.243 vs. .250 Savage vs. 6.5mm?

Chris_Brice

Chris_Brice

New member
I got a question for you guys. I've been looking to buy/build a crossover deer/varmint/maybe black bear rifle for about a year now. My first choices on calibers have been a .250 savage or one of the 6.5's. Never had much love for the .243. But finding a low dollar rifle in the prefered calibers is proving to be difficult. Like I said, I've never had much love for the .243 but the question of why keeps cropping up in the back of my mind. When it comes to differences in bullets we're only talking a few hundreths in diameter and in the case of the .250 Savage, traditional bullet weights are identical. The .243 will push equal weight bullets faster than a .250S. Even if I go with a 6.5mm I'll still stick on the lower end of the bullet weight (100gr +/-) most, if not all, the time.

So tell me......why would a .250S or a 6.5 be better for me than a .243?

CB
 
For the most part they would not be better than a .243
They can shoot heavier bullets but not by much.
The .243 will take bear but if I was hunting Bear I would not take a .243 or a 6.5 or a .250 Savage.
 
A 260 Remington would fill the bill. You can shoot 95gr v-maxes for varmints up to 160gr. roundnoses for bear. Plus a lot of great deer and match bullets in between.........
 
If you were sticking with 100gr+/- bullets than the 6mm would have the highest sectional density and theoretically better penetration. Overall for what your looking to do a 6.5/.264 cal. would the best option with the ability to go heavier for bear.
 
For an economic route it would be hard pressed to beat the .243. It to me has the best "cross over" potentioal. Sure you can get "lighter" bullets for the larger calibers but you can also get lighter buillets & shoot coyotes with a .300 Win mag. Just doesn't make alot of sense though.

Good luck finding a decent "lower dollar" .250 savage that's field worthy. Even then ammo (even componants) is a pain

The 260 is a really good idea too especially for the larger species you mentioned. I wouldn't grab a .243 for bear as my 1st choice. Doubt I'd stick the 260 in the truck either. Although both would work in a pinch or "opperunity" shot.

It's all in what you'll shoot. If your more into varmint,paper,fun but want double duty deer, go .243 (cheap easily available ammo) & lighter recoil. If your more into shooting stuff 170 lb + go 260 or bigger.
 
My last bear was shot with a 7mm rem mag, which blew right through bones and his body from shoulder to hind end. That was a 400+ lb black bear with a 175 grn round. He ran about 20 yards (I think he was running dead to be honest, it rolled him back 10 ft on impact)

The bear I took with my .243 was not as violently "moved" on impact but he was just as dead in about the same distance, but about a 250-280 lb range

I bought the .243 specifically for cougar and black tail, but its a great song dog round, and to be honest that round got me back into hunting yotes. As far as black bear go, I wouldnt...and didn't hesitate to use the .243 I'd guess anything under 300 yards would be a kill shot on a black bear as your still over 1200 lbs of energy. (hit correctly of course)

You can't beat the ammo cost, and accuracy of a .243
Keep in mind, I tend to be minimalistic and functional in my opinions.

Nothing at all worng with your other options other than costs
 
I'd go with a 6.5 with black bear on the list. Have used the 6.5x55 for bear, shooting both a 140 gr and a 160 gr with great results. The 6.5's accuracy is great, here's a group from my 6.5x55 deer load.
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After having some problems with 243s when they first came out I don't have alot of confidence in them as a big game rifle. I have 3 250 Savages and find they are more than enough for deer, but have never shot a bear(never impressed with the taste of bear meat to bother shooting one). But if I were to put together a rifle just for deer and bear I'd go 6.5mm just like the idea of having a 160RN availible and they have a great track record for harvesting game around the world.

AWS
 
25-06 would seem to fit the bill. The advantages are more velocity over 250 savage, 257 bob. The disadvantage for me is 25-06 wont fit in a short action. I like the heck out of mine for windy wyoming yote hunting and mule deer.
 
Originally Posted By: 2muchgunA 260 Remington would fill the bill. You can shoot 95gr v-maxes for varmints up to 160gr. roundnoses for bear. Plus a lot of great deer and match bullets in between.........

Good advice, I shoot a 260 for deer and love it. A great little cartridge with plenty of thump.
 
I've killed 70+ deer (typically at 150-250 yards and up to 200 pounds) with a .223 firing 45 grain jacketed hollow points at 3500 fps. They fall in their tracks.

Since deer can't read all the marketing hype about various cartridges, they just simply die when hit. I've actually seen a deer that was accidentally killed (not by me) by a pellet gun from 40 yards. So, any of your 3 caliber choices will be more than adequate for your intended targets.

My favorite of the 3 is 6.5x55. It's super cheap to shoot- you can get 20 round boxes of 139gr soft point Prvi Partizan ammo from www.aimsurplus.com for $13.95. I've killed deer and groundhogs with these bullets and they all were quick kills. I get 1" groups at 100 yards with all 3 of my 6.5x55 rifles with this ammo, too.

Handloaded 85gr 6.5mm Sierra hollow points at 3400fps are truly amazing on groundhogs. I launched one 3 feet in the air with a shoulder shot from 50 yards when it was hunkered down on it's belly trying to hide from me. The shock from these bullets consistently blows the guts out of the groundhog- even when you hit'em in the shoulder! Amazing. And the deer I've shot with these look like a bomb went off inside them. Bang, flop.

A 140gr 6.5x55 has recoil energy equal to a 100gr .243 according to Chuck Hawk's website- http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm . So it's comfortable to shoot, even with a much heavier bullet.

And, you can pick up a sporterized Mauser 96 in 6.5x55 very reasonably. Mine's probably worth $400 or so with it's Timney trigger- not bad for a rifle that's MOA accurate with $13.95 a box ammo and will kill anything on our continent!

That's just my personal preference, of course. Borrow different rifles in different calibers from friends and try them out at the range, then shoot some critters with them. See what they do to animals of various sizes with different bullet constructions and velocities if you have the opportunity. I'm lucky to have nuisance permits to shoot deer, so I can experiment and see what happens in the real world. Best of luck and whatever you do, get out and enjoy your new rifle!
 
The 260 Rem is as versatile as it gets in a short action rifle.imho. Not to say the 243 or 250 won't do the job ,but the 260 is ahead of the game when less than picture perfect angles present themselves on larger, tougher game.
 
There is no logical reason to pick the 250 Savage over the other two, except that it's a neat little round and not everybody has one.
 
6.5s, pick your cartridge. I like the 6.5x55. 95 gr Vmaxes at 3000 fps, 85 gr Sierra Varminters at 3000 fps, Nosler 100 gr BTs at 3000 fps. Will shoot plenty flat out to 200+ yards.

Just my 0.02...
 
Lot's of good info that basically falls inline with my thinkin when I posted this. My main issue was I've always thought of the .243 as a "little" light for deer but a .250 Savage and especially the .257 Bob almost perfect. After much soul searching and number crunching that simply isn't true. Same applies to the 6.5's when using bullets under 120grs. There is no doubt that when loaded with heavier bullets the 6.5's shine on big game but not required for deer. Then you have this:
Quote:There is no logical reason to pick the 250 Savage over the other two, except that it's a neat little round and not everybody has one.

Thus my love affair with the .250 Savage.
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CB
 
Chris,

Blow the shoulders out on it (AI) and you will fall in love all over again. Your shoulder says 250 Savage and the chony says 25-06.
 
While it wasn't my pick here, the 250 savage is a great cartridge (all 3 of your choices are) and more then enough for deer. I only wish my wife would let me shoot it more, as she seems to think its hers now!
 
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