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243 vs 270 Winchester Review & Comparison
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May 10, 2024
0:00 Intro 1:32 243 Winchester vs 270 Winchester Cartridge History & Development 11:25 Cartridge Sizes 13:08 Trajectory & Kinetic Energy 17:27 Wind Deflection 18:57 Recoil 19:41 Other Factors: Frontal Area, Sectional Density, & BC 24:35 Ammo Selection 27:05 Rifle Selection 29:41 243 Winchester vs 270 Winchester: Which one is right for you? To learn more about popular calibers like the 243 Winchester and 270 Winchester visit: https://huntingguns101.com/optin1615146914565?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=HG101&utm_term=YT&utm_content=243vs270 In this video, I conduct a detailed comparison of the 243 Winchester and 270 Winchester cartridges. The 243 Winchester and 270 Winchester are both popular and effective centerfire rifle cartridges with dedicated fan bases and there's a good amount of overlap in their capabilities and best uses. However, there are also some big differences in the cartridges and each is definitely suited for specific tasks. In this episode, I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the 243 vs 270 in order to give you the information necessary to choose the right one for your needs. To read a more detailed comparison of the 243 vs 270, visit: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/243-vs-270/
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hi there, I'm John McAdams, founder of the Big Game Hunting blog and in this
0:06
video we're going to do a detailed comparison of the 270 Winchester and how
0:10
it stacks up against the little 243 Winchester. Now as is the case with the
0:16
7mm 08 and the 270, and be sure you check out that comparison
0:21
video if you haven't already done so, there is some overlap in the capabilities and best uses of the 243 and the 270. However the gap between the
0:31
243 and the 270 is much bigger than is the gap between the 7mm 08
0:36
and the 270 and this is definitely a case where each one is better suited to
0:41
certain tasks. So that's what we're going to talk about in this episode where I
0:45
investigate the 243 vs. 270 debate in detail and then provide some insight
0:51
into which one is better suited for various common hunting situations so you
0:55
can make an informed decision on which one will work best for you. Now before we
1:01
get started, make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel right now. Click
1:06
that red subscribe button below and make sure you don't miss out on any of my new
1:10
videos on hunting gear reviews, cartridge comparisons and more. Additionally for more detailed information on popular hunting cartridges and what they are
1:19
best suited for, click that link in the description below or go to huntingguns101.com
1:26
to get a free e-book I have written on the best hunting calibers. Okay now let's
1:32
talk about the 270 vs. the 243 and we'll start with their history. Now as is the
1:38
case with many other cartridges developed in the United States, the story
1:41
of these two cartridges really starts with the .30-06. The US Army started
1:46
looking for a new infantry service rifle and cartridge after being on the
1:50
receiving end of a deadly demonstration of the capabilities of the revolutionary
1:54
new Mauser rifle and 7mm Mauser cartridge in the hands of Spanish
1:59
troops in Cuba during 1898. They eventually chose the bolt-action 1903 Springfield rifle chambered in the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge. Now the new
2:10
.30-06 was dimensionally very very similar to the 7x57 Mauser and it's
2:15
highly likely the designers of the .30-06 based their cartridge design heavily on the revolutionary 7mm Mauser cartridge. Some have even
2:24
gone so far as to say that the 7mm Mauser is the parent to the
2:28
less well-known .30-03 Springfield as well as the legendary .30-06. Anyway, using smokeless powder to fire a 150 grain Spitzer bullet at 2,700 feet per
2:41
second, the new .30-06 was a massive leap forward in performance compared to
2:45
other popular American cartridges used during that era like the .45-70. And not
2:51
surprisingly, it was an almost instant success in the civilian market as well
2:55
As is often the case with any well-designed centerfire rifle cartridge, Wildcatters quickly started modifying the .30-06 to accomplish a variety of
3:04
different tasks. Some people necked the .30-06 up to develop bigger cartridges like the .338-06 and the .35 Whelan. Others opted to neck the .30-06
3:14
down to use smaller diameter bullets like the .25-06 and the .280. This is what
3:21
the folks at Winchester did when they modified the case to use .277 caliber
