.243 The story so far

[ianm 2,594]

As most of you know i filled a vacant slot with a Tikka T3 supervarmint 243. It was either fill the slot with something cheap just to fill it or something usable, i opted for the latter. Load development didn't take much work. I decided to use RL15 powder as it is easy to get and my RFD reckons a good powder for 243. I already had a supply of nosler varmageddons 55grn bullets from my last foray into this calibre. So with my usual devil may care attitude  and total abandonment of anything safety related i started at the top load and tried them. They where actually quite good from a group point of view but i thought i would push them a bit faster out of interest. I went up a grain on the powder and the group tightened nicely, it clocked 3,726 on the chrono so i thought i would give them a try at that. At this point i had a decent dayscope fitted and not being an add on fan i decided the only fair way of testing it was to fit my Drone pro to it. This done i ventured of to zero and get a feel for it. Between myself and a mate we have three hardox fox targets, not cheap but absolutely superb for this kind of thing. You can see and hear your hits from a distance without continually traipsing to the targets. I zeroed an inch high at 100yds to see if i could replicate my 204 trajectory. I then set out a fox target at 100, 200 and three hundred yards. I was comfortably in the kill zone at 100 and 200 yds but a little lower than i would like at 300yds. After altering the reticule upwards slightly i rechecked all three distances. The result was a point and shoot zero from 50 to a little over 300yds without any hold over or hold under, ideal for n/v. No point going to this effort without trying it out in the real world so i decided to take every opportunity to get out foxing. The first shot so far has been the farthest at 236yds and had to be a head shot due to cover. The closest has been 52yds. Comparing the 243 using 55grn hollow points to my 204s is as follows. The 204 is definitely flatter although i think i could reduce that deficit by pushing the 243 faster. The 204 is sweeter to shoot and quieter. I don't lose sight picture with the 204 but that is getting better with the 243. The 243 certainly strikes with some authority but funnily enough none of the foxes have been any deader. In conclusion i do like it and i have set my green daylight scope up on the 204 so that i can also use that aswell if required. I have shot ten foxes with it this month so far and confidence is growing  each outing. I am looking forward to seeing how i get on with some of the rangier foxes i will no doubt have to deal with later in the year. I shot another fox last night but used the 204 as it was a more noise sensitive area.     

[David.evans 5,323]

Goog going mate , glad you like it they are superb rifles 

atb 

[Stavross 15,347]

I’d say it’s my favourite calibre, but to be honest I like them all

[si brown 8,486]

I’ve been loading for a mate who swears by them he only uses a .243 and he’s foxed and looked after shoots for donkeys years. 
 

got to confess as much as I love my .204 it’s bloody heavy.. it’s mint for shooting off quad stix but I’ve got a paggerd shoulder and it’s not much fun lifting it on them:(

I called in gun shop today as I was working on a farm round the corner and I was waying up lighter rifles!

My minds juggling either a 22-250 or 243 tikka non bull barrel

[shovel leaner 7,650]

I love a .243 . I will have to get a chronograph. I have got to be pushing my Barnes varmint grenades at about that speed . I might be wrong but I think it kills them deader than my .223

[ianm 2,594]

41 minutes ago, si brown said:

I’ve been loading for a mate who swears by them he only uses a .243 and he’s foxed and looked after shoots for donkeys years. 
 

got to confess as much as I love my .204 it’s bloody heavy.. it’s mint for shooting off quad stix but I’ve got a paggerd shoulder and it’s not much fun lifting it on them:(

I called in gun shop today as I was working on a farm round the corner and I was waying up lighter rifles!

My minds juggling either a 22-250 or 243 tikka non bull barrel

I wouldn't bother with 22.250 when you can get the same or better performance out of 243 which if needed is deer legal.

[ianm 2,594]

6 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I love a .243 . I will have to get a chronograph. I have got to be pushing my Barnes varmint grenades at about that speed . I might be wrong but I think it kills them deader than my .223

It might do if you manage to hit them.

[si brown 8,486]

1 hour ago, ianm said:

I wouldn't bother with 22.250 when you can get the same or better performance out of 243 which if needed is deer legal.

