for your fairytale zombie jesus.
Would have been fun to see 7mm-08 in this group comparison since 308, 7mm-08, and 243 all have the same case. Still an awesome video! Thanks for all the info!
Another thing about 243win is it works well with tons of different powders. Pretty much anything in the medium burn rate will work. Even some of the med-slow stuff like 4350 and 4831.
I've always liked the 243. Shooting 100 grain sp federal powershok is what my rifle seems to like the most. It will fling the light varmint loads all over so I stay away from those, but I still use the 100 grain loads on coyotes and deer and I end up with dead game. The 243 is a bit much on smaller animals than coyotes though, it tends to blow them apart, lol
Damn, that's what happened to me. At first I thought the barrel was already burnt out. I have a Remington 788. I bought 3 different weights. 75gr, 80gr and 100gr. I tried to zero the 75gr and 80gr. It threw it all over the place. Lastly I zeroed with the 100gr. lol I should have not spent money on the other bullet weight.
.243W and 22-250R are the top all round calibres here in Australia and have been for a long time. Lot of flavours of the month come along but don,t seem to offer much more than these two. Good show thanks, BTW shooting eggs at 300yds. No big deal here with our Emu eggs. Cheers from Australia.
🤣 That's why I had to specify "chicken" eggs during the competition. 'Course, you Aussies could probably shoot pigeon eggs at that distance. Mark and Sam AfterWork can kick my butt all over both continents.
@@SocialRegressive Ha ha. I am a great fan of Mark and Sam and glad you know of them. Btw one reason those two rounds are popular is they are available everywhere here. In "Outback" Ozz "You want a what? Never heard of that one". Cheers
I’m 71 years old. For the past 20+ years lived in Alaska. Have a few big bored cannon s for big game. Now I’m living in Maine all my big bore s have become safe queens. My to go gun is now my 243 Winchester.
@@SocialRegressive white tail deer, coyotes, and pasture poodles. (Ground hogs) I’m going to use it for turkeys (head shots) this spring. Now the difference between hunting with it and killing game with it. This past season I struck out. No deer , but the good thing I saved on ammo.
Got my son a ROSSI wizard 243 win For Antelopes and Deer he likes it He's 28 year's old and re finished the wood stock and polished out the blue. Wow 😳 looks so good.
@Average GIJoe Outdoors YUP HEAT KILLS barrels. That and POWDER CAPACITY. Any caliber well most calibers can "eat" barrels. If you cannot hold your hand on that barrel, ITS TOO HOT!!!! The 243 isnt known as a barrel eater. Folks like to blame anything but there selves. Yup, 1500 rounds is laughable. MIGHT MIGHT see a slight degradation in accuracy TO A BENCH REST SHOOTER!! The average HUNTER will have PLENTY of barrel life approaching TEN TIMES that amount!! Shooting few shots a year to test then few more hunting.
I’d love to see 7mm-08 added to your ballistics chart. The 162gr eldx has the same bc as the 143 eldx in 6.5 and you should get similar muzzle velocities. Should be almost identical trajectories with more energy the whole way
I have a 7mm08 I shoot 162's out of but speeds are slower than my 143 gr 6.5. But I have only uses varget inches 7mm08. What are you using to get the speed
Love that 162g in my 7mag @ 3k. Its a awesome setup! My 7/08 excels with the Hornady 139g thru and tbru on over a doz deer thru the years. Never a "complaint". Another ol favorite is the 154 RN bullet! A uncle of mine shot that in his 7Mauser for decades. He hunted across the country shooting Bears, Caribou, all three deer species and even a Shiras Moose! No one ever told him RN was for close shots...
Thank you for the excellent video and overview of this still relevant and excellent cartridge. As SR stated, it is a perfect "first rifle" for teens and smaller folks. When my son was 10 (7 years ago!) I found a then new Ruger Hawkeye with an 18" barrel - a model sadly they no longer make - in matte stainless and walnut stocked. Two years ago he one shot dropped a jogging javelina at about 100 yards with it. Laser flat and pleasant to shoot. Now I've got to get him a nice Coues whitetail.
Bagged my first fallow yesterday with my first gun. 243. 100 grain Winchester super X . At 40 big learning curve to do it all by myself but I succeeded 🎉
Very well done video. One of my all time favorite rounds. The little .243 and the 7mm-08 are hard rounds to beat for a whitetail hunter. I have both and have trouble deciding which one to carry most of the time. I know this is a 243 video I just had to mention another of the wildcats from the 308 round.
One of many reasons why I too love this cartridge is because you can find bullets anywhere! there isn't a gun shop in North America that doesn't carry the 243 everyone carries it. If you're into reloading this cartridge is insane I have smoked big deer at 300 yards, in one end out the other and it is as fast as switching a light switch most don't even take a step I've been reloading this cartridge for about 30yrs and I absolutely love it I have many other rifles that I also reload for but I reload and shoot the 243 the most.
This kind of info is great. And I appreciate the time and effort you put into this to help people like me understand. I bought a CVA Scout in .243, I was looking for a 6.5 Creedmoor but couldn’t find one for a price I was happy with. I don’t hunt but I enjoy shooting fun rounds out of cool guns. Thanks for this info!
I'm a massive fan of the 243win it's a massively underrated cartridge. I'm actually going build a 243ai just because I want to see what it will do but I'll never stray to far from the original Pope cartridge 243win. Keep up the good work champion
Awesome video.! 100gr sierra spbt behind IMR4064 has taken a lot of Missouri deer. And your right, the fun factor is there. Sure my 30.06 is fun, but not fun all day like the .243. I would rather end my day with a smile.
Got my son a ruger american youth model when he was 10.he is 14 now and has taken 3 deer with it from 20yds to just over 100yds,2 dropped where they stood and the other made it 30yds or so.the rifle is a tack driver with 95gr fed fusion and I am more than happy with the rifle and the load.
If you are a reloader of .243 you can tone it down enough for a squirrel and still eat, or beef it up enough for elk with a well placed shot. Only real downside is .243 is known for being a barrel burner, so I have a few at home already and a couple more on layaway. Bonus that my daughter loves the cartridge as much as I do.
My personal opinion , it’s easily one of the top ten cartridges ever developed. I’ve owned three. Model 70 featherweight , Savage model 110 , currently a Browning Bar MK 3 Stalker . From woodchucks , coyotes and deer . The cartridge does its job , if you do your part, at typical ranges . Just sayin . Great video , informative.!!!