3:25
instead of .308 caliber bullets. The result was what we know now as the .270
3:32
Winchester cartridge which they released in 1925 with the Winchester Model 54
3:38
rifle. Now that original load for the .270 shot a 130 grain bullet at 3,140 feet per
3:44
second. That was incredibly fast for the 1920s and was a tremendous speed
3:50
improvement over the .30-06 which was itself a pretty high-velocity cartridge at the time. Now subsequent loadings for the cartridge have dropped typical
3:59
velocity with 130 grain bullets down to about 3,060 feet per second but that's
4:04
still pretty darn fast even today. Now it was not an immediate commercial
4:09
success but even so many American hunters appreciated the flat shooting characteristics of the round and the fact that it was so darn effective on
4:18
thin-skinned game. And of course the cartridge was definitely helped by Jack
4:23
O'Connor and the many articles that he wrote featuring that cartridge in
4:27
Outdoor Life over the years. Now that's not to say that he is solely responsible
4:32
for the popularity of the .270 Winchester. O'Connor did indeed love the
4:36
cartridge and he used it extensively on hunts all over the world but it was far
4:41
from the only cartridge he used. And the .270 was also good enough and filled a
4:45
big enough niche that it probably would have been successful even without O'Connor
4:49
Now one question that a lot of people often ask is why does the .270
4:54
Winchester use those odd diameter bullets? Most popular 7mm cartridges like the 7mm Mauser, 7mm 08, 7mm Rem Mag use .284
5:06
caliber bullets but the .270 uses .277 caliber bullets. It's not completely clear why the guys at Winchester decided to go with the .277
5:18
caliber instead of .284 caliber bullets. One theory is they chose that
5:22
particular bullet size based on the obscure 6.8x57mm Chinese Mauser cartridge. It's also popular they wanted to create a
5:30
distinctly American bullet size in between that 6.5mm and 7mm range that was really popular in Europe. And so people think
5:42
that they might have just built a brand new bullet diameter that was 10% smaller
5:46
than the one used in the .30-06. .9x.308 is .277. Regardless the rest is history and Winchester did end up going with the .277
5:57
caliber bullet diameter and as popular as that cartridge has turned out to be
6:02
over the years that bullet diameter still isn't super popular. The .270
6:07
Winchester Short Mag, the .270 Weatherby, the 6.8 Remington SPC, the .27 Nosler
6:13
and the new 6.8 Western are the only other mass-produced cartridges that
6:18
utilize bullets of that size. Even so like I said the .270 is still a very
6:23
popular and effective big-game cartridge all over the world. Okay now let's shift
6:28
gears and talk about the .243. Now like I mentioned previously the .30-06 has
6:33
been one of the most popular and effective hunting cartridges in North America since it hit the market in the early 20th century. And it also served
6:41
really well in the hands of American soldiers and Marines in World War II. That
6:45
said the military began looking for a replacement for the .30-06 after the
6:49
war. They eventually settled on the 7.62x51mm NATO round in the 1950s
6:55
Now Winchester identified a lot of potential with that new cartridge during
7:01
the development of the 7.62x51 NATO and they introduced the extremely similar
7:06
.308 Winchester cartridge for the civilian hunting and shooting markets in 1952. Now since the new .308 Winchester essentially duplicated the
7:16
performance of the .30-06 at the time while using a smaller case. That's not
7:20
the case anymore. The modern .30-06 loads are more powerful than modern .308
7:25
loads but at the time the new .308 could almost duplicate the performance of the
7:31
.30-06 using the old powders they had. Anyway that new cartridge was a big hit
7:36
with many American hunters and shooters. Now just like how things happened with the .270 descending from the .30-06, Wildcatters and gun designers started
7:44
modifying the .308 Winchester to develop new and more specialized Wildcat cartridges almost immediately after the .308 hit the market. Among others the .260
7:54
Remington, 7mm .08 Remington, the .338 Federal and the .358 Winchester are all descended from the .308 Winchester cartridge as designers
8:03
neck the case up or down as necessary to shoot smaller or larger 6.5mm
8:09
7mm, .33 caliber or .35 caliber bullets respectively. Now experiments with necking down the .308 to shoot smaller diameter 6mm or .243 caliber
8:20
bullets yielded one of the first cartridges descended from the .308 Winchester in 1955, the .243 Winchester. So you know like I just mentioned by
8:31
necking down the .308 to shoot smaller caliber bullets the designers of the .243
8:36
built a cartridge with a higher velocity, flatter trajectory and less recoil than the .308. Now the new .243 Winchester really caught on with the
8:45
segment of the hunting population that wanted a flat shooting and light recoiling rifle cartridge that was powerful enough to cleanly take big game
8:52
like deer and pronghorn. Now capable of shooting heavy as well as light bullets
8:59
with excellent accuracy the .243 Winchester was also a great varmint cartridge and it successfully bridged the gap between traditional varmint
9:06
hunting cartridges of the day like the .22 Hornet and the .220 Swift on one hand
9:11
and popular big-game hunting cartridges like the .270 Winchester and the .30-06
9:16
Springfield on the other. Now while the .243 was indeed a very well
9:21
designed, a very effective cartridge there are plenty of other good cartridges
9:24
that don't experience commercial success for one reason or another. Fortunately for the .243 Field and Stream editor Warren Page extolled the virtues
9:33
of the little .243 in his columns. Similar to the effects of Jack O'Connor's
9:38
writings about the .270 Winchester at Outdoor Life, Page's columns in Field and
9:43
Stream almost certainly helped drive demand for the .243. Now the .243
9:48
Winchester also got something of an unintended assist from Remington when they released the competing .244 Remington the same year Winchester
9:57
released the .243. Designed by necking down a .257 Roberts case which is itself a
10:02
neck down 7mm Mauser to .243 caliber, the .244 Remington had a small
10:09
ballistic advantage over the .243. However Big Green made the unfortunate initial decision, similar to what they did with so many otherwise well-designed
10:18
cartridges, to use a slower 1-12 inch rifling twist in their .244
10:23
Remington rifles. These rifles performed very well with the lighter bullets for
10:28
use on smaller predators environments like coyotes but they were unable to
10:33
properly stabilize the longer 100 grain bullets that were best suited for use on
10:37
bigger game like deer and antelope. Now since Winchester produced their .243
10:42
rifles with a faster twist rate of 1 in 10 inches they could accurately shoot
10:47
heavier bullets in addition to lighter bullets and the cartridge was thus a lot
10:52
more versatile than the .244 Remington initially. Now Remington renamed the .244
10:58
to the 6mm Remington a few years later and they started producing
11:02
rifles with a faster 1 in 9 inch twist rate but the damage had already been
11:06
done and the .243 Winchester was already well established and had claimed the
11:11
majority of the 6mm centerfire rifle market share. Now that remains the case to this day even with the introduction of more advanced 6mm
11:21
cartridges like the 6mm Creedmoor. Okay now let's talk about the relative sizes of the .243 and the .270 and the differences between them are
11:31
obvious when you look at them. So first the .243 is physically quite a bit
11:35
smaller than the .270. Both cartridges have the same diameter case with a
11:39
.473 inch rim but the .270 Winchester has a longer overall length and uses a
11:45
longer case length than the .243. The .243 cartridge has an overall length of
11:50
2.71 inches and uses a case 2.045 inches long. The .270 has an overall length of
11:58
3.34 inches and uses a 2.54 inch long case. That said the .243 will easily fit
12:06
in a short action bolt-action rifle while the longer .270 requires a longer
12:11
standard or long action rifle. Now while the .270 does require the use of a
12:19
longer action rifle it also has more case capacity than the .243
12:23
Additionally bullet size and bullet weight are the other important differences between the cartridges. The .270 uses .277 caliber bullets while the
12:32
.243 Winchester uses smaller .243 caliber bullets. The .243 often uses bullet weights in the 55 to 115 grain range with 55, 87, 90 and 100 grain
12:45
bullets being the most common. On the other hand the vast majority of .270
12:49
factory loads shoot bullets in the 130 to 160 grain range. 130 and 150 grain
12:55
bullets are the most common here. Now the .270 is also loaded to a higher
13:00
semi maximum average pressure of 65,000 psi versus 60,000 psi for the .243
13:07
Okay now let's talk about the ballistics of these cartridges. In this comparison I
13:13
compared Federal Power Shock, Hornady Precision Hunter, Nosler Trophy Grade and Winchester Deer Season XP factory ammo for each cartridge. Now the .243
13:23
Winchester loads use 80 grain Power Shock with a .365 BC, 90 grain ELDX with
13:30
a .409 BC, 95 grain Extreme Point with a .363 BC and 100 grain
13:37
partition with a .384 BC bullets. The .270 Winchester loads use 130 grain
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Power Shock with a .372 BC, 130 grain Extreme Point with a .450 BC
13:52
145 grain ELDX with a .536 BC and 150 grain partition with a .465 BC bullet
14:02
Notice that the various bullets used in those .270 Winchester loads all have a
14:07
higher BC than those used in the comparable .243 Winchester loads. The
14:12
Federal loads use light for caliber deer hunting bullets with a moderate BC, the
14:17
Winchester loads use light to moderate for caliber bullets with a higher BC, the
14:22
Hornady loads use heavier for caliber and really aerodynamic bullets with a
14:26
very high BC and the Nosler loads use the heaviest commonly available bullets
14:31
for each cartridge and factory ammunition. Now the Winchester Deer Season XP loads
14:36
are a little unusual because they use lighter bullets for the .270 but bullets
14:41
on the heavier side for the .243 Winchester. That's why I also included
14:45
the Federal Power Shock loading which uses a much lighter 80 grain bullet for
14:49
the .243 along with a 130 grain bullet for the .270. All of these loads in the
14:55
comparison used a 200 yard zero. Now there's quite a bit of overlap with the
15:00
trajectory of the cartridges but the lighter, higher velocity and flatter shooting 80 grain and 90 grain .243 loads have a little bit less drop than the
15:09
flatter shooting .270 loads. Now both the .243 and the .270 are relatively flat
15:15
shooting cartridges in general and they have similar trajectories out to 500
15:19
yards and of course the differences are smaller at shorter range. Just three and
15:24
a half inches separates the flattest shooting .243 load from the flattest
15:28
shooting .270 load at 500 yards and specifically that's that 80 grain load
15:34
for the .243 from Federal and the 130 grain Deer Season XP load for the .270
15:41
By the same token 5.1 inches separates the most arcing .243 load from the most
15:48
arcing .270 load at the same distance. Now interestingly this is the 90 grain
15:54
ELDX load in the .243 and the 150 grain partition for the .270. Now at the same
16:02
time the .270 Winchester has significantly more kinetic energy than the .243 at all ranges. The .270 starts out with 22 to 44 percent more muzzle
16:11
energy than the various .243 loads and since it uses a more aerodynamic bullet
16:16
that edge and kinetic energy grows as range increases to a 22 to 94 percent
16:23
advantage in favor of the .270 depending on the exact loads compared. All four
16:28
.243 loads dip below 1,500 foot-pounds of kinetic energy around 100 to 200 yards
16:34
with the 100 grain partition load dipping below that threshold just past
16:37
200 yards. The Power Shock and Deer Season XP loads for the .243 both drop
16:43
below a thousand foot-pounds of energy just shy of 400 yards while the
16:46
Precision Hunter and Nosler partition loads both drop below that threshold before reaching 500 yards. However all four .270 loads have more than 1,500
16:58
foot-pounds of energy past 300 yards and more than a thousand foot-pounds of
17:01
energy out past 500 yards. Heck, that 145 grain Precision Hunter load for the .270
17:07
has more retained energy at 500 yards than three of the .243 loads do at 200
17:13
yards. So the big takeaways so far are that the cartridges have a similar
17:18
trajectory with the .243 shooting a little bit flatter than the .270 but the
17:23
.270 has a decent edge in terms of kinetic energy. Now let's talk about how
17:27
these cartridges behave in the wind. Once again there's a lot of overlap and both
17:31
cartridges have somewhat similar amounts of wind deflection when using the same
17:35
bullets but the Script Flips and the .270 has the edge here. Now the .243 has a
17:41
small edge in the trajectory department because it has a slightly higher muzzle
17:45
velocity, 40 to 530 feet per second depending on the exact load, but this
17:51
advantage is mostly erased by the higher BC bullets used by the .270. Indeed that
17:57
super flat shooting high-velocity 80 grain Power Shock load for the .243 is
18:02
one of the worst performing loads in this category compared to the .270. It
18:07
does have a little bit less wind deflection than the .270 Power Shock load
18:10
but that's the only .270 load it has less wind drift in. Indeed this is an area
18:16
where the .270 performs well compared to the .243 since it uses higher BC bullets
18:21
This is in contrast to the .243 which is a slightly higher velocity cartridge
18:27
that's typically loaded with lighter bullets with a lower BC that don't
18:31
retain energy or resist wind deflection quite as well. Aside from that 90 grain
18:37
ELDX all the bullets used by the .243 Winchester in this comparison have a
18:42
fairly low BC below .400. With all that said the differences between the two
18:47
cartridges are smaller at shorter range. The .270 still has less wind deflection at
18:53
100 to 300 yards but is not nearly as large of a contrast. All right now let's
18:57
talk about recoil and specifically we'll compare the recoil produced by hand loads that approximate the performance of the Nosler factory loads firing 100
19:04
grain and 150 grain partition bullets for both cartridges when fired from
19:08
identical 7-pound rifles. Not surprisingly the .243 has significantly less recoil than the .270. In fact the .270 has approximately twice as much
19:19
recoil and that's really saying something too because the .270 isn't known as a terrible recoiling cartridge itself. All things considered most
19:26
hunters should be able to handle recoil from the .270 without too much trouble
19:31
The .243 just has an extremely mild recoil so the .243 does have an advantage in
19:36
this respect especially for smaller or recoil shy hunters. Now there are a
19:41
couple of other factors also worth considering. So first the .270 uses
19:46
larger diameter bullets than the .243. Specifically the larger diameter .277 caliber bullets used by that cartridge have about 30% more frontal surface area
19:56
than the .243 caliber bullets used by the .243. All other things being equal a
20:02
bigger bullet will make a bigger hole cause more tissue damage and result in
20:05
more blood loss. This is a significant advantage in favor of the .270
20:10
especially on bigger game. Now especially when combined with the fact that the .270
20:15
carries more kinetic energy downrange those larger diameter bullets can also be helpful when hunting big game especially deer and potentially even
20:23
bigger game. At the same time those bullets used by the .270 usually have a
20:28
higher ballistic coefficient than those used by the .243. Now due to the
20:32
constraints of the 1 in 10 inch rifling twist most commonly used by .270
20:36
Winchester rifles that cartridge cannot generally use the super high BC bullets
20:42
like other cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC and the newer 6.8
20:48
Western which has a faster 1 in 8 inch rifling twist rate and it's it
20:52
along with the .27 Nosler are the two cartridges in .277 caliber that can use
20:58
the really high BC really heavy .277 caliber bullets like the 170 grain
21:04
ballistic tip and the 165 grain Akibon long-range. Even so there's still a
21:11
decent selection of high BC hunting bullets the .270 Winchester can use like
21:16
the Hornady ELDX, Berger Hybrid Hunter and the Nosler Akibon long-range. Now
21:21
those aerodynamic projectiles don't slow down as fast and are more resistant
21:25
to wind drift than the lighter and lower BC bullets used by the .243 Winchester
21:31
For example Federal, Hornady and Nosler produce factory loads for the .270
21:36
using 130 grain Swift Sirocco II with a .450 BC, 140 grain Berger Hybrid Hunter
21:43
with a .528 BC, 145 grain ELDX with a .536 BC and 150 grain Nosler Akibon
21:52
long-range bullets with a .591 BC. Compare that to similar loadings from
21:58
the same companies for the .243 Winchester using 90 grain Swift Sirocco II
22:04
with a .419 BC, compare that to the .450 BC of the 130 grain
22:09
Swift Sirocco, the 95 grain Berger Hybrid Hunter with a .434 BC, compare
22:17
that to the .528 BC of the 140 grain Berger Hybrid Hunter and .277 caliber, 90
22:23
grain ELDX bullets with a .409 BC, compare that to the 145 grain ELDX
22:29
with a .536 BC and 90 grain Nosler Akibon bullets with a .375 BC
22:36
Now note that Nosler makes the lower BC regular Akibon bullet in 6 millimeter
22:42
but not the higher BC Akibon long-range bullet like they do for the .270 which is
22:48
that 150 grain Nosler Akibon long-range with a .591 BC. Now at the same
22:53
time the .270 also has an edge over the .243 in terms of bullet sectional
22:57
density. Sectional density is a measure of the ratio of the diameter of a
23:02
projectile to its mass. All other things equal a heavier bullet of a given
23:06
caliber will be longer and have a higher sectional density and penetrate
23:10
deeper than projectiles with a lower mass and lower sectional density. As an
23:15
example 130 grain, 140 grain and 150 grain .277 caliber bullets have
23:20
sectional densities of .242, .261 and .279 respectively. Compare that to 85 grain, 90 grain and 100 grain .243 caliber bullets which have
23:31
sectional densities of .206, .230 and .242 respectively. Now the heaviest .243 caliber bullet does have the same sectional density as the
23:43
lightest .277 caliber bullet but the heavier .277 caliber bullets intended for
23:48
use on bigger game where bullet penetration is more important far outclassed those used by the .243. So all things considered the .270 Winchester is
23:57
simply a significantly more powerful cartridge. It's not a super heavy hitter
24:02
on the level of cartridges like the 7mm rim mag, 300 rim mag, 28
24:06
Nosler or even the .30-06 but it's still in a completely different league
24:10
from the .243. So where do we stand with each cartridge? The .270 Winchester
24:15
fires a larger diameter, heavier and usually more aerodynamic bullet at a
24:20
marginally slower velocity than the .243 Winchester. Therefore the .270 has a
24:25
slightly more arcing trajectory but more recoil, more resistance to wind drift and
24:30
carries significantly more kinetic energy downrange than the .243. Let's talk about rifle and ammo availability. Both are extremely popular
24:41
among hunters and shooters all over the world. Both are also likely in the top 10
24:45
most popular centerfire rifle cartridges in the United States. Now while the .243
24:50
is extremely popular itself, I'd say the .270 is still likely the most widely used
24:56
of the two. But both are close in overall adoption at least in the USA but
25:01
like I said the .270 has the slight edge here. Now the .270 Winchester ammo also
25:08
tends to be most common in ammo lines designed for deer hunting or hunting
25:12
other big game. So the big ammo manufacturers like Barnes, Browning, Federal, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, Sierra, Swift and Winchester all produce a
25:22
really wide variety of quality .270 Winchester factory ammo suitable for hunting most species. In each case there's normally a good selection of
25:30
bullet types and weights for each cartridge suitable for big game hunting. On the other hand there's a decent selection of both predator and varmint as
25:38
well as big game hunting loads for the .243. Most of this is big game and or
25:43
deer hunting ammo like among others Barnes Vortex, Federal Power Shock, Federal
25:48
Fusion, Federal Non-Typical, Hornady American Whitetail, Hornady Precision Hunter, Nosler Trophy Grade, Remington Corelock, Winchester Super X and the
25:57
Winchester Deer Season XP lines. .243 Winchester is also available in Hornady's
26:03
Superformance Varmint line, Nosler's Varmageddon line and Winchester's Varmint X line. While it's often easy to find a variety ammo for
26:12
both cartridges during normal times, ammo is usually a little easier to find
26:16
for the .270. General prices are similar for both but the .243 may be a
26:21
little bit less expensive. Now during the ongoing 2020 to 2022 ammo shortage the
26:27
difference between the two cartridges has become even more apparent and at
26:32
least where I live and shop .270 Winchester ammo is usually easier to
26:36
find and sometimes more reasonably priced than ammo for the .243. Ammo
26:41
availability is also usually decent online and the bigger retailers typically have a good selection of quality factory ammo for both cartridges as well but
26:50
like I said the .270 is still probably going to be easier to find online and
26:54
you're probably going to have a little bit better selection of it. So bottom
26:57
line the average hunter at this point as I record this will likely have easier
27:01
access to ammo for the .270 than for the .243. Now the situation is similar with
27:07
rifles with the .270 usually being easier to find but there's still a good
27:11
selection of rifles in both cartridges. Both are extremely common in bolt-action
27:15
rifles. In fact just about every really popular bolt-action hunting rifle in
27:19
current production is available in both .243 and .270. Right, the Remington Model
27:25
700, Winchester Model 70, Browning X-Bolt, Christensen Arms Mesa, the Mossberg Patriot, the Ruger American, the Ruger Hawkeye, the Tikka T3, the Winchester XPR
27:36
etc. available in both cartridges. Now while both are common in many bolt-action
27:43
rifles they're also available in a few lever-action and semi-automatic models as well. So for instance both are available from Browning in their
27:51
Browning Automatic Rifle or the BAR and the Browning Lever-Action Rifle or the
27:56
BLR. Additionally the .243 Winchester is also an option for those who prefer
28:01
modern sporting rifles. Now while the cartridge is too long for use in an AR-15
28:06
it is available in a larger frame AR-10 platforms from companies like Wilson
28:11
