So, if you’re planning on using a factory load for these extreme, top level marksmen distances, the supersonic limit is an important factor. Best 9mm Ammo 2019 [Self-Defense & Target], 6.5 Creedmoor vs .243 Win – Cartridge Comparison, Best .40 S&W Ammo: Self Defense & Target Practice. With a larger sample size to draw some conclusions from, we still see that the .243 Win has a slight edge over the .270 Win with less bullet drop. And given that, it’s quite possible that the lightweight .243 Win rounds are skewing this data. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .243 Winchester or .270 WSM Winchester Short Magnum rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. All of this discussion is based strictly off the numbers we have looked at. Obviously, the .270 is a larger caliber than the .243 and the overall cartridge length for the .270 is nearly slightly over a ½” longer than the .243. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, b And while long range shooters might have more interest in the BC than hunters, the latter shouldn’t disregard this metric. What this cartridge offered was a long range hunting round that was able to take lighter bullets that were more suitable for target shooting and varmint hunting. There are a couple of .243 rounds that break the 1000 yard mark but there are far more .270 rounds in this range including a few that exceed 1,300 yards of supersonic flight. In less than ideal conditions, the .270 Win had more rounds with higher BCs that can help minimize bullet drift due to wind and the .270 also was not too far behind the .243 when it came to trajectory out to 500 yards, though the average .243 Win was a few inches less. In the simplest of terms, the ballistic coefficient is derived from an equation using several bullets and cartridge variables. We will first look at the short range trajectory (Graph 6). The .243 is a great varmint cartridge, but the down side is that they tend to erode barrel throats very quickly. Recoil can throw off a shot, especially for younger or more inexperienced shooters who are thinking about the kick as they squeeze the trigger. There is a balance to penetration. If we take a second to look at the averages for these two cartridges, we see a really interesting result. We leave that to you, the reader. BONUS OFFER: Get your 500 Page Ammo Comparison Handbook (worth $43) for FREE right into your inbox. When we look at the individual rounds of each cartridge, minus the lighter .243 rounds, we see quite a bit of overlap rather than a trend of one cartridge having higher velocities. As we would assume from these differences, the .270 can hold a good deal more powder than the .243 which is needed to bring the heavier bullets up to a proper speed for shooting purposes. The .270 has gained a huge following in the world of hunting from small varmints and predators to large American game such as sheep and deer. And of course, we could not have a cartridge comparison without bringing up accuracy. There is a fine line between a hot load that improves terminal ballistic properties and a load that pushes the envelope of safety and bullet stability in the air. There are smaller weights that are available for small game. To be more secure in saying that the .270 Win rounds are going have higher BCs, we really need to look at more samples which we have done below and also see how the rounds compare when we are not including the sub 60grain .243 rounds. Unlike most of the ballistic properties we have looked as so far, there is a general distinction in stopping power between the .243 and .270 cartridge. When you look at individual rounds and individual users, then there are going to be more distinct differences, especially at ranges out past 300 yards. It has a great BC, and its trajectory is more than flat enough out to 200 yards without having to make major adjustments to shot placement. At 400 yards, the average increases to 26.1 inches of bullet drop. So they are bringing down the average roughly 1lb/ft.s from the numbers in the table. They go back and forth on what’s better between a .270 Winchester, a 308 Winchester and a 30-06 Springfield. A lot of shooters get a little overboard with velocity. While these lightweight .243 rounds are much flatter, they also had low BCs and are going to be more susceptible to wind deflection. While the numbers we show can vary by small amounts, we can control for a lot of variables we wouldn’t be able to with field tests. Finally, we also want to point out that we are using computer-generated data. Another factor that goes into penetration is the sectional density (SD) of the bullet. The .243 Winchester (6×52mm) is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. 5.56x45mm NATO, basically the military version of .223, launched in 1961. The heavier (150gr) .270 rounds have a significantly higher sectional density than the .243 rounds. History Introduced in 1955 the .243 Winchester is based on the 7.62x51 military (.308 Winchester) case necked down to .243” (6mm). It might not be as prevalent as it once was, but the .243 is still seen in use today in these shooting circles and it is still winning a lot of competitions. We used an online trajectory calculator to generate the trajectory path, and we selected two rounds, one for each cartridge, which are from the same manufacturer and have the same bullet design. There are three .243 Win rounds that fall below the 60gr mark and it would not be unwise to question how much influence these rounds have on the averages above. If you go and look at individual factory loads, you will find quite a few .270 Win rounds that remain supersonic through 1,300 yards while the top performing .243 Win rounds might make it up to 1,100 yards. Let’s take a look at the average velocities of these cartridges after bringing in more rounds of each. For hunting purposes, this might be the more relevant trajectory information as a vast majority of shots taken in the field will be within and up to 300 yards. The .308—a fine design in and of itself—has been responsible for a number of successful cartridges, but the .243 has to be the most successful. Flashing tails, leaping legs, long necks and there! It’s not by much, especially at the 50, 200, and 300 yard mark where the rounds are separated by less than an inch. There are few topics in the hunting world that generate more heated debate than whether any given cartridge is powerful enough for a particular animal. Huston is a hunting enthusiast who believes your success in the field is directly correlated to the amount of preparation at home. They have extremely low recoil, aren’t too expensive, and have a flat trajectory that lets you reach out to 300+ yards. For medium game within 300 yards, both of these cartridges carry enough kinetic energy to cause damage. A 300-yard shot with 10mph crosswinds is going to carry that bullet several inches off its flightpath. That’s what we have set out to look at in this article rather than try to crown one cartridge as better than the other. The .270 Winchester vs. the 7mm Remington Magnum. * When looking at the heavier rounds (95+), we see that they are much more clustered from muzzle to 500 yards and are also more similar to the .270 Win rounds. Bo… Cons: Lengthy action and heavier gun. The .270 is about as versatile as you can get, second only to a .30-06. Even when we remove the two lightweight .243 Win rounds, the .270 rounds are carrying an average of 17lbs/ft.s of momentum at the muzzle and 13lbs/ft.s more at 500 yards. By doing this, you get more information, we get a better picture of how these two cartridges compare, and the article will still be easy to navigate through. Velocity, ballistic coefficient, and trajectory all play a major role in how accurate and how well the bullet will bring down game. At 500 yards, the average for the .243 Win rounds is 1,878fps. With these two cartridges, the .243 Win produces several less ft.lb of recoil energy than the .270 Win and was one of the only categories where we didn’t see overlap between any of the rounds. In today’s market, both .243 and .270 ammunition is pretty easy to get your hands on. When we exclude those light rounds, we end up with an average ballistic coefficient of 0.36. At the time, this cartridge offered a cartridge that filled a large niche in the hunting world. And really, what’s the point of even using a particular cartridge if you can’t put it on target. We gathered all of the BCs for our selected rounds from the manufacturer and have presented them here in graph form (Graph 4). And we are talking about a broad comparison of cartridge to cartridge. If you know you’re going to need more penetration for hunting something like muleys, and are for whatever reason stuck between choosing between these two rounds, the heavier .270 rounds are going to be a better option. More powder and heavier bullets are going to lead to more recoil. I've killed a 175lb hog with my AR with 60 grain Winchester ballistic silver tips. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. Just from our selections, you can see that there are some .243 rounds with BCs that stack up a lot better to the .270 rounds. The Nosler Partition is a great balance between penetration and expansion, and the 150gr bullet provides a tremendous amount of force on impact with still nearly 1,500ft.lb of force at 400 yards. When they are excluded, we see an average KE of 1945ft.lbs at the muzzle, 1095ft.lbs at 300 yards, and 727ft.lbs at 500 yards. While this is a few hundredths higher than what we see above, it’s still a distinct difference from the .270 Win rounds. Just glancing at the graph, we can see that there seems to be a trend towards higher BCs for the .270 rounds compared to the .243 rounds. Less than an inch difference in drop and drift gives it the win. It’s not a surprising result given momentum is just the velocity times the mass of the projectile. Longer track record. While the .243 Win still has a slightly flatter average, there are flat shooting rounds for each cartridge that will provide the trajectory that you want. Let’s take a look at the short range trajectory of these two cartridges when we include some more rounds. Whether you hunt or participate in distance shooting or a little of both, you know that velocity is a key factor in a bullets effectiveness. I would recommend 100 grain + in weight if you want put a big hog down. Not only that, but a decent amount of recoil is going to make follow up shots much slower as you must re-center and take aim again. Both of these cartridges are popular in the hunting world for a reason. It’s just something to keep in mind as we examine the potential penetration of these rounds. The averages are pretty similar to the averages from the smaller sample size. This trend continues out to the 500-yard mark where all of the .243 rounds have well below 1,000ft.lb of force associated with them while the .270 rounds vary between 1,000 to nearly 1,500ft.lb of force. While maybe not as significant to those who mainly stick to the firing