Super Video! Well done! Just got a Tikka TX3 with a 1 in 8 twist! Best choice, shoots like a charm. Thank you for your Table with the ballistics, helps a lot. A lot of critters here in Namibia for a 243 to take care off! Greetings from Africa!
My first dear rifle 40 years ago Rem 700 .243. Best cartridge for me in PA. Groundhogs and Whitetail. Found out just how gd it was out to 800yds at local Groundhog matches. Steven's 200 in .243 ,after few mods and practice, had impressive 5 shot gaps with 95gr SMK'S @3100 fps. For Groundhogs I used the 70gr SMK'S @3475 fps. The 25-06 gets the same respect as the .243 in regards to twist rates. It's like a Hemi with a 2 barrel carb.
You just can't beat the 243, especially if your shots are 400 yards or closer my top 5 would be the 45/ 70, 7 mm08, 6.5 x55 Swede, the 243 will probably live forever just like a 45/ 70, it is very versatile on what bullets you can load in it and what powders you can use in it
Well I have the 6.5x55 and im getting a 22-250 for 300 m low wind varmint shots. (6.5x55 is my wind rifle) If I didnt have sooo many 22 bullets. I would pick the 243 win.
Many of my friends growing up started out with .243 on cow elk. We used them for prairie dogs, coyotes, deer,antelope I know a couple of guys that have taken black bear with it. Very popular in my neck of the woods. I have to say though the 6mm creed is a better round overall.
Getting ready to dump some change on a CVA scout was aiming towards a 350 Legend chambering but with some further online studies I'm chosing the 243 Win instead for many reasons thanks for the helpful video 👍
Great video and really helpful. I am trying to decide between 243, 6.6C and 308 right now. You have helped me make my mind up for a light rifle like the Sako Carbonlight the 243 is going to be best.
I'm going to try to build a 6x45 mm which hopefully gets me some of the pros of 243 while still being able to use all my 223 brass I have laying around
This was really great, thanks for your opinions. I made a decision about 16 years ago to choose 6mm Remington for a Mauser build - I probably should have stuck with a long action cartridge.
The 243 Winchester is my favorite cartridge as well. Have a Vepr and a Ruger Precision rifle chambered in 243 Winchester. Picked up both new on sale years ago. It’s funny how many arm chair shooters think it’s a round for children and women. When someone tells me that. I just smile. And know not to take any advice from them.
Agreed, took a nice 11 point this year during Kansas rifle opener the first morning. Night before guide asked me what gun i was gonna be shooting, i said 243. He laughed & told me that it was a Coyote rifle. I smiled & told him if a Shooter came across the field next morning i would change his mind. Took my deer 250 across that field with a 85 grain Barnes TSX. Called him after shot to come pick me up i was done. He said meet me at the gate when you here me pull up. I said why, & he told me we would give it some time to die before starting tracking it. I told him to drive his ass to my stand no track job needed. He just grIned when he pulled up & i said it's a deer rifle now isn't it wise ass. He field dressed my deer & said damn at the internal devastation. I told him it was the bullet and it's placement not necessarily the caliber Nuff Said! He's a believer now. 🦌🦌🦌🦌 🤣
I shot a 243 with a wood stock and metal butt pad. Still kicks less than an AR-308. The round is awesome. You could have two 243s, one for lighter bullets and one for heavier bullets. Same brass and powders. It’s all you need for Deer, hogs, rams, basically most game in North America.
I have a 243 and 7mm-08 best part just buy 308 brass and resize. I have a 6mm creed as well and I like it a lot but honestly if when someone asks me what I would rather have its the 243. But I also dont shoot 1000 yards.
The 6.5CM is a good cartridge, but it falls right amongst cartridges that have been around for quite some time and perform as well or better. Seems like an unnecessary round to me. The 6.5CM is just a good marketing more than anything. And 6.5 is hard to find, 243 can be found easily
The 243 was the very first cartridge i loaded for in 1986. I eroded the the throat ot to about 4 inches in about 1500 rnds. I prefer the 6mm Super long range or 6xc these days. They work with the longer bullets in a magazine.
The original .357 load was a 158 grain bullet at 1,500 fps out of an 8.3” barrel. They lowered it for people later. However getting 700-800 foot pounds at the muzzle was standard when the round came out.
The problem with .243 is that once you get to the heavier grains it's the same or slower than most 6.5, 7mm and 30 calibre bullets at much heavier bullet weights with higher BC. It's still one of the best small to medium game guns. 243 is my go-to gun if I'm shooting wolf or coyote. If you're looking for 1 gun that can do it all, I would probably go 7mm mag or 30-06. Hornady has some new 30-06 150 grain at over 3000 FPS. That puts it very close to 7mm rem mag performance but with more grain versatility.
Excellent Video. The .243 is a very versatile cartridge, and this may be its greatest downfall. Basically what I'm implying is the .243 with the correct bullet can be used for game the size of groundhogs up to the size of deer. However, you dont wish to hunt deer with a bullet designed for varmint sized game. More times than not, when I hear stories regarding a .243 not performing well on deer I find it was due to the bullet and not the cartridge which caused the failure. IMO fear of gaining a similar reputation is probably the reason the designers of the 6mm Creedmoor have refrained from using bullets not suitable for medium sized game.
.243 or .244 cal. bullets are some of the best, they have to be because a bullet leaving the barrel of a 9 to 1 twist is turning somewhere around 120,000 rpm's. It takes a good bullet to withstand the force. I have used an 85 grain bullet from a 6mm to harvest a coyote at 614 yards. With a simple 3x9 scope I feel that is a pretty good when the crosshair blots out the coyote. For large game I have found the 6mm bullet at high velocity can cause much capillary damage to meat rendering it unfit to eat. My 6mm really comes into it's own at 300 to 350 yards. I have loaded and hunted with a 6mm Remington all my life.
If the .244 Remington came out first , we wouldn't be talking about the .243 . The .243 is a good cartridge , but the .244 is step above . More powder capacity , longer neck , sharper shoulder angle and more load flexibility . Remington was too late at the 'show' and also gave a 1-12 twist to Winchester's 1-10 . Remington is now using a 1-9 and 1/8 th in 243 VLS that I had . I have currently a .243 in a Rem.700 classic . This is my third 243 . My first one back in '72 was 1-10 . Very good varmit gun .
