243 or ???

A suppressed 6ARC with an 18" barrel would be a slick set up.
90gr Sierra Gamechangers at 2900FPS and a .490 BC would easily handle Deer and Coyotes.
 
I own 4, 243’s. Two ARs, a 26” heavy barrel 700, and a 1967’ Remington 600. I used my 600 deer hunting this year. Dropped a doe like Thor’s hammer hit it using a 90 grain Nosler ballistic tip with a max book load. It never flinched, just hit the ground instantly….just like coyotes do with the same round.
 
243 no doubt! My 243 AI, I take during deer season. Kills deer DRT and not as hard on fur as my 300 WM if I get a shot at a coyote lol

I’m a huge 6mm fan. I’ve built and owned them all. 6mm-06 AI, 6mm and 6mm AI, 6x47 lapua, 240 Gibbs. The works.

If I had to only have one, it’d be the 243 AI. No doubt. You can find and shoot factory ammo if you’re in a pinch and need some. And on top of that, fireforming brass is as easy as just shooting factories.

It by no means has to be the Ackley version. If you reload than you’ll reap the benefits. Otherwise the smoke bone stock 243 will do all you’ll need!
 
If you ever have to shoot lead free bullets a 243 Win is much more versatile than most 22-250's and 220 Swifts are. Many 22 cal rifles have to slow of twist rates and have to shoot 35gr to 40 gr lead free bullets.


243's can shoot lead free 62 gr Barnes Varmint Grenades or Nosler 55 gr Ballistic Tip Varmint lead free bullets at 22-250 speeds.

Having to shoot light weight 22 cal lead free bullets because lead free 50 gr and 55 gr bullets are to long to stabilize in slow twist rifles, really sucks.
 
For coyotes and deer ......

Then a 243 would be fine but there will be some recoil.

Your recoil aversion is problematic because the 243 is not that far off from a 308.

The first thing would be to install a limb saver recoil pad.

You could go with a break but then you have a lot more noise directed right at you so after the pad I would consider a recoil reduction unit in the butt stock next.

The 6 mm BR is a fine cartridge but most folks find they do not feed great out of a magazine, so they are single loaded by hand. I use Lapua brass in mine and that’s great stuff!

Three44s
 
My poor shoulder is down to its last tendon, and 6mm is the largest caliber I own/shoot anymore. For accuracy and terminal performance, I’d take my plain old 6mm Remington over my .243s any day; the recoil actually seems to be slightly less, but it also has the longest and heaviest barrel of all (wood-stock Cooper.) Seems like a pretty good case has been made here for the 6BR too; might check more seriously into that chambering myself.
 
Originally Posted By: deathwind IIMy poor shoulder is down to its last tendon, and 6mm is the largest caliber I own/shoot anymore. For accuracy and terminal performance, I’d take my plain old 6mm Remington over my .243s any day; the recoil actually seems to be slightly less, but it also has the longest and heaviest barrel of all (wood-stock Cooper.) Seems like a pretty good case has been made here for the 6BR too; might check more seriously into that chambering myself.

The 6 mm Rem is the better of the two until you go looking for more of it. I have a used “700” shorter barrel that cost me $15 (shipping) waiting for a spare action to drift by.

The 6 mm BR is very, VERY accurate. You have to work hard to come up with a load that is inaccurate as long as your barrel twist agrees with the bullet weight and length.

Feeding from a magazine can be an issue.

Three44s
 
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