.243 or .308

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?
 
I have .243, .270, .308 calibers. All are good hunting rounds. You will not go wrong with any of them.

I like the .243 for white tail hunting. I use hornady 100 grain. I have shot hogs, deer, coyotes. NO problems at all. Minimal kick, minimal meat loss. Need a good shot placement. Would choose the .243 over the 25-06m anyday.

The .270 is in my opinion the best all arouind caliber you can own. I shoot Hornady 140 grain rounds. It has a little more kick than the .243, but it is my primary gun I grab. I have shot 250+ pound hogs, white tails out to 300 yds, and coyotes all ranges. It is a good round for North American amimals. The round drops them in there tracks. It does do more tissue damage, and more forgiving on shot placement.

The .308 has a wide selection of ammunition. I use Federal 180 gr Nosler partitions. Has the most kick. Can DROP any North American Amimal, and the most forgiving in shot placement, leaves big holes in animals. Has greater bullet drop than a .270 at 300 yds. Usualyy a heavier gun to carry. The .308 and .30-06 are very simular.

For me, I will always choose the .270 over all my callibers. I have had GREAT success with too many harvest to count. The recoil is mild, good ammo selection.

The most important thing to remember is that in todays world ammo is game specific. Buy the ammo that is rated for your game. Federal has a ammuniton program that will help you choose the correct ammo.

Just remember that no matter what caliber you go with, the animal hunting deserves a good shot placement, and the correct choice of ammo.
 
"Just remember that no matter what caliber you go with, the animal hunting deserves a good shot placement, and the correct choice of ammo."
+1 I totally agree! I always tend to be overgunned rather than under gunned. The 223 was for beavers and bobcats! Although I have killed one deer with it. After hearing so many opinions on the 270, I am really starting to think more on taking the money for the 243/308 and putting it in to the 270 I just bought. Maybe take it to the smith for a heavier barrel, (maybe slightly shorter barrel and stock lop)and possibly try some of the recoil arrestors in the stock, as I dont want another muzzlebrake.
 
The 243 & 308 are both great, I have several of each. If you have a good deal on either I'd get that. You can add one at retail prices any time. I'm starting to see to many deals to act upon, slightly used guns. If your a reloader you can taylor your loads anyway. I like 165 in the 308 & 85-100 in the 243.
 
I had been looking for a .308 Win, but found a 7mm-08 and man I sure am glad I got this one. Heck of a good caliber and will take anything from coyotes to moose. I know you didn't ask about the 7mm-08 but just thought I would throw it your way.
 
i liked my 243 on coyotes better then the 223 it will kill them as far as i can see them i'd go 243 that 270 is a step up on the 308 in the deer woods the 243 is up on the 223 for coyotes {i'm not as much a fur guy as a control guy}
 
Going by what you already own, the 243 would be the ticket IMO. Anybody who says it's too light for deer, and I don't care how big a deer it is, is just flat wrong or can't shoot. We've tipped over plenty of deer with 243's, and if ya hadn't heard, they're kinda big around here. All it takes is the right shot with the right bullet and it will kill deer as good as anything else at reasonable ranges. My all-time favorite deer cartridge is the 7mm-08 though. It don't get any better.......
 
Originally Posted By: jpattersonnhI am not a fan of the .243, never have been. The model 7 in .308 is a VG rifle, .308 is a VG round. Recoil can always be dealt with, loss of energy can't. Now the issue of the barrel contour,, I am curious how both rifles weigh the same w/ one having thinner barrel walls? That is a myth! The barrel has a different contour. See, up here in the North there is a huge differance in a .243 and .308 on Whitetail. I have tracked more lost deer for folks hit w/ a .243 than any other cartridge. I use a BLR in .308 for 200 yard areas and a HB Howa for further. The 150gr is great on deer and the recoil is mild w/ a light rifle. If you buy the .308, I would try both the 150 and 165 varieties. 180's are not needed on white tail.

Wow. That is a surprise. You sound like you have a lot of expierience and I have not reason to doubt you. Just one honest hearted question:

If a 180g bullet shot from a 308 or 30-06 is not considered too light for a 700lb elk, why would a 100g bullet shot from a 243 be considered too small for a 240lb Northern Whitetail?

Not wanting to debate, just asking...
 
I second everyone's vote for the .243,especially since you have the .270.There are thoes that decide to take every species of large North American game,with any new factory round that comes out from 6mm on up.The .243 was no exception,and accomplished,written about and discussed ,back in the 50s.If you want a caliber that will blow up PDs ,drop,Yotes,and be as effective,with 95-105 gr bullets on deer,then it's like GC says,"A No Brainer"Get the .243.
Joe O
 
I am a.308 guy from way back, and if I were considering a rifle for deer and elk, I would go with the .308. But I am also a bowhunter and know that shot placement is the biggest factor in a quick kill. The .243 is a great round for deer with the heavier bullets. I have a Ruger Frontier in .243 I slapped a scout scope on. It's my favorite all-around rifle. Besides, the point might be to get them both eventually:)
 
I am wondering when was the last time, where/how they were shot, and with what bullet. I could kill deer happily to 500yds with a 243 for the rest of my life........
 
