Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 243 win / 18" barrel

My girlfriend is looking to buy her first hunting rifle. The rifle will be used for whitetail and general target shooting. She is very small in stature (4'10" & 100 lbs) and a 243 is about all she can handle recoil wise. We've been looking at the Ruger American compact with an 18" barrel and the Savage Axis youth with a 20" barrel. She likes the feel of the Ruger better. How much of a sacrifice is the 18" barrel as far as velocity and muzzle blast are concerned?

The deer won't notice any difference at all.
My wife shoots a Remington Model Seven in 6mm Rem and kills them out to 300 yds with no problem

I wouldn't worry so much about velocity loss as I would the muzzle blast.

As was said above the deer won't know the difference.
My grandaughter's first using 100gr Super-X's in her
mom's .243 M77 Compact Carbine at just under 250yds.

You might consider seeing how she likes a standard Ruger American with 22" barrel, specifically concentrating on how she likes the extra length of the barrel. If she doesn't mind the barrel length, then call the company and see if it's possible to buy or swap out for the compact stock. Best of both worlds that way - a little longer barrel to mitigate muzzle blast to the shooter along with a good fitting stock. Weight difference will be a few ounces.

The compact stock on the standard American is an interesting idea. I'll have to look into that.
Shots tend to be 100 yards or less around here so I guess the velocity loss isn't that big of a deal. I've never fired a 243 with an 18" barrel but I've been warned that the blast could be fierce.

That would be a definite consideration.....

Casey

I bet you could call Ruger in the morning and have an answer in a few minutes regarding the stock. Ruger has been VERY good for customer service, in my experience.

The compact stock for the RAR is $55 shipped from Ruger. I have one arriving tomorrow for a full size 243.

I started my daughters at the age of 12 and 10 with a Ruger 77 RSI with an 18" barrel. The younger daughter shot deer and pronghorns with it until she was about 21 or 22. They both took a couple of big-bodied Nebraska whitetails with the little rifle.

Bob Milek killed herds of deer with a 6mm/223 handgun

A few inches of barrel makes very little difference in the end results

+1

I don't think velocity difference will matter to an entry level shooter, or to the deer she hits with it. The extra 4" of bbl WILL help with muzzle blast!! (and safe muzzle control)

Sycamore

I have a ruger77rsi it works fine and I haven't noted the muzzle blast to be objectionable

Have you ever shot a .243 with an 18" barrel? If you can tell the difference between an 18" barrel and a 22" inch barrel, you're the auditory equivalent of the princess and the pea.

^ +1!!!

Obie- it is great you have a girlfriend you will go hunting with you. there are a lot of smaller rifles in .243 . my sako mannlicher is a great little gun, also there is a remington model 7, remington mtn rifle , remington 700 youth, ruger 77 compact, kimber and ............. you do not say where you are or how big of deer you are shooting. I have used a the 85 sierra bthp to harvest a lot of deer. using a medium powder like I4064, varget, h/I4895 a few grain under max it produces a pleasant shooting and deadly load. any or many of the bullets from 85 to 95 grains are awesome for this. loading a light bullet 55-70 grains just for target/varmint is another great option.

Have used a Rem 600 in 6mm for many years. It has done a good job on caribou for us. 85 grain Partitions and RL 19 and 115 grain Barnes Originals (I have just under 200 left)with Retumbo shoot very well. The short barrels lose some speed which actually helps with penetration!

We'll be hunting the catskill mountains in NY. I honestly don't know what the avg weight is for the deer around here. Over the years I have shot two that pushed almost 200lbs dressed but bucks that size are rare. I have no experience hunting with a 243 so I don't know how it usually performs on game. I was thinking about trying the 95 or 100 nosler partitions. Any thoughts on partitions and the 243?

Absolute best combination out there for your purpose.

drover