I wish there were some way to fully explain the phenomenon of the 243 Winchester, it just works.
Jack O'Connor man-splained it about 50-odd years ago. People simply shoot better when they aren't worried about getting whacked with recoil. The most common cartridge fitting that requirement is the .243, though there certainly are others.
+1 348, that is it in a nut shell. They are so easy to shoot well, you do. Only factory 243's I've ever used were 100 gr Corelokt's a guy could quit right there for 243 ammo. I didn't, I used to buy component 100 gr Corelokt's and load them to an honest 3000fps and they were even better. Over the last 40 years I've used 100 & 95 gr Partitions,105 gr Speers, 100 gr Corelokt's , 100gr SP & BTSP Hornady's. Far as I'm concerned the 100 gr SP Hornady was the best of all, I regularly ran them over 3000 fps by carefully loading them with H4831 and IMR 7828 with loads that are no longer listed in newer manuals. Not paper velocities but chrono graphed. Between the 243 and the 6mm Rem I've taken over 30 antelope and 1/2 doz deer. I've never noticed that the 25-06 kills them any deader only causes more meat damage.
I've a double antelope doe tag for this fall, my old 700 BDL in 243 with a M8 6x Leupold is ready to roll with whatever load I use. Just 1 month away and I can see, smell, and taste those bacon wrapped loin stks on the grill with a Bullit rye in hand. MB
