.223 Remington vs .243 Winchester Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart
- Caliber Ballistics Comparison
- 07 Dec, 2018
The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .223 Remington vs .243 Winchester ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .223 Remington or .243 Winchester rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say.
For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .223 Remington and .243 Winchester ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance.
| Caliber | Type | Velocity (fps) |
Energy (ft-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| .223 Remington | Rifle | 3150 | 1250 |
| .243 Winchester | Rifle | 3180 | 1950 |
Velocity
As illustrated in the chart, .223 Remington rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 3150 feet per second (fps) while .243 Winchester rounds travel at a velocity of 3180 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .223 Remington bullets travel 3.6 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .243 Winchester bullets travel 3.6 times that same speed.
Various calibers
Energy
Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .223 Remington round averages out to 1250 ft-lb, while a .243 Winchester round averages out to about 1950 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .223 Remington round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 1250 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .243 Winchester round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 1950 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power.
Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .223 Remington or .243 Winchester cartridge you're looking at purchasing.
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7 Comments
The 223 is not legal for hunting in many states. Such as my state of Washington requires .24 caliber/6mm minimum. Make no mistake the 223 will DRT any deer with proper shot placement and shot placement above all things takes game
what i find funny is a 22 cal. Can kill a deer on the spot but you cant hunt with them.
I like that .223 is not as overbore as .243. I like that .243 has substantially more ft. lbs of energy. I guess I’ll just have to own both. As if that’s such a painstaking decision. You didn’t have to pull my arm out of it’s socket for that solution. 😂
The .243 has more terminal energy at 300 yards than the .223 does at the muzzle. Most people when they first get into guns are drawn to the AR-15 and standard .223 rounds, but later we all realize that the .223 doesn’t reliably drop deer or humans without 2 or 3 hits. The .243 is one-shot, one-kill at normal ranges and the .223 simply cannot be relied upon as such. It is underpowered on anything heavier than a coyote.
I’m no expert .wasn’t the ,223 designed to wound not kill in theory removing three soldiers from the battlefield
I read mystery novels and wondered why a sniper would use a .223 in a favorite author of mine. I target shoot a Glock 44, I enjoy the fun of getting better. My question, do you have 22lr available for sale? Please let me know, thanks Wayne
In Australia we don’t have any big game except for some water buffalo and crocodiles up north with the crocs being protected so they can eat humans!
A .303 was used to hunt crocs back in the day.
The 223 and 243 are used extensively to control kangaroos which are often in plague proportions and destroy wheat crops.
Naturally the 243 hits a bit harder but the 223 is just as effective on roos.