thinking of putting together a .243

[TOP PREDATOR]

have an itch to put together a .243, i was orifinally thinking a .260, but searches have revealed that the .260 does better with a longer barrel.

my goal is to have a 16" or 17" barrel for a compact rifle

i was thinking of starting with either a Howa 1500 (1:10 tist), a rem 700 (1:9 1/8 twist) or a stevens 200 (1:9 1/4 twist).

will be using the rifle for varmints / predator hunting and steel shooting out to 500yds

i'd like to use 58 gr vmax for critters, 105 amax for steel and such. for a .243 with the twists, barrel lengths mentioned and the purposes intended, does anyone see a problem that i am unaware of? what do you think my best combo would be?

i'm really leaning toward the howa, but the 1:10 has got me alittle worried when it comes to the 105 gr amax and stabilization.

if i go ahead with it, i'm thinking detachable mag bottom metal, 1 piece base, millet TRS for the optic, timney or rifle basix trigger, and a stock upgrade.

 

[ut755ln]

Re: thinking of putting together a .243

You may need a 1-8 twist to properly stabilize the 105s. I read on here once you need 22" approximately to get a full powder burn out of a .243.

 

[ker2222]

Re: thinking of putting together a .243

16-17 is pretty short for a 243.....especially with the heavies. I think you'll lose more velocity than you'd like. I ran a 24 inch 243 for years as a varmint rifle and I loved it. I am going to build another as soon as my 6.5 creedmoore is done. I am trying to go with a 20 inch barrel on that one and even at that I am getting a lot of advice from smart people that its not a great idea.

BigBamBo, a respected member here ran a short barreled 243 as a varmint rifle. There are threads about somewhere. He had real good results. Search and see if you can find it---probably the best real life results report you're gonna see

 

[CanSniper]

Re: thinking of putting together a .243

The more over bore a cartridge is the more velocity you loose per inch of barrel. That is why pistol cartridges do so well in short barrels. Also slower powders will loose more velocity than a fast powder.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: thinking of putting together a .243

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ut755ln</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You may need a 1-8 twist to properly stabilize the 105s. I read on here once you need 22" approximately to get a full powder burn out of a .243.</div></div>

yeah that's what i was thinking,

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ker2222</div><div class="ubbcode-body">BigBamBo, a respected member here ran a short barreled 243 as a varmint rifle. There are threads about somewhere. He had real good results. Search and see if you can find it---probably the best real life results report you're gonna see</div></div>

thanks for that tip, i'll try searching a bit deeper for those threads.

most of the threads i'm coming across are for 22" or more, i haven't come across any SBR .243's. worst case i'll shoot him a PM.

 

[BgBmBoo]

Re: thinking of putting together a .243

I replied to your PM.

Here is the rifle and my friend's who liked mine so much he did one up pretty close to mine.
Fun rig. Great for the role I built it for...light weight, handy, accurate, 300 yard or less coyote gett'er.

Take care,Stan

 

[tylerw02]

Re: thinking of putting together a .243

I ran a 1:8" twist 6mmAI for a while planning on light stuff for varmints and 105s for LR. It ripped jackets off the light stuff. 87 V-maxes ended up being my varmint bullet and 105 Hybrids for targets.