243 Barrel Length

[dave dog]

Hi all

 

Been a while since i posted anything.

 

Looking for some help. Looking at getting 243, looking to shortening the barrel on one what the shortest i could go to and still remain deer legal. I know this will have been asked a few times in the past.

 

Dave

[Ackley]

Hi all

 

Been a while since i posted anything.

 

Looking for some help. Looking at getting 243, looking to shortening the barrel on one what the shortest i could go to and still remain deer legal. I know this will have been asked a few times in the past.

 

Dave

I wouldnt go shorter than 20 inch I presume you will be reloading as factory ammo may not perform in a barrel that short

[Dekers]

My T3 Hunter in .243 was from the first batch in the UK with a pre cut thread. The barrel is just under 20 inches, significantly less than the normal barrel, this leaves it close to the Deer limits with some factory ammo.

 

If you are reloading then you have ample opportunity to deveop a deer legal load that the rifle and the law can be happy with!

[Mr_Logic]

243 : 22 inch to remain deer legal. It really suffers with short barrels.

[al4x]

20 1/4 here and no problem deer legality wise, but that is reloading and checking on a chrono.

[Blunderbust]

I am sure mine has a 20" barrel and is fine for Deer, once you have get a 100gr round that suits.

[Redgum]

This is always a great topic for a rant, personally I would say that the 243 with a 100gr bullet is a 300yd deer calibre in the right hands even with a 18inch barrel ( though I wouldnt shoot past 200yds with any length barrel).Take in all the facts, shooting up or down hill, atmospheric pressure, air temperature etc etc and the same 20inch barrel in theory could be legal one day and not the next.

When was the last time you heard of the police arresting someone for shooting a deer with a bullet that just fell short of the required muzzle energy, and if they did decide to try and convict someone they could only do it by investigating a shot deer and would that be possible. I shot a fallow a few weeks back with a 100gr soft point and I recovered the bullet which weighed 53grs,(not good weight retention but that was probably because it was carring to much energy)

No one should go out with the intent to break any law but with a 20inch barrel its going to be more likely than a 26inch barrel, but if it worries you that much use a 308, that will give you plenty of energy.

[njc110381]

This is always a great topic for a rant, personally I would say that the 243 with a 100gr bullet is a 300yd deer calibre in the right hands even with a 18inch barrel ( though I wouldnt shoot past 200yds with any length barrel).Take in all the facts, shooting up or down hill, atmospheric pressure, air temperature etc etc and the same 20inch barrel in theory could be legal one day and not the next.

When was the last time you heard of the police arresting someone for shooting a deer with a bullet that just fell short of the required muzzle energy, and if they did decide to try and convict someone they could only do it by investigating a shot deer and would that be possible. I shot a fallow a few weeks back with a 100gr soft point and I recovered the bullet which weighed 53grs,(not good weight retention but that was probably because it was carring to much energy)

No one should go out with the intent to break any law but with a 20inch barrel its going to be more likely than a 26inch barrel, but if it worries you that much use a 308, that will give you plenty of energy.

 

I agree 100% with everything said above.

[Mr_Logic]

Yes, it's a technicality anyway. Certainly factory ammo which is rarely very hot may well be short from a 20" barrel. Certainly Prvi was when chronographed. Ultimately the calibre is right, the PUBLISHED velocity is right and the deer will die clean, so not really enforceable!

[garyb]

If you can get hold of it, there is some 105grn GECO Factory ammo doing the rounds.

 

That stuff is crazy fast!

[Bewsher500]

depends what deer and where!

 

my 243 load is very accurate out of a 22" barrel but falls just inside the 1750ft/lbs required for red by 20ft/lbs!

out of a 20 inch barrel I could lose another 50ft/s and 90ft/lbs

 

legal for roe, not for red in Scotland

[Harnser]

Any body who knows me know that I am an advocate for the .308 or the mighty .270 for all deer in this country and for use abroad . Both these calibres would be deer legal with a 6 inch barrel ,so why **** about with a .243 that most likely wont be deer legal with a 100 grn bullet or at least barely marginal? . Please tell me why . I know 3 estates locally that wont allow the .243 to be used on deer" we do have some big red stags in Norfolk ". The minimum calibre is .270 . Apparently the keepers are fed up with chasing after wounded deer shot with the .243 .

 

Harnser .