I own 4 and love them all. The caliber shoots flat to 400 yards with my 55 grain nosler ballistic tip hand loads. I have them loaded around 4200 fps out of my 26" barreled 700 and stout hand loads. A coyote lazer! It drops deer like Thors hammer using 90 grain nosler ballistic tips. Broke both shoulders last year of a good size whitetail with a 90 grain ballistic tip. Found the bullet resting on the offside hide. I had it loaded about a a half grain over max book load with no pressure signs and the shot was less than 20 yards. The bullet weighed almost 80 grains and expanded perfectly to about three times it's diameter. The lead was seperated from the jacket but was still sitting inside it. Alot tougher bullet than I would have expected. I've harvested whitetail, coyotes, bobcat, mountain lions, varmints, and hogs. It kills animals in their tracks with the correct bullet choice and shot placement. Most compalin it's not enough caliber. Those are shooters with extremely poor shot placement. Tons of stories told of how shooters "aimed" for the vitals but never recovered the animals to find out they shot to far back, to high, to low, or just completely missed. Most never recover the animal to back the "perfect shot" placement they claimed was made. I clean my barrels after every session and don't shoot them till they are boiling hot so they will end up lasting ALOT longer than most claim.
In a prairie dog town I like to refrain myself and leave the bolt open for a minute after I eject my fired round to let the barrel cool down. No sense to rapid fire until the barrel is to hot to touch.
SR, I had a 257 Bob built with a 3 inch COaL. With the 100 grn Swift Scirocco (.429 G1) at 3200 fps and a 131 grn BlackJack (.330 G7) at 2800 fps a get the same flat trajectory out to 300 yards. With that 131 BlackJack I feel very confident taking a 350 yard shot at Elk and know it will humanely drop it. Brux barrel 1:7.
@@SocialRegressive Not wonderful but doable. That BlackJack 131 is from a pretty small company but dang are they sweet! Graf & Sons also has a pretty wide selection.
Try to get your hands on OSA,buffalo river ,Australian outback ammo it's all the same brand I've tried there 87g and 70g hollow point with boat tail it is by far the best .243 ammo I've used You won't be disappointed 👌
.243 win XCR-M was a sweet piece for hunting wolves, coyote and deer in Alberta before the ban. 6mm, 6.5mm and 7mm are my favorite calibres to hunt with.
.243 is the best "do all" caliber down south. Whitetails, pigs & coyotes. The downside is the short neck. It's a demon inside 500. The 6CM is now the 6mm king out at long distance with a fast twist with heavy projectiles.
@@SocialRegressive I have high hopes. Had a few 243's always wanted a 6 mm Rem. Probably just shoulda saved $$ & just bought a 6mm Creed. But its not the preformance I want its just the Caliber. But as I hunt first, I opted for better twist for long bullets available now. Plus I have a few hundred ol Speer 105's.
@@cw2a I’ve had great performance out of the Speer 105’s on deer out of my old Savage .243. There is no logical reason for it to shoot them well since that barrel is about shot out, but it still flings them minute of white tail which is adequate for the ranges we hunt. I’ve always felt that bullet makes a better deer cartridge out of the .243 but have to admit that the success I’ve had with it prejudices my opinion. I’ve also had great results with it out of my 6mm Remington. I propel the 105’s out of both cartridges with a stiff load of IMR-7828.
@@davidzakrzewicz707 Thanks for that Dave! My more limited experience with the bullet mirrors yours. (Two 243's) I was first drawn to the RN hunting Upstate NY when its THICK abd shots are close RN profiles always seemed more attractive to me. (Of coarse now I know and understand there is no appreciable diff in ballistic preformance till you shoot past 200 yards or so) I have received my barrel and worked up loads. (I have a couple videos on my channel) its broken 3100fps and shot 1/3"( .345" groups) I am quite happy!
If you love the 243 W. then you should love the 6mm Remington too.If its if not exactly the same its because it is just a little bit better. And I have one in left hand bolt which suits me just fine. And if you reload its has no negatives over the 243 but either one is just fine.
I so I have to ask... why no 7mm08 using 120 and 139/140 gr bullets in this test? It's based on the 308 cartridge too and matches (in some cases beats) the 6.5 Creedmoore. Great little round with a nice mid-point in the 308 cartridge group. Al the ammo manufacturer needed to do was apply the right .284 diameter bullets to the 7mm08 and maybe change the twist rate to something nearer to 8.5". Great round for deer, antelope, elk and even moose.
@The Social Regressive I still favor the 6 ARC. I get the 6BR fanboys going when I prove it outperforms the 6BR in all aspects including the availability in ammo and reload ability. Using a Dillon 750 setup with CFE223 will pump out precision sub 1/2 MOA ammo as fast as you can pull the handle. Pushing 105gr Bergers at 2950 FPS. I have over 8,500 rounds down pipe
One important metric you missed is bullet velocity performance. Usually below 2000 to 1900 fps, a bullet does not mushroom as designed and could punch through without expending much of its energy nor doing much damage. A well placed shot eliminates the need to follow a blood trail. An expanded bullet creates more damage to compensate for a less than perfect shot. Energy is realized in the wound channel and not on initial impact. An exiting bullet is wasted energy.
For decades I avoided any 6mm rifle because I considered them to be too puny and weak for hunting. Then one day a friend casually mentioned to me that my Ruger .243 is a 6mm. I've never felt so violated.
.243 is absolutely not a puny cartridge, I took a deer down in its tracks with mine. Sure, it's not the best long-range cartridge, but it still retains a lot of energy enough to take down medium-sized game.
Tikka is making them now with a 1 in 8 twist! It can send a 103 Hornady ELDX over 3000 fps. Turns into a legit 1000 yd cartridge!
Your pushing it with any cartrige that pushes a bullet faster than 2900,fps, 22/250, 220 swift, pushes it to the max, the bullet it self can not with stand the cyntifical forces and pull apart at above a certain g factor,, in v see. It, bullets exploding 59 yards down range from cyntifical forces,, there is a limit to things people, pushi g bullets as fast as you can is t always the best thing,
@marktemplin1159 That's a crock of buffalo chips. Weatherby mags wouldn't exist if that was a hard and fast rule. The equation for bullet RPM (your CENTRIFUGAL force) is (velocity x 720)/ twist rate. I've shot a pretty fair number of 75gr and 87gr VMAX from a 26" 1-8 twist at well over 3000fps and they poked holes in the target just fine.
