.243 Winchester
During its development, this one was called
the 6mm Winchester, but when introduced in 1955, its name had been changed
to .243 Winchester. The .243 along with the
7mm-08 Remington
and the .358 Winchester, are offspring of the
.308 Winchester
case. Of the many new cartridges introduced since World War II, the
.243 and the
7mm Remington
Magnum probably gained quicker and wider acceptance by hunters around
the world than any other cartridge.
As popular opinion long had it, the .243 and the other 6mm cartridges of
like performance shot flatter, bucked wind better, and delivered more energy
to distant targets than cartridges of smaller caliber such as the
.22-250 and
.220 Swift.
But the argument ends fast when the topic of conversation turns to flexibility.
After varmint season is over, a rifle in .243 can switch roles and becomes
a deer rifle, something that can not be said of a rifle of smaller caliber.
The .243 Winchester has a reputation for excellent accuracy, mainly because
of the many excellent bullets available for it and because most shooters
find it a pleasant cartridge to shoot. For loading varmint weight bullets
up to 87 grains,
H380,
IMR-4064, and
IMR-4320 do a
fine job. For big game loads with 90 to 101 grain bullets,
H4831, H450, H4350,
H414,
IMR-4350, and
IMR-4831 are
good choices.
Source: Hodgdon Data Manual, 26th Edition
Historical Notes:
The 243 Winchester was introduced by Winchester in 1955 for their Model 70
bolt action and model 88 lever action rifles. The 243 was quickly adopted
by Savage for their Model 99 lever and Model 110 bolt action rifles. All
of the British and European manufacturers began chambering bolt action rifles
for this round. In fact, even Remington, who developed their own 6mm, had
to recognize the popularity of the 243 and started chambering their rifles
for it. The 243 (6mm) Winchester is nothing more than the
308 Winchester
case necked down. Original development and publicity was due largely to the
efforts of gun writer, the late Warren Page, who along with other wildcatters
worked out a similar version before Winchester. The 243 is probably chambered
in more different rifles than any other cartridge, except possibly the
30-06
Springfield. All other manufacturers of rifles offer this caliber.
General Comments:
The 243 Winchester represents a successful effort to develop light deer rifle
caliber that could hold its own with the high velocity 22's for long range
use on small targets and still be adequate for larger animals. The 243 does
this job well. It eliminates the need to own two rifles for anything from
small game and pests up to and including deer size animals. The
257 Roberts
and the 250-3000
Savage are supposed to cover the same range and certainly do. However,
the 25 caliber bullets don't have the same sectional density for long range
varmint shooting until bullet weights get up to 120 grains., and then the
velocity falls off badly All major domestic and overseas manufacturers of
commercial ammunition offer this caliber. Its popularity as a deer caliber
has prevailed over its varmint capabilities.
Source: Cartridges of the World
| 243 Winchester Reloading Components & Accessories | |
New Unprimed PMC Brass
 |
RCBS Case Trimmer Pilot, 24 Caliber
 |
Hornady
Shell Holder #1
 |
RCBS
Ammo Box (# 86902) |
| 243 (6mm) Caliber (.243) Bullets | |
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