Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: Taco280AI on August 28, 2015, 05:46:04 AM

Title: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Taco280AI on August 28, 2015, 05:46:04 AM: Just picked one up, NIB ABolt II SS for $550 at Bass Pro. Been looking for one for years and saw it in a flyer so went and got it. Other than low recoil why do you like your 243? Any favorite loads? Will probably use the 80 TTSX in it. Really didn't need it, at all, but got it anyway. Can't wait to get it to the range.
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Mxracer532 on August 28, 2015, 06:45:37 AM: For me, in my Gordy Gritters .243 my load is this:
Win cases
Berger 95gn VLDs just kissing the lands
42g H4350
Win primers
3136fps

My nephew and both of my sisters have shot muley bucks (furthest being 502 yards took maybe 2 steps and fell over) I also killed my spring bear with it and its a hell of a coyote killer.
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: RadSav on August 28, 2015, 06:50:23 AM: Deer and varmints fear it, but no shooter ever did! I have yet to shoot one that wasn't extremely accurate. Even with cheap factory ammo. A lot to like about the .243!
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Killmore on August 28, 2015, 08:42:35 AM: Mine doesn't get to far from the house, I just open the back door and I'm at my 550' range. And the coyotes hate this thing. :tung:
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Jonathan_S on August 28, 2015, 09:09:43 AM: I love that my wife is comfortable shooting hers. She finally feels confident about her skills because she knows that she is a good shot (no flinching anymore) With as accurate as she is now, I would have no problem with her packing that during elk season vs. the .25-06

Ammunition and components are easy to find and it's got thousands of good recipes for reloading.
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: WoodlandShooter on August 28, 2015, 09:49:15 AM: my Wife's new 243...still need to sight it in and work up a load.
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: MountainWalk on August 28, 2015, 10:03:13 AM: I think it's an awesome chambering for an experienced woods man and serious hunting marksman to fully test their skills with.
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: jasnt on August 28, 2015, 10:09:23 AM: Absolutely love my 243! Great rifle for hunting everything from ground squirrels to bear. Super accurate and a pleasure to shoot! I load 58gr vmax,64gr berger br's, 87 vmax, 95gr vld's, 105 vld's. This is my go2 rifle for just about everything!

Rem 700 sps varmint in XLR evolution tac chassi with accu mag drop box and topped with vortex viper pst 6.5x20x44. And of course the timeny trigger
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: BULLBLASTER on August 28, 2015, 10:20:38 AM: Mine has earned the name bang flopper! Many a first deer have been taken with it and more times than not it just drops them. 243 is really an amazing round imo. Does much better than it seems like it should.
Mine eats 90 grain accubonds and 95 grain ballistic tips.
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Jonathan_S on August 28, 2015, 10:23:52 AM: Quote from: jasnt on August 28, 2015, 10:09:23 AM
Absolutely love my 243! Great rifle for hunting everything from ground squirrels to bear. Super accurate and a pleasure to shoot! I load 58gr vmax,64gr berger br's, 87 vmax, 95gr vld's, 105 vld's. This is my go2 rifle for just about everything!

Rem 700 sps varmint in XLR evolution tac chassi with accu mag drop box and topped with vortex viper pst 6.5x20x44. And of course the timeny trigger

Holy Knapweed!

You need to hit that with some CornerstonePlus :chuckle:

Nice gun though :tup:
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Reidus on August 28, 2015, 10:47:29 AM: Nosler 55 Grain Ballistic Tips @ 4100+FPS with 308 palma cases necked down to 243. Flat shooting! Why would you get a 22-250 when you can get a 243?
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Blacktail Sniper on August 28, 2015, 10:53:04 AM: Quote from: Taco280AI on August 28, 2015, 05:46:04 AM
Just picked one up, NIB ABolt II SS for $550 at Bass Pro. Been looking for one for years and saw it in a flyer so went and got it. Other than low recoil why do you like your 243? Any favorite loads? Will probably use the 80 TTSX in it. Really didn't need it, at all, but got it anyway. Can't wait to get it to the range.

Should never be a deciding factor in a purchase... :chuckle:
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: kckrawler on August 28, 2015, 11:18:28 AM: Quote from: WoodlandShooter on August 28, 2015, 09:49:15 AM
my Wife's new 243...still need to sight it in and work up a load.

Love it! :tup: Did you find it at a retail location or order one?
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: jasnt on August 28, 2015, 12:38:42 PM: Quote from: Jonathan_S on August 28, 2015, 10:23:52 AM
Quote from: jasnt on August 28, 2015, 10:09:23 AM
Absolutely love my 243! Great rifle for hunting everything from ground squirrels to bear. Super accurate and a pleasure to shoot! I load 58gr vmax,64gr berger br's, 87 vmax, 95gr vld's, 105 vld's. This is my go2 rifle for just about everything!

Rem 700 sps varmint in XLR evolution tac chassi with accu mag drop box and topped with vortex viper pst 6.5x20x44. And of course the timeny trigger

Holy Knapweed!

You need to hit that with some CornerstonePlus :chuckle:

Nice gun though :tup:
thanks. That's not my property lol but ya I'd love to spray it all!!!!
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: Taco280AI on October 03, 2015, 12:15:39 PM: Only shot one group at 100 today with the ABolt before pinging steel, was focusing on my AI. Factory blue box 80gr went .546" center to center, nothing to complain about.
Title: Re: What do you love about the 243?
Post by: JDHasty on October 03, 2015, 11:23:35 PM: My buddy, whose eyes are failing, can see bullet splashes when I use my Win HV 243 instead of a 22-250 when I take him with me rock chuck shooting. And old friends are the best friends, so when you have to make accommodations and they don't even effect the bottom line... It's accurate enough to close the deal at 550 or so. Recoil is negligible.

I generally use it because I am familiar with it now days even though I have a 22-250 788 w/Lilja, MPI stock and Canjar that can shoot rings around it.

I guess it just is what I have been shooting a lot as late. It is accurate enough to kill rockchucks out as far as were I shoot them at and it is the rifle I am most familiar with these days.

I have a MPI stocked 788 243 that has a Timney and is a fairly decent rifle too. I haven't shot it enough to even defend money what I have into it. I think I will cut the stock and give it to the kids.

I shoot a Win Mod 70 300 wby at big game and set the light barreled 788 243 up for coyote calling but never grab it. My Lilja barreled 22-250 is what I am comfortable with. But, one day each of walks into a gushop and sees something that would be "that much better" and walks out with it and it just sits.

That's my experience with the 243 Winchester. Basically, it can be boiled down to: It is a good choice for rockchucks, but if it were not for the fact that my nearly blind buddy sees 243 bullet splashes better, I could do without it.

When the kids actually use it on big game my opinion may change. But for me, I could start paring the fifty plus center fire rifles I own down and the 24's would not be among my last choices to go. I have a Winchester Winlite in 300 Wby (push feed, McMillan stock) and although I have other rifles sitting around, I always set that rifle up when I am going big game hunting.

They are not that useful to m, and they are not really interesting rifles like my old mod 86's and 71 or my 65 Winchester 22 Bee that I never even take out in the field anyway, but I sit and fiddle with.

Just my :twocents: