Thread: A few Questions about the 243

Nosler 100gn partitions or sierra game kings on top of N160 has been my go to for awhile averageing 2900fps good for anything out to 350/400m been playing with my newish savage and 105's will shoot bug holes with 2217 and match primers. Have used the 87's and 75 vmax(for 500m bunnies) but mostly 100grn pills that will work up close and at a distance.

Originally Posted by Walker

Nosler 100gn partitions or sierra game kings on top of N160 has been my go to for awhile averageing 2900fps good for anything out to 350/400m been playing with my newish savage and 105's will shoot bug holes with 2217 and match primers. Have used the 87's and 75 vmax(for 500m bunnies) but mostly 100grn pills that will work up close and at a distance.

Is there a good case for using match primers in the 243 generally, or does it not really matter?

Normally wouldn't matter but match primers are usually abit 'hotter' and spark up the slower powders better.

Originally Posted by Walker

Nosler 100gn partitions or sierra game kings on top of N160 has been my go to for awhile averageing 2900fps good for anything out to 350/400m been playing with my newish savage and 105's will shoot bug holes with 2217 and match primers. Have used the 87's and 75 vmax(for 500m bunnies) but mostly 100grn pills that will work up close and at a distance.

Where did you get your Savage from @Walker? They don't seem to have ever been that popular here, and I haven't come across a dealer with a good selection of the various models. In my experience of them the finish can be a bit rough but man can they shoot. My cuzzies pretty much only use Savage rifles and do a lot of semi-custom jobs with them, building rifles for very specific applications in their sheds and kitchens! That barrel nut makes a bit difference.
@Max Headroom the Savage .243 factory barrel is a 1:9.25" twist and shoots the boat tail 100gr bullets extremely well. Never discount a Savage, there's a lot of shit written about them but they are one of the best selling brands in the US for good reason.

Im a huge fan of the 243 for deer hunting, its my go to rifle. For a bush stalker its perfect, from small fallow to the largest of Red stags it knock them all over no problem. Shoulder is the way to go if you want certain knockdown, hitting bone gives the best perforance from a 243 round in my opinion.
ive shot heaps of deer and had only one get away with the 243 from a very a poor shot. I only use Factory FED Powershoks 100gr SP. They are awesome , esp for 0-250m range.
Theres always lots of talk about fancy projectiles for certain Cals, esp the 243 but the factory FED POWERshok 100gr Soft point will do the job as good or better than anything else out there as dead is dead.
If using for longer range reloading and other projectiles will offer better results i suppose but i dont use the 243 past the 200m generally as its my bush rifle. (have shot a deer at 300m thou and dropped it)
The people that think its good only for meat animals and goats are WRONG.
In the roar if bush hunting and using in areas where its likely 220m etc would be a long range shot i take the 243 over my 308 all day long. It knock over 150kg plus stags without blinking a eye. Esp if you hit them in the shoulder.
Ive shot many big stags now, 90 pcent of them with the 243 over the 308 and they all gone down, all with a Factory soft point, they fgood but the right projectile and it work as good as anything for a mid range rifle.
Certainly has its limits thou and hence have a 308 for areas where a longer shot is required but i have no worries at all about its fire power in bush type ranges with a 243 thou,

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Where did you get your Savage from @Walker? They don't seem to have ever been that popular here, and I haven't come across a dealer with a good selection of the various models. In my experience of them the finish can be a bit rough but man can they shoot. My cuzzies pretty much only use Savage rifles and do a lot of semi-custom jobs with them, building rifles for very specific applications in their sheds and kitchens! That barrel nut makes a bit difference.
@Max Headroom the Savage .243 factory barrel is a 1:9.25" twist and shoots the boat tail 100gr bullets extremely well. Never discount a Savage, there's a lot of shit written about them but they are one of the best selling brands in the US for good reason.

What-cha-talkin-bout. We have three of them here. One with the bolt handle on the wrong side for the girl. I wanted a spare mag so for a little more than the price of a new mag I bought a second hand one to part out. Shot too well so my brother-in-law has it on the farm. They love the 100gn Speer/Sierra pills with some 2209 behind them.

edit: Bought first one new from Sportways, the other two used from trademe.