Basic 1st Hunting rifle purchase.

[duddley75]

So bit of retail therapy yesterday and walked out of the LGS with a new rifle.

243 Weatherby Vanguard SS
Burris 3 - 9 x 40 scope.

Yeah it is pretty basic but will be a good start for me IMO.

[in2anity]

Yeah mate howa ticks a lot of boxes. Burris scopes are also not terrible; good choice of magnification for a carry. My only complaint would be the barrel length; IMO a 20" is all you need out in the sticks. In fact I go for a 16" carbine myself; however I will say that a 16" is rather noisy...

[SCJ429]

My 28 inch barrel on my 243 shoots out massive flames, I would hate to see the flames shooting out from a 16 inch barrel. I get that a short barrel works well in scrubby bush. But I love the 243 for the high velocity you can sling bullets.

[Bugman]

I got one of those meeself. The 243 groups around 1/2MOA at 100m. Totally fine for hunting.

[Bello]

Congrats on the new girl.
243 is a nice all rounder.
Will you reload for it or buy ammo.
The Australian out back ammo isn't too bad. They have 70gr, 87gr and 100gr already loaded. And its quite accurate.

[duddley75]

Congrats on the new girl.
243 is a nice all rounder.
Will you reload for it or buy ammo.
The Australian out back ammo isn't too bad. They have 70gr, 87gr and 100gr already loaded. And its quite accurate.

I will be reloading my own. Alot of the gear I use for my 308 carries over to the 243 given the similar case size.

[in2anity]

Is 243 just a short throated 6mm?

[duddley75]

They are pretty close.

Obviously i need different projectile seater and for the neck work as well.

.308 Winchester .243 Winchester
Parent Casing 0.3 .308 Win
Bullet Diameter 0.308” 0.243”
Neck Diameter 0.3433” 0.276”
Base Diameter 0.4709” 0.471”
Case Length 2.015” 2.045”
Overall Length 2.8” 2.7098”
Case Capacity 56gr 53-54.8gr

[Bello]

Hi duddley75
I load mine with the 87gr V-max.
I find them to be accurate and not to bad an thin skinned animals.
Clever firearms usually has specials on them and I buy them in bulk a little cheaper.

[Blr243]

+1 the vmax If I had a different user name it would be 87vmax ... With Vmax and a roll of duct tape a man can conquer the world

[snag]

Basic can be best for hunting. You'll get a ton of fun out of that set-up.

[in2anity]

My 28 inch barrel on my 243 shoots out massive flames, I would hate to see the flames shooting out from a 16 inch barrel. I get that a short barrel works well in scrubby bush. But I love the 243 for the high velocity you can sling bullets.

Lol - you are right. A 16” 243 would be pretty violent. Sounds like an interesting project

[Oldbloke]

It will be fine.

All mine have 22" barrels. A hacksaw and file will fix it....

[JimTom]

Great choice mate, nothing wrong with the Weatherby. .243 a great cartridge also. Well done mate, no doubt you’ll get a lot of fun out of it.

[AZZA'S HJ47]

First rifle I bought was the 243 great capable calibre. I own a howa 1500 very similar to the weatherbyyou wont be disappointed.

[straightshooter]

Is 243 just a short throated 6mm?

243 is based on a 308 case
6mm Remington (nee 244) is based on a 257 Roberts/8x57 case

[duddley75]

Hi duddley75
I load mine with the 87gr V-max.
I find them to be accurate and not to bad an thin skinned animals.
Clever firearms usually has specials on them and I buy them in bulk a little cheaper.

Thanks for the tip. I was considering the 75's so appreciate the 87's are a better option.

I like the Hornady gear. I use the 168gr ELD-M's and 165 SST's in my 308 currently.

[Bello]

I see you have tried the 165gr SST in your 308.
I used them a couple of time in my 308. Nice and accurate.
Problem I had was, when hitting game at under say 100 meters, they would explode.
They had a very violent expansion in close. Did the job. Just made too much mess for me.

I used various 70gr and 75gr in my 243 when hunting foxes a litter further out. They did the job nicely.
But I also had other projectiles for other jobs for the 243.
I eventually settled on one projectile, the 87gr V-max as an all rounder. Most of my hunting is now done within 200 meters, and the bulk of that is within 100 meters.

Happy hunting

[in2anity]

Is 243 just a short throated 6mm?

243 is based on a 308 case
6mm Remington (nee 244) is based on a 257 Roberts/8x57 case

It was a rhetorical question. But ok.

[Shootermick]

My 28 inch barrel on my 243 shoots out massive flames, I would hate to see the flames shooting out from a 16 inch barrel. I get that a short barrel works well in scrubby bush. But I love the 243 for the high velocity you can sling bullets.

Lol - you are right. A 16” 243 would be pretty violent. Sounds like an interesting project

I’ve got an 18” 243. Really like it, handy for grabbing and poking out the ute window.

[in2anity]

I’ve got an 18” 243. Really like it, handy for grabbing and poking out the ute window.

Does it shoot fire? Factory ammo?

[Shootermick]

Yeah, flames. I’ve only shot buffalo river 70 gr hollow points through it at this stage, but they have shot pretty well. I’ve since purchased a few boxes of the 87 gr vmax’s that everyone seems to like. But I haven’t put any of them through it yet.

[bigpete]

I would absolutely hate a 16" barrelled rifle for walk about hunting. I went that path and there was little to no advantage over a 20 or 22" barrel. And a hell of a lot of disadvantages imo.
From a vehicle however....different story. Very handy.
Good first choice in rifle,scope, and calibre. It will serve you well

[wrenchman]

That will work for you for years to have a good time

[in2anity]

A 16” is perfectly fine for a fast burning powder around the AR2205 region, like a 762x39,310 cadet, 357magnum, 300blk etc. All good to 200m, with just a little consideration to the wind and drop.

[boingk]

18" club here - most of my leverguns are 18.5" and both my 223 and 308 are 18". All great compromises - sure you might lose about 50fps over a 24" barrel but for vehicle use or walkin' n stalkin' it's perfect.

You want blast? Have a few shots from the Ruger American Ranch. Its a 16.1" barrel firing a 450 Bushmaster cartirdge - thats 250gn at 2000fps. Yeah, blast aplenty!

- boingk

[Gun-nut]

Great choice, I assume you're going to be hunting deer? Perhaps goats and pigs? 243 is more than capable for all three. I'm also an advocate for the 18-20" barrel length for a field rifle. However if the 28" doesn't bother you then that's all that matters.

[duddley75]

. However if the 28" doesn't bother you then that's all that matters.

Cheers thanks. It's only a 24 though.