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Old February 24, 2011, 02:02 AM   #76
sneasle
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Thanks for all the input guys.

It looks like .243 is going to win this. I do appreciate the input into all the other loads though, I might look into them in the future, but the sad thing is is that I don't see many of those on the shelves when I walk through my local shops.

While I have nothing against special ordering ammo, I don't want that to be my only option, which may end up being the case with many of these more 'unique' loads. Yes, you might be able to find them locally, but that doesn't mean that I can .


I doubt I'll need the additional power/range that anything larger will give me in the near future, but should the occasion arise where I need more, I can just use it as an excuse to go buy another rifle.

Sounds like a plan, right?
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Old February 24, 2011, 03:45 AM   #77
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Sneasle...243 is a good choice for you with 100 grain bullets....Also..U might want to consider an auto like the Remington 742..etc....
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Old February 24, 2011, 06:48 AM   #78
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Sneasle,

Seems like this thread has sorta run it's course, but I think you're making a good choice. I grew up shooting the .243 Win, and I'd venture to say I've probably shot up more .243 ammo than most fellas. I shot out the barrel of my first centerfire rifle (a Rem 600 "Mohawk" in .243 Win) by the time I was about 17. Now I have an older (1956) Winchester model 70 that still gets plenty of attention.

I'm a smaller fella too (5'7", 140 lbs), but I've sort of "graduated" to larger cartridges and calibers for big game hunting. Still use the .243 for smaller stuff, and occasionally still take it for deer, but in the open country out here in the west I like the added range of a 7mm mag. I'll admit that most of my shots could still easily be made with a .243, but I've had the occasional "shoot now or forget it" shot at longer range where the 7mm mag is far superior.

That said, for a very capable cartridge that's easy to shoot, and easy to find ammo for, the .243 is a fine choice IMO. I wish you the best of luck and success with it.

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Old February 24, 2011, 08:35 AM   #79
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nobody even mentioned the 6mm Remington?!? Remington just came out with a Stainless fluted M700 chambered in it.
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Old February 24, 2011, 11:44 AM   #80
Daryl
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The 6mm Remington is a good cartridge, but is harder to find ammo for. It's performance is slightly better than the .243, but it would be hard to notice in the field.

It's lack of popularity is attributable to it's introduction as the .244 Rem, which had a slower twist barrel than the .243. This caused it to not stabilize the heavier bullets like the .243 did, and gave the .243 a big jump start with shooter popularity at the time.

Remington's re-instroduction of the cartridge as the 6mm Remington may have helped save the cartridge from extinction, but it's never caught up with the .243 Winchester in that respect. Sad, because it really is a decent cartridge.

Daryl
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Old February 24, 2011, 11:51 AM   #81
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I didn't mention the 6mm Remington because of finding loaded ammunition...I really like my 6mm rem in a Rem700 BDL..I reload for this cartridge and tailored ammo from the light recoiling 6mm rem accuracy is amazing!!
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Old February 24, 2011, 12:22 PM   #82
sneasle
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Ya, there appear to be several choices with ~ the same recoil or slightly more with the benefit of greatly increased range, but most of these I've only heard of on the boards or when trolling online for ammo, I've never seen them on the shelves in a local shop.

The only 'local' shop I've seen 6mm rounds in is the Bass Pro, but that's well over an hours drive in a direction I very rarely have a reason to go in. I've seen 7mm local, but usually there are only two options, if I'm lucky.
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Old February 24, 2011, 12:43 PM   #83
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.260 Rem in a compact rifle. It's almost a ballistic twin to the 6.5X55 swedish mauser, which is a deer-killer beyond belief. 140gr standard bullet at around 2600 fps gives full penetration, and just kills them dead.
Recoil is probably slightly more than a .243, but it's worth it.
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Old February 24, 2011, 01:40 PM   #84
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Just to be different (a little bit)

1st choice. 243 WIN (cheap and plentiful and effective).
2nd choice AR-15 in 6mmx45. (ammo is pricier; might be a reloader.)
3rd choice 6.5 mm Arisaka carbine. Can be cheap;ammo pricier than .243. Loved mine; was deadly accurate and had no recoil to speak of.
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Old February 24, 2011, 01:42 PM   #85
Daryl
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Just for fun, here's a 100 yard target I shot a while back while working up a load for my .243 using a new powder.

