.243 Non-Toxic Factory Ammo: Struggling for 1700 ft-lbs in a 20" Barrel

[Uplander]

Hi, felt I had to come in on this one. The .243 has often struggled to achieve the legal requirements from a 20” barrel. A few years ago, before sound moderators became common manufactures often made rifles with 22-24” barrels. The fashion for 20” barrels only really came in to assist accommodate the additional length moderators create.
Your problem is a very common one and it’s why BASC petitioned the government not to include the .243 on the list of large calibres that will require lead free ammo.
Your combination absolutely will kill deer very effectively but I have to say I’m very disappointed by the ignorance of some of the reply's you’ve had. You may have been granted a .243 but the Police haven’t selected your rifle of choice. It’s your responsibility to comply with the legal requirements. I and many others have given up our .243’s for this very reason. Although possible, a .243 really needs a longer barrel and a faster twist to meet the requirements and maintain reliable accuracy with a range of non lead ammo.
Please stay legal and for those who openly conspire to continue to not meet the legal requirements on an open forum don’t cry when you loose your rifles.

 

[Watermeadow]

20” Barrels generally do struggle to be deer legal with 80gn factory ammo - we’re more aware of it than ever for two reasons:

1. Manufacturers regularly go through trends in barrel lengths (the sako 75 generally had a 22” barrel which is a sweet spot for most cartridges, but the 85’s had 20” barrels usually)

2. Chronographs are now readily available

There isn’t an international rifle brand in the world that considers the uk market with regards to barrel length of .243’s - we’re too small.

For lead free you probably aren't going to find a solution in factory ammo (there are heavier lead free options but you don’t have the twist rate to stabilise it in your 85 as they were all 1:10) - you’ll need to home load 80-90gn lead free bullets.

Lead isn’t banned yet, and Europe seems to be considering a u-turn on lead free, so perhaps just enjoy your rifle then rebarrel it when the time comes to a lead free spec…

Good luck

 

[Dave_45]

Hi, felt I had to come in on this one. The .243 has often struggled to achieve the legal requirements from a 20” barrel. A few years ago, before sound moderators became common manufactures often made rifles with 22-24” barrels. The fashion for 20” barrels only really came in to assist accommodate the additional length moderators create.
Your problem is a very common one and it’s why BASC petitioned the government not to include the .243 on the list of large calibres that will require lead free ammo.
Your combination absolutely will kill deer very effectively but I have to say I’m very disappointed by the ignorance of some of the reply's you’ve had. You may have been granted a .243 but the Police haven’t selected your rifle of choice. It’s your responsibility to comply with the legal requirements. I and many others have given up our .243’s for this very reason. Although possible, a .243 really needs a longer barrel and a faster twist to meet the requirements and maintain reliable accuracy with a range of non lead ammo.
Please stay legal and for those who openly conspire to continue to not meet the legal requirements on an open forum don’t cry when you loose your rifles.

My 8 twist 22.5 inch 243 is 1850ft lbs at the muzzle with a mild load with 80gr Barnes.

I agree with you not to knowingly break the law or claim ignorance as it's just ridiculous.

But the 243 isn't dead by any means in regards to non lead,it just needs a semi custom barrel and home loaded rounds.