The .243 Winchester

"I can't think of a single reason
why you would ever regret buying one"

From nowhere, there he stood, he spotted me just in time to catch all 100 grains of lead in the chest. The buck went over backwards like his antlers were snagged by a low flying airplane and it was over. The lead had struck exactly where I told it to 100 yards from the end of my muzzle.

 That's how it is with my Remington 700 .243. Point it, pull the trigger and it's over. It simply shoots where you aim, not most of the time, every time.

 Who would not love a gun like that?

 At the shooting range, I left a fresh target at 100yds, chambered a round and handed the gun to my wife. Perfect bullseye, not a little left or right, perfect. She had never fired the .243 and wanted to "give it a try". Having shot my 22 Hornet some, she knew it would "kick more" but was surprised that it was so mild.

 As a teenager, I scoffed the .243 my friend owned. I was raised 30 caliber and knew that the .243 simply could not be enough gun for deer hunting. 20 years later, my daughter was less than impressed with the recoil of my 30/30. Looking for less recoil, I traded off a Contender .223 for the 700 .243.

 My daughter liked the .243, but after a couple of seasons of deer hunting, was finished with that program.

 Punching paper consistently and accurately with every bullet I've tried in it, the .243 just keeps on impressing me. It is a pure pleasure to shoot and reload.

February 2002

I gave the gun a face lift and love it. Simple project, nice results. Take a look !

Update December 2005

Wow, it's been over 12 years since I first shot a 243. Time certainly flies !

As of this writing, I have taken 17 deer with the .243. At ranges from 30 yards to 325 yards. Most of the deer were standing but I have taken them walking and running.

I took my Remington 700 in 243 prairie dog hunting both times that I have gone. And while it works perfectly, the pencil thin barrel gets hot fast and the recoil begins to wear on you (when compared to my heavy varmint rifle in 220 Swift).

My daughter, now 23, decided she wanted to deer hunt in 2005. I wrote a "Pre-Season" article and talked about how we tackled her decision. I wrote a "Post-Season" article and talked about how she took her first deer.

I know that confidence with a gun plays a huge role in the success of a hunter regardless of caliber but the .243 hooked me on "small bullet, fast velocity".

Now that I own a gun shop, it is torture looking at wholesale prices on any gun I want. I bought a Charles Daly in .308 to sell in the shop. You can read a review on that gun here.

Charles Daly sells a .243 in the same gun. When money allows, I will own one of them. Very slick, very clean rifle and in .243 it should be awsome.

If you already own a .243, then this writing simply confirms what you know and just shares stories with you. If you do not own a .243 but are considering one, I can't think of a single reason why you would ever regret buying one.

 My reload Data for the .243