Newbie Question: Would an AR10.243 be a quality Coyote rifle?

Rhino20

New member
I have considering getting an AR10 in 243. I was thinking about a 16" barrel. I would like to use it for coyote hunting in SE Minnesota.
What has been your experience with this and would it fit the bill?
Thanks Rhino
 
Probably the best all around caliber I've shot and I've killed hundreds of coyotes with a 243. But I'd get atleast 20" barrel. I could still get good velocity with a 20".
 
Only downfall to the AR-10 platform is a little extra weight. As others stated I would go at least 20 in on the barrel to make use of the big powder charge in the 243 case and to kill a little bit of the muzzle blast. We killed about 60 coyotes last season with this exact setup.
 
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Why not somethin like a new 6mm ARC or 243 LBC in a AR-15 platform, or even a 6.5 Grendel if you need something bigger than a .224. Just asking. I used to shoot a 6mm-204 and 6x45mm, abandoned the 6mm-204 barrel and made a 20 Practical out of it and the 6x45 is pretty much just for targets. Now all my coyote hunting is done with the 20 P, 22 Mag, 222 Rem, 223, 22-204, 5.6x50R Mag, 22-250 and 22 Sav Highpower, never had a problem killing a coyote. AR's in 20P and 223.
 
I own two, a 22" and 20" barreled version. Both very heavy vs a bolt action setup. Still fun to shoot and just as accurate as a bolt gun with the right load. BCA jacked up their 243 upper prices times two in the couple of months. IMO bad time to buy unless you want to pay an inflated price. Brass is easy to find and cheap for 243. You can even resize 308 brass just by running it through a 243 FL sizer die. I stay away from the oddball, hard to find calibers so brass is plentiful. If you dont reload you can find 243 ammo in just about every LGS on the plantet. My pOF P415 chambered in 223/5.56 with 60 grain vmaxs work great for me as well on coyotes.
 
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Thanks Dultimatpredator! Do you think a person should go with a barrel longer than 16"? I was hoping to stay close to the 16", but would that reduce the range and accuracy?
 
My 18" 10 twist 6x6.8 is shooting 70 varmageddons accurately with a 3 shot average of 3158 fps with 29.7 at comp. Same load in my 22" only with 70 ballistic tips is right around 3270 or so and is pretty much a coyote hammer.
 
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I bought a 22” and 20” AR stoner and BCA because they were the only barrel sizes offered. If it were me I would stick with a 20” barrel so you take advantage of the 243’s velocity. My 22” heavy barrel upper is way to heavy for a walking rifle imo. I’m about ready to start using my Remington 600 243 for a walking rifle. Here’s a post on my 22” version,

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthre...ist-group-tests

I finally took my BCA 243 20” upper out last week to make sure it cycled flawless. Never aimed, just dumped two mags I reloaded with modest charge of powder and 90 grain NBTs with zero issues. It was $289 shipped a few months ago. Looks like BCA are out of stock and around $450 now with the buying rush. I’ll try and get it out and do some ladder testing with it this week or next. I can remember back in the early nineties when the 243 ARs were starting to hit the retail shelves. To rich for my blood just starting out. I could own several firearms for the price of just one AR. It’s hard to believe BCA offfers complete AR10 uppers with a 1”MOA guarantee. I have bought a couple now for $300 an upper and paired them with Aero M5 complete lowers thst retail for $249 each. So $549 for a complete gun minus a stock. I’m sure BCA will eventually catch up with a price hike like everyone else in the market. I will probably remove the muzzle brake off the 20” barrel and get a threaded end cap like my 22” barrel to shorten the length a little. The 243 and leaser calibers do not recoil enough that you need a brake. IMO all brakes are good for is bleeding ear drums and loss of hearing.
 
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In an ar-10 platform, the 6mm creedmoor works better than the 243 within the mag length constraints when using heavier bullets. In an ar-15 platform, the 243 wssm is awesome and much lighter than an ar-10. Brass has become available again, so that's not a problem.
 