I’ve got a 6.5-55 for for deer, might sound a bit strange but I don’t want to shoot a deer with a gun with a plastic stock and the thing I like about the tikkas is there pretty much a smash about and sling back in the safe kind of gun… think you might be right with the .243 it’s easy to load for and it’s the same gun me mate uses.. he took a fox out other week with his at about 250yrd off a fence post with a pard strapped to the scope 

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Cracking that Ian, liked reading that cheers. Obviously not like for like, but I enjoy reading comparison reports from those who know what they're on about.

[Stavross 15,347]

3 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

I love a .243 . I will have to get a chronograph. I have got to be pushing my Barnes varmint grenades at about that speed . I might be wrong but I think it kills them deader than my .223

My .243 certainly makes them deader than the .223

i gauge deadness by the size of the hole the round puts in them, I’ve shot them with the .223 55gn and you would think they were just asleep, then I’ve used the .243 with sako 70gn ballistic tip and you could use it as a glove puppet

[BenBhoy 4,706]

8 hours ago, Stavross said:

then I’ve used the .243 with sako 70gn ballistic tip and you could use it as a glove puppet

You really need to stop shooting that load up the bum hole. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's what she said, yeah yeah.... 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

13 hours ago, ianm said:

It might do if you manage to hit them.

Oooh ya bitch !!!

[ianm 2,594]

During the week, Wednesday, i thought i might go and have a look for foxes to a farm about nine miles away. This place consists of three farms together that belong to the same owner. It usually produces a fair number of foxes during the year so i thought i had best have a look. We set up at the bottom of a field right by the river and set the foxpro off with pheasant distress. Where we had set up is kind of at the end of an elongated bowl, so the ground rises all around except behind. Anyway ten minutes in and a fox had snuck in and was sat down in front of us listening to the caller. I quickly switched the Drone on and i/r, safety off and put the dot on its bib. Squeezed the trigger and saw the bullet strike to the right of it. Off it ran then stopped sideways on about two hundred yards out. I had already cycled another round and allowed for the rifle shooting to the right this time straight over the top. That brought an end to proceedings and i went home. I checked the fitting of the scope and it was secure although there is a clamp like bracket that fits around the lense. The two bolts holding this together weren't as tight as i would like so i gave them a good nipping up. I wondered if the misses had either been due that or did the rifle just need a good clean, so it got one. Thinking back i hadn't cleaned it after a zeroing session and then a dozen trips out or so. I went back to the farm yesterday afternoon to see what it shot like. It was blowing twenty four miles an hour so i set up at 110yds shooting into the wind. The first shot was bang on centre but three inch high so i altered the scope by four clicks down. Now it was about an inch and a half high which is fine. I shot another fifteen rounds at the hardox fox targets at distances up to 300yds. 

Now i was ready to try it on another outing. Confidence had been restored somewhat so i went out last night, same place different call, partridge distress. Within five minutes i spot the fox on the other side of the river and it is coming to the call. Suddenly it veered off to our left and disappeared through a hedge. I had an inkling that it was going downstream to where it could cross the river more easily. It took another ten minutes but it showed on our side and stealthily made its way towards the caller through all the cover on the bank. It finished up twenty yards from us and the sussed out we where there. Off it went back through the cover and shot off across the field to our left. I was stood on the shooting platform on the Jimny and told my mate to drive us to the top of the high ground as far as he can go. From here we could see a long way all around and i spotted the fox in the next field mooching along a fenceline. I switched everything on and followed it in the scope. Eventually it did stop and i lined the dot up level with its back and squeezed the trigger. It dropped on the spot without a twitch. Retrieving it was a pain as i had to climb a sheep fence cross a ditch and then another sheep fence. I checked the distance on the app and it was two hundred and eighty two yards. The farthest yet. 

I was relieved that the rifle was back on song and also that i had managed to kill the fox i had missed. I am still getting used to this rifle and calibre but i know now it isn't as flat as my 204s are. With those i don't even have to think about it, just look through the scope and shoot. This is a little more challenging and it interests me for now. The fox was a 16lb dog and a good one to get off the ground.    

[Stavross 15,347]

I’m going to need a cup of tea to go with this one, but I know it will be good so you can have a thumbs up  

[Stavross 15,347]

Right, I’m ready and I’m going in