243 win, what do you use yours for ?

[bigrich]

hey folks, got a 243 on the way for a project build. starting to have another look at 243 caliber but. very flat shooting and flexable . so who's got one, and what hunting situation and game and bullet weight do you use yours on ? cheers

[GQshayne]

I have a .243 in a FN Browning BLR. With 87-90gn projectiles, this is my pig hunting gun. I also have a Tikka LSA55 in .243, and with 70gn Nosler Ballistic tips and a 2-12 scope it is set up for longer range hunting of wild dogs etc.

[bigrich]

I have a .243 in a FN Browning BLR. With 87-90gn projectiles, this is my pig hunting gun. I also have a Tikka LSA55 in .243, and with 70gn Nosler Ballistic tips and a 2-12 scope it is set up for longer range hunting of wild dogs etc.

that's the thing about 243 , it has the flexability to multi task FN BLR is a nice bit of gear . better than the muroku jap made one GQ ? the FN is earlier and has the steel receiver ?

[HomeBrew]

87gn VMax pushed hard with 2209 does bunnies to pigs. It hurt my brain loading and getting cute with 55's, 85's and 100's.

[Blr243]

Browning lever and sauer 100 boltgun I have in 243. Small v max I use if I am going to be doing a ton of Roos ....87 vmax for pigs and fallow. 105 grain speers I have used for Himalayan thar and red deer .....fox’s and cats get whatever happens to be in the rifle at the time

[bigpete]

Looking pretty...

[on_one_wheel]

Last used mine on goats.
100 grain soft point boat tails

[bigrich]

Looking pretty...

good on ya . i remember you saying ya weren't all that fussed on them

[bigrich]

Browning lever and sauer 100 boltgun I have in 243. Small v max I use if I am going to be doing a ton of Roos ....87 vmax for pigs and fallow. 105 grain speers I have used for Himalayan thar and red deer .....fox’s and cats get whatever happens to be in the rifle at the time

how did the 87 vmax go on porkers mate ? i woulda thought it was a little too lightly constructed ?

[bigpete]

Looking pretty...

good on ya . i remember you saying ya weren't all that fussed on them

Nope. I'm not. Sooner I can get it rebarreled to 358 winchester the better

[bigrich]

Looking pretty...

good on ya . i remember you saying ya weren't all that fussed on them

Nope. I'm not. Sooner I can get it rebarreled to 358 winchester the better

i've been weighing up whether to have a play with mine in 243 before going 358 . y'know , just because

[Bilko]

As a returning hunter, after a 38 year hiatus, I have just got a Weatherby Vanguard 2, in 243. Only put 6 rounds down range so far. (Which should change next weekend - lookout Ripley). I have bought a range of ammo from 70gn to 100gn to see which it prefers, and intend to get into reloading in the future. My thoughts are the lighter rounds for foxes, grasshoppers and maybe goats, and the heavier for pigs. Cats and wild dogs will get whatever is up the spout at the time. I am interested in replies to this thread to get an idea of what others are using for various game.

[deanp100]

I have a .243 in a FN Browning BLR. With 87-90gn projectiles, this is my pig hunting gun. I also have a Tikka LSA55 in .243, and with 70gn Nosler Ballistic tips and a 2-12 scope it is set up for longer range hunting of wild dogs etc.

that's the thing about 243 , it has the flexability to multi task FN BLR is a nice bit of gear . better than the muroku jap made one GQ ? the FN is earlier and has the steel receiver ?

The jap miroku levers made for browning have a steel receiver also and are the equal or better then the brownings . I think they were made first and then production went to FN .
Nope I lied. Fn from 69-72, miroku from 73.

[marksman]

my old 243 was used for everything from bunnies to fallow with 100gr soft points



when she burned out I had her made into a 6mm dasher for varmint type longer shots with 105gr bergers

[Blr243]

Big rich. Only once did I hav v max blow up on the surface of a boar 5 metres away It was a 58 grain projectile ...I won’t ever try that again. 87 gives me very reliable performance

[bigrich]

Big rich. Only once did I hav v max blow up on the surface of a boar 5 metres away It was a 58 grain projectile ...I won’t ever try that again. 87 gives me very reliable performance

thanks for the feedback BLR

[bigrich]

by the looks of it the ole 243 is a favorite of a lot of fellas . you guys have given me a bit to think about , i'm cooking a "rich rabbit stew" and having a coopers tallie taking all this in . decisions , decisions . instead of doing my 358 project i might leave it as 243 for a while .........

[GQshayne]

Fabrique Nationale were the initial manufacturer for Browning, however due to cost, it was moved to Miroku in 1973. My FN was made in 1973. First model runs of the Miroku were the same design as the FN, and a newer model was released in 1981. Not surprising, it is called the Model 81. All these are a steel receiver. Later models are aluminium, and in my opinion, not as smooth as the early stuff. The FN does show as a premium product to me. Action is very smooth, trigger excellent, and has nice walnut for the stock, which the Miroku does not have. The model 81 is a nice rifle too.

[bigpete]

Just go the 358...

