I think there are a couple companies making AR10 rifles in 243 and a couple different models of the Browning BAR in 243. For practical hunting, I'd really rather have a light weight bolt gun and there's plenty of them to chose from.
I have a Winchester Coyote which is a bit heavier than a sporter weight rifle but not as heavy as a true heavy rifle. And I have a Howa Ultralight which with a Burris 3-9x Compact scope only weighs about 7.2 lbs. I think a nice lightweight rifle in 243 is one of a very versatile 2 rifle battery.
For ammo, there's a lot of options as well. From 58, 65 and 75 Gr VMax to 75 Gr HPs to the 95 Gr SSTs for tougher game and 100 soft points and round nose bullets... and those are all just from one company - Hornady.
One thing to keep in mind with the 243 is that it is a pretty good sized case and with lighter bullets, you can achieve some screaming velocities and if you use these a lot, barrels are probably not going to last a long time. I've mostly used 75 Gr VMaxes (handloaded and built to the rifle) and 100 Gr Grand Slams (factory from Speer). My reloading friend also loaded me some heavier AMax bullets, forget the weight.
The 243 is a great cartridge. Good for varmints, good for deer if you take good shots. Flat shooting enough to certainly be used for long range precision shooting. Plenty of good factory loaded ammo and even more bullets for the handloader to choose from. I give it a big thumbs up.
, Art
