.223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thinking of getting a Handirifle for varmints, and I read a Chuck Hawks article on the superiority of the .243 over the .223 as a potential military round. Would this make a good varmint round? Is it a little too big? Ammo is a little more expensive, but not too bad.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

i would get the .243

my only reason is that the .243 can be used on deer. in this state the minimum rifle caliber is .23 for deer, so i would want to get the most bang for my buck so to speak. i don't know about the ohio laws.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

243 def

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

The .223 and .243 cannot be compared they are really really different. Which one to get depends on what your using it for if P-dogs or woodchucks are your target get the .223 ammo is ALOT cheaper. If your a predator hunter ammo cost may not be that big of a concern but I would still get the .223. If you want to it will do a number on deer.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

.223 is good if ranges aren't too great and the wind isn't blowing too hard. The .243 is a lot more powerful and the higher BC of the 6mm bullets means that it'll shoot flatter at a distance and buck the wind better. It'll also have a lot more energy down range if you like to take 400 yard+ shots on coyote. By 300 yards the .223 is really losing most of it's oomph.

As far as using the .223 on deer...well all I can say is that there is a reason why many states require a minimum caliber for deer hunting. The .223 just doesn't have the energy, sectional density (penetration), or diameter to be a good deer round. Just because the round can, under the perfect set of circumstances, kill a deer, it doesn't mean that it's a good cartridge for hunting them. A .22LR will kill a deer too, but no one would argue that it's a good deer cartridge. For deer stick with a .243 minimum. It's up to us as ethical hunters to ensure that we are able to kill the animal as quickly and cleanly as possible, and part of that is selecting a weapon that is capable of doing the job even if the shot is good but less than perfect. The .223 is so underpowered for deer that using it significantly increases the likelyhood of wounding and needlessly loosing an animal if your shot isn't perfect. Why risk it? Such stories of wounded game just make hunters look careless in the eyes of the public, and that's not the type of press we need if we want to continue this great tradition.

Mike

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

for varmints, the 223 is best. Cheap ammo, your gonna be shooting alot. Doesnt heat the barrel fast and if your shootint alot, such as at groundhawgs, thats a BIG concern. Nothing like having to wait for the barrel to cool while those guys laugh at ya. Now thats for varmints or even fox. Now for Coyotes/wolfs Id go for a 22-250 or a 243. Good luck.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

I personally go with the 223 because it isn't to big or to small for even up to coyotes.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Hmmmm, I think I may have replied to this type of question before. I'll say the same thing: What are you planning to do with this rifle? I myself have a .243 and a .22-250. The .22-250 I use exclusively for varmints. If you are going to hunt deer with a rifle, I'd have to say: Go with the .243! I've used my .243 for several deer and I downed a couple of antelope with 'er too. I feel that, in certain situations, the .243 is fine for coyotes. Here in MN, we don't really have super long range shooting. The max distance I've dropped a coyote at is probably... ummm, around 300 yards I think. Beyond that, in MN, there's bound to be a woods or a cow pasture or something that shouldn't be shot. If all you're gonna be hunting is stuff like prairie dogs and the like, a .223 should work great. I've hunted prairie dogs myself and I think it's one of the most entertaining things I've ever done! But we never used just one gun. Nope, we went with our entire arsenal! We shot them with everything from a .22 to a .300 Win Mag. Trying to pop prairie dogs at long range with a .22 sure is fun!

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

e...since you live in Ohio, and you're probably not going to be doing much rifle deer hunting...I'd go for the .223. I have one and love it. It's a shooter to say the least.

You really can't go wrong, though.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Oh man, did my computer go nuts!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry guys.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

lol I guess so there :D I have had that happen a few times.


As for the question, i would say .243 if i were to go after varmints.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

Don't do it. If you want a real good varmint cal get a Remington 700, fluted barrel. Replace the trigger with a jewell trigger 2 pound pull. now you got a rel flat shooter. Be sure to add a good scope. Not a cheap one. 223's are not good for varmits over 100 yards. Too much drop.

RE: .223 or .243 for varmint gun?
 

What caliber do you recommend as a "flat shooter"?

And is case YOU can't read a trajectory chart (I've read your post about the "Poor misguided .223 guys", in case you can't tell), a 55gr SP with a BC of .235 fired out of a .223Rem at 3240fps has a Maximun Point Blank Range (+/- 1.5" from line of sight) of 230yards. That means that you can sight it in 1.4" high at 100 yards and still splatter a prairie dog out to 230 yards holding dead on. And the last time I checked, 230 yards was a touch farther out than 100 yards. The .22-250 is a little bit better, with a MPBR (+/- 1.5") of 254 yards shooting the same bullet at 3600fps. So these poor misguided .223 shooters are only sacrificing a whopping 24 yards of MPBR by shooting their .223's instead of the 22-250. The .22-250 will outshine a .223 at ranges past 250 yards, but out to 250 or so the trajectories are very similar.

One other thing, according to the ballistics table, at 200 yards the two bullets listed above would have 648 ft-lbs and 861 ft-lbs of kinetic energy left, which is still more than enough to take anything the size of a coyote or smaller.

You can find the trajectory chart I got these numbers from at http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_trajectory_table.htm and http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_ballistics_table.htm , that is IF you can read them![:@]

Mike