range, stopping power is a critical performance factor for hunters for several reasons. Like we have said a couple times, there is a lot to interpret when choosing between two cartridges or two rounds of the same cartridge type and unless you have one particular component you are looking for, basing a decision on one performance spec can be a big mistake. Right out of the muzzle, the .270 rounds have nearly 1,000 extra ft.lbs of force on the .243 round. An Overview Of 6.5 Creedmoor Vs. 270 270 Winchester. If you’re a hunter, you also have to think about stopping power. While there are higher priced rounds for each cartridge, the .270 is a few dollars more expensive for a box than .243 ammunition. While computer-generated data has its drawbacks, it can still be incredibly useful and informative. The .243 Winchester is simply the .308 Winchester necked down to hold .243″ diameter bullets. Winchester introduced the cartridge to the civilian market shortly thereafter in the Model 70 bolt action and the Model 88 lever action. The .270 Win was developed from the .30-03 casing which many popular cartridges have been derived from. So, why bother with the .243 Win? It … This means that the momentum of a rifle's reaction will exactly equal the momentum of the bullet and powder gasses ejected from the barrel. A lot of shooters might have never heard of the term while others give it a lot of credence when selecting a round. Let’s take a look at the sectional density numbers generated from our expanded round list. Now, determining if that range is significant and should be a big factor in your decision is up to you. The author analyzed the .243 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 Winchester, .30-30 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield for trajectory, effective range, and recoil with modern ballistic software available free online from shooterscalculator.com. Like many cartridges, .223 Remington ammunitionhas its heritage in the military. Felt recoil is going to depend a lot of your shooting technique as well as firearm characteristics such as weight and stock design. This will obviously be a huge factor in the type of hunting these rounds are suitable for, and we will get back to shortly. There are a few points that we want to point out before we really dive into the comparisons. The following is a list of the six best .243 rifles that are currently on the market. The .270 Win rounds all produce recoil energy over 17ft.lb while none of the .243 Win rounds reach over 12ft.lb. We also see that this difference is not just due to some outliers, but there is a distinct difference between all of the .270 and .243 rounds. Averages might have given us an idea of which cartridge has more rounds with better performance in velocity or trajectory, but when getting down to specific rounds, both cartridges had options that would get the job done on the range. The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .243 Winchester vs .270 WSM Winchester Short Magnum ammo rounds. all the way back in 1925 for the Model 54 bolt-action rifle. You also can never discount your ability to put the round in the breadbasket or the number are not going to mean a dang thing. We will take a look at the limits of supersonic flight between these two cartridges shortly. Even so, we understand how they can skew the data if not careful. Overall, we are pretty confident in these numbers and they give you an accurate description of how these two cartridges compare in terms of kinetic energy. The actual numbers for centerfire rifles are not as important as you will see with archery because of the properties of bullets. At 300 yards, the average fps falls to 2,307fps, right at the same velocity of the .270 Win rounds. The .243 Winchester also has a lot of history in the long range shooting world. If you can shave off even an inch or two of bullet drift, why wouldn’t you take it? Handnachlader sollten daher eher einen guten Kompromiss zwischen Leistung und Genauigkeit eingehen, als zu versuchen, die höchsten Leistungsstufen zu erreichen. Of course, this is only looking at two rounds; we will take a look at a broader selection of our ten rounds for comparison. The .270 Winchester was introduced in 1925 where it would stay in relative obscurity for a time. At the muzzle, the .243 Win velocity falls to 3,073fps, only a little over a hundred more fps. In our opinion, any of them on their own does not tell you a whole lot. With the smaller diameter of the .243 rounds, even the 95 and 100gr bullets have a similar sectional density to the heavier 130gr .270 rounds. In these categories, the .270 Win had higher numbers than the .240 Win. It is probably more apparent with younger or more inexperienced marksmen. Out past 300 yards, you will have to rely on your optics to make some adjustments, but that goes for just about any cartridge. Given the bullet’s weight is half of the equation for sectional density, we have to factor in how the sub-60grain .243 Win rounds are affecting these numbers. In this case, where we see the light .243 rounds excel in this category, it’s important to reiterate that you need to take a lot of different performance specs into account when making any kind of decision. is a classic Army brat. This data can change by increasing or decreasing the amount of powder, but we feel it is safe for comparison since manufacturers do not max out the amount of powder the casing could hold. The mass of the object as well as its acceleration determines the amount of force that