243 winchester

[cuirc]

I have always been a fan of classics and I have been wanting a 6 mm to fill in the gap in my safe. I looked at the performance of all the 6 mm's. I my opinion they don't vary too much in performance with the possible exception on the 6mm Remington. So being a classic fan I have decided to have a chassis rifle made up in 243 to go with my 338 LM. Something to shoot when I am too old to pickup the 338 LM.
My question is; would a 243 make it in an ELR match, even at 2000 yards it still might have almost 1000f/s velocity left ?

 

[secondofangle2]

Can’t see impacts unless there’s dry dirt/sand

 

[XLR308]

The 243win is a great round even better if modernized a bit and Ackley Improved but as an ELR round would look elsewhere.
Within its limits it is very capable though.

 

[Kickin45]

If your going to hand load, it can be a multipurpose cartridge. You’ll need to load heavies long and have a faster than normal twist.

Ackley, heavies and the correct twist, and I’d say yes, it’s a long range choice. 2000yrds? I don’t think so.

https://www.6mmbr.com/243win.html

 

[Taylorbok]

IMO those 6mm get real dicey after 1200 yards, especially when the wind isn't co-operating.

 

[Rocketmandb]

I've taken my 6 BRA to just shy of a mile on a few occasions.

HOWEVER...

With those distances, it's at a location where we set targets in open dirt areas and it tends to be dry. This makes spotting misses relatively easy. Hits are another thing. Even at just a mile, on a 24" 3/8" AR 500 target, it barely moves - and doesn't if you hit it high. At 2000 yards? Without a shot marker, it would be difficult to see impacts.

 

[Varminterror]

243win, even pushing hard, will be sub-sonic around 1500, and holding on for another 500yrds just doesn't play out so hot for the little 6mm's. It's one of those "yeah, I hit 2,000yrds with my 243win.... those few times out of a bunch of shots... when the wind was down.... and the mirage was friendly... with a fast twist custom tube..." If that's what you're going for, then great. Otherwise, eh.... If you're wanting something which holds together and can really deliver at 2,000, 243win ain't it. I used 243win and AI for a long time, now I'm shooting Dasher and 6 creed for long range, but I wouldn't waste the powder to use either for regular use at 2k. Doing 2k on the cheap, eh, I might consider 6.5 PRC, but really, 300 PRC or WSM will be cheaper than your 338, and will get the job done. Might look into 7-6.5 PRC or 7PRC, just for kicks.

 

[Bandit320]

I love my 243. I ran it pretty hard, 105 RDF at 3160 fps. I’ve hit at 1,500 but the splash was a problem as mentioned. Also, I shot the standard version and had to turn the neck every couple of reloads due to brass flowing into the neck.

Honestly, my 6.5 Creedmoor was way easier at the same distances.

But I do love the 243.

 

[SanPatHogger]

I have pushed my 243 to the point where is was just luck to hit anything. 115 grain Berger VLD out of a 26 inch 1:7 barrel. At 1,300 I had a sub moa 3 shot group. At 1,760 I had 1 hit in the top left of a jeep hood, I fired 5 rounds. Nothing else on the hood or 8 foot wide cardboard backer. According to my GeoBallistics the bullets go sub sonic just past 1,300 and at 2,000 yards it 890 fps.

 

[Asgard1]

243 wssm improved is a awsome round. 2000 yards good luck

 

[iceng]

Experience with 243ai say 1 mile and it starts dying rapidly, but you can effectively put multiple rounds on target.

As stated by @secondofangle2 spotting shots is your single biggest pain.
Ive got a video of me shooting 1000m and a 243ai if you want me to post it.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I shoot my old 9.25 twist 243 Remington Varmint once in a while. It's fun to see what it will do with the obsolete 105 Amax or a cheap 100 grain soft point, but I don't find it to be all that efficient of a cartridge.

 

[cuirc]

243win, even pushing hard, will be sub-sonic around 1500, and holding on for another 500yrds just doesn't play out so hot for the little 6mm's. It's one of those "yeah, I hit 2,000yrds with my 243win.... those few times out of a bunch of shots... when the wind was down.... and the mirage was friendly... with a fast twist custom tube..." If that's what you're going for, then great. Otherwise, eh.... If you're wanting something which holds together and can really deliver at 2,000, 243win ain't it. I used 243win and AI for a long time, now I'm shooting Dasher and 6 creed for long range, but I wouldn't waste the powder to use either for regular use at 2k. Doing 2k on the cheap, eh, I might consider 6.5 PRC, but really, 300 PRC or WSM will be cheaper than your 338, and will get the job done. Might look into 7-6.5 PRC or 7PRC, just for kicks.