It's one in 7, and tighter one has to watch it,, I'm goi.g from what I saw 1st hand at the range, from dudes pushi g the envelope, IV seen bullets go pop 50/60 yards down range cuz they are just to hot of a load,, if also seen the bang bang pop baang?, Fuck, squib,, found bullets stuck together because they where light target loads, not enough to blow the gun up, but enough to, push the stuck bullet out with next round, a d yep, about 25 feet out, there it is on the ground, now that's revolvers on bullseye range, not PPC, rifles are 🤔each to thier own,,, and combination of powder, primer, bullet , rifle , a d twist of the barrel all come into effect, my Winchester, 70, 22/250, yeah now that's a tack driver, at distance, hand loads, 55 grain, my Remington 788, 243, is nasty at out to 250, can drive primers out of spent brass at 75 yards,,, but Jack up them loads to hot, and yeah it's flater ,but there is. A thing of being to hot, for any given cartridge
Also I was using the 3000 fps as the yeah any faster and your pushing it,,, I have 22/250 cracks out at 3200 avarage, but any faster and idk, I sold my 220 swift, not that sucker ,, yeah wow,,, but some of its in the powder,,, slow burn fast burn, is the bullet pushed or sledge hammered from the propellant🤔 my 243 deer round is 42, grow s of 42,1/2 grains of 4350, with a rem.primer mag primer, and a Hornady, 70 grain btsp, it hits like a brick
Savage has been making the 243 with 1:9 1/4 twist for decades. Shoots 70 to 105 grain with no problem. Sweet spot seems to be 80 to 85 grains in mine. It is over 30 years old now and still holds 1/2 moa with handloads. Granted I haven't shot 10000 rounds through it. If I do wear it out, I'll just do a barrel set back and rechamber. The rifling is fine. It's the throat that takes the beating on this caliber.
243 is legendary around the Texas hunting community. People I know would swear to its abilities, for all the same reasons that you touched on. Its here to stay and it deserves to be. If I had one choice of rifle it would be one in the 243 cartridge. Thanks Kyle!
@@fnsniperr I would expect it to. It's a very easy round to place extremely well. And if you can say that, then you can say it will kill anything. And it will.
@@Jeff_SeelyWhats so good about it? .308 till I die
Not withstanding getting into cartridge pissing matches, I personally think it's accurate, low recoiling, highly available, easy to reload which drives cost down, and it spares meat if your round ventures a bit off-course. I have six women in my household and they all love this cartridge because it is very mild on kick and I like it most because I can reload it very inexpensively so they can get even more practice in and have a little fun along the way. There's absolutely zero wrong with 308. Hell, it's among the three most prolific rounds ever designed! Shoot it Josh and like it as you do! It's great. My favorite is actually my ultralight 270. I pack light and stay on the move because that's my style but I fully know I can pick up any of these rifle cartridges and kill any deer I see in a good range so they are all good in my book.
Great video .243 my favorite round -my dad had a Winchester mod 70 over 50 yrs later and with a new barrel it’s now mine and still a tack driver 👍👍👍👍👍👍
The 243 has always been my go to gun for deer, axis, hogs to auodad. It just flat out works. Use the right ammo for the game your hunting and put into the kill zone and it will put the meat in the freezer. Of all the game I have shot with the 243 I'd say 80% rolled up their landing gear and went straight down. A few of my hunting buddies have purchased 243's after seeing the effectiveness of it. I love the 243. When I pull the trigger, I know it will do the job. Keep up the videos. I enjoy them all.
I have a 243,6.5 and a 308. I like to swap between my 6.5 and 243 during hunting season. I rarely touch my .308 I just bought it bc it was on sale😂 got my first deer with a single shot .243 it was my dads buddys rifle that my dad bought him bc he was paralyzed and didn’t want too much horsepower since he was in a wheelchair. My dad took him on a high fence hunt and the 12 pointer he smoked is still mounted in my parents living room
Big .243 fan here. I've hunted with the cartridge regularly most of my 52 years. It was the round of choice when my sons got old enough to hunt. I bought both 700's in .243. About three years ago I got a wild hair and decided to build an AR-10 in .243. Everyone on the planet has an AR-10 in .308 or 6.5 CM, but you hardly ever see .243. Honestly, I had never seen one in the wild. So far, I have around 500 rounds through it. Other than the teething issues after the new build was complete, I haven't had any feeding or ejection problems. I've taken whitetail and several hogs with it. Fun one to watch.
That's the one AR-10 I always wanted back in the day. What kind of accuracy are you getting from it?
@@SocialRegressive I'm anywhere between 2.5 to .5ish MOA with different standard hunting ammo. Not like there's many other options. LOL! The best groups I seem to be getting with 90 grain and up ammo. Lighter varmint rounds, like Nosler Varmageddon 243 Winchester 55gr and Superformance Varmint 243 Winchester 75gr give me pretty good groups but at range start to deviate pretty badly at around 300m+ out of my setup. Granted I live in North Las Vegas, and the desert winds were full value. Just the same it was more than I was liking. Federal Power Shock 100gr JSP and believe it or not cheap Winchester Super-X 100gr Power Point seems to give me the best groups out to 600+. If you're thinking about it just do it. I love mine I think you will to.
I built a ar 243 couple years ago it was more accurate than I am
Yes they are. I tried out a new ('94) 700 BDL in .243 , 3/4 m.o.a. with a 4x Burris !! (Ft. Bragg r+g Club.) They're amazing.
I’ll stick with the . 243 all the way! Ammo is lowest cost, readily available, wide bullet selection and super accurate!
You can hunt anything with it from varmints up to whitetail deer I even know a lot of guys who are excellent shots at have taken elk and even bear with them.
While not optimal I'm guessing there's even been more than a few moose killed with one.
.243 is highly popular here in the UK on roe deers and boars, even in Scotland with big red deers (European deer, much larger than white-tailed deers) ! Even though we've git 6.5 creedmoor, .308, 30-06, 300Win Mag, 7mm08... most hunters still sticks to the .243 : low recoil, flat trajectory, excellent accuracy, and efficient energy !
The deer there can't be bigger than an elk here in the states and I have seen people harvest elk with 243. You guys have a pretty ideal cartridge in the 243 for your locality.
When I was a kid maybe 10, 54 now, I watched my dad drop a deer at around 300 yards, first time pulling the trigger on the 243 with open sights. He was used to a 30-06 so his first shot was high, but the second shot you could hear it smack the deer.
I have a Howa 1500 in 243. I use it more than 3006 or 270 because it shoots like a laser.
I am glad you mentioned momentum and not just energy. People always preach “BC and energy” but nobody talks about momentum. Cool video!
I really like the 243! Besides the whitetails I have bagged, a big axis made the mistake at 200 yds of coming out of the cedar and mesquite and I poked it thru the rib cage with a 100 gr. Power point. It hit the ground, didn't even kick! To my astonishment, it went plumb through, not bad for the 243!