I started at the top left, then shot top right, then bottom right, and since it was the last load (max load), I shot the center last. At max load I lost the fliers, and I've double checked that several times since.

Touching bullets at 100 yards with a rifle made in 1956 (a year after the .243 was introduced) is pretty decent in my book. The chrony showed this load to be shooting between 3030 and 3040 fps, so the consistency is incredible; even moreso when you consider that this load is with IMR7828SSC, which isn't even supposed to work well in this cartridge. No signs of excessive pressure at max load in my rifle.

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Old February 24, 2011, 05:13 PM   #86
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6.5x55 swedish
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Old February 24, 2011, 07:46 PM   #87
JerryM
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Hi Daryl,

Did you chronograph the loads with 7828? My favorite powder for the .243 is IMR 4350. I would be surprised if I could equal the velocities I get if I used 7828. I would not think you could get enough in the case. I have chronographed 100 gr bullets at 3150 fps with reasonable pressures.

I would like to know if anyone can get 3100 fps from a .243, especially with a 22 inch barrel, using IMR 7828.

Regards,
Jerry
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Last edited by JerryM; February 24, 2011 at 07:53 PM.
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Old February 24, 2011, 07:57 PM   #88
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I worked up some loads for my cousin's .243 ..... 46.0 gr of IMR 7828 got me an avg MV of 3,036 f/sec for a 95 gr Hornady SST.

46.0 gr of H4831 produced an avg of 3,111.
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Old February 24, 2011, 08:38 PM   #89
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well the 243 is a great round i think i would go with a 308 win. the bullets are half the price of the 243 and and have more knock down power with little more recoil
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Old February 24, 2011, 09:43 PM   #90
Lawyer Daggit
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243 is very loud and can be an indifferent killer and damage meat- subject to loading.

Can I suggest a 7x57 mauser? standard factory loads would perform well on your whitetail deer.
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Old February 24, 2011, 10:29 PM   #91
JerryM
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Thanks, jimbob. What were the barrel lengths?
Regards,
Jerry
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Old February 25, 2011, 06:20 AM   #92
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6.5 swede
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Old February 25, 2011, 07:36 AM   #93
Daryl
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Jerry,

Yes, I did chrono the loads. IMR4350 is also my favorite powder for the .243, and I've used it almost exclusively since 1976, but I couldn't find it during the early obama administration years. Since I use 4350 in several different cartridges, and couldn't seem to find any, I bought the 7828 to try in my 7mm mag. It shot horribly from that rifle, no matter the load.

So, I looked at some loading manuals, and started playing with the .243. 5 shot strings were mostly within 10 fps of each other, with max load going between 3030 and 3040 fps. More than enough velocity for thumping deer sized critters in Az, and it's more accurate than any load I've ever tried using IMR4350; although 4350 will shoot under an inch @ 100 yards without any problems.

When chronographing my old IMR4350 load (100 grain spbt bullets), I did get 3150 fps without any signs of pressure in my rifle. That said, the load is/was 1.7 grains over most reloading manual's suggested max load.

As a note, my load using IMR7828SSC did not completely fill the case, although it was pretty full. With a compacted load, I could have put more powder in the case. With the results I was getting, I no reason to push tings. 100 fps isn't something I'd ever notice in the field.

Daryl
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Old February 25, 2011, 08:31 PM   #94
JerryM
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Thanks Daryl. I learned somethinbg since I never used 7828. I always considered it good for magnums.


Regards,
Jerry
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Old February 26, 2011, 09:25 AM   #95
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See Post # 76...
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