.243 Explained - The Gun Shop 

A few people are starting to realize the long range potential of the .243. I love the caliber and have owned one since I was 18....62 years old today.

My father owned a .243 . He would reload his shells. 75 grain hallow points. He had them pushing 3,600 f.p.s. Fun to shoot. 300 yd. Or closer, you can watch your deer drop before you feel the kick from the gun. Great run down on velocity of different grain rounds. I got my father's rifle now.

Here in Kentucky, for everything I hunt, .243 Hornady SST 95 gr puts them down...whitetail deer, coyote, groundhog....

I speak from over 25yrs. of experience. A .243 will easily drop a deer in it's tracks. I use an 80-85gr Monolithic Copper BTHP and deer stop in their tracks and look like a MAC truck hit them, anywhere from 50yrds-300yrds. My other .243 an AR10 with a 1:8 twist I use a Hornady SST super performance 95gr., and once again deer stop dead in their tracks. Plus with the 95gr. one can easily shoot and hit targets at 1,000 yards and further.

SST stands for Super Shock Tip.... Greetings from Grand Island Nebraska..Home of Hornady....

I purchased a 243 win rifle during the covid-19 pandemic that unfortunately forced my local range to close. So for over two years that gun sat in my safe unused until this past week when I finally took it out to the range. I have to say it was a pure joy to shoot. Much more pleasant recoil than the 270 Winchester I had been practicing with for some time. The gun (Howa 1500) is also very accurate and not particularly fussy about ammo. I got .85 moa groups with Norma whitetail and just about 1 moa with Federal Non-Typical. I opted to go with the latter since I has a higher muzzle velocity and flatter trajectory. If the .243 caliber bullet will kill everything you want to hunt I don't see why anyone would endure the extra recoil of something larger when it's not necessary. I plan to use it for whitetail hunting in the southeast USA. I will reserve the 270 win for larger game at distance out in the western united states.

.243 has been a great round for decades - nice to see the same being said 'abroad' :) Nice channel!

Uninteresting? Boring? No mate! EXACTLY what I was looking for! Even if it’s the only one you get.... thank you!!! 👍

Due to health problems I had to change to a 243 from 270s and bigger... I load 95 gr sst and will shoot a quarter inch group at 100

Great round however so is the 22-250 for foxes which is what I use. I found a 55 grainer never fails. Cheers from Ozz.

It's popular in Mississippi for whitetail in a lot of area's. I shoot a browning .243 pump, and my father shoots a browning blr .243 we both use Federal Premium 100gr Sierra Gameking BTSP.

I have dropped an Kudu , Oryx and many wildebeest with the 243 .ONE OF THE BEST GUNS IN THE WORLD . Fast , long range and high impact

I taken a 400 bear at 250 with a neck shot with 80 243. Deer, elk bear, hogs. It's depends on shot placement. All one has to do is take out the spine game drops like a sack of potatoes. For me it's depends on the game, my longest shot was a elk with a hand load 100 gr projectile at 358 meters right in neck. I really enjoy the 243.

5:16........That is why I shoot a 243 and/or a 270. Also only take head shots. No meat ruined.

I started hunting deer with the 243 and my son continues on with that caliber. I inherited a 30.06 American Enfield rifle made for WWI which is probably too much bullet and it is a way heavier rifle than the 243 which is totally adequate for any game that I will ever encounter in the Pennsylvania woods

Thanks mate, a good honest review of the .243. A very underestimated calibre.

thanks put my mind as ease just ordered my first rifle in 243 tikka T3X

great vid,finally going for my centre fire and was already kinda decided on 243, as my step up from rim fires for 6 years, hopefully devon and cornwall police go easy on the restrictions and mentor limit!! cheers fella!!

Really good video and info. Should be more like it. I’ve subscribed and hope you do more on all things related. Cheers

I own 2 (243’s) it’s my favorite caliber other than my 45-70. I think the round is adequate for whitetail but it’s truly a bit light. I use my 243 as a range gun and the other as a hog slayer. I run Hornady Gmx 80gr with my better groups at 100 yards .455 inches. The deep penetration of the gmx 80 is fantastic and the recoil (my rifles utilized muzzle break devices) is almost unnoticeable. I can’t recommend the caliber enough.

Good vid, love my .243 shot a lot of fallow with it and few reds. Would prefer .270 and. 308 for reds and sika but a very capable round for long range target shooting.

