Try and convince me the 243 is actually useful

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen , I just used my 6br at a long range shooting course. Just a Pidly little .243 diameter 105gn projectile busting clays at 540 and even on target at 840. Not bad.
Orange Accuracy is the business running the course

@CBH Australia
Chris I notice you said you took it to the RANGE NOT HUNTING. Great for range use but not game use.
Bob

 

[CBH Australia]

@CBH Australia
Chris I notice you said you took it to the RANGE NOT HUNTING. Great for range use but not game use.
Bob

Dunno Bob, I may one day look at some longer range pest plinking once I develop the load. If I can back where the wild dogs roam I reckon they like to look back from 300 or further out. Yes, a good .25 would do it but I want to be confident to be spot on at ranged distances of 500+ to attain DRT. You can’t shoot at them to educate them you have be sure they don’t get smart.

 

[colorado]

@CBH Australia
Chris I notice you said you took it to the RANGE NOT HUNTING. Great for range use but not game use.
Bob

I got my first elk with a 243. 105g Speer spitzer loaded hot. The elk didn't know it wasn't enough gun

 

[Malambo]

I have shot a boar with .243; he run away leaving some drops of blood on the spot, never to be seen.
I have learned the lesson and never used it again.

 

[LeonSam]

I don't understand why anyone would buy a .243 when the 6.5x55 is better in every way. Here's my 6.5x55 Musgrave

 

[jruby]

I believe in one cartridge load ( bullet, weight and powder ) for each rifle. Once I have the cartridge load worked out I dont change it. For my Swede I shoot 140g hornady interlocks. It's one of my favorite deer rifles closely tied with my 7x57. Again to me these are deer rifles. Yes they will kill a rabbit or a coyote but they are in my opinion too large for a varmint gun. My 22s and 243s are perfect for varmints including coyotes. In my guns my 6.5x55 serves a different purpose than my 243s do. I think they serve a purpose.

 

[LeonSam]

I believe in one cartridge load ( bullet, weight and powder ) for each rifle. Once I have the cartridge load worked out I dont change it. For my Swede I shoot 140g hornady interlocks. It's one of my favorite deer rifles closely tied with my 7x57. Again to me these are deer rifles. Yes they will kill a rabbit or a coyote but they are in my opinion too large for a varmint gun. My 22s and 243s are perfect for varmints including coyotes. In my guns my 6.5x55 serves a different purpose than my 243s do. I think they serve a purpose.

I agree with you. I also believe in one load for each rifle.

But the main selling point behind the .243 was that it was the caliber for shooting both varmints and deer. With 140 grain bullets the 6.5x55 is a much better deer round than the .243. And with 100 grain bullets, the 6.5x55 is just as bad a varmint round as the .243.

The .243 and the 6.5x55 are both too much for varmints. That's what .22s are for.





For

 

[Boone66]

With his .30-06. A few more with the same bullet in .308.

Interesting, I have never had a problem with them and have never seen on fragment. Even shot a large grizzly threw both shoulders and still recovered a mostly intact bullet. My bullets were all bought in the 80's and early nineties, I wonder if they changed how they made them or something else.

 

[ZG47]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen When are you going to show us these tomatoes that you grow with .243 barrels as stakes? Unless … the steel in the barrels violates Federal/State rules on iron and chrome content ?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I believe in one cartridge load ( bullet, weight and powder ) for each rifle. Once I have the cartridge load worked out I dont change it. For my Swede I shoot 140g hornady interlocks. It's one of my favorite deer rifles closely tied with my 7x57. Again to me these are deer rifles. Yes they will kill a rabbit or a coyote but they are in my opinion too large for a varmint gun. My 22s and 243s are perfect for varmints including coyotes. In my guns my 6.5x55 serves a different purpose than my 243s do. I think they serve a purpose.

