.243 Winchester

The .243 Winchester (6x52mm) is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. Initially designed as a varmint round, it may be used for wildlife and game such as coyote, blacktail deer, whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, and wild hogs. It can also be used against larger game such as black bear or elk, but is sometimes said to be "too light" for such large game. Rounds of at least 90 grains are better suited for hunting larger game while rounds less than 90 grains are more suitable for varmints. The .243 is based on a necked down .308 cartridge case

Suggested Use

• Predators
• Small Game
• Varmint
• Deer (short range)

Performance

The .243 produces a velocity of 2,960 feet (902.21 m) per second with a 100-grain (6.6 gram) projectile from a 24-inch (610 mm) barrel. Commercially loaded .243 ammunition is available with bullet weight ranging from 55 grains (3.6 g) up to 115 grains (6.8 g). Twist rate of barrel is the major deciding factor in which bullets to use, 1:10 being the most popular as it is sufficient to stabilize up to 100-gr. bullets. However, for VLD (very low drag)-profile and bullets heavier than 100 grs., a 1:8 or 1:7 (for 115-gr. VLD bullets) is necessary.