.243 Win : Opinions on this caliber rifle for hunting/target shooting purposes?

[Big John2]

Hi Gert, I own a .243win and though it could not be considered the perfect caliber for many applications it does have it's place, I load 90gn Barns bullets, I would not use it in the bush as it is a meat waster at close range but for Springbok, Blesbok and other long range shots it is my preferred rifle.

[Gert Odendaal]

The 243 is no good, especially those built by German manufacturers on K-98 actions during the 60's. Proof here: http://www.gunsite.co.za/forums/show...ing-rifle-info

I have a friend who is making the mistake of a lifetime in buying one - and paying through his ears for an old used rifle, most probably for sentimental reasons because he listened to some wannabe on a firearms forum. The rifle is rusty and the barrel bent, the telescope cracked and still he maintains that it is a good rifle. And that is not even speaking of the impossible amount of reloading effort to get it to group! The 243 is a notorious meat waster, especially with slow and heavy bullets over shorter distances. Please take your Martini Henry over the 243 any time of the day for anything from varminting to teaching your son to hunting.

Sorry to burst your bubble, Gert, but being a dominee I simply cannot allow someone else do that to himself, his purse or his family. Hand it in for destruction or donate it to your mother-in-law, but please don't buy or license it!!!














Enjoy her! The 243 is a wonderful cartridge if used correctly. Light recoil, accurate, etc. I have heard of a few farmers who use it as their everyday work rifles.

Ds. Jaap ,thank you for the heart breaking reply....As pointed out I am more for the big bore calibers. That means I am realistic when it comes to shooting short distances , at least I know my own short comings when shooting any distance from muzzle to eighty meters I am sure to hit..longer than that it starts to be a gamble., I really am good at stalking ......but I would like to try my hand for fun at a shelve-bought longer distance rifle...I am keeping the blade sanding machine part on the ready for you...

[Gert Odendaal]

Gert Odendaal.........i am about to lose any possible credibillity i might have had on this forum by what i am going to say. i have had an intense dislike for this calibre since i was a lightie seeing the damage this bullet did to springbuck. why anyone would buy a rifle in this calibre is beyond me. it is illegal for kudu hunting in the east cape on open farms,it is not the ideal starter rifle for a youngster,it minces up everything you shoot,with reloading you need the patience of job to find its sweet spot,it is not the ideal vermin control rifle,the recoil for output is excessive,it is totally overrated and i dont like it...i am now going into hiding in my secret place so that the few thousand 243 owners in this country cant tar and feather me cheers all

Thank you Pre 64, your opinion is much appreciated. I would be concerned if only positive remarks/opinions was apply to this thread. I am lucky in the sense that I will not use it ever to hunt anything larger than a springbok at longer distances...I have a Mauser 8x57 JS for kudu and a 404 Jeffery for eland, that settles the large framed game. I do not kill or shoot anything I can not eat..so vermin control will be left for specialist and not me...if I purchase this rifle I will use it to enhance my re-loading skills since I heard/noticed re-loading this caliber creates a lot of doughnut rings ..it is a difficult caliber to re-load...when mastering this aspect I am sure I will have more knowledge acquired along the road....my son Ruan already has his own Israeli Mauser , so he is sorted, not needed for a youngster...thank you again for being the devil`s advocate..I really set store by a devil`s advocate who`s advice is always welcome....

[Gert Odendaal]

Gert Odendaal.........i am about to lose any possible credibillity i might have had on this forum by what i am going to say. i have had an intense dislike for this calibre since i was a lightie seeing the damage this bullet did to springbuck. why anyone would buy a rifle in this calibre is beyond me. it is illegal for kudu hunting in the east cape on open farms,it is not the ideal starter rifle for a youngster,it minces up everything you shoot,with reloading you need the patience of job to find its sweet spot,it is not the ideal vermin control rifle,the recoil for output is excessive,it is totally overrated and i dont like it...i am now going into hiding in my secret place so that the few thousand 243 owners in this country cant tar and feather me cheers all

Thank you Pre 64, your opinion is much appreciated. I would be concerned if only positive remarks/opinions was apply to this thread. I am lucky in the sense that I will not use it ever to hunt anything larger than a springbok at longer distances...I have a Mauser 8x57 JS for kudu and a 404 Jeffery for eland, that settles the large framed game. I do not kill or shoot anything I can not eat..so vermin control will be left for specialist and not me...if I purchase this rifle I will use it to enhance my re-loading skills since I heard/noticed re-loading this caliber creates a lot of doughnut rings ..it is a difficult caliber to re-load...when mastering this aspect I am sure I will have more knowledge acquired along the road....my son Ruan already has his own Israeli Mauser , so he is sorted, not needed for a youngster...thank you again for being the devil`s advocate..I really set store by a devil`s advocate who`s advice is always welcome.... as for all the other positive opinions thank you kindly..at least I know this caliber do have a large following...

[Nishon]

243 is a good calibre.From my experience using a soft point bullet does damage meat but u could minimize that by shooting behind the shoulder in the ribs.I use Barnes and Interlocks with my 243 and have noticed i get much less meat damage with Barnes.

[Gert Odendaal]

I do have a great affinity for Barnes Bullets, it seems to kill everything you shoot with it , dead...with correct shot placement naturally...

[A-R]

Gert. I have a 243 and I like my rifle. The calibre is indeed somewhat specialized, but a reloader can load it for applications that factory loads don't cater for.

My 243 is my go-to "veldskiet" rifle. My current load is a 100gn Sierra bullet at +/- 3000 fps from a 26" barrel. This load also works great on vervets at around 300m and beyond. For the first part of the barrel's life, I used Hornady 87 gn V-Max bullets at around 3150 fps. Worked very well, untill throat erosion decided it doesn't like that bullet anymore.

For bushveld (short range, out to around 130m) use I load a 100gn PMP (brown box) bullet over 27gn S335 for +/- 2400fps. This gives decent terminal performance at closer ranges and doesn't mince much of the meat. The load almost duplicates 6 x 45 performance.

I also own a 223, 270, 308 and a few larger calibres, so the 243 rarely gets used in the bush. It is not really a bushveld cartridge or rifle to me. Hunters in the wide open spaces where springbuck live tend to use their 243's much more.

Also keep in mind the 243's propensity for barrel wear. Mine had a measurable 5mm of throat erosion at 1600 rounds. I should measure it again soon. Keep that in mind when you decide to take the Mauser hunting. It might just be too valuable (sentimental or monetary) to subject it to heavy use.

[Mrawashima]

The last 2 years that we booked hunts in Limpopo, the farm rules specified, .270 minimum calibre. So although I love my sako .243, I can't use it!


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[Gert Odendaal]

A-R, your opinion is much appreciated. If I do purchase it I will give it to my wife to get her involve in shooting. Will load it light and start her on shooting this rifle..as mentioned, I do own a 7.62/ .308 Israeli Mauser( Ruan `s rifle) for smaller game hunting...it is a real traditional build rifle with claw mounts as well, so it looks good and I think it is something to purchase for the build/looks as well..not many such rifles around...will upload some decent photos..

[Andrew Leigh]

Gert, do you specifically want a flatter shooting plains rifle or a low recoiling rifle?