22 replies to this topic

[On a call]

Hi guys, I am now shooting either a AR 223 or my favorite Rem 222 mag both shooting 55 grain soft pt. I am ok out to about 250 maybe even 300 yards but beyond that...I am not doing what I want. I really love love mind you long shoots and killing what I am shooting at. So....here is my delema 22-250 or 243 both excellent rounds both will do what I want. I know 243 will do more rippen but then so does a 22-250. My thoughts....a 90 grain 243 will buck wind and yet carry out to well into the next pasture 600 yards. Certainly dropping a yote and or larger. So....what are a 243's dissadvantages ??

And oh....I also love my AR for a second shot and once in a while a third....243 auto's and accuracy ??? do they exist ???
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What brand ??? come on let me know what to get....and no Todd, I am going to a 300 ultra mag.

[Furhunter]

Have you ever shot the 69gr match bullets thru your AR?
Muzzle blast and recoil would be the only disadvantages to a larger rifle. You can get an AR chambered in many of the WSM offerings along with 243, 308 etc. If you want to stick with your AR send dtech here a PM. He builds some of the most accurate custom AR's you can find, nice guy too. He can give you a run down of the cartridges you can use on your existing lower and which ones will require the larger AR-10 type lower.

If you want a bolt gun you can get a a slew of 6mm offerings, just a few are 6BR, BRX, Dasher.. etc. 243, 243 AI, 6mm Rem..... you get the idea. The 6mm bullets have a high BC's and are great long range bullets. If your wanting to step up from there a 6.5x284 is pretty popular in long range competition also. Killer BC's with the extra bonus of added bullet weight. Your choices, I would say are fairly..........open.

[knapper]

I am a fan of the 6.5x284 a good gunsmith with the reamers can make a long action Rem. 700 a good choice. The long action is better than the short one because the overall length is better and you can seat the bullets out of the case farther. I use IMR 4831 and H 4831 to get the best results. Brass is a little hard to find sometimes and cabeles is the best bet for both the Lupa or the Norma. I have used both and have gone to the Lupa. Redding dies are the best, you can get a neck sizer and full length sizer in the set. This is becoming the cartridge of choice for competive shooters, they will be using the MatchKing 142 gr. for distances up to 1000 yards. I have got mine with over 2000 rounds through it a 7.25 inch group at 750 yards with a cross head wind. Way past what you would be doing but, still impressive. My rifle with scope and having a 28 inch heavy barrel tips the scales at 15.5 lbs. Not a rifle to walk around with all day.

[Big Dawg]

I have never owned nor used the calibers you mention but instead I use a Swedish Model 96 Mauser in 6.5X55MM and my alltime favorite US caliber the .308 and both using premium bullets will do everything that is needed for predators.

[mjllag]

My hunting partner shoots a remington 6mm. His range is really long with this gun.

[TexAgBQ81]

i agree with knapper 6.5X.284. the 6.5 with 140gr A-max will anchor a groundhog and will do the same to a coyote even with the ohio winds.
you did not mention however if you were reloading for this or buying factory ammo. i have never shot factory from mine only my own loads.
savage does make a 6.5X.284 with the target accutrigger.

[On a call]

Wow Guys, You are giving alot of info to work with here....I love my AR for a few reasons, fast loading, easy to shoot, easy to care for, and forgiving of the condtions I put it through. I may look into match loads for it. I did not think you could build it up into a 243...wow that is about awsome. It does however have to be punishment on the lower and upper ?? I will send Dtech a message and get his thoughts.

I love shooting, but making those shots that others think you just got lucky on, just make me smile, even if no one is there watchin.

[Mr Mike]

First off it is not a 25-06, enough said.................................!

[Furhunter]

Mr Mike said:

First off it is not a 25-06, enough said.................................!

Thanks for your insightful thought and valuable input.

[Furhunter]

Quote

I did not think you could build it up into a 243...wow that is about awsome. It does however have to be punishment on the lower and upper ??

You can have a 243, 308, along with a slew of the short mags, etc most any cartridge of the same length in an AR10 (308) platform. I have shot a few of them and they are sweet. I believe the WSSM's can be used in the AR-15 lowers by single stacking the mag. I would however have mike (dtech) build me one before I purchased a rack rifle. Might cost a bit more but quality/accuracy always does.

[On a call]

knapper said:

I am a fan of the 6.5x284 a good gunsmith with the reamers can make a long action Rem. 700 a good choice. The long action is better than the short one because the overall length is better and you can seat the bullets out of the case farther. I use IMR 4831 and H 4831 to get the best results. Brass is a little hard to find sometimes and cabeles is the best bet for both the Lupa or the Norma. I have used both and have gone to the Lupa. Redding dies are the best, you can get a neck sizer and full length sizer in the set. This is becoming the cartridge of choice for competive shooters, they will be using the MatchKing 142 gr. for distances up to 1000 yards. I have got mine with over 2000 rounds through it a 7.25 inch group at 750 yards with a cross head wind. Way past what you would be doing but, still impressive. My rifle with scope and having a 28 inch heavy barrel tips the scales at 15.5 lbs. Not a rifle to walk around with all day.

