Author Topic: my 243 is too accurate (Read 6575 times)

shotgunner · « **on:** November 18, 2004, 08:00:42 AM »

I bought a Remington 700 in .243 so that I could send it to Shaw for a barrel in .358. I decided that there wasn't time to ship it out and get it back for hunting season so I scoped it and did some handloading. Have you ever shot a group that you hoped wouldn't be too good? The darn thing wants to shoot 70 grain hp's and 100 grain spitzers into sub inch groups. I shot a few woodchucks and a couple of crows with it. I am worried that I will not want to go ahead with the new barrel. I have decided to shoot a deer this fall and then ship it out one way or the other. I have long believed that the .243 wasn't enough for deer but figured out that I have never shot one with it. One deer will not tell me much but I will be able to say that I've used it. I will let you guys know how the .358 turns out, I did already buy dies and brass so I can't turn back. Shotgunner

KENTDEP · « **Reply #1 on:** November 18, 2004, 12:42:39 PM »

I had a Ruger Varmint/Target in .243 that was unreal accurate. Well that was with my hand loads. I used the RCBS dies with the chamber measuring tool and set my dies up to maximize my guns accuracy and that gun would shoot .5 inch groups all day long off a bench rest.

I blasted a few varmits with that gun but never tried it out on deer. I know that people do use that caliber on deer with great sucess (ask Greybeard about his Browning Low Wall in .243). If you want to rebarrel it and feel that the .243 is not enough well go for it I would say.

Jay

dave284 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 19, 2004, 07:00:33 PM »

No such thing as to accurate! Now you know why they say "Don't shoot the donor'' .

bam bam · « **Reply #3 on:** November 23, 2004, 04:37:07 PM »

My sons 700 adl youth model 243 will shoot .5 to .75 groups with the 100 sierra or 70 bt and I've killed deer with both. I head shoot with the 70 and double lung with complete pass thru with the 100. I have a doctored up 300 that sits in the safe because 243 is so pleasant to shoot. No deer has ever gone over 40 yards or out of sight from where it was shot. Shooting the small 243 over the 300 makes me concentrate harder on the target as well as my shooting form. It is plenty gun for any deer. My longest shot is only 220 yards and the 243 is grat medicine at that distance.

shotgunner · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2004, 02:12:48 PM »

the funny thing is that the .257 Roberts is my favorite cartridge, I also like the 250 Savage. I do like the 115-120 grain bullets, but don't think overall they are much different than the 6mms. The thing is that I can't buy a .358 so I will build one. I think I could like a .243 in the right rifle, maybe a Sako or Winchester 88, or maybe in a somewhat heavy varmint gun. I will go ahead and shoot a deer with it and let you guys know how it goes. Then it is off to ER Shaw. I will report on the .358 as well. Shotgunner.

Hildy · « **Reply #5 on:** November 28, 2004, 02:51:55 PM »

Well, if you think it is too accurate, I'll take it off your hands for nothin'. Don't even have to ask me :mrgreen:

shotgunner · « **Reply #6 on:** November 30, 2004, 03:50:50 AM »

Hidly

Nice try. I am going to have the gun rebarrelled no matter how well it shoots. I just shot a 6mm-284 with a Shaw barrel that would stay under 3/4" at 100 yards. I think that ER Shaw is an under rated barrel maker. I have had good luck with them. I would sell you the .243 barrel if you want it, but that is as far as I would go. Shotgunner

jeffnvegas · « **Reply #7 on:** December 06, 2004, 05:04:17 PM »

if the 257 is your favorite cartridge maybe you can fill me in a little bit on the specifics of the 257 weatherby mag. i'm contemplating buying one. i'm looking for something to fill the gap between my .243 and my 300 whtby mag.

gt40 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 27, 2007, 12:26:57 PM »

If your rifle is in a wood stock glass bed it and it will probably shoot under 1/2". A .243 is one of the easest rounds to get extremely accurate. I have been using Searra .85 HPBT Game Kings for years. My Win. Mod. 70 VT. will shoot 1 hole with 5 shots at 100 yds. Hit the deer 4" above the heart and just behind the front leg and they are dead 100% of the time before their knees buckle. I've killed more than 50 like that. They just drop and don't move. You hit them in the heart and they kick up their back legs and run like the crazy. Very little meat damage also.