[duncan61]

Love the 358 obsession I got a stiffy for the 338 Fed when I first found out about it.I took the advice of this forum and agreed it will be easier and better to purchase a rifle already chambered in 338 Fed.My Howa .243 had rusted in the bag in a safe and it made me sad.The bore was oiled and the action did not rust but the 22 inch barrel was pitted and ugly.I ended up taking it to work and belt sanding it then undercoat and I hand painted it Camo with airfix paint.To answer the O.P. we Standardised our loads with 80 gn PSP on 35gn 2208 and use it for everything.Some of the blokes I hunt with buy their own factory stuff cos they dont shoot that often but I only use the reloads.I zeroed at the range the other day at 300 yards and once on was hitting the V bull 2 out of 3 my logic was to try and do a bunny at 300 but its back to 100 metre zero again as I went culling roos and that works for me.

[duncan61]

80 gn PSP doing just over 3000 fps what on the planet will shrug that of as a mozzie bite.

camo .243 2.jpg (558.19 KiB) Viewed 6226 times

[bigrich]

Lotta people I bin talking to about 243 use it to zap roo’s at distances. Would be more reliable with a heavier bullet than a 22-250 I suppose. My 222 was getting pushed around a little at 200 yesterday, the wind doesn’t faze my 6.5x55 at that distance

[bigpete]

Considering the legalities of shooting roos beyond 200m,I see zero logic in that comment. A 50gn .224 bullet to the head will do exactly the same as an 80gn .243 bullet will.....

[deanp100]

Considering the legalities of shooting roos beyond 200m,I see zero logic in that comment. A 50gn .224 bullet to the head will do exactly the same as an 80gn .243 bullet will.....

Makes perfect sense. A lot of Roos are shot under light beyond 200. A wind bucking projectile will make that job easier.

[bigrich]

Considering the legalities of shooting roos beyond 200m,I see zero logic in that comment. A 50gn .224 bullet to the head will do exactly the same as an 80gn .243 bullet will.....

Makes perfect sense. A lot of Roos are shot under light beyond 200. A wind bucking projectile will make that job easier.

I didn’t consider the 200 meter legal range perspective with Roos Pete. Either way a heavier projectile will be pushed around less as the distance increases. I’m pretty sure a lot have been shot well past that distance but . I’m not gunna say a 243 is the be all and end all, but is does seem to be flexible for a lot of different jobs depending on how it’s loaded . JMHO

[bigpete]

Wind is the only thing I would consider it being an advantage with. And 200m is certainly the maximum legal shooting distance. Once you sign that permit you gotta abide by the code of practice, so people banging on about shooting them from further are admitting to breaking the law....

[Bruiser64]

Wind is the only thing I would consider it being an advantage with. And 200m is certainly the maximum legal shooting distance. Once you sign that permit you gotta abide by the code of practice, so people banging on about shooting them from further are admitting to breaking the law....

I totally agree with you Pete. If you are going to shoot Roos it is beholden on you to comply with the Code of Practice. Many people don’t realise the COP was created to give the community confidence that roo shooting is done in a careful, humane, controlled manner. Governments in Australia want there to be a roo shooting industry and want the ability for Roos to be culled by shooting. The COP lets them say to the antis that their concerns about how humane the process is have been addressed. So if we as shooters want to support the ability to manage roo numbers through shooting we need to comply. Antis do monitor these sites so posting that you intend being non compliant is ill advised in my view.

Having said that I do use my .243 for foxes and Roos. I shoot reloads using 87 gun Vmax projectiles, AR2209 powder and CCI large rifle primers. I am pretty happy with this load.

[bigrich]

Wind is the only thing I would consider it being an advantage with. And 200m is certainly the maximum legal shooting distance. Once you sign that permit you gotta abide by the code of practice, so people banging on about shooting them from further are admitting to breaking the law....

I totally agree with you Pete. If you are going to shoot Roos it is beholden on you to comply with the Code of Practice. Many people don’t realise the COP was created to give the community confidence that roo shooting is done in a careful, humane, controlled manner. Governments in Australia want there to be a roo shooting industry and want the ability for Roos to be culled by shooting. The COP lets them say to the antis that their concerns about how humane the process is have been addressed. So if we as shooters want to support the ability to manage roo numbers through shooting we need to comply. Antis do monitor these sites so posting that you intend being non compliant is ill advised in my view.

Having said that I do use my .243 for foxes and Roos. I shoot reloads using 87 gun Vmax projectiles, AR2209 powder and CCI large rifle primers. I am pretty happy with this load.

that sounds like a nice 243 load bruiser . i might have to try that one. as for the roo shooting thing , it doesn't interest me and i haven't done it personally . you and pete are absolutely right in being compliant , and the 200 meter rule is something i hadn't remembered . sure as but , there are experienced shooters who have shot them out further . maybe they didn't have their rangefinder or tape measure handy . just sayin" if you wanted to pick off other "varmits" further out , wind drift would be less with a heavier projectile

[bigpete]

Actually,the one contract roo shooter I know personally at the moment does use a rangefinder....
What I find disturbing is the amount of folks who post "500m" head shots up on Facebook and such....

I also confess,I'm not a great fan of the 243,as I've already got a 223,22/250,and a 308,all of which shoot 10x as good as my 243.....

[duncan61]

I like the fact you can go to a small country town hardware store and if they sell ammo which most do they will have .243