30 to 40 years ago, the .243 was thought of as a youth or women's rifle. It is good to see the .243Win is being seen as a serious all around cartridge. I think my next rifle will be a 25-06, I have a lot of once fired 30-06 and .270 Win brass I can resize.
I have used .25-06 and 270 for around 50 years .270 is better cartridge. Anything the 25-06 can do, the 270 can do better.
"That was as clear as a Biden speech." Yo!! I'm dying over here. 😂
That was hilarious 🤣
Well, that was clear as a Trump speech.
Well, that was as clear as a W speech
Well, that was as clear as an H W speech.
See? You can use the same line for most of our presidents. Lol.
@@ChitFromChinola Your right, you are full of chit. Well said.
The fact that any of you "grown" men want to be fanboys for any government official is almost as pathetic as the fact that you are also fanboys for your fairytale zombie jesus.
I have been loading 90 gr Nosler E-Tips, and 95 gr Sierra TMK. I am impressed how accurate it is out of my Savage Axis. Great video!
Would have been fun to see 7mm-08 in this group comparison since 308, 7mm-08, and 243 all have the same case. Still an awesome video! Thanks for all the info!
I didn't want to upset the other cartridges. 😈 7mm-08 is a MONSTER.
Another thing about 243win is it works well with tons of different powders. Pretty much anything in the medium burn rate will work. Even some of the med-slow stuff like 4350 and 4831.
Thanks for the info
John get some hoghdon h414 powder with 80 bullets thats an awesome combination
I've had best results with 4831 SC in a short barreled Remington Mohawk 600. . I shot .600 groups at 200 yds last Sunday with Nosler Ballistic tips
Im SOLD on the 85 gr Sierra HPBT you GOT to try it . use IMR 4350 Powder Really Bad News For Deer
I've always liked the 243. Shooting 100 grain sp federal powershok is what my rifle seems to like the most. It will fling the light varmint loads all over so I stay away from those, but I still use the 100 grain loads on coyotes and deer and I end up with dead game. The 243 is a bit much on smaller animals than coyotes though, it tends to blow them apart, lol
try the Sierra 85 gr. HPBT for Killing Power on Deer you can really push it fast and when it HITS its Fabulous
Damn, that's what happened to me. At first I thought the barrel was already burnt out. I have a Remington 788.
I bought 3 different weights. 75gr, 80gr and 100gr.
I tried to zero the 75gr and 80gr. It threw it all over the place. Lastly I zeroed with the 100gr. lol I should have not spent money on the other bullet weight.
Even though at 500 yards the .243 has a little higher velocity than the .308, the added mass of the .308 bullet gives it a large advantage in energy.
To that distance, bump it to .270.
.243W and 22-250R are the top all round calibres here in Australia and have been for a long time. Lot of flavours of the month come along but don,t seem to offer much more than these two. Good show thanks, BTW shooting eggs at 300yds. No big deal here with our Emu eggs. Cheers from Australia.
🤣 That's why I had to specify "chicken" eggs during the competition. 'Course, you Aussies could probably shoot pigeon eggs at that distance. Mark and Sam AfterWork can kick my butt all over both continents.
@@SocialRegressive Ha ha. I am a great fan of Mark and Sam and glad you know of them. Btw one reason those two rounds are popular is they are available everywhere here. In "Outback" Ozz "You want a what? Never heard of that one". Cheers
You left us in the dust there, professor Kyle. What a lecture, whew. Bravo.
Looks like I need to work on brevity again. 😅
@@SocialRegressive yes keep it up. You are the only channel that tells truth . lol 😆
I’m 71 years old. For the past 20+ years lived in Alaska. Have a few big bored cannon s for big game. Now I’m living in Maine all my big bore s have become safe queens. My to go gun is now my 243 Winchester.
What have you hunted with it?
@@SocialRegressive white tail deer, coyotes, and pasture poodles. (Ground hogs) I’m going to use it for turkeys (head shots) this spring. Now the difference between hunting with it and killing game with it. This past season I struck out. No deer , but the good thing I saved on ammo.
Got my son a ROSSI wizard 243 win
For Antelopes and Deer he likes it
He's 28 year's old and re finished the wood stock and polished out the blue.
Wow 😳 looks so good.
On the down side are comments by benchmark barrel makers that this caliber burns out barrels at the fastest rate. Appreciate your outstanding videos.
Heck yes. My last barrel didn't last very long.
At fault seems to be the design of the round with it's short neck.
.
@@maurygollob3140 I heard Krieger say that, too. I'd like to see some tests comparing 6mm CM and .243 to see if the neck's the killer.
Yep. It’s a barrel burner. I know that from watching the Social Regressive! 😂
@Average GIJoe Outdoors YUP HEAT KILLS barrels. That and POWDER CAPACITY. Any caliber well most calibers can "eat" barrels. If you cannot hold your hand on that barrel, ITS TOO HOT!!!! The 243 isnt known as a barrel eater.
Folks like to blame anything but there selves.
Yup, 1500 rounds is laughable. MIGHT MIGHT see a slight degradation in accuracy TO A BENCH REST SHOOTER!! The average HUNTER will have PLENTY of barrel life approaching TEN TIMES that amount!! Shooting few shots a year to test then few more hunting.
I’d love to see 7mm-08 added to your ballistics chart. The 162gr eldx has the same bc as the 143 eldx in 6.5 and you should get similar muzzle velocities. Should be almost identical trajectories with more energy the whole way
I have a 7mm08 I shoot 162's out of but speeds are slower than my 143 gr 6.5. But I have only uses varget inches 7mm08. What are you using to get the speed
I see the same thing. Almost identical trajectory to 6.5 Creedmoor but less windage and more energy.
@@SocialRegressive what's a better powder than varget to try
@@billharvey9959 I've done well with Varget and RL15, but Quickload tells me that Reloder 26 is the way to go with that bullet weight.
Love that 162g in my 7mag @ 3k. Its a awesome setup! My 7/08 excels with the Hornady 139g thru and tbru on over a doz deer thru the years. Never a "complaint". Another ol favorite is the 154 RN bullet! A uncle of mine shot that in his 7Mauser for decades. He hunted across the country shooting Bears, Caribou, all three deer species and even a Shiras Moose! No one ever told him RN was for close shots...
