My experience with the .243 has been pretty much all positive. Both of my current rifles, one with a factory sporter barrel and the other with a Shilen 1:8 varmint barrel, are very even tempered and have proven very easy to load for. When I shoot development loads for a hunting rifle and all 6 loads tested are 3-shot groups under 1 MOA I can't complain. When the heavy barreled rifle puts 2/3 of the development loads under 1/2 MOA...again very little to complain about.

You don't see the .243 in competitive circles where the 6 PPC typically dominates because they are not in the same category. The PPC is a short range benchrest cartridge and the .243 is capable of putting a lot more steam behind a much heavier bullet. With the 105+gn match bullets, the .243 is a better choice for 1k competition than the .308 will ever be with less drop, drift and recoil.

fgw-in-fla- If you're only getting 3400 FPS with a 55gn bullet from a .243, you're really selling yourself short. From a 24" barrel, 4k is fairly easily surpassed and the CT Ballistic Silvertips make for a very flat shooting, very hard hitting varmint round. My loads need exactly 1 mil of elevation from 100 to 400 yds and I've had no problems hitting 2.5" targets out to 375yds with those loads.