243. win for varmints and coyotes!

[matt_3479]

One of my last posts was asking info for a varmint rifle. I was debating between the 204. Ruger and the 22-250 Remington. I am really interested in the 204. Ruger but i don think it is the caliber for me. I was talking to my hunting buddy's brother and he use to shoot a 243. win Parker Hale topped with a 6-24x scope which he used on ground hogs and coyotes. He was capable of reaching ranges past his 22-250 due to better resistance against wind, and had hard down range power and was just as flat if not flatter.

he strongly suggest it. I am now in debate between the 243. win and the 22-250. win. It would be used on mainly coyotes, varmints, pests, and long range plinking. if i got the 243. win i would use it on whitetail or pronghorn as well. I currently own a 7mm rem mag and a 300. wsm and i dont know if i need a 243. win or just stick with the 22-250.

I reload so im not worried about pricing. If i were to get the 22-250 it would probably be a Remington model 700 VS SF II and then i was looking at the Tikka T3 Laminated Stainless 243. win.

 

[Iron Worker]

One of my last posts was asking info for a varmint rifle. I was debating between the 204. Ruger and the 22-250 Remington. I am really interested in the 204. Ruger but i don think it is the caliber for me. I was talking to my hunting buddy's brother and he use to shoot a 243. win Parker Hale topped with a 6-24x scope which he used on ground hogs and coyotes. He was capable of reaching ranges past his 22-250 due to better resistance against wind, and had hard down range power and was just as flat if not flatter.

he strongly suggest it. I am now in debate between the 243. win and the 22-250. win. It would be used on mainly coyotes, varmints, pests, and long range plinking. if i got the 243. win i would use it on whitetail or pronghorn as well. I currently own a 7mm rem mag and a 300. wsm and i dont know if i need a 243. win or just stick with the 22-250.

I reload so im not worried about pricing. If i were to get the 22-250 it would probably be a Remington model 700 VS SF II and then i was looking at the Tikka T3 Laminated Stainless 243. win.

243 is more accurate then a 22-250. Plus you could open up the chamber to 243 AI.

 

[243yote]

I was also looking at the 204 Ruger but decided to get the 243. There was an article about the .243 in a popular magazine a couple of monthes ago about its wind defying ablilities. 204 Ruger is good on a wind less day but what if the wind picks up? Then you have to hold off how much? I have been using 70 gr pills for my .243 and could not be happier. Just point an square your crosshairs on the target, dead animal! Plus you can use it for deer and antelope! You also have longer range with more knockdown power at those ranges. The .243 also outperforms a 22-250 with a 55gr pill at all ranges! In my humble opinion.

 

[Ghostman]

I've got one of each caliber you're considering. A Savage in 204, a CZ in 22-250 and a Sako in 243.

The 204 is great for woodchucks, fox etc but is iffy on Coyotes with most bullets except Bergers. It's also iffy in windy conditions with light bullets. In my experience 204s can be a bit finicky about bullets and powder and take a bit of experimenting and tuning to shoot as well as other calibers. The good thing about the 204 is the low recoil and noise and it's cheap to reload.

I think the 22-250 is a better predator caliber than the 204. It anchors Coyotes better and bucks the wind better but has much more noise than the 204.

My 243 beats both in accuracy and killing power and if I had to choose only caliber for all varmint/predator hunting it would be the 243 using 70 Nosler or Sierra bullets.

 

[REDHEAD]

Good to hear others like the 70 gr Nosler & Sierra BT. I'm well stocked . I am anxious to try Buger 95 gr VLD in my Rem 700 varmint.

 

[johnnyk]

matt,
First off I have had several rifles in both the .22-250 and .243. One is just as accurate and as flat shooting as the other, with the right weight bullet. I currently own a .243 WIn 70 HVB and love it! The only way I would consider getting another .22-250 would be if it was free, or had a fast twist barrel (1-8 or 1-9"), or the AI version. The 1-14" twist, or even 1-12", just doesn't do this little hot-shot justice and limits you bullet weight selection.
The .243 is very flexible with regards to bullet weights, as long as you stay below 100gns, and 105-107gns in some cases. Most rifles that shoot these heavier pills are set up with faster than factory (1-9.25 & 1-10) twist.
Last year I lived in Va. and started out shooting groundhogs with the .243 65gn V-Max. Shots were pretty routine out to 350-400yds. Any misses were my fault. I kept stepping up the bullet weights and hits got to be more rountine farther and farther away. I ended up shooting the 95gn Ballistic Tip and that is now my choice for deer/varmints/targets. JohnnyK.

 

[Catfish]

Neather the .22-250 or the .243 is fur freindly, so it is my guess you are more interested in killing coyotes than collecting fur. If I were hunting for fur I would use the .17 Rem. Of the .243 or 250 I would choose the 243. I have 2 main coyote guns. For up close and personal and hunting with dogs, I carry an AE flat top with a 3 x 9 Leupold. For still hunting where I want to reach out and touch them I carry a .22-6mm. It pushes an 80 gr. 22 cal. bullet at around 3,250 fps., and with a BC over 400 it holds up very well to long range and wind. The thing is if your are looking for a long range rifle for coyotes, the 7 mm mag. is a better round than eather the .243 or the .22-250. The guy I hunt with most often carries a 7 mm mag. for coyotes. I have 3 .204`s all of which shoot the 32 gr. bullets extreemly well, but haveing hit 6 coyotes with 32 gr. Sierra bullets and not getting a one of them, 1 of them being knocked down 3 times and 1 being ran over with my pick-up after being shot, I will not carry eather of the bolt gun, I may carry the AR upper since I can keep on shooting.