Thank you for the excellent video and overview of this still relevant and excellent cartridge. As SR stated, it is a perfect "first rifle" for teens and smaller folks. When my son was 10 (7 years ago!) I found a then new Ruger Hawkeye with an 18" barrel - a model sadly they no longer make - in matte stainless and walnut stocked. Two years ago he one shot dropped a jogging javelina at about 100 yards with it. Laser flat and pleasant to shoot. Now I've got to get him a nice Coues whitetail.
Bagged my first fallow yesterday with my first gun. 243. 100 grain Winchester super X .
At 40 big learning curve to do it all by myself but I succeeded 🎉
Very well done video. One of my all time favorite rounds. The little .243 and the 7mm-08 are hard rounds to beat for a whitetail hunter. I have both and have trouble deciding which one to carry most of the time. I know this is a 243 video I just had to mention another of the wildcats from the 308 round.
One of many reasons why I too love this cartridge is because you can find bullets anywhere! there isn't a gun shop in North America that doesn't carry the 243 everyone carries it. If you're into reloading this cartridge is insane I have smoked big deer at 300 yards, in one end out the other and it is as fast as switching a light switch most don't even take a step I've been reloading this cartridge for about 30yrs and I absolutely love it I have many other rifles that I also reload for but I reload and shoot the 243 the most.
This kind of info is great. And I appreciate the time and effort you put into this to help people like me understand. I bought a CVA Scout in .243, I was looking for a 6.5 Creedmoor but couldn’t find one for a price I was happy with. I don’t hunt but I enjoy shooting fun rounds out of cool guns. Thanks for this info!
How's it shooting for you?
@@SocialRegressive I’m taking it out this weekend for the first time and I’ll let you know!
I'm a massive fan of the 243win it's a massively underrated cartridge. I'm actually going build a 243ai just because I want to see what it will do but I'll never stray to far from the original Pope cartridge 243win. Keep up the good work champion
I was seriously tempted to go with .243 AI on this barrel.
@@SocialRegressive if you are gonna do that just do the 6 SLR it’s just a straight up run through a resizing die and you’re done. No fire forming!
@@johnathanreckrodt2937 No way! I'm gonna look that up. Thanks, man.
@@johnathanreckrodt2937 I'll look that one up to mate sounds interesting
@@bradleytyrrell4417 it’s a very underrated cartridge and I plan to rebarrel my 243 to the 6 SLR as my 243 needs a new barrel now as I’m typing this.
Awesome video.! 100gr sierra spbt behind IMR4064 has taken a lot of Missouri deer. And your right, the fun factor is there. Sure my 30.06 is fun, but not fun all day like the .243. I would rather end my day with a smile.
Got my son a ruger american youth model when he was 10.he is 14 now and has taken 3 deer with it from 20yds to just over 100yds,2 dropped where they stood and the other made it 30yds or so.the rifle is a tack driver with 95gr fed fusion and I am more than happy with the rifle and the load.
If you are a reloader of .243 you can tone it down enough for a squirrel and still eat, or beef it up enough for elk with a well placed shot. Only real downside is .243 is known for being a barrel burner, so I have a few at home already and a couple more on layaway. Bonus that my daughter loves the cartridge as much as I do.
Fantastic analysis, one of the best videos on this I’ve seen. It would be great to see similar analysis done with non-lead ammo.
My personal opinion , it’s easily one of the top ten cartridges ever developed. I’ve owned three. Model 70 featherweight , Savage model 110 , currently a Browning Bar MK 3 Stalker . From woodchucks , coyotes and deer . The cartridge does its job , if you do your part, at typical ranges . Just sayin . Great video , informative.!!!
Super Video! Well done! Just got a Tikka TX3 with a 1 in 8 twist! Best choice, shoots like a charm. Thank you for your Table with the ballistics, helps a lot. A lot of critters here in Namibia for a 243 to take care off! Greetings from Africa!
My first dear rifle 40 years ago Rem 700 .243. Best cartridge for me in PA. Groundhogs and Whitetail.
Found out just how gd it was out to 800yds at local Groundhog matches. Steven's 200 in .243 ,after few mods and practice, had impressive 5 shot gaps with 95gr SMK'S @3100 fps.
For Groundhogs I used the 70gr SMK'S @3475 fps.
The 25-06 gets the same respect as the .243 in regards to twist rates. It's like a Hemi with a 2 barrel carb.
I love my Remington 700 243 with all the custom work i did with my own two hands 🙌
That's the way to go. I would never sell this rifle.
You just can't beat the 243, especially if your shots are 400 yards or closer my top 5 would be the 45/ 70, 7 mm08, 6.5 x55 Swede, the 243 will probably live forever just like a 45/ 70, it is very versatile on what bullets you can load in it and what powders you can use in it
Killer choices. 7mm08 is my go-to for mid-weight work.
Well I have the 6.5x55 and im getting a 22-250 for 300 m low wind varmint shots. (6.5x55 is my wind rifle)
If I didnt have sooo many 22 bullets.
I would pick the 243 win.
Love the „guy on the street“ segment!
It was fun to film.
That was really entertaining!
Many of my friends growing up started out with .243 on cow elk. We used them for prairie dogs, coyotes, deer,antelope I know a couple of guys that have taken black bear with it. Very popular in my neck of the woods. I have to say though the 6mm creed is a better round overall.
Getting ready to dump some change on a CVA scout was aiming towards a 350 Legend chambering but with some further online studies I'm chosing the 243 Win instead for many reasons thanks for the helpful video 👍
Informative video, in depth discussion of very popular cartridges
Well done.
Great video and really helpful. I am trying to decide between 243, 6.6C and 308 right now. You have helped me make my mind up for a light rifle like the Sako Carbonlight the 243 is going to be best.
Go for 243 i dropped a 200 lbs black bear on its track with my Ruger American 243 2 weeks ago.
I'm with you on this, I've hand loaded the 243 several decades, and it infuriates 6.5 lovers, faster, flatter, and harder impact.
lol no
I'm going to try to build a 6x45 mm which hopefully gets me some of the pros of 243 while still being able to use all my 223 brass I have laying around
I agree Kyle. The thing that steered me away from 6 mils though, is barrel life.
This was really great, thanks for your opinions. I made a decision about 16 years ago to choose 6mm Remington for a Mauser build - I probably should have stuck with a long action cartridge.
The 243 Winchester is my favorite cartridge as well. Have a Vepr and a Ruger Precision rifle chambered in 243 Winchester. Picked up both new on sale years ago. It’s funny how many arm chair shooters think it’s a round for children and women. When someone tells me that. I just smile. And know not to take any advice from them.