Edited September 27, 2011 by Harnser

[scotland rifles]

steyr have been making 20 " barreled deer legal rifles for years,

 

i had one for a couple of years and had no issues with legality or dropping deer.

 

i would however not go shorter than that as you will be seen from miles with the barrel flash, even with a mod on it.

 

bob.

[al4x]

Its because its ideal for foxes and deer harnser. There are no issues getting it legal down south you're far better going 85 to 95 grains.Shot placement is the key and if you use a gun a lot its likely to be better. Yes you can compensate for pOor marksmanship with a bigger caliber but where is the sport in that

[kent]

If the .243" suffers anything its the fact that it seen as an ideal starter calibre for Deer. A lot of new to the game guys dont shoot too reliably on quarry, select the wrong bullets for the job and make a hash of things. 20" barrels are generally very safely deer legal, unfortunatly not all factory ammo does what it says on the box.

 

There is absoloutly no deer in the UK that can stand up to a 100 grn .243 deer bullet of the correct type - IF it hits the right spot. Varmint / foxing bullets and deer don't mix well though Hit them with a .375 in the guts on the other hand and you still got a problem, bigger calibre solves nothing if placement is not good and more often creates a whole new set of problems

[Harnser]

Its because its ideal for foxes and deer harnser. There are no issues getting it legal down south you're far better going 85 to 95 grains.Shot placement is the key and if you use a gun a lot its likely to be better. Yes you can compensate for pOor marksmanship with a bigger caliber but where is the sport in that

No deer will survive the hit from a centre fire rifle ,they will all die....eventualy,unless you hit them in the toe .My point is that the .308 or the .270 will do it quicker . If I address a big red stag with my .308 and 150 grain bullet I know I have enough gun to do the job and I am confident enough in my own level of marksman ship to do the job humanely. I dont have to worry about having the right tool to do the job.Incidently the .308 is a very good round for foxes as well .

 

Harnser .

Edited September 27, 2011 by Harnser

[Redgum]

Any body who knows me know that I am an advocate for the .308 or the mighty .270 for all deer in this country and for use abroad . Both these calibres would be deer legal with a 6 inch barrel ,so why **** about with a .243 that most likely wont be deer legal with a 100 grn bullet or at least barely marginal? . Please tell me why . I know 3 estates locally that wont allow the .243 to be used on deer" we do have some big red stags in Norfolk ". The minimum calibre is .270 . Apparently the keepers are fed up with chasing after wounded deer shot with the .243 .

 

Harnser .

The problem isnt whats best calibre wise but what is technically legal in the eyes of the police. Yes,243 is very versitile and is good for fox and legal for deer thats why you see just as many 243's for sale as .22LR's. I know of several occasions were my local police force have tried to refuse larger calibres for deer when the person already has 243 on his permit suggesting that there is no need for a larger calibre. In matter of fact unless a wild boar digs up your garden in Gloucestershire asking for a larger calibre than 243 can be tricky.Yes 308 hits hard and is a more humane round for larger deer but the 243 has its place and in the right hands will buckle the largest of Red Stags,even when it falls slightly under what is legal power wise.

[kent]

No deer will survive the hit from a centre fire rifle ,they will all die....eventualy,unless you hit them in the toe .My point is that the .308 or the .270 will do it quicker . If I address a big red stag with my .308 and 150 grain bullet I know I have enough gun to do the job and I am confident enough in my own level of marksman ship to do the job humanely. I dont have to worry about having the right tool to do the job.Incidently the .308 is a very good round for foxes as well .

 

Harnser .

 

To take that to point, no they don't they can survive horrific woundings and live for years suffering.

 

 

Al4x, no way can i agree that the lighter 6mm bullets are sufficient on anything but smaller deer or high neck shooting. You realy do need 95 and 100 grn deer specific bullets for cavity shots on all Deer from around Fallow upwards, the Scotish legislation setting a minimum of 100 grns is well thought out IMO as i cannot think of a 6mm 100 grn varmint bullet (but can think of plenty up to around 87 grns). It realy isn't the weight and a 150 grn .308 is not 50% better its the construction of the said bullet. .243 win has struggled for years to throw off the reputation it gained for poor teriminals from earlier users using lightly constucted varminting bullets

[njc110381]

The problem isnt whats best calibre wise but what is technically legal in the eyes of the police. Yes,243 is very versitile and is good for fox and legal for deer thats why you see just as many 243's for sale as .22LR's. I know of several occasions were my local police force have tried to refuse larger calibres for deer when the person already has 243 on his permit suggesting that there is no need for a larger calibre. In matter of fact unless a wild boar digs up your garden in Gloucestershire asking for a larger calibre than 243 can be tricky.Yes 308 hits hard and is a more humane round for larger deer but the 243 has its place and in the right hands will buckle the largest of Red Stags,even when it falls slightly under what is legal power wise.