the bullet carries. While it’s not a complete list, you are going to see higher SDs associated with .270 Win rounds in comparison to .243 Win rounds the vast majority of the time. While we would love to cover other bullet designs, casings, and powders, we just don’t have the room to do so. Impressive ammunition. I doubt many hunters -- big, little, veteran, or novice -- are capable of determining if they or the bullet missed by an inch at 300 yards. This varies from person to person but gives you an idea of where these two cartridges stand regarding affecting your shot. 243 vs 7mm-08 vs 308 Winchester: Which Is Right For You? Bullet momentum is the second metric we will use to compare these two cartridges and their potential penetration. In this article, we are going to look at several of the most popular factory loads for each of these cartridges. The .270 takes elk size game every year and there are also those who don’t hesitate to use it for moose, though historically, most prefer to go with larger calibers. Before we jump into the various categories for which we will be comparing these two rounds, it’s important to note that slight changes to certain variables can impact their performance. Not all of them by any means and we will take a look at short range trajectory soon. There is a range of bullet weight options for the .243 Win. Data was compiled from the manufacturer’s websites and tested from a 24″ barrel when listed (Graph 3). If you’re getting out past that range, the .270 Win actually had a flatter trajectory. For the .270 cartridge, it’s hard to beat the Federal Vital-Shok Nosler Partition 150gr round for deer and other medium sized game. These, with the higher KE make it a more suitable cartridge for larger game at these ranges. We want to note that what we will be looking at is the actual recoil energy (ft.lbs) generated by firing these cartridges. When looking at these rounds that cluster near the center of the graph, we see that there is quite a bit of overlap between the rounds of both cartridges. The averages do give the slight edge in velocity to the .270 Win when not including the sub 60 grain .243 Win rounds. We saw similar velocities but generally much heavier rounds for the .270 Win which leads to its advantage in this category. With more rounds, we still see that the .270 Win is carrying a great deal more energy than the .243 Win rounds. On average, the .270 looks to have a higher sectional density than the .243 rounds, though their average is dropped significantly due to the lightweight 55 and 58gr rounds. For hunters, it all depends on how much power they have once they get there. We see from this graph that there is a very distinct difference of recoil generated from these two cartridges. Just a note for those who might not be as versed in the shooting sports, while these light weight bullets might have a flat trajectory, they are going to be lacking in the knockout power department. From muzzle to 300 yards it is also still carrying over 1,000ft.lbs of force, and the Nosler Ballistic Tip provides more than enough penetration to reach vital organs and expands enough to cause major tissue damage. The .243 Winchester is on everybody's list of the 10 best selling centerfire rifle cartridges. Of course, even with lighter bullet weights, they still might not be the best choice depending on environmental conditions and range. We will be the first ones to admit that nothing compares to hard field data, but the truth is, a lot of us just don’t have the time and/or resources to compile that amount of data. It is more than capable of medium size game and the light recoil is an added bonus. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo. For these reasons, we felt it was important to take a look at the recoil produced by these two cartridges. Create more recoil by 15% than the 6.5 version. Below we have listed five popular hunting and target rounds for each cartridge. These can range from 55 to 115gr, though most hunting cartridges top out at the 100gr weight. 243 vs 6.5 Creedmoor: Cartridge Sizes. If you are getting into the more extreme ranges, you might also think about the differences between factory loads of these two cartridges and their ability to stay supersonic. The .243 is a hot little number, but as others have mentioned, it's a marginal cartridge for deer. Even when not considering the lighter rounds, there is not any overlap between the individual rounds of these two cartridges. In 1963, a modified version was released for civilian use. While the amount of energy carried by the bullet downrange is only small part of the equation for stopping power, it is without a critical component. There are several factors that go into a cartridge’s stopping power such as the kinetic energy carried by the bullet, penetration, and wound creation. If you’re taking shots at 100 yards or less, this round also has the potential to be used on larger game than deer. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Best Concealed Carry Insurance [Comparison Chart]. In order to understand the history of the .243 you also need to understand the history of the .308, because again, the .243 is simply a necked down .308. Like the .243, there is a lot of options regarding bullet weight and design, and they are readily available and affordable. As is the case with any cartridge comparison, less recoil often means a tradeoff with other ballistic categories which we will investigate next. Our problem with this, and with any quantifiable measurements of accuracy is that they tend to depend heavily on the firearm, the person handling the weapon, and environmental factors. We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We can see some pretty significant differences when we look at the cartridge specs of the .243 vs the .270. If you are just picking based on recoil, the .243 appears much easier to shoot and much easier to pop off accurate successive shots than the .270. 