Howdy
I am new to this board and just wanted to say Hello, and get your opinions on this cartridge.
also if you have any input on the M70 coyote. I'll be using this mostly on coyotes and maybe Whitetails and Antelope.
So again hello and thanks for any info.

Welcome ss shooter!

There are a lot of good people and knowledgeable shooters on this forum, but you won't find too many with first hand experience with the 243 WSSM. I think that's a shame too.

I have a M70 Coyote in 243 WSSM, and it's my favorite varmint rifle. I ordered it after I first heard about them some time back in 2003. Before that, my primary varmint rifle was a Kimber 84M Varmint in .22-250. The Kimber is a fine rifle, but the Coyote relegated the Kimber to second string.

My Coyote is a little different in that it was called a "Shot Show Special" for 2004, and came in with a blued chrome lined barrel and receiver, instead of the stainless barrel that you normally see. Mine arrived in April 2004. Mine shot really well right out of the box, and has always functioned smoothly and reliably. The bolt lift is a little stiffer than most of my other bolt actions, but I don't think it's out of line for such a high pressure cartridge.

I have mine set up with a Leupold VX-III 4.5-14x50mm LR scope, with Leupold base and rings, and a Harris bipod. Later, I had the action bedded, and had aluminum pillars installed. The trigger wasn't bad, but I wanted something for really long range shooting and I also had a Kepplinger adjustable set trigger installed while I was at it. I have the trigger adjusted to 1.3 lbs unset, and 8 oz set.

I originally planned on using the Coyote for really long range varmint hunting with ammo like the 95 grn BST's for critters like coyotes, where the .22-250 was starting to run out of steam, or the wind made long distant hits harder to figure out. Unfortunately, my Coyote never shot the 95 grn loads to my satisfaction. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't any more consistent that my Kimber .22-250 with 52 to 55 grn loads. My Coyote actually shot the 100 grn Power Points better than the 95 grn BST's. Go figure.

Where my Coyote really shined was with the 55 grn factory BST loads with a nominal muzzle velocity of 4060 fps. These loads have a better ballistic coefficient than the .22-250 55 grn loads, and they shoot consistently very well in my rifle. From a bench, these factory loads will consistently shoot 3/8" groups at 100 yards, and 3/4" groups at 200 yards. They also buck the wind better than any .22-250 loads I've ever tried.

I have my rifle zeroed in at 250 yards. This gives me a point blank range of 298 yards for a 3" kill zone, i.e. the bullet is never higher than 1 1/2" over, or 1 1/2" lower, than line of sight. Also, hold over for small critters at 400 yards is no more than seven or eight inches. To say the least, I'm very pleased with it!

I haven't been able to work out any hand loads that quite equal the the performance of the factory 55 grn BST's, so I've basically been using the factory ammo, and keeping the brass for future use. With my work schedule and family constraints, I don't have too much time for reloading and shooting. Also, I have a number or hungry .45 acp's and .44 mag's to feed, as well as some problem children to deal with, so reloading for the 243 WSSM hasn't been a high priority right now. Some day, I'll try to spend more time on that project.

I hope you enjoy your Coyote in 243 WSSM as much as I do mine. If you'd like to discuss it in more detail, drop me a PM, and I'll give you my email address.

I can't speak first hand regarding this cartridge. However, my brother has wound up hunting with it. He's apparently recoil sensitive (got himself the yipps shooting a 300 WM) and decided to get his kinetic energy with velocity rather than bullet weight. he got a .243 WSSM.

I don't remember what the platform is, but he shoots factory loads, somewhere in the 85 gr zone. He's using his exclusively for deer and antelope, doing the varmants with his .204. He goes to MT every year and sacks them up pretty good. He absolutely loves the round. It shoots very flat. Has plenty of pop when it gets there. And it does it without the recoil that he detests. He put very good optics on it and claims extreme accuracy.

Thanks Gunslinger and Jack for your response.
Can't wait to try it out. It will round out my varmint battery nicely, 22mag, 204, 223, 22-250, I also bought (first time in about 20yrs of reloading) factory centerfire rifle ammo, the dies I wanted had to be special ordered but I could'nt wait to shoot it, So I bought the 55gr load it was all they had in stock. My scope came today the rifle should get here tomorrow I should be able to try it out by the end of the week. I'll let you know how it likes the factory stuff. Again thanks for your input