JerryNH · « **Reply #9 on:** January 28, 2007, 02:43:41 AM »

I shoot 10 gr in my .243 and it is incredibly accurate. It's actually my son's gun that I got for him to get him interested in hunting. The first time he fired it he was in love with it. He was right up there in accuracy. Shocked the heck out of me when i checked his target!

JerryNH · « **Reply #10 on:** January 28, 2007, 02:44:14 AM »

Of course I meant 100 grain in my last post!

Ahab · « **Reply #11 on:** January 28, 2007, 06:30:30 AM »

Quote from: jeffnvegas on December 06, 2004, 05:04:17 PM

if the 257 is your favorite cartridge maybe you can fill me in a little bit on the specifics of the 257 weatherby mag. i'm contemplating buying one. i'm looking for something to fill the gap between my .243 and my 300 whtby mag.

Simply the fastest, straightest, quarter bore shooter out there. I love my WBY Ulltralight.

shotgunner · « **Reply #12 on:** February 07, 2007, 06:38:34 AM »

Well I finished this project and I can say I don't miss the .243. Shaw did a beautiful job on the .358 barrel and I have killed 6 deer with it. If you hit them in the chest they rear up on thier hind legs and fall over, haven't had to track one yet. I like the .358 so much I am going to look into building a lever gun, which should be cheaper than buying an 88 or 99. I guess I wouldn't mind having another .243 if the right gun came along, maybe a Sako with a heavy barrel. At this point I am fooling with a 25-06, on a Mauser action, it has shot some of the best groups I have ever seen...............................

Shotgunner

hillsider69 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2007, 01:44:41 PM »

You could rebarrel to a 260 rem, same bolt and case size but better than 243 or 308 for flat range and very good BC.
Regarding placement; I always aim infront and a little above the heart that takes out the aorta leaving the heart intact to keep puming blood out of the meat and into the chest cavity. It sounds meesy but gives an instant kill (I use 22-250 out to 230m with no problem) and cleaner meat that does not go high when hung for a week.

Luckyducker · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2007, 12:16:33 PM »

I had a Ruger M77 All-weather in 243 that I loaded up some handloads for. The first ones were 100 grain boattails and they were terrible accuracy wise, but on a lark I had loaded up some 100 grain Core-lokts seated out to the lands so I shot them. It put the core-lokts into a five shot group that made such a small hole I couldn't measure it. I was shooting off of sandbags with only my shoulder behind it and my finger on the trigger. I sold it to my soon to be S-I-L and he is messing with varmint bullets for it.

smb444 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 30, 2007, 08:59:38 PM »

Sounds all too familiar.
I'll freely admit that the 243 was not my first choice at the time.
I ended up trading one of those tack hole driving once in a lifetime guns...it was a Parker hale
22/250 which out of the box was magic. Anyway I traded it on this Tikka lsa55 with the thought of
rebarreling it to 358. With 70grain BT's over ar2208 (varget) this thing is pure accuracy with a velocity just over 3540fps.
Only thing I've done is bed and float and now I just enjoy it.

Thats my little bit of good news.
Sean

atitagain · « **Reply #16 on:** April 13, 2007, 08:56:44 PM »

I had, and I say that because I can't seem to get it back from my son, a Wheatherby in .243, that I was told would only be good as a plinking and a small game rifle.
Well, Ha-Ha to them. I have taken two caribou, the camp cook took two caribou, I have taken groundhogs out past 200 yards with it, and my son shot a doe with it at over 400 paces. Maybe that's why he won't give it back.
Anyhow, as far as a deer rifle, it shoots fast, flat and doesn't kick much. What more could you ask for?? Well, okay. It's also FUN to shoot.

Qaz · « **Reply #17 on:** April 19, 2007, 07:05:20 AM »

Shotgunner- It sounds like you had the right 243. Is it as accurate in 358? As far as deer go, I have never had one rear up and then die after being shot with my 243, they just drop over on the spot, so I know which is the better round

I think the 358 in a Browning BLR would be the cats meow, but I also like to idea of the 338 Federal. If I only made more money! I think the 338 will come first though.

Qaz

SuperstitionCoues · « **Reply #18 on:** April 20, 2007, 04:00:29 AM »

Yep.

I have three of them that will do that. Ruger M77 will shoot 3/4" groups with 117 Hndy SST's. Winchester 30-06 will do it with Hndy 165 gr. SST's (seeing a trend here?), and my Winchester Featherweight 7mm WSM will shoot under a 1/2 inch group with Sierra 160 gr. HPBTs.