The problem is a lot of guys don’t reload. I haven’t seen 243 WSSM ammo sitting on anyone’s shelf since the cartridge flopped with the 223 WSSM. Then the old ammo sat collecting dust on retailers shelves for years till it was literally given away. For a first AR do yourself a favor and buy a common Caliber so you can find ammo for it. I have always wanted a 243 WSSM but stayed away for the lack of brass. The new run of 243 WSSM brass run has already declined and will dry up again very soon. There will never be a a big enough market to to keep in production. That’s why you haven’t seen 243 WSSM brass available in the last decade. Most have either not been shooting them or paying someone $5 a piece for used mismatched junk casings that been shot several unknown times. Been there, did it, done it. It would be nice to shave a few pounds off with a WSSM and an AR15 platform and gain all of a 100 FPS vs the 243 WIN but the lack of brass will never put me over the edge. I already have enough odd ball calibers laying around that I pay an arm and leg for hard to find brass....and those guns hardly ever get shot. Imo I’d you buy an oddball hard to find ammo and brass caliber the gun will end up being a safe queen and not getting shot. After you own three of four ARs then you can buy an odd ball caliber to play around with. The problem I always had growing up (and still do at times) is i spent to much time researching and reading. I always wanted the newest, flattest, and fastest shooting calibers out there. Ive learned over the years that I’d rather own a common, easy to find brass an bullets calibers that hit exactly where they aim using the correct bullet and powder charge. Everything I’ve ever shot with the common calibers never hit the ground any quicker or slower than if were getting shot with a bullet out of a wildcat moving a 100 FPS faster.
 
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I also figured the WSSM to be dead. Yet in the last year I have seen loaded ammo and brass on the shelves at several stores.
 
Yep, to supply the old guns still in circulation and guys who bought replacement barrels over the years for their ARs chambered in it. 243 WSSM Brass has been obsolete for almost a decade. Other than a couple of small business's doing custom builds with pre paid deposits there are zero big name companies currently produing rifles chambered in 243 wssm. Brass was re ran In A limited supply about a year ago but zero firearms were reintroduced in the chambering. Buy your brass now by the truckload because the well will run dry again shortly for the 243 wssm.
 
Originally Posted By: Dultimatpredator[stuff deleted] Buy your brass now by the truckload because the well will run dry again shortly for the 243 wssm.

That is good advice. I bought enough brass for the life of a barrel before I even ordered my 243 wssm upper. Brass is currently still available at midway and some others.
 
Originally Posted By: mensajdOriginally Posted By: Dultimatpredator[stuff deleted] Buy your brass now by the truckload because the well will run dry again shortly for the 243 wssm.

That is good advice. I bought enough brass for the life of a barrel before I even ordered my 243 wssm upper. Brass is currently still available at midway and some others.

Great idea but how do you determine how long your barrel will last other than reading on the internet how most that never owned or shot a 243 WSSM...and every other fast shooting calibers keep telling us how they burn out quickly. I guessing a thousand rounds of brass would cover you. So at almost a buck per casing it would cost a $1000.00 in brass to shoot in a three hundred dollar barrel...to gain a 100 FPS over a regular, common 243 Win...No thanks. There isn’t much difference in bullet drop at a 100 FPS loss at distances you can see with the naked eye. In my ladder testing out to 200 yards the difference is usually so minimal my bullet holes would touch.
 
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@dultimatpredator - I'm not suggesting that YOU buy a 243 wssm upper.

I'm just noting that in an ar-15 form-factor, 243 wssm is still a viable option. If you buy a dtech upper fully spec'ed out and add a good trigger and scope, you're looking at something that costs way more than 1000 pieces of brass. And if you use a decent brass catcher, then you don't even need 1000 pieces.

So to reiterate my earlier point, 243 wssm is a viable cartridge for an ar-15 platform and the 6mm creedmoor is a better option than the 243 if you ever intend to use high BC bullets within the mag length constraints of an ar-10 platform.
 
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