Agreed, took a nice 11 point this year during Kansas rifle opener the first morning. Night before guide asked me what gun i was gonna be shooting, i said 243. He laughed & told me that it was a Coyote rifle. I smiled & told him if a Shooter came across the field next morning i would change his mind. Took my deer 250 across that field with a 85 grain Barnes TSX. Called him after shot to come pick me up i was done. He said meet me at the gate when you here me pull up. I said why, & he told me we would give it some time to die before starting tracking it. I told him to drive his ass to my stand no track job needed. He just grIned when he pulled up & i said it's a deer rifle now isn't it wise ass. He field dressed my deer & said damn at the internal devastation. I told him it was the bullet and it's placement not necessarily the caliber Nuff Said! He's a believer now. 🦌🦌🦌🦌 🤣
I shot a 243 with a wood stock and metal butt pad. Still kicks less than an AR-308. The round is awesome. You could have two 243s, one for lighter bullets and one for heavier bullets. Same brass and powders. It’s all you need for Deer, hogs, rams, basically most game in North America.
I adore the 243! Currently looking to build an AR-10 in a 243 chambering, and I'll be running 80 grain barnes ttsx 🤘
NICE!!
I have a 243 and 7mm-08 best part just buy 308 brass and resize. I have a 6mm creed as well and I like it a lot but honestly if when someone asks me what I would rather have its the 243. But I also dont shoot 1000 yards.
Since you reload , you could put 95 SMK'S or Berger between 3000-3150. You would be gd from 800-1000.
It's alot of fun
The 6.5CM is a good cartridge, but it falls right amongst cartridges that have been around for quite some time and perform as well or better. Seems like an unnecessary round to me. The 6.5CM is just a good marketing more than anything.
And 6.5 is hard to find, 243 can be found easily
6.5C was designed for competition. It gave someone the ability to have a good light recoil comp round off the shelf
I loved the mock interviews! Lol
great info on one of my favorite calibers
The 243 was the very first cartridge i loaded for in 1986. I eroded the the throat ot to about 4 inches in about 1500 rnds. I prefer the 6mm Super long range or 6xc these days. They work with the longer bullets in a magazine.
The original .357 load was a 158 grain bullet at 1,500 fps out of an 8.3” barrel. They lowered it for people later. However getting 700-800 foot pounds at the muzzle was standard when the round came out.
The problem with .243 is that once you get to the heavier grains it's the same or slower than most 6.5, 7mm and 30 calibre bullets at much heavier bullet weights with higher BC. It's still one of the best small to medium game guns. 243 is my go-to gun if I'm shooting wolf or coyote. If you're looking for 1 gun that can do it all, I would probably go 7mm mag or 30-06. Hornady has some new 30-06 150 grain at over 3000 FPS. That puts it very close to 7mm rem mag performance but with more grain versatility.
I inherited my .243......love it. I killed a buck at 327 yards. I was impressed.
243 WSSM is the most perfect 6mm cartridge, I had a 1-10 twist .243 and it shot 100gr boattails very accurately
Excellent Video. The .243 is a very versatile cartridge, and this may be its greatest downfall. Basically what I'm implying is the .243 with the correct bullet can be used for game the size of groundhogs up to the size of deer. However, you dont wish to hunt deer with a bullet designed for varmint sized game. More times than not, when I hear stories regarding a .243 not performing well on deer I find it was due to the bullet and not the cartridge which caused the failure. IMO fear of gaining a similar reputation is probably the reason the designers of the 6mm Creedmoor have refrained from using bullets not suitable for medium sized game.
Solid inference. That's like xm193 not producing good terminal ballistics, but you're using a rifle with a 1:7 twist.
.243 or .244 cal. bullets are some of the best, they have to be because a bullet leaving the barrel of a 9 to 1 twist is turning somewhere around 120,000 rpm's. It takes a good bullet to withstand the force. I have used an 85 grain bullet from a 6mm to harvest a coyote at 614 yards. With a simple 3x9 scope I feel that is a pretty good when the crosshair blots out the coyote. For large game I have found the 6mm bullet at high velocity can cause much capillary damage to meat rendering it unfit to eat. My 6mm really comes into it's own at 300 to 350 yards. I have loaded and hunted with a 6mm Remington all my life.
If the .244 Remington came out first , we wouldn't be talking about the .243 . The .243 is a good cartridge , but the .244 is step above . More powder capacity , longer neck , sharper shoulder angle and more load flexibility . Remington was too late at the 'show' and also gave a 1-12 twist to Winchester's 1-10 . Remington is now using a 1-9 and 1/8 th in 243 VLS that I had . I have currently a .243 in a Rem.700 classic . This is my third 243 . My first one back in '72 was 1-10 . Very good varmit gun .
I just bought a 243 Savage 110 Apex Predator and I love it so far!!
I own 4 and love them all. The caliber shoots flat to 400 yards with my 55 grain nosler ballistic tip hand loads. I have them loaded around 4200 fps out of my 26" barreled 700 and stout hand loads. A coyote lazer! It drops deer like Thors hammer using 90 grain nosler ballistic tips. Broke both shoulders last year of a good size whitetail with a 90 grain ballistic tip. Found the bullet resting on the offside hide. I had it loaded about a a half grain over max book load with no pressure signs and the shot was less than 20 yards. The bullet weighed almost 80 grains and expanded perfectly to about three times it's diameter. The lead was seperated from the jacket but was still sitting inside it. Alot tougher bullet than I would have expected. I've harvested whitetail, coyotes, bobcat, mountain lions, varmints, and hogs. It kills animals in their tracks with the correct bullet choice and shot placement. Most compalin it's not enough caliber. Those are shooters with extremely poor shot placement. Tons of stories told of how shooters "aimed" for the vitals but never recovered the animals to find out they shot to far back, to high, to low, or just completely missed. Most never recover the animal to back the "perfect shot" placement they claimed was made. I clean my barrels after every session and don't shoot them till they are boiling hot so they will end up lasting ALOT longer than most claim.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
In a prairie dog town I like to refrain myself and leave the bolt open for a minute after I eject my fired round to let the barrel cool down. No sense to rapid fire until the barrel is to hot to touch.
You have a very unique definition of ‘old cartridge’.
I guess I'm just old school, all my older generation went with the 6mm rem over the others and it's still my favorite 6mm round.
Your channel is excellent always enjoy your content!
Thanks, Squib!
@messenger ministries I'm a HUGE fan of 7mm.
Thanks for making me even more confused/torn between going with .243 or 6.5 creedmoor haha. Both great rounds.