 

[243yote]

As far as varmits are concerned a .243 is more than enough. 7mag is a lil overkill and much more recoil! As far as recoil is concerned but why? More recoil for for the same kill and much more for the price of ammo these days? Like i said before a 70gr pill in .243 with half the recoil will get you the same kill out to 500yds. My buddy shoots a 7 mag and i will tell you the extra recoil is not worth it if you are recoil shy. I shot 2 coyotes with my .243 this winter and was off the mark a lil bit but the coyote did not stray more than 10 yds from where i shot it. My fault but the coyote was easy to find and dispatch.

 

[REDHEAD]

I can understand recoil, but at what point is the animal too dead. Use enough gun. gun)

 

[shortgrass]

The .243 Winchester is an excellant coyote round. Take the time to work up a load your rifle is accurate with and practice, not from a bench, that's for sighting in, practice your technique. How many times have I heard a rifle is fit to become 'tent stakes' when all that was needed was some load development and practice on the shooters part. I'll assume we are talking factory rifles here, and some of this goes for custom barrels as well. It's very hard to state, "I want to shoot a 65g. V-Max". What if your rifle doesn't like it even though you've tried many different primers and propellants and seating depths? Try another bullet and combination. Those heavier bullets usually have better B.C. and more foot pounds of knock down energy and thats what it takes for clean, long range kills on coyotes. This is where the 6mms shine over the .22's . Even in custom barrels with fast twists, shooting heavy for caliber bullets, the 6mm's have higher B.C.'s than the .22.s. All this said, I'm shooting either my .22/250 A.I w/ 60g. SP or my 6X45mm w 80g. SP, both custom barreled. I choose my shots carefully and make clean kills with either rifle.

 

[roninflag]

if like shortgrass you have a custom barrel the gun will shoot awesome. one hole groups. the .243 will kill them cleanly further. problem is the vssf2 does not come in 243. i killed one with 70 baltip at 492 yards with my hart barrel rem 700.

 

[shaneman153d]

matt,
First off I have had several rifles in both the .22-250 and .243. One is just as accurate and as flat shooting as the other, with the right weight bullet. I currently own a .243 WIn 70 HVB and love it! The only way I would consider getting another .22-250 would be if it was free, or had a fast twist barrel (1-8 or 1-9"), or the AI version. The 1-14" twist, or even 1-12", just doesn't do this little hot-shot justice and limits you bullet weight selection.
The .243 is very flexible with regards to bullet weights, as long as you stay below 100gns, and 105-107gns in some cases. Most rifles that shoot these heavier pills are set up with faster than factory (1-9.25 & 1-10) twist.
Last year I lived in Va. and started out shooting groundhogs with the .243 65gn V-Max. Shots were pretty routine out to 350-400yds. Any misses were my fault. I kept stepping up the bullet weights and hits got to be more rountine farther and farther away. I ended up shooting the 95gn Ballistic Tip and that is now my choice for deer/varmints/targets. JohnnyK.

+1 I wish they had a 1/8 VS SF. I think the only 22-250 made with a fast twist is a savage. A good alternative would be a .223 WSSM, you can get them in 1/8 twist and it's hotter than a 22-250 or .220 swift.

 

[Ken gun]

This turned up on a search and it is a few years old. I down to a 204 Ruger in a Kimber varmit rifle 24" barrel or a 243 Winchester M70 super grade with a 22" barrel.
Started thinking 204 but like the idea of using 243 for deer. My other rifle is a 7mm rem mag.
If not reloading and shooting factory ammo is the 243 still a good varmit/ White tail deer rifle?
I would still use the 7 for any thing large or long distance.

 

[Three44s]

.204 Ruger, .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem, .243 Win, .25-06 Rem ...... I own all these and kill coyotes and more with them. I use bigger rifles and some handguns as well.

What would I chose? That depends on what you really want out of this new rifle.

If you are hunting strictly coyotes or smaller and in the daylight ......... I'd lean towards the .204 Ruger and the .22-250 Rem.

If you factor night time in ........ then I'd lean towards the .243 Win.

I started with the .243 nearly fourty years ago. The fellow I hunted with at that time was a dyed in the wool night hunter. I found the .243 to kill any coyote with any bullet!

When I went to the .22-250 ....... I found out real quick what bullet you chose mattered a LOT! But you got the right slug ...... and you had one killin' machine!

The .223 was different ....... the right bullet really had to go in the right spot!

The .204 kills more efficiently than any of the others I listed. With say the 32 gr. V-max ....... you'll have less pass throughs and some really dead right there coyotes .... your scope picture will not be lost until after you know the results ........ I like that a lot. Very ...... VERY small hold overs as well. I measure efficiency as how hard it is on the shooter vs. how hard it is on coyotes! Some coyotes will travel with this cartridge ..... that's for sure but on balance it's a hard cartridge to beat.

But if you want to blow coyotes into the next universe .... the .25-06 is the ticket! Speer's 87 gr. HP TNT .......... oh MAN!

More recoil than is necessary .. but a sledge hammer for sure!

Now, I see wind mentioned a lot on any thread arguing what cartridge for coyotes etc. ........ I fail to see the merits of worrying about wind. Our coyotes are just plain holed up with it's blowing very much.

Three 44s