Looking for a new caliber

[gearheadpyro]

I'm looking to pick up a new (light) gun for hunting in the southeast but am having difficulties with caliber choice. I'm leaning towards .243 win, but barrel life seems to be pretty short according to what I've read (1500 rnds?). If I get a .243 I would shoot the heavier stuff, 105 a-max and the like, that should help barrel life as it would be slower.

What are your thoughts on accurate calibers suitable for hunting with a long barrel life?

[mapsjanhere]

Those 1500 rounds barrel life refer to paper work, when you 0.5 MOA groups open up to 0.6 MOA and the benchrester gets out the reamer and resets the barrel. For a hunting gun I doubt you ever get the accuracy below Minute of Deer. If you want accurate with long barrel life in the smaller calibers you probably can't go wrong with a 6.5x55 swede.

[mtnbkr]

2nd the 6.5x55. That's what I use for Va whitetail. Mine is a Winchester Featherweight with Leupold VX-1 2-7x33. It's a lightweight combo for hunting in the Va mountains. Recoil with 140s @ 2500 is minimal. That combo (140gr Sierra Gameking) at 2500fps kill deer dead every time.

The only drawback is factory ammo can be hard to find (no Walmart ammo for you!), but since this is the handloading forum, that shouldn't be an issue.

Chris

[SL1]

Barrel life is not really a function of the speed of the bullets, at least not directly. What shortens barrel life is the effects of the hot powder gases eroding the throat of the barrel, just in front of the chamber. The eroded area allows the bullets to become misaligned when fired and accuracy deteriorates. The hotter the gases, the faster they heat the barrel. Also, the faster you fire the rounds, the hotter the steel gets and the easier it is for the gases from the next shot to cause erosion. Usually, the higher the peak pressure of the round, the hotter (and denser) the gases will be in the throat, which increases erosion.

One way to prolong barrel life is to choose a cartridge that is not marginal for your intended use, and then handload it to lower pressures for less-than-maximum, but still-adequate performance. Another is to pick an "older" lower-than-modern pressure cartridge design that is adequate when loaded to its SAAMI maximum peak pressure. Actually, these are very similar in-practice.

I had not heard that the .243 Winchester was particularly hard on barrels. But, maybe it is if you are shooting heavy bullets at max velocities. Other rounds that have slightly bigger bore diameters could shoot those 100+ grain bullets just as fast with less pressure. Have you looked into the .257 Robert or the old 7mm Mauser? In a modern gun, they can be loaded hotter than SAAMI standards for extra power if needed, but the factory rounds are pretty mild, while still capable of taking whitetail deer, black bear and wild pigs. And, both can double as varmint cartridges with light bullets, although they are not as flat-shooting as strictly varmint cartridges. (But, a laser range-finder can REALLY compensate for arched trajectories, nowdays.)

SL1

[Sam06]

I think the 243 is a fine cartridge but it is going to let you down one day on Deer. As far as shooting the barrel out its not going to happen unless you shoot a whole lot and expect a level of accuracy from a deer rifle that a bench rest shooter wants.

6.5 swede is a great cartridge and a proven Deer killer. I like the 257 Roberts also. The bad thing is they are both Medium actions. The are 1/2 way between the long actions like the 06 and the short action like the 243.

For a good medium to light cartridge in a true short action rifle I would take a hard look at the 260 Rem. Its a 243 necked up to 6.5mm. You get the best of both worlds; short action and a good bullet selection. The 260 is also becoming a big favorite in the sniper rifle competitions. low recoil but great Accuracy make it a contender.

There are a lot of great choices out there better than the 243 for a deer rifle, I would explore them. I am going to get a lot of heat for saying that but its my opinion and yes I have a 243..........Flame on

[SL1]

then the .260 Remington is a good one to take a look at. But, if you like to experiment with loading long, heavy bullets, then a short action can be a little restrictive, while a long action is still more than enough for the "in-between" length cartridges like the 6.5mm Swedish Mauser, .257 Roberts and 7mm Mauser. All of those cartridges EXCEPT the 6.5 Swede use the standard 0.473" case head diameter of the .30-'06 Springfield / .308 Winchester, so you can always MAKE cases for those easily from brass that is usually available almost anywhere in the world. The 6.5mm Swede uses a case that is just slightly larger in diameter. It is not enough to give any performance advantage, but it is enough to make it unwise to use brass with a 0.473" head diameter to make cases for the Swede.

