Should a Guy Own Both 223 and 243?

Peet i have to disagree with ya here. The 223 is the most widley used rifle for vamint hunting. 204 is almost a dead rifle now with the 223 on the rise.
 
Frankenmauser,

I was just kidding about not seeing the purpose of the cartridges mentioned - to make a point to the other guy who was trashing the 223, which probably really would be a redundant cartridge if it wasn't the NATO round of choice. I guess I should've used a smiley face at the end. No matter what cartridge somebody mentions, there'll be somebody that has one and loves it. And I would like a 17 Bee AI, though I'm not sure what I'd do with it. I think the main reason I got a 220 Swift many years ago was that it was pretty much out of production at that time, and I wanted something that few others had. Somebody out there may have (will have) a 240 Page Super Pooper. It might be an obsolete wildcat cartridge, but they have it cause they like it. And they'll probably be busting my chops in about 10 minutes for calling it obsolete.
 
4runnerman said:
Peet i have to disagree with ya here. The 223 is the most widley used rifle for vamint hunting. 204 is almost a dead rifle now with the 223 on the rise.
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Disagree or not, in the scenario outlined by the OP, the 223 serves no purpose. The 223 will drop like a stone if the military moves away from it.

Note that all its defenders can say is that it's cheap to shoot. It has no real advantage over the 204, or the 243.

Fact is, having EITHER of those other two would largely leave the 223 without purpose. Having both makes it completely pointless.

Even the "cheap" argument goes out the window for reloaders. The cost for reloaders is a virtual wash.

Also, while there is no doubt that 223 "plinking" ammo is cheaper than typical .204 ammo, when matched by comparable quality, the prices are virtually identical. See here, and here.

I'm not sure where anyone the idea the .204 is going down hill.... every single major gun maker and most every minor one makes guns chambered in .204. H&R, Remington, Winchester, T/C, Savage, Ruger, Howa, Weatherby, DPMS makes AR uppers, Kimber.... I hardly get the impression that the .204 is headed down hill. Plus, it is always listed (in every list I've seen) as one of the top 10 cartridges for which reloading supplies are purchased.



So, in short, the 223 can not compare ballistically with the 204 and can not compare in terms of energy with the 243. Particularly in the scenario outlined in the OP, it serves no purpose.
 
Disagree or not, in the scenario outlined by the OP, the 223 serves no purpose. The 223 will drop like a stone if the military moves away from it.

Very doubtfull Peet.It's here to stay like it or not. Any where you go the 223 out numbers the 204 10 to 1 at least

Note that all its defenders can say is that it's cheap to shoot. It has no real advantage over the 204, or the 243.

The 204 IMHO serves no purpose any more.Bullet weights are to light,cases cost to much. The 204 is here to stay also,but as a little brother of the 223 now.

Sorry Peet.
 
Two mens opinions... take 'em or leave 'em.

Agreed Peet.More important things in life to argue about,,Like why everyone else has more guns than me:D
 
Well if you hunt in most places .223 is illegal for deer whereas .243 is. And what is this bizarre and foreign idea you are presenting here about too many guns?:D
 
Unlike NY the wind blows here in WY. I have a 204, 2-223's and a 17-222, 17 Bee and a 220 Swift. When the wind starts blowing I have to put up my 17's and 20's, they start to do strange things and I tend to like to hit what I'm aiming at. With your way of thinking I should just get rid of them and keep just the Swift, it is ballisticly superior to all of them, but I don't think so. I like what I have and will make room for more weird calibers "Ballisticly incompetent" or not. No offense taken none given.

Bob

P.S. I like my Krag too
 
Painterjohn, you asked for opinions man did you get some. But I still think you should let me help you out, if I had to I could make some room.:D
 
RwBeV said:
Unlike NY the wind blows here in WY. I have a 204,...
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Doesn't seem to me like much difference...

150gr Hornady .308, 2,974 fps, 300 yards, 3.9" low, 10.5" drift in 15mph cross wind, 500 yards, 36.4" low, 31.8" drift.

39gr Sierra .204, 3,900 fps, 300 yards, .1" HIGH, 11.5" drift, 500 yards, 20.8" low, 37.3" drift.



I don't know what range you're shooting, but a difference of 6" at 500 yards in a 15 mph crosswind is not terribly significant. Particularly if you don't have an exact range number, the trajectory advantage is more pronounced than the drift disadvantage.

RwBeV said:
With your way of thinking I should just get rid of them and keep just the Swift, it is ballisticly superior to all of them,....
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Yeah, but not really, even with the fastest QuickLoad prediction speeds,which are 200-ish fps faster than factory ammo in both 40 and 50gr bullets for the 220 Swift, the .204 is within 2" at 500 yards and less than 1" at 300... and the wind drift is worse on the swift, in both cases. (All this according to JBM ballistics).



Besides which, if we're talking trajectory, plain and simple, I've never seen a load from ANY gun that beats my own personally chronographed 35gr Nosler BT from a .22-250 at 4,435 fps.
 
What a great thread. I am a huge fan of the .223, but I will agree with Peet that if you already have a .204 and a .243, the .223 doesn't really offer much in terms of capabilities. If you are practical like me, that means just another box of ammo to keep around or another set of dies to buy. I'm fairly practical.

However if you are just wanting another gun, then by all means.. I won't judge!

My situation is that I have a .223 that I am building and I can't decide if I want to keep it a .223 or bump it up to a .243. I have some strange, unexplainable fascination with the .243 round, but .223 is cheaper. And it's main purpose would be a 400, maybe 500 yard gun so .223 is adequate. But the heavier bullets would be nice because of all the wind here. But with the cheaper .223, I could practice more. I have a .30-06 and a .22lr. So if I went with .223 I could also pick up a .25-06 for antelope and deer. However if I get with .243, I could use that at reasonable ranges. Holy cow, I go in circles all day long.. it's miserable, especially since I can't afford my barrel just yet. :mad: :)
 
The .204 tops out at 500yds give or take. The .223 is a 1000yd cartridge.

The .243 is not as popular a target round as the .223.

In those states were the deer are small and the round is legal, the .223 works fine.


The main reason to use any round is because you like to shoot it.
 
There is no such thing as a 15 mph wind out here, if it got that slow here, everybody would fall down.:D

My turn to step in it. Why would anybody want a .308, thats one I never owned or wanted to.
 
how about this one i heard of a guy that comebind the 243 and a 224 to get a 22-243 AI and man is it a shooter at close to 4500 fps with a 55gn pill

but ill still shoot my 223 and love it and my 243 and love it oh and my 7mm mag and love it well for that matter i love all my guny and still want more.

i have a 223 and 243 but still want a 22-250. get that one.
 
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