The development of the 243 Winchester Ammo is partly owed to the famous gun writer Warren Page. It is based on the 7.62x51 military case, which was necked down to .242. The reason behind its creation is that hunters would have access to ammo that would perform well on predator/varmints and deer-sized games. The .243 Winchester Ammo delivered excellently on this expectations.
When you use 90 and 100-grain bullets, it will handle deer and pronghorn antelope easily. However, the lighter bullets work excellently with foxes, woodchucks, and many more like them. In addition, it offers a light recoil, ensuring that shooters can accurately place their shots. This is possible irrespective of their recoil sensitivity. This balance between versatility and light recoil is why it is one of the most famous rifle chamberings in the world.
The .243 Winchester Special is being chambered in the Model 70 and the Model 88 lever action. Both offer accurate shots and ensure varmint hunters enjoy precise shot placements. Additionally, its best virtue is the killing power it provides for medium games. It provides the killing power at a noise and recoil level that helps hunters shoot calmly and accurately. In addition, it has enough power to penetrate a medium-sized deer's shoulder without exiting the broadside.
The .243 Winchester Special is ideal for games weighing 80kg because it cannot ensure sufficient penetration on larger games. Although it will cause free bleeding, the killing will be slow, allowing animals to run considerable distances. The fastest kills are achieved within 200 yards and at impact velocities between 2650 fps and above.
The .25-35 Winchester Center Fire (WCF) was introduced in 1895 in the Model 1894 Winchester lever-action, along with the .30 WCF, better known as the .30-30. Both cartridges also appeared in later variations of 1894, called the Model 55 and 64, along with other manufacturers’ lever-actions. The .30-30 became one of the most popular hunting rounds of all time, but the .25-35 Winchester apparently hung right in there until the 1920s, when higher velocity bolt-action cartridges took over the “small bore” market.
While significantly more powerful than the .25-20 Winchester, the .25-35 Winchester Center Fire can be used to hunt small deer at 200 yards and medium-sized deer at 100 yards, though some consider it better suited to small predators such as coyotes instead. It was a popular round used in the Winchester Model 1885 High Wall single-shot rifle. In standard loadings in a 20-inch barrel, the cartridge retains only about 800 to 900 fps at 100 yards, or about what its sister cartridge the .30-30 has at about 200 yards. Hornady's LEVERevolution load for the .25-35 Winchester, tested in a 24-inch barrel, lists about 900 fps at 200 yards; and the manufacturer claims the load is suited for deer and antelope.
Original factory ammo featured 117-grain soft-point and full metal jacket bullets at a listed 1,960 feet per second, but a 1925 “Super Speed” load with an 87-grain bullet supposedly got 2,700 fps, pretty close to the .250-3000 Savage. The 1954 Gun Digest was the last edition listing Winchester lever actions chambered in .25-35. Winchester ammunition has been continuously available since 1895, though since around World War II the only load has been the 117-grain round-nose soft point. Published muzzle velocity reached its peak at 2,300 fps in the early 1970s, when most factory ammunition was still tested in 26-inch barrels but is now 2,230.
