Should a Guy Own Both 223 and 243?

should a guy own both .223 and .243

I do and I like them both. With some of todays bullets the .223 just gets better. My son and myself have killed deer with .223 and 65gr. gameking. The .243 has killed its fair share of critters at some pretty good distances. I for one think they are both outstanding cartridges and could care less what anyone else thinks about them. Just one man's opinion..
 
-223 is cheaper than both 243 and 204 Ruger, ammo and components.
-It doesn't wear out barrels as fast as a 243.
-204 Ruger as a long range cartridge is only any good because of its speed, once its lost that its 32 or 40 gr bullet will be blown away.
-You can get 35 and 40gr 223 bullets for your rid mist varmint effect, and also get 80 or 90 gr bullets for long range.
-A 40gr 204 bullet is never going to be as effective on a larger target as a 62gr 223 bullet.
-And Ive never heard of any one shooting 1000yards with a 204 Ruger, where as theres an article on the net of a guy shooting a mile with his 223.

223 may not be perfect but it has it place.
I would agree that there are some ridiculous cartridges out there but I wouldn't say 223 was one of them.
 
Even the "cheap" argument goes out the window for reloaders. The cost for reloaders is a virtual wash.
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I reload all my .223. And all my plinking brass was range pickup. I have never seen .204 range brass and suspect I never will. Assuming all other costs are equal (and they still are not because I can get really nice .223/.224 pull down bullets cheap and there is no cheap source of .204 bullets), saving the cost of brass alone makes it very inexpensive when you want 1000 cases.
 
Sorry, Peet, but I have found that a .223 is plenty good for coyotes to 200 yards, and prairie dogs to 300. My light sporter does just fine on the little critters, as long as I take a bit of a break for barrel cool-down. And with the bullets available nowadays, I'd have no qualms about the silly thing for smaller whitetail, stipulating that I'd be real picky about any shot I'd take.

I've loaded 55-grain bullets for prairie dogs, but overall I'd just as soon use the .223. My 85-grain Sierra HPBT loads do horrible things to coyotes, and have let me munch on a couple of dozen Bambi critters.

I'll probably not get around to meddling with the .204, but one buddy does nicely on coyotes with his.

Back sixty years ago when I was young in centerfire stuff, my father and uncle would get into mild squabbles about the relative merits of the Swift and the Varminter*-and then grin and acknowledge that there wasn't enough difference to notice. :D

* The Varminter was Jerry Gebby's necked-down .250-3000 that he worked on in the 1930s, later picked up by Remington as the .22-250. My uncle's was a Gebby barrel he'd stuck into a Mauser 98 action that my father had brought back. Weaver K10; Bishop stock. 1/2 MOA rifle.
 
To the OP. I am a fan of own all the different calibers you can. I currently own 22 firearms in 14 different calibers. Two of the rifles are .223. While some people might not like some of the particular calibers I own, what matters is I am happy them, even if they overlap each other in functionality. I also am the type that cannot sell or get rid of a firearm once he owns it. It just doesn't seem right, unless its a Taurus PT140 PRO, then I will have no problem selling it, and will never buy Taurus again, but that's another story.
 
If one must go....

....... The one to get rid of would be the .204 ...... does nothing the .223 won't do, and the .223 will do it at a fraction of the cost, whether you handload or not. .223 brass, bullets, and loaded ammo are as common as Fresno Foreclosures...... .204, not so much......

My advice would be to get a bigger safe, though.
 
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
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OOOoooo man. I want one o' those. It would make all these other calibers we've been discussing irrelevant. :D
 
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
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What is it for?

It launches tiny bullets really fast ........ and probably erodes barrel throats really fast, as well ........ aside from demonstrating the fact that you CAN, of what practical use is a 4.5K f/sec 55 gr bullet?

I'm also wondering what twist would have to be used to keep it from flying apart from excess rotational velocity..... 1:16?
 
Probably............

I'm also wondering what twist would have to be used to keep it from flying apart from excess rotational velocity..... 1:16?
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That's what Shilen recommends:

- 15"* for bullets up to 55gr. driven 4,100 pfs or more
- 16:* for bullets up to 55gr. driven 4,300 fps or more
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As of this moment, my course of action will be to keep things as they are. At the end of the day, there is no argument against the practicality and affordability of shooting a 223, so for now it stays. The 204 gets there faster and for now, will stay put. As I said initially, my x-bolt 243 is not an option for being removed from the group, absolutely love that gun. My immediate plan for this summer is to shoot the p@#! out of the 223. I'll switch to the 243 late summer and see how it goes. Thanks for all the comments that have run the spectrum as I had expected. My son asked my opinion as to buy a 223 or 204. I told him 223 simply because you can shoot it alot and affordably. When and if he tires of that, he also can then figure out the next move! Or I'll sell him a really nice, new unfired 204:D
 
Ballistically incompetent for varmints.
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WOW just WOW....

Huh I guess all them ground hogs I have whacked out to 428 yards didn't know that.

Go figure I took a ground hog with 1 shot from a 223 with a 50gr V-Max at 400 yards. Blew his friggen guts all over the place. At 428 yards my junky RRA shooting 60gr V-Max bullets red misted one as well. Huh should have seen the one I shot at 75 yards. 1 shot and he had guts hanging out the back side of the softball sized wound for 10 dang feet.

Me thinks you just don't know how to shoot. YMMV.....

Here is the 75 yard shot. It was shot on the rifle range eating grass at the 75 yard marker.

SD530003.jpg
 
I think a 223 would be a fun plinking gun. I took my first deer with a 357 lever gun, I am sure (if the law allows it in your state) that you could do the same with a 223.
 
here to stay

The .223 is here to stay, just like any other US military caliber with the exception of the .30-40, which continues to have a small following, irregardless.
Forty plus years of .223 and a host of AR clones these days have guaranteed the cartridge way into the future.

The .243 is a major step up in capability, and not an apples to apples comparison. And a major drawback to .243 is its considerably overbore. Shoot one a lot, like in competition, or I suspect, on prairie dogs and barrel life will be considerably eroded.

The .204? Its the niche and cult cartridge. Liken it to the .17 Rem. New, different, fast, but not exceptionally versatile. Does anybody hunt deer with a .204, or a .17 for that matter? With a .223, it's possible albeit under exact circumstances, load, range , placement. I believe the .204 will fade long before the .223.
 
I personally would like to say that I will some day own at least one of every caliber gun available today..... But that's just me:D
 
It depends.

As the OP was getting at, there are advantages to each.

223 is cheaper to shoot. (if you don't reload)
Lots of nice autos are made for 223, so if you want an auto, 223 is the better bet.
223 is a great varmint round, out to 200 yards, from a bolt gun.

Ballistically speaking, the 243 is superior in every way; just a bit more recoil.
Use lighter bullets, and it is great for varmints and targets. Heavier, and it is good for deer.
No bulk ammo options. But great for reloaders.

If you are into end of the world scenarios, 223 is better, because of the auto thing again.

Personally, I think 243 and handloading is the way to go. Get a pistol caliber carbine for your zombie scenarios. ;)
 
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