My problem is that I have gotten spoiled with this, and look with askance at my 30-30 and 22's when they won't group this tight. Such problems in life...I tell ya......!

deserthunter · « **Reply #19 on:** April 29, 2007, 03:28:38 AM »

I have a Remington 700 in 243win.. The rifle is now almost 30yrs old, I sighted it in last year just before the Deer hunt. The 5 shot group measured just .447".

I put a new Basix trigger in and added the synthetic stock last year. It sports a Leupold 3.5-10AO. It's taken several Mule deer using the old 100gr Sierra, loaded to 2900'/sec. It was my wife's Deer rifle, she's only 95lbs and 4'11" and doesn't like recoil. She stopped hunting so it's turned into a 4th varmint rig for me. It's easy to load for, no recoil, light, especially compared to my other varmint rigs. One of which you can see at the top of the picture. It was just an experiment, a Remington 700LH in .270win. with a Choate stock and an inexpensive scope. I put the wood stock and the usual Leupold scope back on the rifle, it has been my Deer and Elk rig for more than 30yrs.

Since you rifle is shooting so good, why don't you find another Remington rifle, that's selling for the action, or better yet, buy an action from Brownell's and have it barreled?

shotgunner · « **Reply #20 on:** April 30, 2007, 07:22:44 AM »

Quaz

My .358 has become my favorite hunting rifle. It is more than accurate enough, under 1" @ 100 yards with a good load. It is no longer a woodchuck gun so I don't see the need for 1/2" groups. I like it so much I am thinking about a repeater, a savage 99 or maybe an 88 Winchester. I know they were made but are too pricey for me. I think I could buy a .308 and rebarrel it cheaper that buying an original, and I wouldn't be afraid to hunt with it. Shotgunner

Greenhunter · « **Reply #21 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:20:53 PM »

well IMHO only a goof would take a sub-MOA .243 and mess it up by rebarreling it. If I were you I would have left the rifle as it was and then built me a new one in the caliber of my desire.

shotgunner · « **Reply #22 on:** March 02, 2008, 05:02:01 AM »

Greenhunter

What's your point here? You look up a 3 year old thread and then criticize me for something that is already done. Did you read the posts? It turned out to be the best deer rifle I have, one I have come to depend on, something no .243 could do. I paid less then $300 for that ADL. If you were going to build a .358 where would you get an action and stock for less? Perhaps you would do well to be more positive. Shotgunner

yooper77 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 06, 2008, 04:49:12 AM »

Most the deer, antelope, coyote and one bear in my past cant tell you about the 243 Winchester either, because they died to it.

Congratulations, that's a sweet re-barrel to the 358 Winchester.

yooper77

daddyof4 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 06, 2008, 04:55:55 AM »

Having a rifle too accurate is like having a wife that is too pretty and practical........

Mikey · « **Reply #25 on:** May 13, 2008, 01:40:07 AM »

Hmmmm, all my rifles are boringly accurate, which is why I shoot handgun so much - tain't nearly as akkerat with them as I am with scoped rifles.

And daddyof4 - sorry ol buddy - can't agree with ya. My wife is really pretty, and incredibly practical and I find those to be very, very refreshing habits in a woman. Just a couple of the reasons I married 'er........................ Mikey.

daddyof4 · « **Reply #26 on:** May 14, 2008, 05:16:14 PM »

Mikey,
I think you mis-understood me.... Why I am daddy of 4 well actually 5 now

Mikey · « **Reply #27 on:** May 15, 2008, 01:13:33 AM »

daddyof4, er 5 - gotcha. Sorry. Congradulations on your newest. Mikey.

tutti confuso · « **Reply #28 on:** August 10, 2008, 11:08:31 AM »

shootgunner... maybe a marlin to build on like a 444 ... my .35rem hasn't let a deer go by more then a foot an half [we're talk'n under 100yrds
i just built a .25 cal wildcat off a 308 cse...neeeeeeeeeeeet gun

no flames intended but i think what Greenhunter was trying to say is you took a valuable coin an sold it for silver weight.. or so to speek made a ring out of it..
anyways congrads on the 358 build

shotgunner · « **Reply #29 on:** August 12, 2008, 02:23:11 AM »

I passed on an 88 Winchester with a broken toe for a little over $400 last week. I am broke this time of year but as long as I can get started for that much I will get the project going. I will re-bore a factory barrel. I see that Ruger is now making a .358, it really is a great cartridge to hunt with. shot gunner