@jruby I do like that idea but I'm fortunate in that both my 25 and Whelen don't really care what goes down the tube they both place bullets of various weight to the same poi out to 200 yards and still into small groups.
For example my 25 with a 100gn TTSX, 115 combined technology Silver tip and a 117 gn SST will cut a sub inch group using all three one after the other at 200yds.
Bob

 

[jruby]

@jruby I do like that idea but I'm fortunate in that both my 25 and Whelen don't really care what goes down the tube they both place bullets of various weight to the same poi out to 200 yards and still into small groups.
For example my 25 with a 100gn TTSX, 115 combined technology Silver tip and a 117 gn SST will cut a sub inch group using all three one after the other at 200yds.
Bob

Inside of 200 yards you can get away with that but as you start to stretch thier legs the little things start to make a bigger difference. I am not a great shot but the more variables I control the more consistent. My max distance for hunting is about 400 yards.Just my opinion.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Inside of 200 yards you can get away with that but as you start to stretch thier legs the little things start to make a bigger difference. I am not a great shot but the more variables I control the more consistent. My max distance for hunting is about 400 yards.Just my opinion.

@jruby.
Totally agree with you
My 25 with various projectiles variation at 400 yds is 4"
The Whelen naturally a lot more.
Bob

 

[jruby]

I shoot a jc higgins model 50 I rechambered and swapped the barrel to 25-06, it is one of my favorites. It is one flat shooting rifle. I also have a 257 roberts on a 1903a3 being finished. I love the 25-06;and hopefully the Bob. I still dont consider them varmint rounds.

 

[Creigh]

I don't understand why anyone would buy a .243 when the 6.5x55 is better in every way. Here's my 6.5x55 Musgrave

Cannot disagree.

Every now and then I forget why Americans are obsessed with 6.5. Then I remember.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I shoot a jc higgins model 50 I rechambered and swapped the barrel to 25-06, it is one of my favorites. It is one flat shooting rifle. I also have a 257 roberts on a 1903a3 being finished. I love the 25-06;and hopefully the Bob. I still dont consider them varmint rounds.

@jruby
Stoke that 25-06 up with 54gn of H4350 and a 100gn TTSX for 3,400 fps or a nice 87gn VMAX to 3600-3700 fps and go have fun. They should have similar trajectory out to 300 yards and not much need for a lot of brain power to 400.
Bob

 

[jruby]

@jruby
Stoke that 25-06 up with 54gn of H4350 and a 100gn TTSX for 3,400 fps or a nice 87gn VMAX to 3600-3700 fps and go have fun. They should have similar trajectory out to 300 yards and not much need for a lot of brain power to 400.
Bob

I shoot 120g bullets out of my 25-06. It is a medium game rifle such as deer or antelope. If I have the need for speed I have a nice 22-250AI or a 220 swift. I do not consider my 25-06 a.varmint rifle.

 

[CBH Australia]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen I was thinking, I reckon a .243 is plenty enough for goats. Probably Fallow and Chital too.
Maybe your should grab yourself a .243 and try it on goats.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen I was thinking, I reckon a .243 is plenty enough for goats. Probably Fallow and Chital too.
Maybe your should grab yourself a .243 and try it on goats.

@CBH Australia
I thought about what you just said for about a millipoofteenth of a second. Then thought of how much 25 cal ammo or components I could but even for the cost of a cheap 2nd hand 243 and said NAH I'll stick with my 25.
Goats ain't hard to kill. If'n my son didn't have the 222rem with him at the moment I would take that.
Bob

 

[CBH Australia]

@CBH Australia
I thought about what you just said for about a millipoofteenth of a second. Then thought of how much 25 cal ammo or components I could but even for the cost of a cheap 2nd hand 243 and said NAH I'll stick with my 25.
Goats ain't hard to kill. If'n my son didn't have the 222rem with him at the moment I would take that.
Bob

I think you should give the .243 another chance.

Is your son still out here?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I think you should give the .243 another chance.

Is your son still out here?

@CBH Australia
Give the 242 another chance, you have to be joking I never gave it a first chance
Yes he's still out there been flat out at the hospital and working at the pub. He comes home Wednesday.
Bob