Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Minimizing - should I get rid of the .243 Win?

I like it up here. People have seemed to accept me.

The ones that don't know me anyway.




Travis

Hey, better than Buck Owens or Dwight Yoakam on the streets of Bakersfield.

Jorge,

think of Havre as "the little bit of North Dakota that fell off the back of a sugar beet truck"

Sycamore

Yes!

I really like this thread. Thank you for all the brain food. I've been lurking but didn't want to post anything as I really like to hear alternate viewpoints outside my limited experience.

I've been shooting recreationally for about 25 years. Not high volume, but steady. I have shot factory ammunition until now (mostly .22 rimfire, .223 and .308), so I am just beginning to reload. I think I would try to limit the number of powders I use as well. Try to get by with just H4895 for loads of all sorts, and Trail Boss for bunny pfart loads.

The cartridge consternation is partly thought experiment to figure out a personal optimum, given my level of practice and time constraints. I do have other rifles in other cartridges (including .30-06), but thought, "What if I only had .223, .243, .308 and .375: could I dump the .243 and make things even simpler?". (EDIT:) John and Travis think so.

Testing the depths of self-abuse in the real world, so far I have eliminated .45-70 Govt, .222 Rem, .22-250 Rem, .257 Roberts, and 7mm-08 Rem from my safe. They are all fine, but too many options. The .45-70 Govt Marlin went out when I got my .338 WM. I like the ergonomics and ruggedness of bolt actions in McMillan stocks, and powerful factory ammo is easier to get in .338 WM. The .257 went because I thought .243 was a more sensible option in that bracket, but now the .243 might go too.

So my remaining rifles are in .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, .308 Win, .30-06 Sprg, .338 WM, .375 H&H and .458 WM. That's eight cartridges left, and the process of elimination is getting harder. I think the .243 and .338 may be the next to go. The .270 will be harder, but it doesn't make sense to keep it. Leaving the .458 until later. I don't want to think about that until I've shot it a bunch. So maybe .223, .308/.30-06, .375 and .458 would cover the most bases with the fewest dies and components.

I really like the .270, but it's more of a hunting cartridge and it makes more sense to keep the .30-06 to share bullets with the .308 than to keep the .270 around. I hear bsa1917hunter about the .30-06: I do think it's a more versatile hunting cartridge than the .308, but less used in target rifles (though the same match bullets apply). My first Model 70 was a push feed XTR sporter in .270 Win that shot minute of angle with cheap ammo. The Remington Model Seven in .308 I replaced it with was much less pleasant to shoot and I didn't get the same groups. That trade was a mistake I still regret. The 18.5" Model Seven has since found another home to visit, and a 22" Model 70 FWT has replaced it. I like a little more weight and a longer barrel.

The .243 I haven't shot yet. TopCat's warnings about not shooting it or you might like it too much ring true - many people seem to love the cartridge. Maybe I'll try mine out before I sell it. I don't understand why someone would hunt deer with a .243 if s/he already had a .308 Win, and the cartridge seems a little hot when a 6BR would probably be a better choice for 6mm target shooting. Questions:

- If I load lightly will the barrel last a lot longer, or is it simply about cartridge capacity and bore diameter?
- Would typical 6 mm target bullets work in a 1:10 twist?

I feel that fewer rifles means more money for practice. A Kimber 84M (.223) or Model 70 in each remaining cartridge means that practice with one would benefit the others. Loading for fewer cartridges means getting much more familiar/proficient with them.

I'm very much more a recreational target shooter than a hunter. If/when I go out again it will likely be for northern white tails or mule deer. I think the .308 is a wonderful cartridge because it's relatively mild, it fits in both my Savage FTR (last year on a course, I found out I could hit stuff at 600 m in the rain!) and my Winchester Featherweight, and I could even load it with .30-30 bullets at lower velocity if appropriate. One set of target dies would cover a lot of ground.

I would like to have elk and moose covered if I ever got the invite. I do think both the .270 and .30-06 are fine for these, but I'd probably take a .375 provided I have the same proficiency. The .375 is mainly for entertainment, but also for if I wind up working in grizzly country again. We used to carry 12 gauges with Foster slugs, but I figure a .375 would work a lot better. Brennekes are nearly unobtainium in Canada, and it sounds like a .30-06 on up would work better anyway.

The first time I shot a .375 H&H was in my Winchester 70 Safari. I was surprised how pleasant the cartridge was to shoot given its level of power. The rifle rocks back but it doesn't belt you. Part of keeping the .375 is how much I just plain like it. Expensive to shoot, but fun!

The .458 is an open question. It may be beyond my level of recoil comfort. I haven't shot it enough to know, but intend to find out. So far it's been a whole other world from the .375 H&H.

Thanks everyone.