Combat. Now the lever-action Henry Long Ranger is also currently manufactured in .243 Winchester. So you can probably find a good deer rifle available in
28:21
either cartridge in a variety of action types. Now additionally barrel lengths do
28:27
vary for the cartridges depending on the manufacturer and exact model. .243
28:32
Winchester is most common with a 22 inch barrel length but 18 or 20 inch
28:36
barrels are not unusual. Many .270 rifles have 22 inch long barrels but it's not
28:42
unusual to see that cartridge in rifles with longer 24 inch barrels. Now since it
28:47
is a short action cartridge .243 Winchester rifles also often have a
28:52
slightly shorter bolt throw and a shorter overall length. So for instance
28:57
the Winchester Model 70 Super Grade is available in both .243 and .270. The .243
29:03
Winchester version has a 22 inch long barrel, is 42.25 inches long overall and
29:09
weighs 7 pounds 12 ounces. The .270 Winchester version of that same rifle has
29:14
a 24 inch long barrel, is 44.75 inches long overall and weighs 8 pounds 4
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ounces. So like I said details vary depending on the exact manufacturer and
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rifle model in question but all things considered rifles in .270 Winchester can
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be slightly longer, heavier and more unwieldy than rifles in .243. That's more
29:37
important on some hunts than others so just keep it in mind. Alright so here is
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the $64,000 question. Which one is right for you? The .243 Winchester or the .270
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Winchester? Do you primarily hunt medium-sized game like Whitetail Deer and Feral Hogs at ranges inside 200 yards? Both are outstanding deer hunting
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cartridges and will work great on deer sized game with good shot placement
30:01
Indeed a .243 Winchester shooting a 100 grain bullet and a .270 Winchester
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shooting a 130 grain bullet are both classic loads used by untold numbers of
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deer hunters over the years. Go with the .243 if you'll primarily be hunting game
30:14
like deer or if you are more sensitive to recoil or the .270 if you want
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something a little bit more versatile. Additionally if you're going to be hunting in thick brush or in the tight confines of a deer stand like a box
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blind, remember what I just mentioned about the size difference with .270 vs
30:31
.243 rifles. That extra couple inches in overall length of a rifle can be a
30:35
headache to deal with when trying to quickly and quietly maneuver for a shot
30:39
So definitely consider the .243 Winchester if you prefer a more compact
30:44
rifle. Alright now are you looking for a cartridge to hunt predators, varmints and
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small game with like prairie dogs or coyotes or whatever? The .270 will
30:54
certainly work in that role and some people use it for predator hunting if that's all they have or if they happen to encounter a coyote while deer hunting
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However I think the .243 is the best choice here because it has a flatter
31:06
trajectory especially with lighter higher velocity varmint bullets and because there are many types of .243 ammo specifically designed for predator
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and varmint hunting. Realize that while both are effective predator and varmint
31:18
killers, the downside of both cartridges is that fur damage will likely be
31:22
severe when using either one especially the .270 but that's also the case of the
31:27
.243 in many cases as well. Use something like a 17 HMR, a 204 Ruger, a 22 Hornet
31:33
etc with dedicated varmint ammo if fur damage is really important to you and
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you want to minimize it. Alright are you looking for the cartridge better suited
31:44
for a longer range hunting for a game like mule deer or pronghorn in open
31:48
country where you might need to take a shot at longer range? The .270 is
31:52
definitely the way to go here between these two cartridges because it carries
31:55
so much more energy out to longer range and is more resistant to wind deflection
31:59
which can really be an issue in those open countries especially if you're hunting pronghorn. The .243 Winchester will still work on deer sized game at