Wow, now that is really very impressive ahooting for sure, under 8" groups at 750 yards. I certainly would intertain building up a gun that would have those characteristics and abillities. I am supprised however that you have not shot it out yet with 2000 rounds through her. So tell me...how difficult was it to dial or tune it in ?

[On a call]

Mr Mike said:

First off it is not a 25-06, enough said.................................!

So are you saying....25-06 is a better choice ??? I had not given it any thought and do not know anyone who has one.

[cmiddleton]

i've killed many coyotes out to 600 yrds with the 243
the disadvantage to the 243 is on mule deer sized animals and larger it will not perform as i would like it to past 300 yards.
it works on whitetail and antelope well at longer distances but losses its "umph" on muley's and fails to kill cleanly past 300 yards. it will kill them but not as clean as i prefer

[knapper]

It is used by high power shooters and they use the two powders I mentioned. The hardest part is seating the bullet so it is off the lands by .020 or so I did that by starting the bullet in an empty case and with the bolt out tap it down to where the shell would not go any farther. I extracted the shell and ajusted the off set by guess. They make a match die with a micromenter match setting die in rcbs and redding that can be ajusted to have the free bore you need. Matchkings and Berger have a long slope to the front of the bullet and so they can be set close to the same. All of the others will need to be set for the own free bore. By repeating this as you use the rifle you will be able to track the wear. Watch when switching to Lapua bullets if you try them as they seem to a little different. I plan of sticking with the 142 gr. Matchking.

[jriggs]

something to keep in mind....if you're really serious about getting out and shooting farther and not wanting to worry about doping the wind so much....you can always step up to a .30 caliber...shoot solids...and it'i think it's a fair trade off. on really windy days i take my .300 Wby Mag out. i shoot solids for yotes and they really don't expand much on the chest of a coyote...they ALWAYS pass through...but don't damage the pelt as much as you'd think. i don't think there is enough there to really cause them to expand...so they just pass in and out...and as long as you put them in the right spot...they'll kill a yote dead with no issues.

call me a cheater..but i'm not as good at reading the wind farther away...i mean...you try and watch the grass at 500 yards and 200 yards and then right in front of you all while trying to take a shot and then decide how much you need to hold into the wind....it leaves a lot of room for error..and my middle name os "MURPHY" if you catch my drift.....so i just shoot the stuff that bucks the wind better so i have less to think about.

just my $.02

[youngdon]

jriggs, welcome to the forum. I haven't shot either of my 30 cals at a yote in years but it does work. Now days when it is windy I take the 80gr bullets to shoot out of my .243 instead of the 55's.. I'll bet that WBY would skin 'em for you if you used the right bullet. LOL

[jriggs]

hahaha...yeah...if you're not carful they can do some...well....damage smacked a nice antelop two years ago in central WY and he was bedded out down of the wind. it was 5 degrees and the wind was howling and we got to within 80 yards and the bullet hit right where i wanted it...right side shoulder...but when it went to exit it smacked a rock that was behind him that i couldn't see....well....needless to say i took the hide from my buddies Antelope because it litterally peeled that animal inside out when that 165 BST hit that rock he was leaning against....quite nasty.

my weatherby is my do everything rifle. it's actually in pieces right now over with Bobby Hart at RW Hart and Sons..it's getting all sorts of fun stuff done to it. it's gonna drive tacks when they get done with it! i can't wait to take it out for dogs...they're getting pretty out of control here in PA/NJ and they're healthy too...so there are a lot of them in certain places...and the hunting is the best it's been in 10 years. get em while the gettins good

[youngdon]

Yes I have heard that New Jersey is full of dogs.

[On a call]

jriggs said:

hahaha...yeah...if you're not carful they can do some...well....damage smacked a nice antelop two years ago in central WY and he was bedded out down of the wind. it was 5 degrees and the wind was howling and we got to within 80 yards and the bullet hit right where i wanted it...right side shoulder...but when it went to exit it smacked a rock that was behind him that i couldn't see....well....needless to say i took the hide from my buddies Antelope because it litterally peeled that animal inside out when that 165 BST hit that rock he was leaning against....quite nasty.

my weatherby is my do everything rifle. it's actually in pieces right now over with Bobby Hart at RW Hart and Sons..it's getting all sorts of fun stuff done to it. it's gonna drive tacks when they get done with it! i can't wait to take it out for dogs...they're getting pretty out of control here in PA/NJ and they're healthy too...so there are a lot of them in certain places...and the hunting is the best it's been in 10 years. get em while the gettins good

Hello JR and welcome too this is a nice site.

I have thought about using a 30 cal and have a 30-06 a friend picked up a 300 ultra mag for moose this last fall but to be honest I think it is a little much for yotes ha ha. I understand you comment on solids and always thought that could be an opition. However a .243 seems to fly a bit faster. I know wind is a concideration and the more heavy a bullet is the less likely it is to be affected by it being pushed. However time exposed to that wind helps out also.

You live not too far from me perhaps we should go knock some dogs around. I have a 1000 acer farm we can hunt just east of Wheeling, or if you would like to try hunting northern Michigan I can do there also.

[poe]

Its pretty hard to go wronge with the .243. If you do your part it well knock down coyotes as far as you want.