Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 243AI?

I recently bought a ANIB 1973 Rem 700 Classic marked 243 Winchester. When I shot it I found out it was a 243Improved. Should I spend $70 for dies or rebarrel the rifle 7-08?

How did it shoot? I'd probably gauge what you wanna use it for. Both are super cartridges.

I don't recall there being 700 Classics in 1973.

That said, $70 dies seem a bit cheaper than a rebarrel. If it shoots well I'd run her till the wheels fell off.

What are the planned uses for the rifle........

Lee will build you a collet die set for $50 or so...

You'd still need a FL die...I would have no use for a 243AI..

Maybe you would...but a 7-08 or 260 would be more useful

The 243AI IS a super cartridge! Have you checked the twist rate? 100 gr Partitions have killed many, many deer and elk, or if you want a distance shooter and the twist is right, The 105 Amax and Hornady BTHP are dandies for both distance and game-getting. The bullet weight isn't there in the 6mm compared to the 7mm, but with the right bullets, they are likely identical in game-taking ability. I refer you to John Burns's video of his guiding a woman to take an elk at 688yds with a 243 and VLDs.

I would buy a set of dies and rock on. And the advice on Lee's collet die isn't bad...especially if you can get a Redding body die to compliment the set.

LOTS cheaper than rebarreling.

This looks like a business opportunity, if it shoots good like it is, just shoot away and sell the high quality, premium fire formed brass in the classified's.

We have all read the many threads on how hard it is to fire form brass. (smiley here)

Clearly you thought you had a use for a .243 when you bought it, so shoot it.

The Lee collet die set is a good idea. I don't know if they'll make you a FL die, but somebody will, or get that body die. You may get by with neck sizing for a while.

Hornady .243 brass seems to be readily available now. Others, maybe not so much.

I bought the rifle because it was $700 & had a $350 German Zeiss 6x scope on it, it was pillar & glass bedded by Bob Wood.


http://www.midwayusa.com/product/17...-40-degree-shoulder?cm_vc=ProductFinding

As Steelhead noted, the model of Remington 700 formally known as the Classic wasn't around in 1973. Are you just calling it a classic because it's old?

It doesn't really matter, because you didn't get screwed on the price. If it's a rechambered factory barrel it probably has a 1-9 rifling twist, which is what Remington also started using on .243's after they introduced the 6mm Remington to solve the slow-twist problem of the .244. A few late .244's had 1-10 twists, but the 6mm's were 1-9, so Remington wouldn't again be accused to using a "marginal" twist, and they found it simpler to use the same barrels on .243's after that.

While a 1-19 twist isn't as versatile as the 1-8 many people put on 6mm rifles today, it's more versatile than the 1-10 on most factory .243's. Depending on what elevation you do most of you shooting at, it may even stabilize some bullets it's not supposed to. If it shoots well I'd just keep using it until (and if) the barrel ever loses it's accuracy, at which point it could be rebored to .260 or 7mm-08 AI.

Return the gun and get your money back.

The chamber is not normal.

So called AI's are a waste of time and money

Instead shop for a better design rather than that Push Feed with a poor trigger and safety.

Look at M70's, Mausers, Kimbers.

Another enlightening post when will they ever end ?

The barrel is coded 1973 & I think it was the model that was replaced by the mountain rifle & before the 1 cal per year series. I think this model was made in 223,243,270,7mag,308 30'06. I shot 1 group with it using 55 gr bullets that went about 2". have some 100 Hornady's loaded up so I guess can shoot few of them & see how it does.

Was this meant to be sarcastic? I hope so. I have no idea what a 'normal' chamber would be. They are all holes bored into cylinders of various steels. Not normal may be a square, or oval chamber? Never mind.

Negative on the mountain rifle and Classic dates of 1973. Barrel code tells you about the barrel.

A regular or normal chamber will have a higher resale value, easier to load and get ammo for.

Of course some are entertained by the AI fun.

See the tiny, non CRF, broken extractor on this push feed bolt?

Everyday you are one day closer to assuming room temp.

As I recall it Remington sold M700 Classics in a variety of calibers prior to the company beginning to restrict the Classic line to one new caliber each year. I can not recall what year the company made the change. I know I owned one of the early models but now can not even remember what cartridge it was chambered for.

Jim

According to the Remington site, the Classic started in 1978. I believe the "one at a time" series started in 1981 with the 7x57.

And they ran out of truly classic cartridges about 4 years later...