Gun Info

[Bubba700]

Just had a .243 given to me and had some ?
What kinda of velocities can I expect out of this round?
Any bullet weights that perform better than others?

It is sorta new for me to shoot something this small. All I have really dealt with is my .308, and .338 so I am sorta clueless as to what I can expect out of this round. Seems a little big for small varmits, maybe Ideal for yotes, and a tad bit small for mulies. Any info from some of you gun gurus would be appreciated.
Its in a Savage model 99 and what looks like a 18in barrel. No scope yet. Im waiting to find out what sorta range this thing has before I buy a scope for it. Thanks in advance. Bubba

 

[Catskinner]

The .243 is a great Varmint Rifle. It is very versatile because you can load bullets that range from a 58 gr @ 3800 fps, all the way up to a 105 grn @ 3000 fps. It is a little pricey for small varmint's like Prairie Dogs but it is a great for Yote's and is very capable and legal for Deer hunting.

 

[Kevco]

You'll love it. I have killed a handful of mulies (2 were decent sized) with mine. You can get some fast flat varmint loads to. Ill get ya some specs later.

 

[Sambo11]

You better check the twist rate before buying or loading anything. That will give you a better idea what bullets you can shoot.

 

[Bubba700]

You better check the twist rate before buying or loading anything. That will give you a better idea what bullets you can shoot.

Whats the easiest way to check this on a gun?

 

[Ed Fast]

Gun

Call savage they have a standard barrel twiest usually you can call and refernce the model number ot possible go to a local gun dealer, as far a scope a decent 3X9 should wrok great on that rifle. good luck!

 

[snow_knight]

Most savages .243's.. (but not all) are 1:9 twist.. take it to a gunsmith and get a trigger job.. and put a 4-12 or 5-20 on it.. Spend a little coin and the optics.. one of the biggest mistake people make.. chimping out on good glass.

 

[Bubba700]

Was looking at some reloading charts for this tonight, looks like sub-70 bullets are the ticket for some long range yote shooting and 100s look like the ticket for deer. I'm new to reloading rifle rounds. Have all my experience in strait wall pistol and rifle cartriges, 45 Colt , 45/70.
How does the barrel twist affect what bullets I should feed a gun?
Does a faster twist rate stabilize longer bullets?
Thanks bubba

PS I am planning on putting good optics on this gun. I know how important good optics are.

 

[wildcard]

Slower the twist, the heaver the round. Try a few different loads and see what your gun likes. 243 is a great mid size critter round with very mild recoil. Many pickit as cal of choice for kids and women, then they end up using it, it's so nice.

 

[Sambo11]

The longer or greater the B.C. the faster the twist required (Ballistic Coefficient is basicly the profile of the bullet and the better the B.C. the less wind drag and the better the bullet performs at longer range).

Typically in smaller bore dia. calibers such as the 243 when you get up into the heavier bullets especially the 90+ grainers you want atleast a 1-9 or faster twist rate to stabilize the bullet. The bullet weight isn't so important as the B.C. of the bullet because depending on the manufacture, not all bullet weights have the same B.C. On the flip side if you use to fast of a twist barrel on lighter lower B.C. bullets you risk the chance of to high of RPM for the bullet and it stands a chance of blowing up on the surface, as it exits the barrel its spinning so fast it flys apart.

You need to decide what twist you have. That will narrow it down somewhat. Then decide what you want to use it for. Yotes and varmints, deer, etc.

If you don't know the twist rate get a gun cleaning rod with a patch on the end start in into the bore, far enough that it has made good contact, you will need to mark the guide rod so you can measure how far the guide rod travels to make one full turn on the rod. If it travels 9inches and makes one full turn its a 1-9 twist. Do this couple 2 or 3 times to make sure you get about the same answer everytime. It's much easier than maybe it sounds.

 

[dooadew]

the 243 is a great deer rifle imo i have been using it for most of my hunting life, they arent a brush gun so watch for that

 

[XC700116]

sambo's got it right. The 243 is about as good as it gets without going to a magnum for mid sized game like yotes and speed goats it's great for white tails and mulies to although I tend to lean towards a 270 or bigger for them. But then again I've got 13 rifles in the safe to choose from too. anyway even with the 100 gr rounds you should be able to expect 300 yds without problems on the medium sized animals depending on your accuracy. Work up a good round and go with it and for the bigger game look into a bonded or interlocked style of bullet like a nosler accubond or Hornady interlock.

 

[XC700116]

One other bullet to look into is the Berger VLD if your twist rate will stabilize it. It was originally developed for competition shooting but even against all conventional wisdom of bullet bonding and weight retention it has proven to be an awesome hunting bullet. It performs very differently than most bullets of its type.

 

[wildcard]

the 243 is a great deer rifle imo i have been using it for most of my hunting life, they arent a brush gun so watch for that

Ya hunt a lot of brush there do ya? LOL NO gun is a brush gun, it;s a myth. Any bulletwill be deflected by brush....Spellin getting bad already tonight.