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243 for foxes


moonfleet

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hi all was thinking of getting a 243 for fox I have a 223 whats the accuracy like compared to 223 at 100-200 yards.general thoughts on calibre was offered this calibre about three years ago by local firearms department. did I make a mistake turning this cal down. :unsure:

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My first c/f rifle was a heavy-barrelled Sako in .243Win. I asked for .243 because although I wanted the rifle mainly for foxes, I also intended to go hind-stalking.

 

I didn't reload in those days, but it shot Remington 75gr ballistic tips nearly touching, and RWS 100gr (for hinds) into about 1" at 100yds.

 

I'm not sure what a comparison of accuracy, as you've requested, means - my .223 with handloads shoots better than that - but I'd say that and accurate .243 rifle/ammunition combination is as accurate as a similar .223.

 

It's hard to see how a .223 would be a disadvantage for fox at and under 200yds.

:)

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Hi Moonfleet, welcome to the forum.

 

If you are shooting foxes inside 200yds then there is no practical accuracy advantage of .243Win over .223Rem.

 

The question isn't really valid: an accurate .223 rifle will be more accurate than a shot-out .243.

 

If you are shooting long range, the .243Win might have a theoretical advantage via the use of bullets with a higher BC.

 

More expensive to feed .243Win.

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Well of course a 223 would be more accurate than a shot out 243 but what kind of statement is that? Anything is more accurate than a shot out rifle?

Moon fleet, .223 is fine for foxing at the ranges you are talking but if you want a cross over calibre to deer stalking as well then the 243 would be a good choice or something in 6.5 flavour. I have used a 243 quite a bit for both foxing and stalking and I find it a very flexible cartridge with the ability to use light bullets for vermin and heavier for Deer but I now use mainly 6.5 x 55 for stalking.

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hi all was thinking of getting a 243 for fox I have a 223 whats the accuracy like compared to 223 at 100-200 yards.general thoughts on calibre was offered this calibre about three years ago by local firearms department. did I make a mistake turning this cal down. :unsure:

to answer your question, whats the accuracy like compared to a .223 at 100-200 yards, it all depends on how good you are at shooting, the rifle will probably be more accurate than you are, so if your a good shot then it will be as accurate as any other gun you shoot......

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+2 on MJR and TonyH's points.

 

The intrinsic accuracy of comparable rifles in 223 and 243 would not be apparent shooting foxes at 200y,and decent examples of both calibres are likely to shoot 1/2moa,or better-though it's first shot accuracy that is really the most important.In effect,no difference-and remember individual rifles differ anyhow. The 243 has of course considerably more energy,but this is only really relevant to larger quarry than fox.There is effectively no field ballistic advantage within 200y.

Again on shootability-the 223 is somewhat easier to shoot well,as it has less recoil,but a moderator and some practice will effectively reduce such differences for 200y fox shooting.

 

gbal

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many thanks for replies I may just stick to .223 it was just a change of rifle that I was thinking of more than anything else,so I thought why not try a different calibre as well ammunition cost isn't really an issue as I don't use that much anyway and although I have thought about reloading I couldn't really justify the cost of equipment. :)

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