[Q] .243 good/bad

[platform]

wanted to ask about good/bad points of .243 in semi-auto configurations.

I have no experience with this round. It has attracted my attention because it is less expensive that other non-military hunting rounds, and appears to be chambered in some semi-autos.

I sofar have read two negatives (but then, I was also told that at least the first one of them is just simply old info,
from the 50's when metallurgy was not as good as it is today).

So the two bads are:

a) for such a small round it causes a rather short
barrel life (3,000 rounds vs 5-8K rounds for say .308)

b) very difficult to get subsonic in that round
(I do not particular care for this one). This is due
to a very high-presure requirement for this cartrigde.

I also found that the other non-military hunting round
that is not as expensive as others is 6.8 SPC
that is also has semi-autos chambered in it... so that's what I am essentially comparing the .243 to

I have found a similar (but not exactly the same) question asked before here

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70695

and I read it with great interest, however I could not just
'summarize' the technical shortcomings of this round.

 

[skud_dusty]

I don't have much to add on the semi auto part, but what exactly are you looking at using the rifle for? I have a bolt action .243 that was a ranch gun for years and years. The barrel is pitted and disgusting, but the darn thing shoots amazing flat and level. It's also the perfect size for the 90-120lb deer you find around this part of Oregon.

 

[Bob R]

The .243 is my go to gun when hunting antelope. I use it for everything from the antelope down to gophers. I reserve it for the long shots with 100gr bullets on windy days when gophering or prairie dogging. If it looks to be a windy day, I will sometimes lug it out for coyote. No matter what gun I am using, the .243 is in the jeep in case I need it.

As far as shortcoming, I don't see any in my use. Of course, I have no need for subsonic .243. Just about any member of the 6mm family is accurate, and the .243 does stay fairly accurate.

Mine is a bolt action, but I have seen some ARs chambered in .243 and one M1A in .243. The people that had them had nothing but praises for them.

bob

 

[mnrivrat]

A time tested and proven cartridge that has always given good performance to everyone who I know used it - including me. Cartridges use their pressure to expand the case and form a seal in the chamber - trying to go subsonic with a .243 Win. is useful for what ?

 

[rangerruck]

yeah, I agree with everything stated above, plus it is a long flat shooter, one of your faster non wildcat centerfires. What do you mean by subsonic, i mean, the round will become subsonic, after about 1000 yards or so.

 

[platform]

thank you for all the replies. By subsonic I meant reduced noise essentially without a supressor.. I do not actually know at what speed it must fly out of the barell (I assume below 1300 fps).

The main use for me is just plinking of the .243 semiauto -- around 1K rounds per year. So that's why I asking about a barell life... I was mostly thinking about a FAL in .243 (DSA) -- as I have not seen an AR in that round.

I just could not understand why people say that .243 is sooo much more worse to the barell then a .308

 

[Sav .250]

Plinking? around 1k a year. Seems to me your looking at the wrong rifle to plink with.
If it`s truly "plinking" then get a .22 or something in that range.
That last thing I`m plinking with is a .243 but to each his/her own.

 

[berettashotgun]

Barrel life : A 243 pretty much will have faster barrel throat erosion as compared to a 308 simply because the same case with a smaller hole is going to generate a hotter flame and concentrate this over a much smaller area.

Subsonic : using this cartridge for subsonic "practice" is counter-productive for the effort and expense you are incurring. POI and POA will be different enough to have to have different sights/scope settings if you are shooting around 100 yards.

I'd get a dedicated 22lr upper for my AR.

 

[aubie515]

Why concern yourself with subsonice .243 loads, unless you want to suppress the rifle?

I love my .243 and have nothing bad to say about the cailber. As some have stated, it can take from ground hogs up to PA whitetail sized game. What more could you ask for and it is a better choice than the 6.8SPC. The 243 will offer a wide variety of bullet weights compared to the 6.8SPC.

 

[patentmike]

The 6.8SPC is a better choice for the AR, the whole point of the round being getting .243 performance in a .223-length cartridge. The .243 requires the same longer action as the .308, so why bother? Any semi-auto you find chambered in .243 probably comes in .308 as well, ammo is everywhere and I doubt you would find .243 any cheaper.