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Is the .243 Win Obsolete ?

NDAR15MAN

I have a nice Tikka 243. Shoots moa with factory ammo. My deer rifle now the last 9 years. I am 59 Years old , both shoulders repaired and many other health issues. I bought a AR10 other day in a 6.5 creedmoor and I also have a Ruger M77 in a 6.5 creedmoor. Man they are accurate guns and really reach out there.
With all the 6 and 6.5 calibers out there and now a 224 Valkyrie is the 243 absolute ? I don’t think I will sale my 243 cal gun , don’t think I could come close to what I have in it , but I don’t see why a new hunter or shooter would choose the 243 cal. Even a small stature person , kid or Woman I think they would be better served with calibers I mentioned above. What say you. Marty

Forum Boss: John Whidden won the 2017 NRA Long Range Championship shooting a .243 Win. "My .243 Win shoots inside a 6.5-284 with 142-grainers. Nothing out there is really ahead of [the .243], in 1000-yard ballistics unless you get into the short magnums or .284s and those carry a very significant recoil penalty."

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2018/02/load-winning-ammo-with-progressive-whidden-shows-how/
 
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NDAR15MAN said:
I have a nice Tikka 243. Shoots moa with factory ammo. My deer rifle now the last 9 years. I am 59 Years old , both shoulders repaired and many other health issues. I bought a AR15 other day in a 6.5 creedmoor and I also have a Ruger M77 in a 6.5 creedmoor. Man they are accurate guns and really reach out there.
With all the 6 and 6.5 calibers out there and now a 224 Valkyrie is the 243 absolute ? I don’t think I will sale my 243 cal gun , don’t think I could come close to what I have in it , but I don’t see why a new hunter or shooter would choose the 243 cal. Even a small stature person , kid or Woman I think would be better served with calibers I mentioned above. What say you. Marty
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I wood sail itt eff eye wur ewe!!!!
 
I don't think it is obsolete. But I agree that there are some great new cartridges out there. I have no interest in the .224 Valkyrie because I'm not really an AR guy, and it seems optimized for that platform. If I were helping a new shooter get started, I might very well recommend the 6.5mm Creedmoor. Factory loads are growing for the 6mm Creedmoor, but there are not as many as there are for the 6.5.

But as a reloader, I will stick with my .243 Winchesters and .260 Remingtons, standard and Ackley Improved variants. I think the .243 will be around for a long time yet.
 
It is actually a very good cartridge. There is an excellent selection of 234/6mm bullets. Factory barrels leave something to be desired but there are a plethora of aftermarket barrels and while you are at it you can select a faster than factory twist which will expand the bullet selection considerably.

Even with a factory barrel there are bullets that the major bullet makers have designed to be toward the heavier end but are short enough to stabilize in a factory barrel.
 
Yes they are still selling ammo for the 243 cal but I would say for old guys like me. Ha ha ha. I am wondering how many guys that are 18 years old that are moving away from their Dads back up gun and going to spend their own money and buy their 1st rifle in a 243 ? I was at cabelas Last week and salesman was selling a Airforce man into a savage creedmoor for same same price for 5 other deer hunting calibers. It Would be interesting if their was away to tell what how many of each caliber of guns are sold every year. Not sure if the gun industry knows that information or not but it would be fun to know. Marty
 
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NDAR15MAN said:
I have a nice Tikka 243. Shoots moa with factory ammo. My deer rifle now the last 9 years. I am 59 Years old , both shoulders repaired and many other health issues. I bought a AR15 other day in a 6.5 creedmoor and I also have a Ruger M77 in a 6.5 creedmoor. Man they are accurate guns and really reach out there.
With all the 6 and 6.5 calibers out there and now a 224 Valkyrie is the 243 absolute ? I don’t think I will sale my 243 cal gun , don’t think I could come close to what I have in it , but I don’t see why a new hunter or shooter would choose the 243 cal. Even a small stature person , kid or Woman I think they would be better served with calibers I mentioned above. What say you. Marty
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Many of the newer 6mm variants have put the 243 in the shadows a bit. That doesn't mean it's obsolete. With the newest 6 creedmoor on the scene, many will certainly jump on that band wagon and off the 243s. Still many die hard 243 guys still keeping it alive. I'm one of them.
 
NDAR15MAN said:
Yes they are still selling ammo for the 243 cal but I would say for old guys like me. Ha ha ha. I am wondering how many guys that are 18 years that are moving away from their Dads back up gun and going to spend their own money and buy their 1st rifle in a 243 ? I was at cabelas Last week and salesman was setting a Airforce man into a savage creedmoor for same same price for 5 other deer hunting calibers. It Would be interesting if their was away to tell what how many of each caliber of guns are sold every year. Not sure if the gun industry knows that information or not but it would be fun to know. Marty
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RCBS used to publish the sales of their most popular dies which gave you a good idea of the most popular cartridges. dont know if they still do or not. 243 is a cartridge ill probably always be using
 
Well see if the 6mm Creed or 6mm Whatwhat is still around in 50-60years, the XC I have a feeling will be with us for a long time though but these reinvented of the reinvented wheel cartridges have a way of fading off after a couple years
 
I really doubt it is going anywhere. I keep reading and hearing that the two "most popular" based on ammo sales are the 270 and the 30-06. I have heard and read this all my shooting life which is over 40 years now. You don't really hear much about the 270 anymore with it's limited bullet selection {especially compared to 6mm and 7mm} and just try and find some once fired 30-06 brass.
I have many hunting rifles, from 22 magnums to the 325WSM. My Cooper Excaliber in 243 will put 90 grain Berger's in the same hole at 100 yards just as easily as it will with 70 grain Ballistic Tips. It gets used often for anything from woodchucks to black bear. I actually got it for my daughter to use...she has never fired it. One of my hunting buddies has matching Tikka's like yours. We can hunt with any caliber made, but typically use the 243.
The 243 shoots flat, accurate and it don't kick much at all. It's an easy gun to shoot. Not so much easy to reload for sometimes, but honestly, what else does the average non-Alaska hunter really need?? I don't know if I would use it for elk, but strike out the big bears, elk and moose and you got a winner. All that said, if all I had was a 243 and saw an elk and they were "in season" I bet I try him!! Especially when I think back about the damage it did to the last deer I shot.
243 going somewhere??? Not any time soon. Another way to look at it is that for every 6mm double xx whizbang c-42 shooter out there with the same bullet, velocity, twist, and trajectory, there's probably 50 others that just buy a 243 Winchester and go shooting. Another thing is that most guys wont admit to using the same rifle they bought for their wife....I'll fess up...I'll fess up to liking Mexican hookers too.
 
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JimT said:
I wood sail itt eff eye wur ewe!!!!
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Why do folks swap out the use of "sell" and "sale" ???? Is it a southern thing?? Like reversing some words, i.e. "peckerwood" "I need to get this gun saled....so it is for sell" Is it a hillbilly heritage thing?? Any one know?? Maybe some cell phone or so-called "smart" phones do it automatically. It is not a hard concept, but I see a lot of guys switching the use of these two words on the internet. I have honestly never actually had some one say to me in person, "yep, that rifle is for sell", but I sure see it written a lot.
it's 4:00 in the morning....I need whiskey.....yeah, that'll fix it.
 
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