The .260 Remington is loaded to 60,000 psi, while the 6.5mm Swede is loaded in the U.S. to only 51,000 psi. But, U.S. handloading manuals will often provide 2 sets of Swede data, one equivalent to U.S. factory loads and one that takes pressures to what modern guns use for other cartridges, usually somewhere between 60,000 psi and 65,000 psi.

The 6.5mm Swede and the .260 Remington use the same bullets, and they shoot them at about the same velocity if loaded to the same pressure and shot through the same lenght barrel.

SL1

[GeauxTide]

I absolutely love my Ruger 77 Compact SS in 260. I can push 120s to 2750 and there is the wonderful Nosler Partitons in 100 and 125. It will do everything a 243 will, and then there are 140gr bullets.

[gearheadpyro]

Thanks guys

It's looking like I'll be in the market for a .260 Remington. I may wind up switching barrels out on my Remmy 700.

Would it be better to form a .260 Remington by necking up a .243 or necking down a .308? I've got lots of .308 brass floating around. Any tips or pointers?

[David_S]

Interesting that all 3 calibres I use .243, 6.5x55 and 7x57 are recommended here. I find the .243 a little light for deer so I generally use the 7x57 and my son the 6.5x55. Both have mild recoil and are consistent deer killers. The 6.5x55 is probably the more versatile (and the most accurate of my rifles) with a wider range of bullet weights. The .260 sounds very similar but I am not familiar with it.

[Sidewinder72]

My vote is for the 243 Win. I don't shoot it prsonaly but the kids have shot many with 100gr corloks. A little small for me, I like my 25-06 for deer and yotes. Different strokes for different folks.

[RBrush]

Well, I went out and picked up my new handi-rifle in 243 win today that I ordered last week. Very impressive cartrige. That was until somebody I never meant before starting shooting a 7mm-08 beside me. He informed me that he reloads and then he demonstrated what it could do. I started to second guess my purchase after finding out that vast array of loads and combinatons you can get out of a 7mm-08. Well the positives I found were a short action, low recoil, long range capable, varmint to elk, 100gr-175gr bullets, factory ammo everywhere and any gun manufacture you desire. Good luck on picking out just one new gun! My marriage criteria for my wife was that she owned guns.

[rudy270]

look in the 25 cal there a 250 savage ,257 roberts, 257weatherby mag and the best of them 25-06 , 25wssm all said the 250 savage or 250-3000 the same cal is my first choice then the 25-06 then the other three with the wssm last

[GeauxTide]

243 is longer than 308 and 260. I found it easier to use the 308, but I just bit the bullet and bought some Remington 260.

[Leadman]

Just out of curiosity what are the possible ranges you will be shooting? Will this be a multy purpose gun?

[crimsondave]

My favorite light rifle is a 70 Featherweight in 30-06. If you mean a lighter caliber, add a +1 to the 7x57.

[gearheadpyro]

Ranges will likely be 50-150 yards, in brush.

I want a lighter gun, and a lighter caliber. Currently I have a .308, but it's more of a prone shooting long range kind of gun. I need something I can snap shoot at jump shots (missed one with my heavy gun this year)

Game will be mostly deer and some hogs.

[Clark]

I have got a .46" 5 shot at 100y with a Ruger #1 223 33 gr Vmax 15 gr Blue Dot moly seated long.

I have got a .45" 5 shot at 100m with VZ24 257RAI, 75 gr Vmax moly seated long.

I have got a .55" 5 shot at 100y with Rem700 6mmBR 87 gr Vmax.

I have got a .3" 3 shot group at 100y with VZ24 260 Rem 100 gr Nos BT

Generally the best group ever with a rifle and load is 1/2 the size of the average group.