 

I sat and shook my head as I read through the above post. Not because I doubt what Redgum has to say because in fact I don't doubt it one bit, but because I have heard first hand from our head of department that he prefers people to have a larger round than .243 when people are shooting Fallow or larger. I wonder who these people were dealing with as I've heard some crackers from the office staff in the past!

 

My take on the subject is that if you want a Deer rifle then I'm with Harnser all the way - bigger is better. If you want a Fox rifle that can legally take a few Deer per year then the .243 beats the .308 every time.

 

Somewhere in the middle of all that is the 6.5x55 - which I think is better than both the .243 and the .308!

[Redgum]

I sat and shook my head as I read through the above post. Not because I doubt what Redgum has to say because in fact I don't doubt it one bit, but because I have heard first hand from our head of department that he prefers people to have a larger round than .243 when people are shooting Fallow or larger. I wonder who these people were dealing with as I've heard some crackers from the office staff in the past!

 

My take on the subject is that if you want a Deer rifle then I'm with Harnser all the way - bigger is better. If you want a Fox rifle that can legally take a few Deer per year then the .243 beats the .308 every time.

 

Somewhere in the middle of all that is the 6.5x55 - which I think is better than both the .243 and the .308!

I'm pretty sure we are with the same dept,Gloucester is that correct, a friend of mine was told very recently that 243 should be ok for all deer species even though he had stated that he was invited on a cull to shoot Reds and Sika and had asked for advice on getting a 270, it wasnt until a trip to Croatia boar shooting was mentioned that the advice changed. This is not the first time I have heard this tale from the Gloucestershire force, 243 is legal so thats what you need and we know that is nonesense.

Njc,its strange isnt it how things vary even within the same dept, you have mentioned before how good Gloucester are but I have had my share of hassle with their interpretation of the firearm law.

[Dekers]

Any body who knows me know that I am an advocate for the .308 or the mighty .270 for all deer in this country and for use abroad . Both these calibres would be deer legal with a 6 inch barrel ,so why **** about with a .243 that most likely wont be deer legal with a 100 grn bullet or at least barely marginal? . Please tell me why . I know 3 estates locally that wont allow the .243 to be used on deer" we do have some big red stags in Norfolk ". The minimum calibre is .270 . Apparently the keepers are fed up with chasing after wounded deer shot with the .243 .

 

Harnser .

 

 

Harnser, lets not go down this well trodden path, neither I nor MANY other people have any problem stopping ANY deer with a .243, and many poachers don't seem to have much problem stopping them with a moderated .22lr and subs.

 

Bigger calibres are NOT the answer, many on hear will swear they clean removed a whole deer heart with bigger calibres yet still had to chase it for miles.

 

ATB!

[Dekers]

I sat and shook my head as I read through the above post. Not because I doubt what Redgum has to say because in fact I don't doubt it one bit, but because I have heard first hand from our head of department that he prefers people to have a larger round than .243 when people are shooting Fallow or larger. I wonder who these people were dealing with as I've heard some crackers from the office staff in the past!

 

My take on the subject is that if you want a Deer rifle then I'm with Harnser all the way - bigger is better. If you want a Fox rifle that can legally take a few Deer per year then the .243 beats the .308 every time.

 

Somewhere in the middle of all that is the 6.5x55 - which I think is better than both the .243 and the .308!

 

 

That reads to me, give the incompetent a bigger hammer!

[dully1963]

I'm with you dekers :good:

That reads to me, give the incompetent a bigger hammer!

[Harnser]

I'm with you dekers :good:

 

 

You can crack a walnut with a toffee hammer and you can crack a walnut with a 2 pound lump hammer. Try knocking fence poles in with a toffee hammer .

 

Harnser .

Edited September 29, 2011 by Harnser

[Dekers]

You can crack a walnut with a toffee hammer and you can crack a walnut with a 2 pound lump hammer. Try knocking fence poles in with a toffee hammer .

 

Harnser .

 

 

 

........ and many poachers don't seem to have much problem stopping them (Deer) with a moderated .22lr and subs.