.243 is one of my favorites. I have many other rifles that are far more powerful. However if it is within 300 yard and is a Mule Deer sized down an absolute killer. Never shot anything larger with a .243 though.

I love the.243 Winchester Cartridge . My rifle is a Remington model 7 ‘ Predator ‘ . It’s a synthetic stock nicely finished in mossy oak brush camo , heavy magnum contour fluted barrel, with a 1 in 9.125” twist rate that stabilizes everything from 55 grain V-max all the way up to 107 grain Berger VLD with superb accuracy 😉 🎯 I like the Hornady 100 grain BTSP( boat tail spire point) bullets , they work well for deer 🦌 and I even have used them on coyotes with very effective results , although I like the Federal 100 grain Nosler partitions , but I’m having difficulty finding this load ( did they quit making it ?) Nice video mate , and just for the record... it’s a fine all around cartridge for most anything up deer 🦌 it comes down to shot placement and bullet selection combined with ethical shooting distance and it should serve anyone well .

Outstanding video friend. Great job. SC Navy vet. Quick talking.

I havnt taken the time yo read all the comments but... What type of factory cartridge for the 243 would you best recommend for roe and fox shooting? Ive currently got norna tipstrike 76 gr which ive had a few foxes and 1 deer with, have got sako 90 and ,geco 105 grainers to try but wondering what would be best bets to try. Ideally use one for all to save changing zeros etc. Thanks

Years ago, I wanted to replace the pitted bbl on a Mauser 98 with .243, but the gunsmith recommended 6mm Remington as the round would better fit the magazine. The 6 can be loaded a little hotter than the 243 and kills deer like lightening even with shots not well placed. However, I have not gotten it to group well for target shooting, but good enough for 200 yd hunting with 90+/-gr bullets.

243 is a fantastic cartridge. Here in the western US (Colorado) it is used with great effect on everything from pests to pronghorn. I’m actually a little surprised that 7mm-08 isn’t more popular in the UK. I understand that it doesn’t generate the laser beam like velocity of the 243 but the larger, heavier projectile is more effective on deer sized game. IMHO. Cheers.

Informative video! I hand load Hornady interlock 100g Boat Tail Soft Point w/cannelure for hunting mule deer in Utah's high desert; @4000 ft elevation I can get between 2700 and 3000 FPS, the 2700fps load being very accurate in my savage. There are 1000 yard shots to be made here, but my skills are only worthy of 300 while shooting at game. The reason we sight our deer and elk rifles in at 200 is so we don't have to change point of aim until past 300 yards most of the time. Average drop at 300 is 4-7 inches and were only 1-2 inches high at 100 yards. It's easy enough to aim slightly high at 300. I am working on getting permission to varmint hunt on some private land and leaning towards 55 grain in th 243. Here in the states a varmint is any species that is not likely to be eaten such as crow, coyote, fox, groundhogs, etc. I can't imagine shooting a fox with a 75 grain projectile out of a 243! There would be barely any pelt left.They are about the size of a housecat here. I am looking forward to using 223, 22-250, and even 22 magnum. Anythings possible (and legal) when it comes to varmint calibers here, but I would reserve the 243 for coyote and anything larger like boar, but boar are often taken with a 22lr headshot. I also watched your video about the 270, which i use for mule deer and elk. Whats the largest legal game in the UK? Would it require a 270? You can also push many 270 loads well above 3000fps. enough of my rambling, I could go on about this stuff for days. Thanks for the good vids, keep m coming!

Thank you well spoken civilized lecture!

The 243 95 grain Winchester XP will drop a deer in its tracks every time if you hit them just above the shoulder. Devasting knockdown power and very little meat damage.

I love shooting and I love the 243 , I’ve been shooting my 250 savage lately which is comparable ballistically

What is a good factory 243 ammo for long range target. My rifle has a 1.7 twist

Cheers great video Can you do one on 223

Thank you.

I went on a trip a long time ago and bought a tank made of bullet shells but I don't know the exact name of the bullet. behind the shell 74 12 Can you tell me the exact name of the bullet?

I shoot 95 grain sst out to 350 metres for 200kg red deer and they dont run at all after being hit in in the shoulder

Hi Guys , everyone makes comments about the bullet weight but nobody ever discuss the powder details. It seems that subject is always forgotten. I have seen only one guy doing powder tests.

