Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 243 Win vs 260 Rem

Wow, I love my 260, a 22" barreled mtn rifle, but I don't see those speeds. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

I can get 3200 fps with a 95 gr. V-Max, 3100 fps with a 100 gr. Ballistic Tip, 2900 fps with a 120 gr., 2800 fps with a 129 gr., and 2650 fps with a 140 gr., stopping at the book max loads....

maybe I have a slow barrel??? Or Nosler has tight, custom test barrels.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I got 3200 fps with 95 grain v max's as well. 2680 fps with factory Rem. 140's. Barnes #3 only has three loads out of 17 that top 2700 fps with 140's including their blue meanies. They even use a 24" barrel. Most 260's don't.
As far as the 85's go I really don't know but would like to use the 3400+ figure barnes gives for their 85 gr. xlc bt for the .243 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Cheaha, Kinda like What can you tell a woman with two black eyes? ....... Nothing...... You already told her twice! Ducking now before the PC police show up! (grin) TM

PS. I was eighteen before I knew Damn Yankee was not one word! :-)

An ex wife works fine for me! :-)

Hondo, My brother owns a fish camp on Lake Eufaula, which is just South of you. Fly down two or three times a year and would love to meet up with some of you guys. Assuming the fish are not biting of course. (grin) If you get up to Huntsville, just give me a shout. TM

so the 260 has half again the recoil of the 243... i don't see that as a big obstacle but some might.....

i've used the .243 as my go to rifle for better'n 25 years..... have never tripped the trigger on a .260, but i have wished on a couple of occasions that my .243 had a little more spiz... not that it ever lacked, mind you.... just a peace of mind thing for me...... john w

TM,

just left athens/browns ferry this morning..... my first time through the area in almost 30 years.....

had damn all for time to do things as i was working the outage at the power plant there... i did eat though, almost ever day, and it reminded me of an old post here about favorite places to eat while on the road....

i've got to add decatur to my list... specifically the Hickory Stick BBQ smoke house, and a rib joint called B.B. Perrins..... Big Bob Gibsons will do as well... i usually lose a little weight during an outage... i'm sure that i gained this time around...

i did make it to huntsville to the space museum... well worth the time to stop for , and my son liked the t shirt..... john w

The 243 is a varmint cartidge trying to act like a deer cartridge but it is very appropriate for those who are learning to handle recoil. There is no need to use it when much better cartridges are available if recoil is not a problem. I killed some large deer with a 243 but they kept going with 100 Rem PSP Core for 20 t0 60 yards and that is way too far in exceptionally thick woods; the kind where you search for hours only to come back the next day and find the deer 30 yards from where you shot it. Never happened to me but to others. I want a bigger hole. Even X's are not the way to go when 257's and up are available.

Slasher, a gut shot deer is just that. Most shots in these parts are well under 100 yards and a .243 is a respected deer killer here. Maybe the "others" need glasses. Most deer have dropped where they were shot and the others never left my sight.

I have taken Moose, Deer, & Coyotes with the .243 Win caliber in a Savage 99c. I bought the Savage for my wife to learn with, but while she was a good shot at the range she lacked confidence in the bush.
As others have said, the .260 Rem does anything the .243 could do but with greater versatility due to a broader range of bullet weights. I used the 140gr Hornady SP last fall to harvest both my Moose & my Elk with the little .260 Rem.
IMHO bullet placement is vital, either caliber will kill if you as the shooter do your part in placing the bullet into the kill zone accurately & consistently. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

hey boggy,
i'm sure that the ruger compact is a fine piece, but have you looked at the model 70 compact for comparison porpoises??? john w

john, I haven't looked at the M70. Will check that one out. Thanks for the heads up.

BCR

Johnw, You were less than 10 minutes from the house and you can see my office from the Space and Rocket center. Next time your around, give me a call. You should also look up a place called Simp McGees, next time your in Decatur. Good eating place for dinner. JHMO TM

Why be stuck on the Ruger compact if you want a .257? Ruger makes a Ultra Light rifle in .257 Roberts. I've got one and they are super rifles.

hey TM,

stopped at the motel bar next to the space center for a sandwich and a beer... i'm talking with some guy in there and the talk turned to hunting or rifles or some such thing. the guy challenges me as to whether i'm an NRA member..... that don't happen where i live now..... least it never has to me...
i left feeling pretty good about the place..... john w

John, That would have been the May Rot Inn (Marriot). Spent many a wasted evening there in my younger days.

Yeah, there are some good folks around here. I travel the world and there are lots of places I like but this will always be home. Be sure to let me know the next time your coming through and I will buy! At least the first one. TM

I have used a .243 for over 35 years now. Everything on 4 legs including elk. Fortunately, never had a problem. All the power and bullet selection I have ever needed in the lower 48.