Bushmaster Varminter .223, want .243 upper & barrel for deer any recommendations?

[ConservativesUnite]

I have a Bushmaster Varminter .223 with 24", nice trigger etc. What I want to do is get a .243 upper and barrel of similar length and go deer hunting with it. In WI and ND we can use a centefire .22 cal, but some of the shots in ND can be a little far for a .223. Does anybody have any experience with a .243 AR rifle? Any recommendations for barrel manufacturer? DPMS makes a .243 barrel, anyone else?

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Your easiest option here would be a 6x45mm, simply a 5.56mm necked up to take .243 bullets. Plenty of load data available, decent performance, and readily available (and inexpensive) brass for reforming. This is a simple rebarreling, nothing more. Beyond that, there are several other options, all of which require more work, much more costly brass, and more effort on your part. I've had a 6x45, and it was a decent combination. I've seen a number of the other guns, particularly the 6mm PPC set up in ARs for competition use, but they do tend to be a lot more finicky.

If you want an actual .243 Win (I wasn't quite clear on this from your post) then you're looking at a larger platform, such as the AR-10. What did you want to do with this? That should be the final determining factor in how you set it up.

Kevin Thomas
Berger Bullets

 

[Ridge Runner]

yep, the 243 is too long for the AR-15, so you must go with the AR-10 platform (308 win. length action) not only is an AR-10 400 dollars higher than the AR-15, its also 3-4 pounds heavier.
However, you can call or email mike milli of bemenji mn, he's an AR smith, does good work very reasonable, he'll build you an upper for the AR-15 chambered in 243 WSSM, and it'll fill your 243 needs in a lighter weight cheaper rifle. I've had one of mikes uppers for several years (25 wssm) and its the most firepower you can get in the AR-15
Mikes contact info [email protected]
RR

 

[308]

Another possible option, that I think will fit your current platform is Remingtons new 30 AR cartridge. Its a 30 cal that is getting dang good ballistics for a ar 15 frame 30 cal, about 80% of full power 308. That would be a much better option than 22 or 24 calibers for deer. Just my lowly opinion of course: 308

 

[msalm]

6.5 Grendel gets my vote. I've built a couple on AR's and a CZ 527 Carbine and it's a good round. 120gr Nosler BT's at 2550 or so is plenty good for deer. 100gr bt's are probably a little flatter shooting. You can still buy the Wolf Gold for $12 a box through Midway...not to bad.

 

[dogdinger]

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f25/ar-10-243-a-39086/

 

[Moorespeedr]

Pick up a DPMS upper in 6.8 SPC.

There are many other manufacturers that offer a 6.8, but it's hard to beat DPMS in the bang for the buck category. I am building two 6.8 SPC ARs on Rock River lowers (plus a 5.7 on a RR lower), right now. Don't have all the parts yet, so I can't say. But I did have a 6.8 SPC barrel made for my TC. It has more recoil than I expected, but it sure is fun to shoot (too much recoil for a small kid, but not an adult).

 

[Ridge Runner]

Another possible option, that I think will fit your current platform is Remingtons new 30 AR cartridge. Its a 30 cal that is getting dang good ballistics for a ar 15 frame 30 cal, about 80% of full power 308. That would be a much better option than 22 or 24 calibers for deer. Just my lowly opinion of course: 308

80 % of a 308 win. is the 7.62x39 russian or the 30/30 win.
RR

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Some very helpful onfo can be found here.

Remington Introduces new 30 Remington AR Cartridge « AccurateShooter.com Bulletin

 

[ConservativesUnite]

Yes, I was talking about .243 WIN. I want a caliber that I can buy off the shelf ammo, no custom stuff. Maybe I will just stick with the trusty ol' Win 94 30-30 or get a Browning X-bolt in 270 WSM.

 

[sambo3006]

I'll second the 6.8 SPC. It will drop right on your .223 lower. I don't know about smaller towns but ammo can be had at places like Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas. I have a Rock River Arms upper on order for deer hunting right now. Figure on putting a red dot sight on it for still hunting and deer drives. Even out of a 16" barrel it has fairly impressive ballistics on the AR platform. The 6.5 Grendel is a proprietary round and really suffers when used with a short barrel. Unless you are talking long range shooting, it offers nothing that the 6.8 SPC doesn't. (I would like to have one with about a 22" barrel though, but kind of pricy.)
The 7.62x39 is certainly another option. Not quite as flat shooting but would be great on deer at moderate range.

 

[msalm]

6.5 grendel Wolf Gold ammo 120gr sp's are still $12 a box of 20 thru Midway... Cheap enough to buy a bunch. Out of my 22" Grendel they shot 1 1/4" or so. Loads with the 120gr Nosler's and Sierra's went sub 3/4 MOA. I built my Grendel off a worn-out 30" Krieger 6.5-284 barrel. It's amazing how GOOD that last 24 inches of barrel looks like after you trim 6" off the chamber end and one at the muzzle, and all for $50.

 

[puppezed]

If you need to use the same lower I´d take 6.5 Grendel but take note what sambo3006 said previously about the barrel lengths.

IMO best solution would be to buy a new gun. DPMS has various models for example in .243 Win, .260 Rem and .308 Win calibers. Armalite makes AR-10 in .308 Win.