270 Federal Vital-Shok Nosler Partition 150gr, 243 Hornady Superformance Varmint V-Max 58gr, 243 Federal Vital-Shok Nosler Ballistic Tip 95gr, Federal Vital-Shok Nosler Ballistic Tip 95gr, Winchester Power Max Bonded Protected HP 100gr, Federal Vital-Shok Nosler Partition 150gr, Winchester Power Max Bonded Rapid Expansion PHP 150gr. With the lighter rounds included, the .243 Win has anywhere from 100 to a little over 200 more fps throughout the first 300 yards of the bullet’s flight, though, like the smaller sample size, we do see the .243 bleed off velocity at a higher rate and we see the .270 Win actually outperform the .243 in terms of velocity at the 400 and 500 yard range. While neither of these rounds are near the top of the list for long distance shooting, it doesn’t mean they can’t be a lot of fun throwing lead at the shooting range. In a lot of instances, you can’t go wrong going with either the .243 or .270. The release of the .270 Winchester in 1925 in the Winchester Model 54 rifle saw the beginning of the American love affair with velocity, as well as the laying of a solid foundation for the American bolt-action sporting rifle.At the time, the lever gun held court in the hunting fields, though through the writings of Mr. O’Connor, change was on the wind. May 14. You’re going to get penetration, but does one cartridge have the higher potential penetration? Recognize what you want out of your hunting cartridge and you will find that either of these cartridges can become one of your favorites. As far as bullet weights go with the .270, most ammunition is going to fall between 120-160. For bigger game that might have thick hide and thick bones, you want a bullet with higher momentum to drive through and allow proper wound creation and a clean pass through. Of course, if you’re shooting targets, it doesn’t matter. True .243 Winchester and .270 WSM Winchester Short Magnum ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance. The higher the velocity, the more penetration and expansion you are apt to get, which is important for hunting purposes. We definitely see a distinct difference between these two cartridges when it comes to recoil energy so let’s take a look at the average recoil when we bring in more rounds to the mix. All the old favorites are normally there, like the classic Marlin, Remington and Ruger rifles. What we see with the short range trajectory is that the .243 has several rounds that have extremely flat arcs. we would bet that both of these cartridges can be shot with relative ease, but it might not be the case for everyone. To compensate for clear and concise and accurate representation, we actually compiled a lot more rounds for each cartridge. When comparing cartridges or just researching one, the ballistic coefficients (BC) are going to pop up at some point. As you move out to the 400-yard mark, you will begin to see some distance forming between the rounds. The 243 Winchester versus 7mm-08 Remington race is won by the 243, but not by much. If you get the chance, get some experience with both and greatly widen your hunting and shooting opportunities. It was developed in 1957 for an experimental rifle known as the AR-15. We gathered the energy data from the selected rounds manufacturers website and have compiled them here (Graph 8). Some of their performance characteristics might also fit better with some people’s experience and comfort level. Instead, it is dependent on the individual round rather than the cartridge type. If you walk into any major retailer that carries ammunition, you are bound to find some of both cartridges, though there is a better chance of not finding the exact round you are looking for. We will say that for factory loads, they both do not show too drastic of a drop at 500 yards. And while the lightweight .243 rounds do bring down the average slightly, it’s not really impacting the interpretation of how these two cartridges compare to one another. From a ballistic coefficient standpoint, a 0.1 difference is quite dramatic. You do see better penetration potential for the .270 Win based on its sectional density and momentum numbers. When the powder is ignited, and the bullet sent downrange, the bullet carries kinetic energy with it that is transferred to the target on impact. Our picks do not mean that we think other rounds do not deserve to be a part of the discussion. All of the categories that we looked at such as kinetic energy, sectional density, and bullet momentum showed a clear distinction between these two cartridges. It was never our goal to label one cartridge as better than the other. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The first is that we understand we are only scratching the surface of the amount of round options that are available for these two cartridges. We will make it clear what these variables are as we move through the article. There are dozens of .243 factory loads, in a wide variety of bullet weights and prices, from every ammunition manufacturer and .243 ammo is available wherever game is hunted.

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