The .243 is my 9 year old granddaughters favorite cartridge too.
SR, I had a 257 Bob built with a 3 inch COaL. With the 100 grn Swift Scirocco (.429 G1) at 3200 fps and a 131 grn BlackJack (.330 G7) at 2800 fps a get the same flat trajectory out to 300 yards. With that 131 BlackJack I feel very confident taking a 350 yard shot at Elk and know it will humanely drop it. Brux barrel 1:7.
Can't say nothin' against that! I wish there were more 25 options. How's bullet selection nowadays?
@@SocialRegressive Not wonderful but doable. That BlackJack 131 is from a pretty small company but dang are they sweet! Graf & Sons also has a pretty wide selection.
Terrific post. Thank you.
As someone from Eastern Montana who lives in Oklahoma now, 243 is great for Oklahoma, but I get out the 308 when I go back home.
Fantastic Whitetail cartridge , shoulder shots fold em like a cheap lawn chair 💺
According to John Kreiger the barrel erosion on the .243 is notorious in the precision barrel world.
Thank youi for the head to head comparison.
Well done. Very informative and entertaining.
My 243 WIN back in the 90's torched out my barrel in just 700 rounds. I re-barrelled it in 260 REM.
Great video....prefer MOA VS MRAD though.
Try to get your hands on OSA,buffalo river ,Australian outback ammo it's all the same brand I've tried there 87g and 70g hollow point with boat tail it is by far the best .243 ammo I've used
You won't be disappointed 👌
.243 win XCR-M was a sweet piece for hunting wolves, coyote and deer in Alberta before the ban. 6mm, 6.5mm and 7mm are my favorite calibres to hunt with.
Those are my favorites, too. It's just a question of how much powder I want to put behind 'em. 6mm ARC is next!
6CM for me. I just like using the heavier bullets.
.243 is the best "do all" caliber down south. Whitetails, pigs & coyotes. The downside is the short neck. It's a demon inside 500. The 6CM is now the 6mm king out at long distance with a fast twist with heavy projectiles.
Im waiting on a barrel from Preferred Barrel's myself. I went 1:8 6mm Rem.
Anxious to see how it shoots! Good to hear yours shoots so well.
That's gonna be a barnstormer.
@@SocialRegressive I have high hopes. Had a few 243's always wanted a 6 mm Rem. Probably just shoulda saved $$ & just bought a 6mm Creed. But its not the preformance I want its just the Caliber. But as I hunt first, I opted for better twist for long bullets available now. Plus I have a few hundred ol Speer 105's.
@@cw2a I’ve had great performance out of the Speer 105’s on deer out of my old Savage .243. There is no logical reason for it to shoot them well since that barrel is about shot out, but it still flings them minute of white tail which is adequate for the ranges we hunt. I’ve always felt that bullet makes a better deer cartridge out of the .243 but have to admit that the success I’ve had with it prejudices my opinion. I’ve also had great results with it out of my 6mm Remington. I propel the 105’s out of both cartridges with a stiff load of IMR-7828.
@@davidzakrzewicz707 Thanks for that Dave! My more limited experience with the bullet mirrors yours. (Two 243's) I was first drawn to the RN hunting Upstate NY when its THICK abd shots are close RN profiles always seemed more attractive to me. (Of coarse now I know and understand there is no appreciable diff in ballistic preformance till you shoot past 200 yards or so)
I have received my barrel and worked up loads. (I have a couple videos on my channel) its broken 3100fps and shot 1/3"( .345" groups) I am quite happy!
If you love the 243 W. then you should love the 6mm Remington too.If its if not exactly the same its because it is just a little bit better. And I have one in left hand bolt which suits me just fine. And if you reload its has no negatives over the 243 but either one is just fine.
.243 for light bullets.6 mm for heavy ones.Exactly the opposite of what the factories though.
Crazy good information!! Thank you!!
20:20 Glad my Tikka T3x 243 has a 1:8 twist rate.
115 dtac boron or moly coated can reach 3150 fps consistently. It really ballistically crushes many other cartridges for target.
I so I have to ask... why no 7mm08 using 120 and 139/140 gr bullets in this test? It's based on the 308 cartridge too and matches (in some cases beats) the 6.5 Creedmoore. Great little round with a nice mid-point in the 308 cartridge group. Al the ammo manufacturer needed to do was apply the right .284 diameter bullets to the 7mm08 and maybe change the twist rate to something nearer to 8.5". Great round for deer, antelope, elk and even moose.
🤣🤣 "pop ....paper punch!"
Howdy, Kenny! What's your favorite 6mm nowadays? You've been shooting some mad machines.
@The Social Regressive I still favor the 6 ARC. I get the 6BR fanboys going when I prove it outperforms the 6BR in all aspects including the availability in ammo and reload ability. Using a Dillon 750 setup with CFE223 will pump out precision sub 1/2 MOA ammo as fast as you can pull the handle. Pushing 105gr Bergers at 2950 FPS. I have over 8,500 rounds down pipe
@@EagleEyeShooting Holy cow! That's a bonkers round count. That explains your 800-yard groups.
243 is nice. As for me I like the 6mm Remington. Ideally they are the same thing. 6mm rem has a little more spice to it.
I have a Remington 700 anniversary rifle , just love all rifles pistols and ammo .. I like the 243 Winchester Deer Season 95 grain ..
The opening is golden. 🎉
Thanks, David!
I have a .243 and it is a very good deer hunting round.
One important metric you missed is bullet velocity performance. Usually below 2000 to 1900 fps, a bullet does not mushroom as designed and could punch through without expending much of its energy nor doing much damage. A well placed shot eliminates the need to follow a blood trail. An expanded bullet creates more damage to compensate for a less than perfect shot. Energy is realized in the wound channel and not on initial impact. An exiting bullet is wasted energy.
243 is a fantastic cartridge. Unfortunately, it’s not as efficient as the 308 and “needs” at least a 20” barrel. I like your channel, I subbed.
Welcome aboard! You brought up an excellent point. I only put 26" barrels on mine.
For decades I avoided any 6mm rifle because I considered them to be too puny and weak for hunting. Then one day a friend casually mentioned to me that my Ruger .243 is a 6mm. I've never felt so violated.
😂 Love it
.243 is absolutely not a puny cartridge, I took a deer down in its tracks with mine. Sure, it's not the best long-range cartridge, but it still retains a lot of energy enough to take down medium-sized game.
With 100 gr nosler partitions and swift scirroccos the 243 is one great antelope & deer caliber.