Any one tried 243AI

[Tod7.62]

Hi everyone was thinking of a bulding a 260Rem but with the shortage of 6.5 projectiles I started investigating other options and the 243AI looks like a goer. I already have a large amount of 243 gear and was wondering if anybody was running this caliber and the pros and cons?

Cheers Tod

[shooter mcreid]

I'm guessing it would chew through barrels but achieve some outstanding velocities

[Tod7.62]

I've hear about 1500 rounds which is not so good but I'm wondering if that is stoked.
May last longer with loads backed off a bit and still get good velocities ?

[DaveMc]

A couple of guys up here have run them, Then they cut the barrels down after a bit and turn them into 6BR's. They do pretty well with them but personally I would choose the 260AI

Dave

[AlanF]

The most successful exponent of 243AI I've seen in F-Open has been Brett Bunyan in WA. He's been using one for many years. He will hopefully chime in here, or maybe someone can PM you his e-mail address.

[Matt P]

I won 4-5 Queens with a 243AI, great velocity but average barrel life, somewhere around 1200-1500. I wouldn't recommend it anymore as it's just too hard on barrels, the 284 just does it better, better wind drift better barrel life and better accuracy.
Matt P

[AlanF]

I didn't know that Matt. My first encounter with you was at Canberra in 05 and pretty sure you were using a 6.5x57AI (plus a 6BR?) by then.

[Tod7.62]

Hi Matt is that running it flat out? Do you think barrels would last longer if you backed the load off a bit?

[Matt P]

Hi Matt is that running it flat out? Do you think barrels would last longer if you backed the load off a bit?

Yes I was running 42-43 of 09 for 3200+ fps, you could back it off but may as well use a Dasher.
The 243 and the AI version are great cartridges just not that well suited to F Class, it has a few things that I don't like, in it's standard form a little to much body taper and short neck and in the AI version a very short neck especially the way it chews up throats
Now you can run slower powder and less FPS and so on and could extend barrel life but what's the point of all that capacity and not using it ???
For a larger than BR/BR Imp case capacity the 6x47 Lapua and the 6mm SLR are better choices but barrel life will still be average at best, I recommend to my customers to go to the 6MMBR and Improved if shooting short ranges and the 7mm for the longs or a one gun set up.
Matt

[John23]

Why not 6xc?

[Send-it]

Why not 6xc?

yep,.......or the 6mm Super LR.
i used one yesterday and i must admit, it was very easy to shoot it accurately.

[saum2]

6XC is the go, brass and D-Tacs readily available in Australia, or use 108 gn bergers @ 3100fps no neck turning just load and shoot.

[Tod7.62]

Rebel, can you tell me more about the 6XC all I know about is it's a 22-250 case necked up to 6mm.
Do you just buy 22-250 cases? What about dies?

Cheer Tod

[saum2]

Rebel, can you tell me more about the 6XC all I know about is it's a 22-250 case necked up to 6mm.
Do you just buy 22-250 cases? What about dies?

Cheer Tod

Tod, I shoot one and have done so for a couple of years competitively using 115gn D-Tacs and Berger 105's & 108's. For the 115 D-Tacs you will need a 1-7.5 twist barrel, for the 108's & 105's 1-8 Twist is fine.
A good friend has one chambered with the same reamer and he shoots the Berger 108gners extremely well. I've never shot a 60.10 with it, but shot many 60.8-9's as he has. Dies are available but you need to order them in from OS, it takes 2 weeks. Norma XC Brass is available in Australia now with 115grn D-Tacs, not sure how it would go with 6mm Berger supply.
I have made some XC cases from Lapua 22-250 brass but the case head is slightly smaller but doable. Just need to push the shoulder down a little with a .308 die so it chambers and fireform. Norma XC brass is easy, just use straight from the box. You can use 2213sc or 2209 powder. I know of a couple of XC reamers available.

[BRETT B]

The most successful exponent of 243AI I've seen in F-Open has been Brett Bunyan in WA. He's been using one for many years. He will hopefully chime in here, or maybe someone can PM you his e-mail address.

I wouldn't say the most successful Alan but I have had 6 or 7 243AI's over the years

They can be extremely accurate and can keep up with the Dasher if tuned well. I actually found them very easy to tune but when ADI changed their burn rates in early 2000's to align with Hogden 2209 became a little fast for it and it would cook a barrel real quick , 1200 rounds and it was toast !! 3250-3300 FPS with 105gn is where they will shoot and 2209 is too fast for it. I then moved to VVN165 and R19 and the barrel life increased quite considerably running in the 3270 range which believe it or not is quite a soft load for the cartridge. I would re chamber after 1000 rounds and quite easily get another 1000 of high accuracy competition round before it would give up the ghost. I used lots of different bullets and found only Sierra and lapua would hold up to the high velocity . I have pushed lapua 105's to over 3400 and never lost one but Berger VLD and hybrids would sometimes not make it to the target. I believe 3250 is the best range to run this cartridge in and it will be very accurate. Like anything there are trade off's with velocity and Barrel wear is the biggest problem. To keep up with the accuracy of a BR or Dasher I would have to clean every 2 ranges and that is regardless of which powder you run!!! HOT 6mm's need to be clean or they will go off very quick and only aggressive cleaning with an abrasive will remove the carbon if it is left to build up and you don't clean every 2 ranges. Also you need to keep an eye on throat wear as generally it would burn about 50thou every 1000 rounds so chasing your seating depth was a constant issue to keep accuracy up to a high level. If you keep them clean and keep velocity around 3250 they are quite a good round.
2 years ago I moved to a 260AI and I would say it is a more forgiving cartridge and is a better 1 calibre do it all setup to shoot 300-1000 over the 243AI. It is a lot kinder on barrels and bucks the wind better at long Range. The 6mm will probably out group the 6.5mm at short range but the difference is only marginal and would probably only be an issue if shooting 500 fly or 600yrd benchrest . I will say that the 243AI is probably a little easier than the 260AI to tune.
I have to Agree with Matt P about a 6mm BR or Dasher at the shorts and 7mm at the longs is probably the best setup for F class today . I think the HOT 6mm's were more suited to the old 10 ring F class target we used in the early days.
There are other variants of HOT 6mm out there but very few can run at 3250+ without ringing their necks out!! If you are going to burn a barrel out quick you may as well do it with some speed so go with the 243Ai !! if you want consistent accuracy and twice the barrel life do a Dasher or 6BRX..

Just my opinion