How big are the Fox there ?? Here in America we shoot Fox with a .22LR , but ours are tiny thing not much bigger than a house cat . Coyotes we use .223 and 243 but only 55 Gr . in 223 and 70 Gr . bullets in 243

243 is my favorite round

I see a box of Remington.....I used to use them 75 for foxes 95 for deer, however the importer is not on the case and stopped importing them...

Great Vid! You convinced me to buy and use a 243 this coming deer season. Hopefully I get a big buck, You gained a new sub

Would love you to 308 and 6.5 creedmore review

you never mentioned the .243 in Norma, my BSA Monarch loves them.

I have to admit the 243 is an extremely accurate round it's probably my favorite round now I cannot believe how accurate my Remington 700 243 is at a hundred yards I was hitting the bullseye over and over again before this the 3006 was my favorite round not anymore

good allrounder. good on boars aswell

Excellent work. So many farmers in SA are not allowing hunting with this calibre.

200 yard zero is for maximum point blank range, the bullet only gets about 1.7 inches above point of aim from barrel to 200 and drops to about -3 inches around 250 yards where the energy of that 100ish grain deer bullet gets to 1200ish ft-lbs. You will still hit what you want to inside of 200 it will just be a smidge high.

SST Super Shock Tip, the 75 grain V Max is not for game it is a varmint round only, this caliber needs the right choice of bullet 80 grain and up for game anything smaller is varmint, this is very important with 243

The 243 Hornady 58 grain Vmax at 3,950 FPS is deadly, accurate and super flat shooting at coyote and other varmints.

Hey mate great video 👍 If you get a chance to get a box of Australian outback ammo in 87g or 70g It is fantastic

I just wonder how hard it will be to buy 6 and 6.5mm casings and rounds for the new wave of 6 mill rifles, and also i bet the trendy cost goes up........from down under

I like this guys honesty: it means much death LOL!!!

I like the sound of an educated individual giving me facts instead of opinions

I've been shooting a Remington 700 in .243 for about 50 years, never fails to do the job. Not that I would reccomend it, but as a result of happenstance, I have taken my largest Mule deer, Whitetail, Moose and Elk ever with my 243. The bull moose was at 205 meters and he weighed 1,100 pounds! I hit him between the eye and the base of his antler and he dropped like a sack of cement.

i use it on deer very capable . i wouldnt hesitate to use it on caribou or black bear . 100 grain bullets is what i use. hit them in the boiler room and they are done. But the big advantage is u can use it for varmints and coyote no promlem..low recoil makes you deadly!!!!!!!!!!very fun gun to shoot!!

The right to keep and bear arms is a universal God given right. You Brits have your work cut out for you. We Americans have been fighting the battle for 100 years.

.223 legal for roe in scotland remember 👍

Great freakin round

I would like to see you put it up against the 6.5 you give a honest apineon that I like so would make it interesting

If you are looking for a good 243 varmint round look at Barnes varmint grenade

Next week a video on personal hygiene starting with handwash etc.

.243 death-ray calibre

Really wish I could find ammo. 25-30 dollars for a box of 20

SST. Super Shock Tip...

not speed that kills, energy and accuracy kill. if i throw a cricket ball and ping pong ball at you at the same speed the cricket ball is going to do more damage. I do agree the .243 is a good calibre which is a minimum for deer in England and will also do a great job on foxes. i do wish there was one calibre does all rifle but the .243 does cross boundaries.

Funny that as an American for varmint I think coyote but this Brit is talking about foxes and I guess that makes sense haha

I have a cheap af Stevens 200 clunker (cheap Savage) in .243 . $450 AUD package rifle. I spent $12 on a piece of thin pianno wire to lighten the trigger which made a BIG difference. Loves Hornady 58grn at over 4000 fps. I can out shoot guys at the range with rigs 10x the price. They ask me wtf is that thing, then they pack their gear and go home. Can go up to 100 grn for pigs. 1 shot, 1 kill out to 250 m or so. MUST find the right ammo for each rifle though. Can be expensive @ $2.50/ shot, but worth it to find the right ammo. Haven't done any hand reloads... Don't need to for a $450 rifle. Cant go wrong with .243. Would like a .308 just for down range BC, and the BAAANGG. :-))

In America I don’t think I know anyone who has a .243 but everyone I know who hunts has a 30-30 and a 30-06 I’ve got 2 of each

Super shock tip

good ol 6mm-08 WInchester

Speed alone doesnt kill, bullet diameter, construction, mass and wound channel make a huge deal, in hunting bc doesnt really mean anything

i use my 243 for bull moose out to 500 yards up here in canada lol it is so underestimated

"A Vast Amount Of Speed" Is what this guy is on

I agree it’s an excellent calibre, however the 243 seems to eat barrels!

