243 vs 308

[tnhunter]

Ok so which does everyone think is the best 1000 yard gun. Why and with what load.

 

[Johnboy]

well If this will help out here goes.a friend just out did a 338 L at a 1000 yard with his 308.and its a remmy action with a hart barrel 28 inch long.the load was a 208gn A-max with 48gn of R17.

hiss main goal was to chamber the barrel so that it could shoot the 208-210gn bullets.and let me tell ya it will flat out shoot the heck out of them.he is all so been able to shoot I know 49gn of R17 with out seeing any signs of pressure in the same rifel.but the 48gn showed better accuracy.

one more thing.you can feel the 208s when you pull the trigger.thats why you should go for the 308.

 

[whiskey08]

.243 is winning alot of tactical matches, the bc on thier 107gr bullet is off the chart. better than the 308 bullets. What I dont like about the .243 is its a barrel burner. your changing barrels 2-3times as often as a .308 so each .243 round is costing you close to double what a .308 does if you factor in new barrels. So thats why I shoot the .308 in sierra 155 palma and 175 smk

 

[navyrad8r]

+1 on the .308's.
There are just so many schoice for the 1k. if you can't decide shoot .308 (cost effective) and then go to .260 with your once fired .308 brass. a good gusty day at the range should make the .243 guys sweat alot, and you just need to ride the recoil! It is a difficult choice. I am a service rive guy. My 1k gun is an M1 award rifle in .308 and i shoot the 190/185/naked/moly berger and 190SMK's. Never shot .243 but for me going to the .260 manual transmission (Eliseo RTS Target) from the automatic (service rifle) was cost effective. Just my .02

 

[fullersson]

.243 is a better 1k yard chambering than the .308. There's alot of reasons for this but the best thing I can tell you is too look at what the winners are shooting and that will be your answer. I'm not saying you won't see more 30 cal winners but more than likely they won't be chambered in .308. They will, more than likely, be chambered in something like 300 mag. or something along the same lines as that. The .308 looses a lot at those distances; although I know a .308 will shoot a 1k yards it's known as an 800 yard gun.

 

[tnhunter]

I am asking this because i have both 243 and 308. They are both factory remington 700 whith a few things done to them. and they shoot pretty good. My 308 seemed to hit a brick wall at 800 groups opened to feet!!! I am not shooting a target bullet thoug its i think a 168 hornady sst over 42gr varget. this shot better than any other load i tried 1/2 at 200yds to my surprise. i no with a Berger VLd or something like that i could get it to hold together longer i guess but i cant get them to shoot under a inch at 100 yds. The 243 is a remington 700 vls that shoots very good. I am shooting 95gr vlds in it. about 1/2 inch at 100 yds. i have only shot this gun to 700 yds and it shot great. shot a 3 shot 5 in or less group with it at 700 but it just doesnt seem to have any balls when it hits the target. they do not move the steel plat at 600 or 700 just leaves dust spots. I have not had a time to shoot much the last month or so to find out what it will do to 100 but what i am thinking it will poop out.

 

[people]

I am sure someone will know this. Are all 168gr bullets trash past 800yds? I know the SMK is that way.

 

[oneflyer]

The 308 win is not a popular 1000 yard case. Take a look at the match results and see if you find them there. If they worked they'd be there.

 

[navyrad8r]

i dont think many folks will shoot the 168SMK past 600 reliably. most .30 cal opt for 175gr++ My load for what its worth is 190SMK/Berger or 185 Berger on LC Brass, with 44.2 gr of IMR 4320, 6~8 tho. in to the lands on an M1 garand in .308. i think the load is a bit too fast so i am going to Rydol the barrel and shoot 190 Moly berger VLD's with 44.0gr of same powder this season and see what is up. I am sure your Bolt gun will get more speed with less effort than my M1. But like the other folks said, take a look at the match winner's weapons, and unless it service or Palma, getting in bed with a .243 lets you sleep with a better class of.....

 

[Kenny474]

If you really like the way your .243 is shooting, but feel it is lacking a bit of sack, maybe try an AI rechamber job? The .243 AI will give you a bit more boiler room due to the improved shoulder angle and give you a bit of extra power. But it will also burn up your barrel a bit faster.

I would personally try the .308 with VLD's at more than 100 yards. They don't really smooth out enough at 100 yards to give a true reading on accuracy potential. They are not designed for the short game, and they are probably still yawing a bit at 100.
Also, while the 165 SST isn't a bad bullet by any means, I think something 180gr or heavier will do better at 1000 than a lighter bullet. I would try some 178-208gr A-MAX's or a similar weight SMK and see how your results look. Give the VLD's another try as well, I think they will do better at longer range than they will at 100.