OT- bolt gun question

[Streetstar]

I have a Rem. 700 in .243 that does not get utilized anymore (i wont go into my dislike of the cartridge ) --- but suffice to say, it likely will never be used again for anything meaningful, which prompts me to either sell it, or re-barrel it in something i will get some use out of

I know the .243 is a short action cartridge based on the .308 family of cartridges and a rebarrel to .308 or 7mm-08 would be a no brainer , but are there any other short action cartridges that i havent thought of yet, like any of the short , stubby magnums or a .338 Federal this rifle could be re-chambered/barreled in without too much trouble ? (Nothing smaller than 7mm bore diameter though)

I dont have any real "needs" , as most of my bases are covering for hunting rifles unless i am going after the African Big 5. If i re-barrelled to .308, i would likely do a heavy barrel police style rifle - as i do not have one of those, but they look fun off the bench. But then again, a short barreled .450 Bushmaster sounds interesting as well, but that cartridge is .223 length

I know this group can usually help people spend money pretty well, so i thought i'd ask if anyone has any other ideas for a lonely rifle besides turning it into a lamp

[CEMENTHEAD]

Streetstar,
You could always re-barrel it to 358 Winchester. The 200-225 grain spitzer bullets (2350-2550fps) fly pretty flat. Conversely you could use 250 grain RN bullets @ 2200 fps as woods hammers. What a sweet opportunity!!!

Thanks, Tom

[damienph]

I would go for the heavy barrelled .308. The .450 Bushmaster would require a different boltface than the one on your rifle.

[Streetstar]

Streetstar,
You could always re-barrel it to 358 Winchester. The 200-225 grain spitzer bullets (2350-2550fps) fly pretty flat. Conversely you could use 250 grain RN bullets @ 2200 fps as woods hammers. What a sweet opportunity!!!

Thanks, Tom

Hmmmm -- interesting -- and a cartridge i never would have thought of on my own -- here's a Paco write up on it
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/358_wcf.htm

[iceman]

When I started to read your post and I saw that you were thinking of another cartridge for your rifle, the first thing I thought of was a 358 win. Why mess around with smaller common rounds? Go full out and get the best, no messing around, do it all short action round out there. Mind you that is my opinion if it was a Mod 94 BB I would say a 356 win (I have one) but any other rifle style bolt or lever I would go with a 358 with a 225 Sierra spbt and not be afraid of anything in North America. A real powerhouse round that is often forgotten or ignored. The only thing that may overshadow it would be the 35 Whelan. Just my opinion and worth what you paid for it. Can you tell I am a 35 cal fan?

[COSteve]

Streetstar,
You could always re-barrel it to 358 Winchester. The 200-225 grain spitzer bullets (2350-2550fps) fly pretty flat. Conversely you could use 250 grain RN bullets @ 2200 fps as woods hammers. What a sweet opportunity!!!

And, you don't have any issues with bolt thrust as the 243 has a higher bolt thrust than a 358 because, while the cases are almost the same base dia (the 358 is .001" larger), the 243's max SAAMI pressure is 60K vs 55K.

[Chuck 100 yd]

This one started out as a .243.

It is a good shooter as these targets show. Notice what a missed wind/ condition change can do to a 100yd. group.

Krieger made the barrel, Darrel Holland fitted it and I did the stock work.
OH! I forgot. It`s a .308 win. with a tight neck chamber.
(wont accept factory brass without turning the necks).
Just the way I wanted it!

[CEMENTHEAD]

I've always preferred the 35's and the 358 Winchester. They seem to be VERY under-rated. I know of 3 in my family, and they almost always leave a bloodtrail a blind man could follow. Handloaded 225 grain Nosler Partitions @ 2450fps. That includes Black bears.

However the 338 Federal could be good if you're so inclined.

Although I think the 338 Federal may go the way of the Do-Do.

Thanks, Tom

[1886]

.358. A 200gr Barnes X-Bullet at 2600fps will leave a hole. An 18"- 20" barrel will do and will be real handy. 1886.

[Pete44ru]

FWIW, a Rem 700 in .243 Win need not be either rechambered, or rebarreled, to take advantage of a more powerful cartridge - provided the muzzle OD is at least .600".

The bolt faces/head sizes, cartridge bodies, and their chambers, are the same for the .243 Win as they are for the:
.260 Rem
7mm-08
.308 Win
.338 Fed
.358 Win cartridges
- only the bore sizes/throats are different.

Your .243 can be rebored/rerifled (say, by Jes for about $250) to any of the above, w/o any other work (I've had it done a few times).

The minimun muzzle OD of .600" would be for a rebore to .358"; smaller rebores can have a commensurately smaller muzzle OD.

.

[Old Savage]

The 260 Rem is the one that has been favored for a few years by the owner of the local gun shop, his son and grandson and a couple of others. They have used it on quite a few deer and antelope and seem to be sold on it.

[TedH]

I'd see about having it rebored to 358.

[rogn]

WHO IS jes?

[Streetstar]

When i posted this, i was leaning fairly heavilly towards a new .308 tacti-cool rifle ------------ but the more i read, the more i like the way the .358 sounds. I had already cut the .243 to an 18" barrel to make it a bit more "brush-worthy", and the awesome economy of the .358 case seems to make it even more appropriate to such a short barrel

And this way, i dont have to order a new McMillan stock

I never thought i'd see such an outpouring of support for a cartridge like the .358 (if you can call 4or 5 posts an outpouring, but in a small forum, thats huge )

And the more i read about it, the more i am leaning towards keeping my little 700 a hunting rifle vs a SWAT team replica. The trigger is already GTG in that regard -- If the .358 could maintain the accuracy the 243 did, (and its accuracy is the only reason i haven't sent it to Davey Jones' locker already) that would be a real winner.

[firefuzz]

If the .358 could maintain the accuracy the 243 did

The .358 would be a good cartridge for consideration, but don't be disappointed if you don't get one-hole groups from it. I had a .35 Whelan that would consistantly shoot almost anything under an inch, most .243 will go half that if set up right with a taylored load.

If you're wanting a long range accuracy cartridge I'd recommend the .260 Remington that Old Savage talked about. It's going to be the cartridge I base my next build on.

Rob

[Pete44ru]

[WHO IS jes?]

http://www.35caliber.com/


FWIW, The .260 Rem is for all intents & purposes a modernized, short-action 6.5x55 Swede - the ballistics are nearly identical.

.

[Tycer]

I just bought a 358 Win barrel for my Marlin XS7. Waiting for the Big Brown Truck.

When I get my Kel-tec RFB I'll rebarrel it to 358 also.

[COSteve]

Deleted

[Chuck 100 yd]

That one is called "field and stream"

Lots of bench rest rifles today are quite flashy with wild paint
jobs and such. Mine does draw attention at the range.
This rifle has a 28" barrel. 7/8" at the muzzle and a 3" wide stock.
It weighs right at 17 lb. Not a great rifle for woods hunting as you might know. With selected loads , every bullet will cut the same hole at 100yd.

[Thunder50]

I would go with the 358 win or the 450 bushmaster, as bolt face sizes are the same, bushmaster is not different. What about 458 Socom? Might require a bit of action work.