.243 is a great great zombie round

I won several calibers. 243 seems to be the most accurate.

I got a savage 12 lrp in 243 for coyotes up here in Canada. I don't care about pelts, just hunt them to keep the numbers down and the ranchers want you out there due to the amount of yotes in S Alta. I use the 75g vmax. Deadly accurate and good for out past 500 yards. I've even taken a few out at 7-800 yards. Only thing about the 243 is its a barrel burner. I'm rebarreling to 6.5 cm. not much less of a barrel burner. But it will be great for yotes, plus Mule deer WT. but still got my 270wsm Tikka for Elk, moose, and anything else. But 243 is one hell of a cartridge. Still might stick with 243, but that 6.5 has me pretty intrigued. Especially for long range shots.

I recommend the 243 to a few of my mates, worst thing Ive ever done, every time I go to the sport shop the buggers beat me to all the ammo.

243 and Remington coreloct and deer crumble day

Can I use a 243 round in a 30-30 lever?

243 is one of those calibers that will kill things beyond its weight speed kills the 240 Weatherby would be a better choice for the UK would handle the larger deer better especially at longer ranges

At least your overlords allow some calibers capable of offense

Ooh you made this interesting - all the way up to 1 min 40 when I decided I needed to watch paint drying.

We Americans shoot deer at 200-300yrds, because if I come out of the woods and see a big buck at the other side of the field. Then Boom he's down, because you'll most likely never get another shot. A .243 will easily kill a deer, elk, and even a moose easily.

SST means .... Much Death

.243 explanation... IT IS A CALIBER ! JOB DONE.......

Also ... Seiko ( pronounced sayko) makes wrist watches ⌚️.. Sako ( pronounced socko) makes fine hunting rifles and ammo 😉

Why bother with a 243 when you can get a 25-06?

243 is a little much for a fox, I’ve shot foxes for years with 222 and short range stuff with a 22. No fox has walked away for a 222.

Remington core lokt 100 grain for deer.

The 243 is still very popular here in America. Great accuracy and performance with very little recoil. I like the entire 308 family 7mm08 260 Remington and 243 Winchester. In my opinion the 243 with 100 grain Nosler partitions is the best for deer. some people use them for elk here in America too but I think that elk are a little big for 243 . I do have a friend that his sister kills an elk every year with 243. She's also an excellent shot and stalks with in 200 yards or less. Anyone using 243 needs to understand Beyond two hundred yards you've lost too much to ethically hunt. The dangerous thing about 243 as it's very accurate and flat shooting and you have a false sense of being able to shoot further. Thanks

Within the 1st 3 seconds.....we got some millennial English punk.....will keep watching to see how much the kid knows.. 2:08 is where you're wrong.. Since their conception 80gr was the max....till sometime in the later 70's or 80's when they brought out the 100gr. then in the early 90's the 105gr. I've reloaded and hunted Everything In the lower 48 US States with a .243 and my own reloaded 100gr Sierra boat tails. Remington 788 .243 owner here since 1980, Buckwheat. Father has a 60's .308 Rem 600 (no not Mohawk) orig Rem 600.

I shoot the 87 GR at 3200 FPS.

What a load of waffle ....I mean what the hell is hydraulic expansion 😂

I have killed a lot of deer with a 87 GR HPBT in a 243.

Who doesn’t use inches? Only you guys.

Shoot everything up to 100/105 grs. I like it, i got 22, 222 also, this is my go to riffle! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YDqp1web_-4.html 24 inches heavy barrel. Laminated wood stock, it's got everything! What's your feelings bout it?

6XC is better than .243 Winchester because it has the same ballistics but for 7 grains less.

6mm Creedmore is now the ‘it’ caliber in long range precision shooting.

Great video. It's a shame that ANY caliber of center-fire rifle ammo is about as easy to find in the US these days--in shops or online--as an honest politician...