The 243 is a very nice caliber for hunting and it’s often used to practice on range to improve one’s accuracy. The 243 is also quite capable in competition shooting and often you will see competitive shooters use it as well.
While the 243 is not a new ammo, the users are definitely new. And when you are in the market for new ammo, the first question that comes to mind is how powerful is it? And how far can it shoot? Well, let’s find out how far a 243 can shoot.
243 – Overview
The 243 is a rimless cartridge designed by Winchester. It was designed in 1955 to use with their model 70 Rifle. It’s a short action cartridge. The diameter of the overall length of the ammo is 2.835 inches.
Due to the flat trajectory and low recoil, the 243 is a favorite choice among hunters. As it’s extremely accurate as well, you can do competitive shooting with this as well.
243 – Travel Distance
When it comes to a maximum range of caliber, you will need to consider a lot of things. One of the main things is the amount of energy the caliber produces. Usually, a large caliber like the 30-06 produces more energy than a smaller caliber like the 243.
The maximum distance a 243 can travel is around 500 to 800 yards. While it’s not accurate in super long-range, the bullet has a flat enough trajectory for medium range game hunting and competitive shooting.
How Far Can A 243 Shoot Accurately?
While it’s obvious that you want to squeeze out the best out of this caliber. And if you want an expected range that you can shoot to your heart’s content, it will be around 600 yards. But if you want the best accuracy out of your bullet, you should shoot within the 500 yards mark.
Potential Impact At Different Distances
With a shorter distance, you can expect to produce a devastating amount of energy. That’s why it’s so popular for hunting. As usual, hunters tend to hunt within 200 yards, you can lay flat whitetails with super ease.
The bullet will lose energy as it goes beyond 400 yards. Within the 600 yards the impact will be quite low. Beyond 600 yards, your bullet drop will increase and greatly reduce the accuracy of the bullet significantly.
Should I Use 243 For Long-Range?
No, you shouldn’t. If your priority is super long-range, then you will not get the 100% accuracy you are looking for. But if your priority is game hunting from short to medium-range and occasional long-range sport shooting, then you will find this caliber extremely fun to use.
Conclusion
While it’s obvious that the 243’s main purpose is hunting, it doesn’t lack ballistics at all. In fact, even by today’s standards, it’s an excellent choice for both hunters and competitive shooters.
Hope you found this small piece of information useful and now know a bit better about the caliber you are getting into. Thanks for reading as usual, I will see you on the next one.