Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am on the brink of getting another rifle, and I was really giving the .243 a long look. I have several reasons for preferring this caliber, none of which are germane to my question. As I have reached a point where I'm ready to actually make the purchase I've noticed I can't find .243 anywhere. This surprises me because .243 was one of the only calibers I could find when the ammo scare was at its peak last year. It's unavailable on all the online retailers I use. One retailer told me they do not carry rifles chambered in .243 nor do they sell the ammo for it. Today I visited another retailer and noticed there was not even spot on the shelves.
I'm glad I'm noticing this now and after I buy a rifle I can't shoot. What are your experiences? Is the .243 a dying cartridge?
It hardly matters what happens to the .243; it's child's play to form it from .308 cases. The .243 is an excellent cartridge both for sport and combat. Valmet once chambered their AK clone for it. There are many rifles that have been chambered for it.
I would guess that in some parts of the country, the .243 is used less. Here in Wyoming, the .243 is a pretty popular gun for Pronghorns and deer. I know you can get ammo in any store I have went in to. I haven't looked to see if there are any .243 chambered guns on the shelf.
Even if you do buy one, I don't see them stopping the manufacturing of ammo.
Thanks, Elk Hunter. I didn't think about the regional popularity. Here in VA the big game is limited to white tail and black bear, with a few elk being taken every year. Shots here are limited in range due to the land being heavily forested. I went on my first deer hunt last December and used a 12 gauge slug. I got a buck at about 30 yards and a doe at about 40.
After posting this thread yesterday I did a little more digging and did find a few more online retailers with .243 in stock. And for prices not greatly inflated. I am probably going to through with the .243 purchase. And as HiW noted above, making .243 out of .308 shell casings is fairly simple to do. I don't own any reloading equipment but it is something I'd like to eventually start doing once I retire from the military.
I have always bought the old stand by calibers. Never the fringe. 9mm,45acp,3006,308,223,22lr, 7.62x39 ect. its easy to find ammo at almost any walmart [when it was in stock] and it was easy to find reloading components for it[all but 22lr]. I can load down or up a 3006 or 308 to do what most of the other calibers do. I have hunted prong horn in New Mexico with my 3006 shooting a 125 grain and did just as well as the guy who was shooting a 2506. I have watched as many of these fix a non problem calibers have died or are very close to extinction. The 10mm, 45 GAP[that was IMO a real fix for a non existent problem].
The 40 S&W seems to be at least for now going to catch on, as a lot of PD and other government agency's seem to have picked it up. Personally I don't see that it does a better job than a 9mm or 45 acp and I sold the one I had not impressed with what it did over the other calibers. The cost of ammo for these other calibers are or can be very expensive compared to the old standards.
I know of a few shooters who love their GPA or 10 mm or 41 magnum. What they really love is having a caliber not many others have. Makes them feel special. I turned down a few 41 mags, I have always bought 44 mags. No 10 mm for me the 9 does just fine, or a 45 acp works well I don't need a GAP. 90 percent of the time these cartridges die off over time. Some stick around but I don't need 10 different calibers to hunt deer or shoot at the range. A 3006 or 308 can do most any job, what its too big to do a 22 will work on or a 223. There is no game or anything that walks in this part of the world that a 308 or 3006 can not take down with ease.
Saxon, I think like you in terms of the more established cartridges. I like how long some of these have been around and availability of ammo. It's not that I think some of these other cartridges will fall by the wayside. I hear a lot of good about the .257 and .260, or some of the .30-06 derivatives the .24-06 and .280. But I am looking at everything from established record to availability to prices.
When considering a rifle for my wife to use deer hunting, the .243 beat out the .308 or the .270 because of the recoil. The .243 beat out the .257 and .260 because of availability and pricing of ammo.
I've had to look a little harder to find .243 lately, but it's out there. I am still curious why some retailers no longer carry the round, but maybe it is just not a big seller in my region. That makes sense, because the .243 was one of the only rounds still on the shelves following the Sandy Hook massacre.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
