AZFieldOptics

Our first submission for Cartridge of the Week for our CW.com thread was developed in 1955 to be a "do-it-all" round by simply necking down the already popular .308 Winchester. It was also the first center-fire cartridge I ever fired, chambered in my Papa's superb pre-'64 Model 70 which he used to take the heads of Gobblers back when AZ offered a Turkey rifle tag! Of course, I'm talking about the amazing .243 Winchester. Capable of velocities flirting with 4000 fps from factory 55gr loads, it is also loaded with bullets almost twice the weight. While I have never personally done it, I've had more than one person remark that a 100gr .243 is more than capable of taking animals in the Black Bear and Elk weight class. Certainly, even a 55gr hammering away at 4k & put through the pump house of any animal should end things pretty quickly and it makes a superb cartridge for the allusive Coues Deer. This is another Winchester cartridge that put Remington on their heels. Even the proud folks in Ilion, NY quickly fell into line & began clambering their rifles in it, regardless of the fact they already had their own .244/6mm Remington. In fact, the .243W has been chambered by most domestic companies and in most action types, making it a truly versatile round. It also enjoys a loyal following worldwide, with the Europeans in particular being fans of this class of cartridges. Wanna whack prairie dogs at 400 yards? The .243 will do that, but I think it really shows what it can do on deer. Second only to the .30-30 and maybe third to the .30-06 Springfield, I would bet more deer have been taken with it since 1955 than most other cartridges & with good reason. The entire 6mm-6.5 family of rounds share versatility, easy reloading & high performance coupled with broad shootibilty & mild recoil. If anyone can make the case that the .243 isn't among the top of that group, I'm all ears. ReplyForward

Good to know there's another 6.5x55 guy out there! Yeah, I've dreamed of a .257 W for quite some time. I try to talk myself into a less expensive chambering, but I cant shake the idea!

Its hard to argue with a .243 in a bolt gun for deer. I love it, because its such a versatile round, as are most in the 6-6.5mm family of cartridges. They can all fit so many roles.

Totally agree! I'm biased, the 6.5x55 is my favorite of all time, but only because its an amazing round. .264 as well, and I'd say .257 Weatherby is another underappreciated cartridge.

Sweet! I really want a Savage Model 99 chambered in .243... Also, I need more Ruger #1's in my life. Took a buddies out this last weekend, chambered in .22-250; what a rifle...

Nice, both sweet cartridges!

Yeah, public opinion has vaulted a lot of lesser cartridges to the forefront while sweeping excellent ones away. .260 Remington is another great example of that, although its enjoying somewhat of a comeback in the long-range game. Its puzzled me how all these new super cartridges, as a good as they are, are often treated as revolutionary... we've been down this road before starting with the exceptional 6.5x55!

Those are great points! Certainly, bullet design and understanding of that process has evolved dramatically since 1955. The fact that its still kicking in the age of super 6-6.5mm cartridges is a testament to it. The old cartridge could certainly use some attention though!

We carry the New Jim White head, and the feedback from our customers has been very positive! I didn't have as much experience with the original product, but it seems that the guys at OD have taken the great head and concept and fine tuned it for the current hunting environment. I have never seen anything from OD that I felt I could design better; their stuff is always very well thought out.

I can still remember how amazing the action of my Grandfather's Pre-64 Model 70 felt. Those were superb rifles! What kinda of optic sits on top, if any?