Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 243ackley or 260 ackley

You need to look at the energy of the bullets past 400 YDS.

6.5 all the way

Yeah but the 243 has more knockdown...

Life is short get both. Set them both up the same and keep the stocks different colors.

What John said.

Although, I have a 243 AI and sold my 260s

Awww, just split the diff and get a 6.25

I have the easy Rifle Looney's solution. Build one of each

Or one with two barrels. Like a Savage.

Yeah....


What???

I know you didn't miss that... Grin

Do you really factory in the cost of a new barrel or ream and set back to clean up the throat?

Us younger guys with small kids and fledgling businesses....... we gotta figure in all the costs we can. How else are we going to have any dough for the classifieds?

B-29 not only has twice the knockdown of the .243...... but during testing it actually caused a significant reduction in field dressing time/difficulty......

Interesting post as I have both a .243 and a 260AI. Both have their plus and minus aspects. I do indeed like the .243 for 'yotes, varmints and feral hogs. I load 65 gr. Vmax for my .243 which sports a 24" bbl. It is deadly and does what I ask it as long as I do my part. Now, I also have a 260AI that is in its' own right a very accurate and efficiant rifle. I use this for 'lopers, deer, feral hogs, 'yotes and etc. For this rifle I load Berger 130VLD hunting bullets and Nosler 120 BT. I develope loads for optimum accuracy regardless of muzzle velocity. Both loads are extremely accurate and have had no complaints from the animals about being not dead enuf. I have taken both deer and 'lopers out to and beyond 400 yds. No problem. I'm of the mind set that you will have to make up your mind whether you want the work to set up a custom wildcat cartridge. Both will do the job. Both require load developement. Both will take game at close and distant ranges as long as you do your part. I second, or third the recommendation to employ Lapua brass for the 260AI. I actually necked up Lapua .243 brass to .264, then fireformed the brass for 260AI. I neck turn and chamfer for the 130VLD. Perhaps this is a bit much. But, my loads are accurate out of a 24" bbl. each rifle. Anyway, good luck with your pursuit. It is an adventure. MTG

Took my .243AI out to 1022 yards yesterday. I was shooting over a large valley from the ridge of the bowl. The winds were swirling all over the place, from about 6-10mph and from half to full value. My chrono says that the 105AM is leaving the muzzle at 3120fps, but my real-world drops seem to point closer to 3280fps, after taking into account all the atmospheric, angular, and other data. My first round hit 1/2MOA high and 1/4MOA left of POA. The second and third shots hit 1.5" apart, dead center in the 12" plate. Throughout the day the wind hold varied from 2-6MOA of correction.

Despite the fact that I'm going to turn this rifle into a .260AI after this current barrel is toast, the .243AI can get it done out to some pretty long ranges. Impact velocity is still just a few feet shy of 1800fps at that range, and I'd not hesitate to run one through the lungs of a deer or elk, assuming I was 100% confident in shot placement.

One nice thing about the .243AI is I can easily spot my own shots after recovering from recoil, without the aid of a brake.

I thought you were funny....

Heck, you can probably spot anything over 300 yards when spitting the 105s out of a 12 pounder... grin.

Sounds like those things are kicking butt man!

That's the beauty of it

Jordan, I'm probably way behind the curve on this, but I've noticed recently that spotting hits gets a bunch easier when I practice the whole 'Natural POA' concept, and don't force into any positions with my core, arms, head/neck, etc.

Of course, it's not great practice for hunting, but when stretching it out and shooting prone, it sure is nice to watch the good stuff unfold through your scope.

Does the 260AI have a velocity advantage over a 6.5 Creedmoor with 120-140 gr bullets?

Does it matter?

It says AI on it..... which means it's faster, and has magical physics defying properties.......