243 Winchester History and General Information.  The popular 243 winchester originated as a wildcat based on the 308 winchester brass necked down to 243 caliber, Warren Page developed the first prototype of this cartridge, it was then made available as a factory cartridge to the public by winchester in 1955.  The 243 winchester is the first true dual purpose class of cartridges, loaded with lighter bullets it is an extremely effective varmint round, sending a 70 grain bullet out the barrel at 3,500 fps., this is enough for any varmint sized game at the 400 yard mark, however load it with 100 grain bullets at 3,000 fps. and you have an excellent deer and antelope round good for 300 yards.  My own favorite bullet weight is 87 grains which serves the dual purpose of varmint and deer cartridge.  The 243 winchester is a light recoiling round which is comfortable enough for anyone to shoot, and it is inherently accurate which is a bonus to all that own a rifle chambered in this round.  For a beginner just getting into the high power rifle sports the 243 winchester round is highly recommended. Also for anyone that is recoil sensitive this is a great rifle cartridge. 243 Winchester Barrel Specifications. Common Barrel Twist Rate - 1 in 10" & 1 in 9" (uncommon) 1 in 12". Bore Groove Diameter - .243" 243 Winchester Reloading Specifications. Bullet Diameter - .243" Maximum Case Length - 2.045" Trimmed Case Length - 2.035" Primer Size - Large Rifle 243 Winchester Loading Data Hints.  The 243 Winchester most common barrel twist rate is 1 in 10" but if you have one with a twist rate of 1 in 9" or 1 in 9 1/2" then you'll find that the 243 will give its best bullet performance using 100 grain bullets with slower burning powders like I.M.R.4831 powder. 243 Winchester Reloading Data. Hodgdon Reloading Data Center. 243 Winchester Reloading Dies. RCBS Full Length Die Set, 243 Winchester. 243 Winchester Shell Holder. RCBS #3 Shell Holder For 243 Winchester. 243 Winchester Bullets. .243 (diameter) Bullets, by Sierra, Barnes, Hornady, Nosler. 243 Winchester Unprimed Brass. Winchester and Remington Bulk Unprimed Rifle Shellcases, 243 Winchester. 243 Winchester Ammunition. Hornady, Remington, Winchester, 243 Winchester ammunition. 243 Winchester Rifles. New Browning, Remington, Winchester .243 Winchester rifles here. 243 Winchester Trajectory and Hunting Applications.  This is a down range trajectory chart for the 243 Winchester cartridge with the scope mounted 1.5 inches above the bore center line plus if you were using this load, its effective hunting bullet energy range with well placed shots on, Varmint / Predator size game, such as Bobcat, Cougar, Coyote. Deer size game, such as Antelope, Blacktail, Hogs, Javelina, Mule, Whitetail. Elk size game, such as Caribou, Black Bear, Sheep. Moose size game, such as Brown Bear. Bullet diameter .243" Bullet weight 100 grains Bullet ballistic coeffecient .376 Bullet velocity 3,100 feet per second Range 100 yds. 200 yds. 300 yds. 400 yds. 500 yds. + + 1.5 0 - 6.8 - 19.9 - 40.7 1788 1486 1228 1009 825  Varmint + + + + + +  Deer + + + - - -  Elk - - - - - -  Moose - - - - - - Copyright 2001 - 2007