243 shells

[BIGDOG265]

I have a 700 in 243 cal made in the early 60ies serial # 1886xx.Is there a different 243 shells?Can I fire 243 winchester in it?

[Wulfman]

If it has a factory barrel, it should say ".243 Win." on the left side of the barrel. Even if it has been re-barreled, it should still be stamped with that if it's a .243 Win. All "factory" .243 Winchester cases (brass) have the same dimensions as per industry (manufacturing) specifications, so they should work in your rifle (all things being equal). This would include all factory loaded cartridges. The differences would be in the manufacturer, bullet types and weights and other components like powder and primers, which vary according to which company made them (Remington, Winchester, Federal, etc.)

Hope that answers your question.


Den

[BIGDOG265]

Hi Den
Is there any other cal then 243 winchester.I know there is different brands of shells.Some where I read that remington made a 264 in the early 60 ies did they call it a 243??. Tonight I'm going to pick up the rifle and take a look at the barrel to see what it says.
How do I find out the year it was made?

Thanks Rick

[Wulfman]

Hi Den
Is there any other cal then 243 winchester.I know there is different brands of shells.Some where I read that remington made a 264 in the early 60 ies did they call it a 243??. Tonight I'm going to pick up the rifle and take a look at the barrel to see what it says.
How do I find out the year it was made?

Thanks Rick

Good idea. Let's take it a step at a time. The differences between a .264 and a .243 are many, including case size and length (one is a "belted" magnum the other isn't), bullet diameter, etc. The ".243" refers to the bullet diameter (caliber) as does ".264". Many different cartridge designations (names) share the same bullet diameter.

The year is was made is denoted by the letter codes on the same side of the barrel as the cartridge designation (on Remington rifles). There's a link to the manufacturing dates on the front page of this website.

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/rsa/que ... arrelcodes

Den

[BIGDOG265]

Hi DEN
Thanks for your help I picked up the gun last night and it says 243 win. on the barrel but there is 3 letters on the side D B N the n is smaller and a little more spaced to the right I checked the codes and it was made in 55 or 66.Is there some way to run the serial # to get a true date??

Sorry Den I made a mistake 244 not 264 thank again


Rick

[Wulfman]

Hi DEN
Thanks for your help I picked up the gun last night and it says 243 win. on the barrel but there is 3 letters on the side D B N the n is smaller and a little more spaced to the right I checked the codes and it was made in 55 or 66.Is there some way to run the serial # to get a true date??

Sorry Den I made a mistake 244 not 264 thank again


Rick

The (short action) Model 722 was the predecessor to the Model 700 (short action). The Models 721 (long action) and 722 (short action) were made in the 1950's and up through 1961. The Model 700 was introduced (long and short action) in 1962. So, if it's actually a 700, it was made in the 1960's.

As far as the .244 Remington goes, it came out in the Model 722 in the mid-1950's as a response to the .243 Winchester (by Winchester). The .244 Rem. was based on (like the .257 Roberts) the 7mm Mauser case. Remington introduced it as a varmint rifle caliber with a slower (1 in 12") twist barrel for lighter-weight bullets, whereas the .243 had a slightly faster twist barrel (1 in 10") which worked well for all bullet weights. From what I've read, in the last couple of years of production of the .244, the barrel twist rate was increased, but it had already lost popularity to the .243. So, in (about) 1962, it was re-introduced as the 6mm Remington with a 1 in 9" twist barrel.
For what it's worth, I have one of the mid-50's 722s in .244 Rem. (long and somewhat heavy 26" barrel) and a late '70s vintage Model 600 Mohawk in 6mm Rem......and a 600 Mohawk in .243 Win. They're all nice shooting guns. I think you'll enjoy yours.

Den