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Thread: .243 Winchester.
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14-05-2019, 12:12 #21
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Re: .243 Winchester.
I now have 2 rifles in 6mm. My old 243 Musgrave RSA single shot (now AI) and a new Ruger RPR that I won in a lucky draw on Jaracal forum. The Musgrave gave acceptable groupings of about 25mm, but improved after the Ackley conversion. Even the old 243 ammo gave better groups whilst being fireformed. The RPR seems to like 100gr bullets and both Hornady and PPU were under 1/2 inch whilst still using calculated charges to get to nodes. I also saw a good grouping with 55gr Noslers.
I have used copper bullets for most of my hunting with the Musgrave and they have given very good results. Not one beast lost due to wounding. From springbuck to kudu have been hunted with it. The majority of animals have however been springbuck up to impala and blesbuck. It boxes far above the small bullets that are used in it. Ammo and components are varied and easily obtainable. The hypes about the newer 6mm's dont make them so much better that they completely overshadow the 243W.
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14-05-2019, 12:36 #22
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- Mar 2016
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- 96
Re: .243 Winchester.
I use PMP brass, bought 200 about 25 years ago, they have all been recycled 6 to 8 times without a single problem. bullets used Hornady 100g PMP 100g and Barns X 85g. no donuts no splits and I have never needed to trim them. Nothing wrong with PMP.
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14-05-2019, 12:39 #23
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Re: .243 Winchester.
I think the hype on modern calibers is very valid, but also very overrated. For the average shooter, be he a hunter or a ~500m gong shooter, there will be absolutely no practical difference between an old caliber like a .308 Win or .243 Win, or a new caliber like a 6.5 CM. Most of us, be he hunter or shooter, will never shoot in the ranges that the modern calibers are designed to excel in, and I think the sooner people realise that, the better. Honestly. I would much rather spend R15k on a half-decent scope for my old CZ .243 than spend that money on a new rifle in 6.5 CM with a R3k scope if I wanted a ~500m rifle that'll do hunting and shooting equally well.
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14-05-2019, 13:01 #24
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14-05-2019, 13:24 #25
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- Nov 2013
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- Eastern Cape
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- 1,303
Re: .243 Winchester.
I used one more in my teens and early 20's than these days but hunted a lot more than the average Joe with it. I think they are better suited to 100grn bullets than the lighter stuff and punch well above their weight when used in this context. With body shots on larger animals entry wound and exit wound is generally small so blood trail will never be great. Stay away from PMP brass in this caliber and you should have no issues wrt reloading.
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14-05-2019, 13:53 #26
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Re: .243 Winchester.
Dimitri, I like the way you are thinking..yes, I read up a lot the past few weeks about the 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser and decided it is the best caliber for light recoil, shooting a very long /heavy for caliber bullet...it gives you great penetration, with light loads ..I think we are talking 38 gn to 40 gn a load..on a 140 gn bullet...not a barrel burner, 130 years old, designed by two of the most innovative armies of the world, is used in machine guns as well and other Scandinavian/European countries..which use to reload this caliber hot ...I already bought all the components to build my 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser.. will use it on springbok, impala , blesbok , ribbok ..and target practice...
Will use only Lapua brass, and Barnes TTSX bullets..
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14-05-2019, 15:10 #27
Re: .243 Winchester.
You mean the 6.5 x 55mm Death Laser don't you .
One too many wasted sunsets and one too many for the road .........
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14-05-2019, 15:10 #28
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Re: .243 Winchester.
I consider myself to be somewhat of an expert as far as the 6.5x55 Swede is concerned, I hunted more than 1100 animals, ranging from steenbok to eland, with it in less than 4 years. Yes it is a good cartridge for small to medium sized antelope. It shoots a long for caliber bullet only if you load it with 160gr bullets. Penetration is, just like other calibers, dependent on bullet construction more than anything else.
However, the question I asked was about a cartridge that can deal effectively with the smaller antelope (up to blesbuck) AS WELL as serve as an effective varmint rifle. In my experience the Swede is not effective in this role. I do own a 6.5mm and several larger calibers, none of them are really suited to the role stated in the OP.
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14-05-2019, 17:30 #29
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- Jul 2011
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- BFN Freestate
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Re: .243 Winchester.
The problem with newfangled things is they are designed for a purpose, sometimes the design aids people in other puposes as well, sometimes it does not.
In factory rifles take the 243win in Howa, 1 in 10 twist, right?
Many of new buyers try 100gr ish bullets because that is what "target shooters" shoot, sold to them by the gunshops, and they cannot stabilize it properly. They then proceed to shoot out 20% of the barrel in hopeful load developments, and when that fails they fall back on a smaller weight bullet, now it's just a varminter again. You cannot even fully stabilize a hunting bullet like a 80gr Barnes TTSX, only marginally.
Take the exact caliber in a newfangled cartridge, the 6mm creed, comes in a 1 in 7.5 twist.
Suddenly you can varmint as much as you like.
AND, suddenly you can load any modern hunting bullet, if cup and core is your flavor you can load 103gr Hornady ELD-X bullets, or if like T-stone you shoot peregrine you can load 91gr VLR monolithics. And you guys know a 91gr monolithic is overkill for the antelope mentioned, a kudu won't know the difference either. Suddenly you don't need the 6.5creed, at all for that matter.
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14-05-2019, 18:22 #30
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Re: .243 Winchester.
Andrew, you are just brilliant, I can see you know your calibers, it is a great description ..will name my 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser "Death Ray"..man, you really know what you are talking about...
TStone, would you look at the 6.5 X 55 Swedish Mauser for medium to small game in the plain areas you are hunting around the Free state regions?? Will it be a relevant caliber to use in "voorsit jag" ??
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