I realize that there is no comparison between the 243 and 338LM however the 338LM weights about 23 pounds and I am getting old one of these years soon It will be more than I can handle. I will be giving that a test next week at the NightForce ELR. I hope I hit the target! So I was looking at the 243 as something that would be a bit lighter and what ever I can get with it; it is what it is.

 

[stefan73]

I realize that there is no comparison between the 243 and 338LM however the 338LM weights about 23 pounds and I am getting old one of these years soon It will be more than I can handle. I will be giving that a test next week at the NightForce ELR. I hope I hit the target! So I was looking at the 243 as something that would be a bit lighter and what ever I can get with it; it is what it is.

23lbs? What .338 LP is that?. My Sako isn't as heavy at roughly 11.8lbs, with an optic it is about 13 or 14 lbs. The new Sako TRG-42 A1 with 13 lbs. The Sako is a comfortable rifle to shoot (I also shoot a bolt .50 BMG for full disclosure).

 

[cuirc]

23lbs? What .338 LP is that?. My Sako isn't as heavy at roughly 11.8lbs, with an optic it is about 13 or 14 lbs. The new Sako TRG-42 A1 with 13 lbs. The Sako is a comfortable rifle to shoot (I also shoot a bolt .50 BMG for full disclosure).

The savage precision elite with the MDT chassis and a nightforce scope I put it on the bathroom scale and that is what I read I will redo the weight

 

[Varminterror]

I realize that there is no comparison between the 243 and 338LM however the 338LM weights about 23 pounds and I am getting old one of these years soon It will be more than I can handle. I will be giving that a test next week at the NightForce ELR. I hope I hit the target! So I was looking at the 243 as something that would be a bit lighter and what ever I can get with it; it is what it is.

However you choose to spend your money is your business, but you asked the question whether a 243win would survive for ELR competition as far as 2,000 yards - the answer might not be what you wanted to hear, but as you said, "it is what it is."

If you want a 243win, out of subjective whimsy for "classic" cartridges, buy a 243win.

If you want a rifle capable of ELR competition out to 2,000 yards, don't buy a 243win.

 

[cuirc]

However you choose to spend your money is your business, but you asked the question whether a 243win would survive for ELR competition as far as 2,000 yards - the answer might not be what you wanted to hear, but as you said, "it is what it is."

If you want a 243win, out of subjective whimsy for "classic" cartridges, buy a 243win.

If you want a rifle capable of ELR competition out to 2,000 yards, don't buy a 243win.

Thank you for your response what would you do when you are old?

 

[Taylorbok]

If you just wanna shoot shit out to 1000-1200 yards a 6 will do fine but if you want to actually have a chance at 2k a fast 7 is a much better option and will have less recoil but even then a big 30 will provide much better splash but you aren't going to be far off the recoil of the 338. Maybe you just need a better brake? You could add some weight to the gun but that makes it harder to carry especially if you are gonna do more matches like NF

 

[stefan73]

The savage precision elite with the MDT chassis and a nightforce scope I put it on the bathroom scale and that is what I read I will redo the weight

Yep, you are probably correct on the weight of the Savage. Maybe sell the Savage and buy a lighter .338?

 

[cuirc]

Yep, you are probably correct on the weight of the Savage. Maybe sell the Savage and buy a lighter .338?

Right now the savage is quite "comfortable" to shoot

 

[Taylorbok]

Yep, you are probably correct on the weight of the Savage. Maybe sell the Savage and buy a lighter .338?

I guess that depends on if he's more worried about the weight or the recoil. I just assumed it was a recoil issue but that might change after NF and carrying a heavy gun all day

 

[cuirc]

recoil!

 

[Taylorbok]

What brake you running?

 

[cuirc]

An MDT forget the model but it sells for about $200. suppose to reduce recoil by about 2/3's

 

[Varminterror]

Thank you for your response what would you do when you are old?

How old is old? You've mentioned rifle weight as well as recoil, so I'm not sure what your limitation in ability might be. I know some "old" guys who shoot PRS and ELR matches, so I know "old" isn't a terribly descriptive term - but it's a very different game if you're not able to lift and move the rifle vs. no longer able to tolerate heavy recoil. If recoil is the main culprit, then rifle weight is your friend - a better muzzle brake would likely help a lot though. If you're not physically able to lift a 20lb rifle, then 2,000yrd shooting probably won't be your friend.

You could do 2,000yrds with a "classic cartridge," like 300 win mag. There are better options there, but a 20lb 300wm could do 2,000 really well - much better than 243win.

Or, maybe you just can't carry a rifle heavy enough which reduces recoil enough to suit your physical limitations, so productive 2,000yrd shooting might no longer be in the cards. I don't THINK that's going to be the case, but it could be your reality.