weekly basis. The wet spring turned into a wet summer and with short grass be- coming quite long, the target search was at times not very easy. Enter a hunt to Wyoming with a new development by DPMS in a heavy cartridge, the DPMS Panther Arms New Hunter Series in 243 Winchester (RFLR-243L). With the continued advancement
of the AR-15/M-16 class rifle has come a major move toward offering models of the rifle that not only can accommodate the ever popular 223 Rem. (5.56 mm) but also chamber and run with a whole gamut of heavy hitting hunting and long-range rounds so popular among both competition shooters and hunters alike. Enter the DPMS LR Series rifles, including an offering in this game getter class cannon in 243 Winchester. As a cartridge, the 243 Winchester
needs little if any introduction here. This round has been a main line cartridge among both varmint and big game hunt- ers since the first case was necked down from a 308 round. With a 55-grain bul- let crimped on the neck, this round can push right up to the 220 Swift in muzzle velocity, and as the bullet is increased in
weight to near 100 grains, fight off wind down-range even in the wild western states. That was just where the new DPMS was run through its test trials. When varmint hunting at Elk
Mountain, Wyoming, a Panther Arms sample of the new model “LR Series” rifle was unveiled. Hunting with Fed- eral Cartridge ATK presented some challenging options in terms of hands- on field testing of a wide variety of equipment. In my case, I welcomed the introduction of the new DPMS 243 to the world of prairie rat shooting. As sent from Saint Cloud, Min-
nesota, the home base of Panther Arms (DPMS) my field test rifle had a slim contour barrel 18 inches long. This tube has a ported muzzle cut directly into the barrel itself … not an added and threaded feature. The thinking here is weight reduction, which tends to show itself in the design time and time again. When empty, the rifle weighs only 7.9 pounds, making it a lightweight in a full-size, large caliber AR-15 class rifle. Using a tight patch on a rotat-
ing cleaning rod, I found that the 243 has a 1:10" twist rate, which is about
right when stabilizing hunting weight projectiles. Time would tell in terms of accuracy, but I had little doubt that this new hunter style rifle would be a first class shooter. Making use of a field setup with a
Big Shooter bench rest and Champion sandbags, the paper punching session that preceded the actual hunt showed the rifle can shoot. The DPMS 243 shot so well that even at 100 yards I could see and count my bullet holes as the rifle gently rolled back against my shoulder with considerably reduced recoil. Range: 100 Yards Elevation: 4,000 ft. above sea level Wind: 8 mph following Group Measurements: 1.179" average three-shot group,
Nosler 70-gr. BT bullet, Federal load, at 100 yards. 0.970" average three-shot group,
Barnes 62-gr. VG, (IMR 4831, 44.0 grains, 3,419 fps) at 100 yards. 1.240" average three-shot group,
Barnes 75-gr. bonded spitzer (IMR 4350, 43.0 grains, 3,260 fps) at 100 yards. 1.340" average three-shot group, Nosler 95-gr. BT Federal load at 100
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Spring 2012
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