I'm looking for a cartridge that has low recoil and flat trajectory along with decent barrel life - does such a chambering even exist? This will be for antelope/whitetail deer as a maximum size game.
I currently shoot a .243 Win., but with the volume shooting I'm doing, I'm burning out a barrel about once a year.

Factory available cartridges are preferable, but let's leave the discussion open to all rounds.

7-08 with 120's...260...

DJ

6,5x55 Swedish 140 grain bullet..

Rifle can be anything from a CZ 550 American or FS Mannlicher to a vintage Swedish M38 mil rifle.

I'd add that felt recoil is connected with the rifle's weight, balance and stockworks, not just caliber, bullet weight and powder.Jim

This is a tough task because flat trajectory requires high velocity which usually means a lot of powder burning and short barrel life.

I think a 250 Savage might be the ticket because you are burning roughly 35 gr of powder rather than about 45 as per the 308-family of cases. One of the cases that the target shooters are playing with 6XLC (sp?), 6-47 Lapua 6.5-Lapua might be an approach as well.

Get a .223 for the majority of your shooting, and use something larger if you feel the need for it for game.

I got a .243 for just the use you have in mind, but then sold it when I realized a .223 made so much more sense, and I've got plenty of bigger stuff when I feel the need for more on hair.

30-06 with 150 TSX at 3,000 fps. Everything you need, most of what you want, and more!

257 Bob, lieweight bullets for varmints, 100-120gr for deer

.260. Haven't heard of barrel wear being a problem yet.
What does it take to shoot out a .243?
I can't imagine a better antelope/whitetail round.

stumpy

If you believe that you're too far over 'bore capacity' with the .243, then you'll want a larger bore with about the same powder capacity (e.g. .260 Rem, 7-08) or an even lower powder capacity (.250 Savage or a 6mm-250 wildcat would be ideal). Ultimately you end up with trade-offs, as you need the velocity and sectional density (and therefore more bullet weight with a larger caliber) to maintain a flat trajectory.

7-08 or 270 Win are two that come to mind.

Sounds like you need 2 rifles. 1 light weight plinker and a big game unit. There is no single unit that does all jobs well and inexpensively. 1Minute

I did not find the recoil of the 260 objectionable at all, and the trajectory/energy was enough to take it coues hunting one season.
I have not had one, but what about a 25 Souper? I see Rocky Raab wrote about it. http://www.reloadingroom.com/page10.html

Doug~RR

If you can afford the ammo to burn a barrel a year, you can afford two guns. The powder and bullet savings on a .223 would pay for itself.

I have two guns already: a .270 and a .243.
The .270 is no fun to shoot. My .243 is much more enjoyable and I even take it to a few comps. now and then, but after only 800 rounds through the tube it's starting to look horrendous. My gunsmith says that most .243's go south (competition-wise) after anywhere from 800-1,300 rounds, depending upon the barrel itself and what rounds/how much powder has been shot.

Ain't a .223 rather light for deer and antelope?

Count another one for the 2 guns approach, one being a 223 and the other could remain your 243, or ? RustyL

How about a Savage .243 where you can screw on a new barrel yourself as necessary?
Personally, I love the .243 with 80 grains for pigs & coytoes, but shoot a .260 for shots way out there and/or large boars.

stumpy

Run some Varget or H4895 in your .243 instead of slower powders. You give up less than 100fps but use 5 or more grains less powder. It ought to make your barrel last a little longer.

If you like the .243 as is, you could run a 6mm Remington at the same velocity with a bit lower pressure.

Or, just keep re-barreling, it sounds like a lot more fun!!!

We're on the same page, Stumpy - that's exactly what I've got..a Savage 12FV.
I think I'll try downloading the .243 Win. a bit like Dakota recommended for better barrel life.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

There are advantages to sticking with one rifle for target, varmint and game up through deer - you get really good with it and 'learn' it very well. If you're having to re-barrel annually, then why not try re-barreling to .260 Rem next time and giving it a shot? Worst case, if you don't like it after a year you re-barrel back to .243 and you've basically lost nothing.

Maybe you could even have an old .243 barrel re-bored to .260, although I'm not sure that would really save you any money.

6.8 spl that new " miltary " round ballistic similar to the remington 257 roberts 115 gr @ 2660 fps

Any high velocity chambering is going to use up barrels, there's no way around that.

Since you are going to be replacing barrels anyway, get a Savage rifle and you can buy 5 or 6 barrels ahead of time and easily swap them yourself with nothing more sophisticated than a headspace gauge and a $30 barrel wrench.

25-06

I agree. I went with a 223 and 30-06 of same manufacture for this task.

BMT

That's exactly what I'm looking for.

Triggernosis, In your original post we saw no reference to target, competition or a huge number of bullets down the range..
Just the hunting..
For most game hunters, even with much practice, the .243 or other decent mid velocity round will have a long life.

Still, the .243 is a good choice and the Savage rifles whereby you can change barrels( preserve one for long range comp-varmints) and use another for practice and still another for the antelope-deer hunting may be a good call.Jim

Enter the 6mmBR cartridge. Factory loads are available that will shine @ long range, it owns the 300 meter competitions as well as the 600 yd and currently owns the 1000yd record IIRC. Recoils less than the 243. Commonly reported to have match accuracy for at least 2500 rds or more. Loads of info over on 6BR.com...

Does it look bad or does the accuracy go south? I have a P64 M70 fwt that I have shot thousands (likely 3000+) through in the 25 years I've been shooting it. The throat is waaaay out there but it still puts everything I put through it inside an inch (generally). Are you shooting stuff that's exceptionally hot?

not trying to be a smart aleck, but it really depends on your definitions of "low", "good" and "flat"

A 25-06 somewhat meets the criteria.

For some of us that aren't recoil shy, but still sensitive to REAL pain, as in ouch, a 300 Mag or '06 works pretty well.

Wayne

I vote .308 Win. Easy on barrels, easy on shoulders, and flat enough. Get some knobs and an LRF, and trajectory is a non-issue.

'nother vote for the 250-3000 savage.
Virgil B.

triggernosis,
I have no idea what competition you shoot, but .223 is working for folks out to 600 yds some even shoot it at 1000 yds with the fast twist barrels and heavy bullets. It certainly has low recoil and good barrel life. At known distance target shooting flat trajectory is not an issue. What do your shooting competition companions shoot? You could use a .260 as your big rifle and a .223 as your small rifle. When you shoot thousands of rounds a year in competition you will probably rebarrel every year no matter what cartridge you pick if you want to win.
JMO
whelennut

The .243 tends to be harder on barrels than its case capacity and bore would seem to indicate. The best guess is that this is due to the relatively long, sloping shoulder and short neck, which tends to direction burning powder gas directly at the throat area.

In general the 6mm Remington will allow barrels to last longer, and it is also safely capable of a little zip. This is not apparent when only loking at case size, but the .243 also has the tendency toward excessive pressures with 100-grain bullets, the reason its SAAMI maximum pressure is lower than the 6mm's.

For whatever all that is worth.

JB

All the more better for the .250 Sav.

+1 260 or 7/08

Get a 257 Roberts and handload it.It will do the things you want.