Originally Posted By: 2muchgun... My all-time favorite deer cartridge is the 7mm-08 though. It don't get any better.......
So you generally prefer the 7mm-08 over the .243 for deer? Any specific reason(s)?

I kinda got dis-infatuated with the .243 a couple of years ago after shooting out a barrel in less than 1,500 rounds (shooting F-class competitions, though). I've been eyeing the 7mm-08 cartridge ever since then.
 
I have a .243 and a .30-06. Both are good for deer. The -06 with a 165g NBT will take them quite a bit farther away.

+1 on the 7mm-08. There are some really good bullets available for 7mm.

But if you have a .270 Win, you already have a rifle chambered in one of the best deer cartridges on the planet. With the .270 in the safe, the reason to buy a .243 is to load 75g V-Max for Coyotes and 55g NBT for longer range chuck hunting, and of course to have a 95g NBT deer load on the shelf for the spouse should she want to take a deer or two (my bride of 41 years is scary accurate with a .223 and .243 - and more than willing to do her part field dressing, skinning, and butchering deer - but she doesn't want any part of my .30-06).

I see people buying real light rifles, sometimes in cartridges like .358 STA, then complaining about recoil. Then they attach a muzzle break and complain about the noise. Go figure?

Physics is physics. There is no free lunch.

My old 1953 Win Model 70 .30-06 isn't a light weight, but it is a genuine pleasure to shoot even with it's blued steel buttplate. I may buy it a brother in .270 Win one of these days.

Fitch
 
Quote:My old 1953 Win Model 70 .30-06 isn't a light weight, but it is a genuine pleasure to shoot even with it's blued steel buttplate. I may buy it a brother in .270 Win one of these days.

Fitch


I have it's younger sister from 1956, chambered in .243. It's a VERY sweet shooter. It gets to go mule deer hunting with me this year.

A good friend is going to use my 7mm rem mag on the same hunt. She shoots both rifles equally well, and since she's less experienced at hunting, I figure she gets the bigger gun...

Much to her boyfriend's dismay. He figures a smallish girl shouldn't be packing the most powerful gun in camp.
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He's using a .308.

Just wish my wife could go with us...

Daryl
 
How fat are your deer and how big?

From a Minnesota perspective where deer run a little bigger and have their winter fat on, the 308 is my preferred round (180 round nose). The 308 has the penetration and bigger hole on BOTH sides leaving non-fat-plugged holes that leak a lot. 243's are 50/50 calibers in the MN north woods meaning people love or hate them equally. A female friend traded her 243 off for a 2506 and has not lost a deer since.

if you want light recoil, the 243 is the clear choice. 243's kill with greater energy dump, where the 308 may not be as dramatic, but easier tracking if they run.
 
My brother and I were faced with this same question last year buying rifles for our young sons. We went with the 308. I reload and use the Hogdon youth loads and they work really well, light recoil, good knockdown power and really accurate. The reason we went with the 308 is it will handle any game in North America and can be loaded down for lesser recoil.
 
Originally Posted By: realtree hunter Now just to throw a wrench in, i just got my hands on an older rem 700 adl for 300 bucks, so my other dilema is should i get a new rifle or just take the adl to the smith and have some work done to it?

This for a deer rig only, right?

243 Win is a nice light recoiling cartridge that will do the job on deer just fine.
The ideal for me would be rebarreling the Remmy to the 25-06.
I also really like the 260 Rem, but that is another story
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There is no need in my mind or experience to jump to the 30 caliber for deer. Surely nothing wrong with the 30 cal, but you are adding more recoil into the equation.
Last of all, buy what you want to buy and enjoy-Good luck hunting!
 
You have an awful lot of flexibility with a .243 and it is certainly adequate for whitetails and feral hogs using the 100 grain loads from my experience.
 
Originally Posted By: NativeCraftOriginally Posted By: 2muchgun... My all-time favorite deer cartridge is the 7mm-08 though. It don't get any better.......
So you generally prefer the 7mm-08 over the .243 for deer? Any specific reason(s)?

I kinda got dis-infatuated with the .243 a couple of years ago after shooting out a barrel in less than 1,500 rounds (shooting F-class competitions, though). I've been eyeing the 7mm-08 cartridge ever since then.

I can add my 7-08 opinion. I have one in a rem 700 mtn lss and I chose 7-08 over 260 because I know it's black bear capable, yet milder recoiling than the 3006 and 270 in that light rifle. I would have bought a 308 if it was available.

Of my deer rifles I have owned or shot deer with, 308, 7-08, 3006, I just really like how well the 308 performs at "woods" ranges and I think it has better close range expansion than the 3006 because the bullet is at a slower velocity and seems to expand better. Guys that shoot 7mm mags complain they zip right through and track deer farther.

Back to the 7-08, it has performed well for me. The recoil feels about the same as a 308, but I am shooting federal 150 grain loads in a light rifle too. The 7-08 is a great round that promotes two side leakage and not maming the shooter. My rifle shoots 3/8" groups after I had the gunsmith fix it (don't get me going on a remington rant...)
 
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