My Friend's place near Trout Creek, his place is about five miles up the mountain. Absolutely lovely:

Now that you've explained your situation, I'd say ditch the .243 and keep the .375, since you seem to like it so well. The .458 seems like overkill unless you're guiding brown bear clients.

According to Mule Deer's recent article on bore erosion, loading down the .243 a bit likely won't make a great deal of difference (I'm extrapolating a bit here). It might ease up on your brass a bit if you don't size the crap out of it every time. A 1-10" twist will work with hunting bullets up to 100gr, but likely not the long, skinny, ones target shooters use weighing 105-107 grains or so. I think a .243 is a great hunting round in the Lower 48, but less useful up North where stuff is generally larger and it's not a great choice for steady target shooting unless you don't mind replacing barrels every so often.

philthygeezer,

Thanks for the additional info, especially on your hunting. The truth is that most of us shoot a lot more at targets than when hunting.

Travis copied what I said very early on in the thread about the .243 being the one to dump, but that's OK, he's just learning.

I have nothing against the .243, and in fact own two right now, and my wife has another. We've both hunted with the .243 a lot, but it will toast barrels much quicker than either a .223 or .308.

Most people are pleasantly surprised by the relatively gentle recoil of a .375 the first time they shoot one--and the .458 is a noticeable step up in recoil!

There's a bowling alley up there?

I've never met a 243 that I didn't like. I'd not part with one if I had one right now. I'd suggest shooting it before you consider selling. Why shoot deer with a 243 when you have a 308? Because the 243 will work just as well, and generally with less recoil.

And then there is the rifle looney aspect of things. Why have eight guns when you could have nine? Simplification is for marriage!

Too complicated. The .223, .308, and .375 cover all the bases.

But so would the .222, 7-08, and the .375.

Or the .222 Rem Mag, the 270, and the .375. And on, and on it can go.

We all pick our poison and since you have the .223, .308, and the .375 and are looking to downsize, I say dump the .243. Matter of fact, the .243 is probably one of the last cartridges I'd keep if I was downsizing.



Travis

Based on the opinion of people that have lived here a lot longer than I have, the consensus seems to be that Montana starts around Havre, and keeps getting better until you hit North Dakoduh.



Travis

Plagiarism is a dying art. I'm bringing it back.




Dave

THIS is lovely:

223, 308, 375.

Plenty available components and ammo for Lotsa practice and all your worldwide hunting covered. Skip the 458 unless your hunting Jumbo or backing up dangerous game clients.

Embrace your practicality!

Good luck with your decision!

OK...

This is true: I should have looked closer and made the proper attribution. Apologies for the oversight. Also thanks for pointing out aspects of my original post on occasion. The thread went really well and I think I've learned from it.







I like the idea of the .243 but that barrel life bothers me. The post above about the target bullets not working well in a 1:10 twist kind of seals the deal.

I've only run two rounds of .458 Lott and two .458 WM through my brand new Ruger RSM. The stock began to split at the tang on the fourth shot. I need to send the thing back to Ruger to give them a chance to do right by me.

So far I'm not so enthusiastic about the results. I felt like the stock after four rounds. "Noticeable step up" seems like subtlety. It felt like about double. Mind you, there is the hockey puck on the back of the Ruger vs. the decelerator on the Win 70, and 500 grain DGX loads vs. 270 grain soft points are not exactly a fair comparison either. But I was wearing a PAST magnum recoil pad with the .458 vs a t-shirt with the .375, and it still walloped me. Maybe it's shooting form...

Bought sold many 243s (dies, brass, etc) and keep getting another.
Truth told it can do what needs to be done here.
Barrel life? No problem. Buy factory. Wear out. Sell or trade. Replace. Not that much cost from new to sold price - vs ammo expense.

Yet for factory I would keep a 223 and 308 or 270.

A Looney say you? Hand loader? 222 and 6.5x55 or swap a 6.5x47, Creedmoor, or 260 for Swede.

For big stuff 375 is tough to beat. 416 RM is painful. I like the 9.3x62 and 338/06.

Right now a 243 T3 is my "light" rifle and 6.5x47 is for the rest.

Ted Nugent once said give me a JOC w 150 Noz PT's.....

Fact is most all work but individual nuances appeal to various people.

Do Believe Wooters said 223, 308, 375. Cannot argue. Add a 22LR and 12 gauge and you're set.

Im still in tears over the thoughts of someone dumping a 270 AND a 7-08..... Im gonna need counseling!!

The 7-08 was much easier to decide on than the .270. What could be better for hunting and shooting than a 6.8x62mm cartridge that marries aspects of the 6.5x55 and .30-06? I really, really like the .270 in a sporter weight rifle: Doesn't kick hard, though maybe a little more abruptly than the .30-06. I still wonder what the thing could do if it had some serious match rifles, bullets and cases: would it be an ideal 1000 yard cartridge that doesn't burn barrels like the 6.5-284?