The Over Looked .243

I have been Hunting & Shooting with single shot handguns since the 1980`s. For some reason I have over looked a .243 in a handgun. I recently purchased a CVA Scout in .243 & it shoots Speer 85gn btsp w/Varget under MOA to 200yds.

One of my favorite and most used cartridges.

I have owned many .243 rifles but, this is my first Handgun. I don't see much Info on Handgun Hunting with the .243 Winchester.

I have one. Works like a champ.

YEARS AGO, ON THE ENCINO DIVISION OF THE KING RANCH, MY BROTHER SHOT A BUCK IN THE SHOULDER WITH A 243 RIFLE. THE BULLET BUGGERED HIS SHOULDER BUT DID NOT PENETRATE TO THE VITALS, AND THE DEER TRIED TO CRAWL OFF. FOR YEARS I CONDEMNED THE 243 WHEN IT WAS THE BULLET, NOT THE CARTRIDGE, THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I SUSPECT THAT THE 243 CAN BE AN OUTSTANDING HANDGUN ROUND.

My boy has used the .243 Win exclusively for the past two seasons and taken 8 deer.

I have culled some 50 (+/-) pigs and deer in the past couple years with the cartridge and either 85gr Sierra HPBT-GK bullets or 105gr Hornady A-Max.

It is about as stellar an accurate, low recoil, smooth shooting cartridge for medium game as can be found.

If I had to choose a handful of cartridges to last me the rest of my life...........the .243 Winchester would assuredly be one.

Great round!

I wasn't a big .243 fan for a long time. I had my Encore barrel rechambered to 6mmAI. Since then I've done several hundred groundhogs with 70 gr. BTs out to 400, about half dozen deer with 85 gr. NPT out to 400, and my big javelina at 110 with a 85 NPT.
This has caused me to rethink the value of .243 bullets in handguns. It has been a pleasant surprise. I'll be giving them more use.

I've been shooting a 243 Striker for years and have yet to experience anything negative. Very accurate and pleasant to shoot. An 87 gr Hornady SP over H4895 has accounted for numerous deer and antelope.

The Speer 85gn BTSP is a medium game bullet, not a varmint bullet. I get 2800 fps from a 14" barrel with an almost max load of Varget. I plan on using it this deer season and possibly on a Hog hunt next year.

243 Win, 6 Creed, 6 Dasher or BRX will all do a great job.

I have one. Works like a champ.

For 14 inch encore do you use the same load data as for rifles or are there other considerations when hand loading for 14 inch barrels?

I have my dad's encore and would like to reload. Is there reloading data specific for short barrel rifle cartridges?

Thanks!

Here is my take on it, but I would love to hear what some of the others have to say.
There are a few reloading manuals that have specific sections discussing reloading for the TC Contender and Encore platforms. Typically this is because the Contender or Encore frames will be loaded a bit differently (hotter, different bullet choices due to single shot configuration or non-standard bullet weights) then the traditional platform that the cartridge would normally be used in (45 colt is an example, low power loads for safety in most revolvers, higher power loads for a few stronger revolvers and break open TC guns). When you get to bottle neck rifle cartridges those differences largely disappear (the contender is often not suitable for use due to action strength). Barrel length would point toward faster powders vs slower powders listed by manufacturers to help optimize the load and reduce flash.
The contender/encore specific recipes are good references to figure out optimum bullet/velocity combinations for what you want to do. Often this means lower weight bullets to keep the velocity up for hunting, but it depends on what you want to do with it.

I keep it really simple. Most of my Encore and Contender barrels are made by SSK. I use their load data.
On the few regular Encore barrels I use rifle data minus 1 1/2 gr. for safety and less stress on the gun.
My only regular Contender barrel is a .223. I use rifle data for this for the last 41 years.
The only two guns I had problems with was a SSK .45-70 barrel with 3000+ rounds and a stretched frame and a .416 Taylor Encore barrel with a stretched frame from excessive use of AFrames (no longer recommended by SSK due to increased pressures). Both frames were replaced by T/C.

Hornady has separate data for several rifle cartridge Encore handguns. They tend to be a grain or so lower than rifle data with the same bullets and powders.

I tend to use some of the faster burning powders listed for the cartridge to maximize performance. IMR 4064 does really well.

My daughter-in-law Barbara has used a .243 for years and taken several antelope bucks and a mule deer buck with hers.

H-4350 has been my staple powder for the 6XC, 6 Creed, and 243 Winchester. These cartridges are fairly similar in capacity.