thanks for all the input guys! seems like a toss up still! ive just been lookin at the 243 and 308 to sort of fill a hole i guess. right now i have a 223 in a bdl, a 270 in a bdl, and a custom 300 ultra mag that i would take anywhere on the continent ( long as i dont have to carry that 30 inch bbl to far!) just been thinkin of easy to find ammo,in a light recoiling, short, easy to manage rifle. to be honest ive never shot a 243 or 308 so i dont know what to expect for felt recoil, and it may someday be used by the little woman. (and if it hurts her,,she hits real hard!) i tried a ruger mk 77 i think it was,with only about a 20 inch barrel, in 270 short mag, nice size but that thing really thumps ya, and its gettin harder to find ammo. just another thought, ive considered gettin a suppressor sometime in the future, and i imagine that would point more to the 308, am i right?