I've been thinking of going with a 243 Win. for varmint and target shooting but have heard that barrel life is relatively short ( about 1500 rounds I've read on one source ) ! I was originally thinking of going with a 223 Rem. for the same purpose but thought maybe the 243 Win. would be better for larger varmints and some medium game hunting as well ! Is the 243 cartridge really that hard on barrels or would it keep you from choosing it for varmint shooting over the 223 ? Thanks!