Generally my good groups are with heavy barrels, light bullets, big scopes and shooting from a bench at a target at 100 yards.
Then I go deer hunting with light rifles, heavy bullets, small scopes, and shooting on my belly with a bi-pod at 329-510 yards.

[Uncle Buck]

I think the 243 is a fine cartridge but it is going to let you down one day on Deer.

I think that statement needs to be qualified with a bit more information. I use the .243 for deer and coyotes. Usually a 100 grain bullet. My shots for deer range between 50 and 125 yards. My shots for coyotes will range up to 200 yards.

Regardless of what you use, you have to know not just the range, but the effective range, of the gun to target. There is a big difference between the two.

I bought my first, and still favorite, .243 used and it has had more than 1,000 rounds through the barrel (according to my reloads ) and the only problem I ever had was when I dropped it this year and ruined the scope.


The 30-30 is a good gun for brush shooting and is easy to reload.

[Leadman]

I know you said lighter caliber but what poped into my head with all the other fields you are interested in (quickness,game and the distance) the Ruger Deerfield carbine might be of interest to you. 44 Mag! Light recoil,decient at those ranges,lightweight and quick. I don't have one but a friend of mine does. I really liked it for what it is. Reloading should be quite easy. 150 would be about max for the little carbine but with a little range time, it should be quite good at those ranges.
Just a thought.

[Water-Man]

6.5x55 Swede. Small game to large game with proper ammo. Short range to long range accuracy. Light recoil but hits like a .30-06 because of bullet design (deep penetration). What more could you want?

[James R. Burke]

I am not saying the .243 is the way for you to go, like lots of folks pointed out there are some nice ones to give some thought. My wife has has a .243 for deer, and I know lot of folks think it is alittle light. But she shot at two a dropped them both. One buck double lunger did not go very far found him in about one minute. The second one she filled her doe tag, neck shot dropped on the spot. I do believe shot placement is key, and that is for any rifle. She has let bigger ones walk, not because of the caliber but not having the placement, and that made me proud. If your reloading, and doing things correct your not going to shoot out a .243 barrel in 1500 shots. No way! Just practice, and getting her to feel real confident to the point were she knows its hers if she takes the shot we have almost that much thru it in three years. It still is shooting just has good has the day she got it. So if your reloading correct, using the correct bullet for what you are hunting even though it is overbored it will last a long time. For most hunters for has long as they own the rifle. For deer she is using a Nosler 100 grain partition. Again not saying that is the rifle or bullet you should buy look around. If your having a hard time finding what you want wait it out till you get what you want. Good luck, have a bunch of fun, and keep it safe, the manuals for reloading are a must have.

[wncchester]

"I'm leaning towards .243 win, but barrel life seems to be pretty short according to what I've read (1500 rnds?)."

You need to read better, more rational sources.

[Jim243]

If you can't figure out my favorite caliber, I better change my name. Sam I thought I was the only one that got flamed!!!

If 50 to 150 yards in brush is what you want, the only gun to get is the Marlin 336C in 35 Remington if you can find one.

Encelent brush gun 180 to 220 grain bullet, lite recoil, holds 5 rounds, is faster than a bolt action. And the best part is when a deer is hit it stays down and does not get up.


There you go a 35 Remington.

Jim

[5R milspec]

why not try the 6CM.Joe Hendricks came up with it.and its based off the 243.says he has been able to get over 3000 rounds down the tube and still going.and shooting the 115gn DTACT with H1000 and getting it to around 3100-3200fps.all so said that it is a very accurate cal.even been banded from tactical match shooting.so it sounds like it to me that its a good cal to go with.and when I can get up the money I will sure own one.

just need to take a look at 6mmmbr.com and do a search for 6CM and it wiil give you alot of info about it.

[elkman06]

.243 will serve you well for all the years you shoot it,,,providing you don't too amazed at the accuracy and get hyped about running the fps up so high that you do burn the barrel out. And yes, it is a first class deer thumper. Not exactly a "brush" gun in my book though.
elkman06