Need some caliber advice want a dual purpose deer/varmint rifle

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pat86323

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I live in arizona, and i have always kind of relied on one rifle to do whatever i need it to. I started out with a savage 110 in 270. I didnt like this rifle very much as because of where the safety was located (i had a tendency to forget to turn it off in the moment of truth.) i have since ended up with a Remington 700 in 7mm magnum and i love the rifle. Everything seems to be right where i think it should and it just fits me very very well. I would like to get another rifle (likely another 700) in a smaller caliber. The problem is that 7mm is just too expensive and completely destroys whatever i hit that is smaller then a deer. Im thinking about maybe a 243 because it is cheaper to shoot, and can still be used on deer as a backup in case something were to happen with the scope or whatever on my 7mag. I realize that there are a million calibers out there but if anyone has a better idea on a round that fits my bill id love to hear it. Remember INEXPENSIVE TO SHOOT and sufficient for deer.
 
You've hit the nail right on the head with the .243. My only suggestion is to get a long barrel. It's pretty much a magnum cartridge in terms of case capacity to bore size, and velocity suffers pretty badly with a carbine length gun.
 
In your case 223 or 7.62x39. If you want to save money look into reloading (Lee). It is not hard at all and it will save you a lot of money. Good luck.
 
i thought about that mjr, but im not sure that im real confident in the 223 stopping a big muley. I know it can be done and has been done many times i just feel like i dont want to get that small. I might even consider a 308 or an 06 but there i am getting to the tearing things up too bad territory again. dont get me wrong i dont care about ripping up a coyote. However a bobcat, fox or even a lion.....id like to not wipe one of those out.
 
.223 is insufficient on the average deer and a 7.62x39 is absurd for varmint.

The .243 would be my suggestion too -- its a necked-down .308. The .25-06 is probably not quite as good a choice but is an excellent cartridge, however, it is going to be more expensive and is a similarly necked-down .30-06.

Al
 
.223 is insufficient on the average deer and a 7.62x39 is absurd for varmint.
Click to expand...

I agree, 223 isn't even legal here for deer. I would go with a 243, much better all-around chambering. I use .308 FMJ for coyotes and haven't lost any. (yet)
 
A 243 will put big hole into coyotes, bobcats and fox. I have done it. Never a lion. It is all about the bullet. Your 284 in a heavy barns triple x will put smaller holes in a fox than a soft point 243 and still take a deer off its' feet. If you want cheap ammo reload or cut your range and look into the 7.62. BTW I like the 243 a lot. Mine turned into a 7mm-08 with a Hart barrel.
 
You can get 58gr varmint bullets for the .243, they have thin jackets and with the high velocity they fragment pretty well so you shouldn't have and issue. Get a .243, I love the .25-06, hard to find bullets under 100gr. Do not even consider a .223, the bullets available are specifically designed for varmint and the heavier bullets require a twist rate that is not found in bolt action rifles.
 
A good varmint bullet/load does not equate to a good fur bullet/load. The spectacular fragmentation of the small thin jackets will ruin your hides, try around 100gr. bullets for coyotes.
 
I faced the same question you're dealing with back in September. It came to down to a choice between the 243 and 25-06. What decided it for me was the rifle I wanted (Winchester Featherweight Model 70) was ony available in 243.

I'm very pleased with both the caliber and rifle.
 
Plenty of 87 gr bullets for 25/06.
Speer makes a 87 gr TNT,
Sierra makes 75 gr HP, 87 gr SP, 90 gr HPBT,
Hornady makes 75 HP & 75 V-Max, 87 gr HP,
Nosler makes 87 BT
and some more I'm sure I missed.

Jimmy K
 
I was already leaning heavily toward the 243 i just wanted a couple opinions. Im pretty sure im going to be lookin real hard for a used model 700 to fill this gap. If i came across one in 308 it would be hard to pass up though.
 
I love the 25-06 that I have. It's a Ruger M77 Mark II. The .243 would also be a great round.

Good luck in your quest. Let us know how it goes.
 
Definitely the 243. It is probably one of the under estimated cartridges out there. Use to be where that was king of the longer shots. Then the 270, 280, 7mm mag, and so on really took off. