Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints .243 viable as a "pd" rifle?

I know the buzz is about the .204, .223 and 22-250, but what are your thoughts on the .243? As a rifle option in your varmint arsenal?
Maybe with 55gr. BT's on a windy day? While it may be too much for all day shooting, it gives you options for a big game hunt with heavier bullets.
Looking for your comments as I've never gone "pd" hunting.

Personally, I like to see them vaporize thru the scope. Takes a HEAVY 243, or a brake on one, to give me the fuzzies....... That's the main reason I like the 204. Still get good hang time and red mist......

Yep pretty hard to beat a 6MM when the wind comes up. Of course you could shoot something that would let you see your hits what few of them you had.

I agree with huntsman. I've shot lots of dogs with 243's, 6mm Rems, and 22-250's, but all of the above will recoil "just enough" to pull the scope off the dog so you cant see the results in the scope. I now use 223's for that reason, and would love to try out a 204 someday. BTW what part of MN do you hale from?

Matt

I have had a Win Mdl 70 243 Win w/Leupold 6.5-20 X scope for years. I loaded Hornady 75 Gr HP bullets for varmint shooting, mostly prairie dogs. Prairie dogs get muzzle blast smart so I limit its use to the winter time when I will take some long shots. I have seen prairie dogs head to their holes out at 400 yards when they hear the muzzle blast from the 243 rifle. I start out in the spring on the dumb pups with 17 HM2 and 17 HMR rifles. I like low muzzle blast and recoil. I also like the 17 Fireball and 204 Ruger rifles when the dumb ones are shot off.

I think the biggest reason for not using a 243 for prairie dogs is in high volume shooting, you are wearing out the chambers throat waaay too darn fast...

6mm Rem and a .223 can do it all for me, but if you want to see hits that 6mm had better be heavy!

Thanks for the comments. Seems the .243 can easily serve double duty. Never thought of "watching" thru the scope.
"Bouncer", I'm from Mpls. but now live 30 west near Waconia - waiting to move to WY..

Bigwhoop: I have several 243's that I Hunt Colony Varmints with.
Having said that the 243 Winchester would NOT be my main "go to" Prairie Dog Rifle.
One of my 243's is an extremely accurate Remington 40X Rangemaster single shot with 27 1/4" factory heavy barrel. It wears a Leupold 6.5x20 variable scope.
Its purpose is for LONG range Prairie Dogs and Rock Chucks - so I use the Nosler 70 grain Ballistic Tips in it and use 44.6 grains of powder in my handloads!
Result = recoil!
This Rifle weighs 14 pounds 2 ounces - but it still has ample recoil!
Often when I touch this Rifle off I loose my sight picture and do not get to spot my own hits (or misses and by how much which direction etc!). So follow up shots (if needed) ARE more difficult for the lone 243 Winchester Rifle user. Imagine what the recoil would do in a normal 10 pound set-up?
And the 243 Winchester WILL heat a barrel quicker than a 223 or a 204! Thus requiring "waiting for it to cool" periods more often! I have not tried the 55 grain projectiles in this 243 Winchester Rifle - my thinking being the 70 grain bullets "carry" a little better for the long shots I use it for exclusively.
Other posters have mentioned other detrimental attributes of the 243 as a Prairie Doggin Rifle - pay close attention to the muzzle blast/noise cautions - they are prudent warnings.
Yes indeed you can kill Prairie Dogs with the 243 Winchester I have done it with one for decades, but, I would not consider a 243 Winchester as my main go to Prairie Dog Rifle.
My advice - buy a heavy barrel 204 Ruger or 223 Remington Varminter then hold a garage sale or get some extra work and buy another Rifle that can be used on Deer etc.
You are going to have fun Prairie Doggin though - you will just get in more shooting and thus have MORE fun with a 204 or a 223!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

If you reload I would say yes, if you dont, your wallet is going to be hurting! If you want to watch your shots you can always try a 55-60 grain bullet over some blue dot. I used that last summer and at ranges up to 200 yards I get as much 'splat factor' as I do with regular velocity 223 loads. With a 243 you have the option of using heavier bullets which will allow you to do some longer range shooting than most 22 caliber guns. For a first PD rifle, the 223 rem is hard to beat IMO.

I use a 308.

Works REAL good.

BMT

I have friends that use the .308 with 168 gr SMKs for the really long shots on windy days. I have a .243 Tikka T-3 Lite that shoots sub-half-MOA with 75 gr V-Maxs, and I use it on PDs while letting the barrel cool on the .223 or .22-250.

Shot many 243s at dog towns and still do, they are my favorite rifle for PDs, as for recoil I don't see much of it with my rifles as they are heavy but not real heavy and I shoot the 55s exclusively. I can see many pds explode so I don't have a problem seeing mist. Sometimes they will fly as high as 20-25feet. Our rd count is in the 10sof thousands 55gr BTs at dogs. Can't see changing any time soon. HAPPY HUNTING

ruger24323, with full velocity loads, how often to you have to replace the barrel shooting 55's in the 243?

I have not replaced a barrel as of yet but I don't usually keep any for much of a time. I do have a custom now that I will shoot till it needs a new barrel. As for rifles I have had several that had over 4000rds through them and they all shot under .5 when I retired them. Throats were still good but showed some sign of errosion. When we shoot pds we try to not heat up the barrels so much you can cook on them. If you keep your heat down your barrel life will go up alot. Am looking forward to see how my Broughton will hold up for rd count. HAPPY HUNTING

Interesting reading the comments. I know there was a long one on the .204 also. In fact Mule Deer said it was the "go to" caliber for someone getting into pd shooting. A long time friend, LP Brezny from SD emailed me last week and said the .204 was definitely a great pd round but only if there was no wind.
Having a 1B in 22-250 and a Kimber Varmint in .223 I should probably go on one of these pd hunts before I spend any more money. Interesting reading nonetheless.

I use a 204 Ruger for PD's and it's easy to see your hits.

It'll work good out as far as 450 as long as it's not too windy.

Starting at 400 I'm on with my Tikka T3 243 Win - Awsome!!!

Here's a question for Seafire in particular ...

Given the cool barrels, reduced recoil, exceptional accuracy and "cheap" powder charges, wouldn't this be the perfect application for reduced Blue Dot loads in the 243?

GE

Im not Seafire but I shot about 600 rounds through my 243 with 21.5gr Blue Dot and 57 gr Vmax last summer. I wasnt disappointed.

I have shot many a PD with my .243 and 6MMAI. Both had a brake installed and did some shooting from a bench. Can you say separation and evaporation? That's what you get with each loaded with 70g. Nosler BT. Lots of mist! I do like to walk and shoot with my 22-250. This I load with 50 gr. BT and Vmax bullets. Both produce great results.