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longer ranges in the right hands but I would not shoot past 300 yards on a deer
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or pronghorn with run-of-the-mill hunting ammo. I could potentially extend that to 300-400 yards maybe farther with a load using a higher BC bullet like
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that Hornady ELDX though. It all depends on the conditions and the skill of the
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hunter though. If we're being honest most people don't have any business shooting at game past 300 yards with either cartridge but especially the little .243
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Alright do you want a hunting cartridge that's well suited for bigger game like
32:39
black bear, caribou, moose, elk etc? The .270 is definitely a better choice than
32:45
the .243 for this sort of hunting because it shoots larger diameter bullets that
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carry significantly more kinetic energy downrange. While not often counted among real heavy hitters the .270 can be darn effective in this role when using heavy
32:57
for caliber controlled expansion bullets like 150 grain nozzle partition. Lots of
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hunters have killed lots of those animals with a .270 over the years and if
33:06
anything the .270 Winchester is even more effective on really large game like elk
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now than it was even 20 years ago because hunters just have access to much
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better quality bullets in general these days. Yes people can and do successfully
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hunt elk and moose with the .243 and will definitely work in that role with the
33:27
right bullets like say a 100 grain nozzle partition but your margin of error
33:31
is much smaller with that cartridge and a responsible hunter should only use it
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on really big game at close range and when shooting angles are ideal like
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broadside or very slightly quartering. Realize that using the .243 on an elk or
33:45
moose hunt will require passing on a lot of shots that would be perfectly fine to
33:49
take with a more powerful cartridge like a .300 Win Mag or even the .270. Now are you
33:55
sensitive to recoil and you need a really light recoiling cartridge? Neither
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is a terrible recoiling cartridge but the .243 has a big advantage over the .270
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here. Indeed the .243 is an especially great choice as a centerfire rifle
34:09
cartridge for a newer and or more recoil shy hunter. The cartridge is very
34:14
shootable in a rifle that fits a hunter well, has a good recoil pad and is
34:18
equipped with either a suppressor or a muzzle brake. The .243 is by no means
34:23
limited to newer or smaller hunters either. Heck it's an outstanding choice
34:27
for deer hunting and lots of veteran hunters use it on deer each year with
34:31
great results. As I've stated before the .243 Winchester and the .270 Winchester
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are both solid rifle cartridges. However since the difference between them is
34:41
pretty big in certain respects each one is better suited to specific situations
34:45
than the other. Carefully evaluate your needs as a hunter based on the
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circumstances you foresee using the cartridge in. Get a good hunting rifle
34:53
chambered in the cartridge you select, learn to shoot it well, use quality ammo
34:57
and it should serve you well afield. Ok if you enjoyed this video please make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel
35:04
right now. Once again if you haven't already done so click that red subscribe
35:08
button below to make sure you don't miss out on any of my new videos. And of
35:12
course for more detailed information on other popular hunting cartridges and what they're best suited for also click that link in the description below or go
35:20
to HuntingGuns101.com to get a free ebook I have written on the best
35:26
hunting calibers. Alright now I'm going to turn it over to you. Which one do you prefer? The little .243 or the .270? What game have you successfully taken with
35:35
each one or both if you've used both? Let me know by leaving a comment on this
35:39
video right now. Thanks for watching, have a great day, and good hunting
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