COTW - .243 Winchester

[AJ]

Shooters and writers thought Winchester would release a version of the .308 Winchester case necked down to .25 caliber to be a dual purpose cartridge. Instead, the now popular .243 Winchester was created. Warren Page developed the first prototype of this cartridge, called the .240 Page Pooper, and since it was getting a lot of time in the gun magazines, it was then made available as a factory cartridge to the public by Winchester in 1955.

The .243 Winchester was introduced by Winchester their Model 70 bolt action and model 88 lever action rifles. The .243 Winchester was quickly adopted by Savage and chambered for their Model 99 lever and Model 110 bolt action rifles. All of the British and European manufacturers began chambering bolt action rifles for this round. In fact, even Remington, who developed their own 6mm, had to recognize the popularity of the .243 Winchester and started chambering their rifles for it. The .243 Winchester is probably chambered in more different rifles than any other cartridge, except possibly the .30-06 Springfield. All other manufacturers of rifles offer this caliber.

As popular opinion long stated, the .243 and the other 6mm cartridges that performed similarly shot flatter, bucked wind better, and delivered more energy to distant targets than cartridges of smaller caliber such as the .22-250 Remington and the .220 Swift. The argument ends fast when the topic of conversation turns to flexibility. After varmint season is over, a rifle in .243 can switch roles and becomes a deer rifle, something that can not always be said of a rifle of smaller caliber.

In .243 caliber bullet selection is easy. The 55 to 85 grain bullets are the varmint bullets. The 90 to 115 grain bullets are designed for medium size big game, and the 85-87 grain bullets can be either (but not both). The Speer 80 grain spitzer has a ballistic coefficient of .365 and a sectional density of .194; the Speer 100 grain big game spitzer bullet has a BC of .351, and a SD of .242. These are pretty good numbers, superior to the numbers for the same bullet weights in .25 caliber.
The .243 is a better varmint cartridge than the .25's, while remaining adequate for deer and antelope. The .243 launches an 80 grain varmint bullet at a muzzle velocity of about 3,350 fps. This means that it shoots about as flat as a .22-250, only its 80 grain spitzer bullet has a BC of .365, compared to the 55 grain .22 spitzer's BC of .255. This is an enormous difference, and explains why the .24's are so much better than the .22's on windy days. When the .243 Winchester is loaded with lighter bullets, sending a 70 grain bullet out the barrel at 3,500 fps., it is an extremely effective varmint round. This is enough for any varmint sized game at the 400 yard mark and well beyond, however load it with 100 grain bullets at 3,000 fps. and you have an excellent deer and antelope round good to 300 yards.

When using the .243 Winchester is to hunt medium size big game, bullet selection is very critical. The varmint bullets will not give adequate penetration due to their thin jackets and must be avoided. Rapid but controlled expansion is very important, as the small diameter 6mm bullet has little shocking power if it does not expand and expend its energy inside of the animal. Two very popular bullets that have earned a good reputation on medium size big game animals are the Remington Core-Lokt and the always popular, Nosler Partition. Factory ammo is available from just about everyone that offers ammo. There are a wide variety of choices for the shooter if they are looking for varmint or big game loads.

The 243 Winchester is a light recoiling round which is comfortable enough for anyone to shoot, and it is inherently accurate which is a bonus to all that own a rifle chambered in this round. This cartridge is very popular for anyone that is sensitive to recoil. One of the best things about this chambering is its versatility. For a beginner just getting into the high power rifle sports the .243 Winchester round is highly recommended. The same gun can be fed varmint ammo and shooting skill can be developed in the fields on groundhogs, prairie dogs, marmots, etc. This will pay dividends when the deer season rolls around.

[dartonman]

Great write buddy....I have a pre 64 Winchester Model 88 in .243, and I love that gun....I wouldnt change it for the world............al

[archerjg]

Thanks for the information on a great cartridge.

Archerjg

[Strut_Buster]

the .243 is my favorite gun. I have it on an old Remington 788. I bring it deer hunting and i hae 100gr bullets for deer and if i see a coyote, I load a 55 gr. fast and shoot the thing. Best and the most versilal gun between any season. Big game, and varmints. Its all good!

[J_Owens_66]

I use it for varmints and deer. It is a Ruger .243 wearing a Burris FFII 4.5-14X42 A/O. It was given to me by my father, it killed numerous varmints and deer for him, and has taken 2 Coyotes and 3 Deer for me so far. It is a great gun for anyone starting out and if you are recoil sensitive, get this caliber. Great write-up AJ.

[robk]

just built a 243 with a pull off remington barrel 22" and a turkish mauser action. i am trying to work up some loads with varget and both 87 grain hornady vmax and 90 grain nosler ballistic tips anyone who is reloading with this please let me know
thanks
rob k

[wtnhunt]

Great write up and very informative there AJ.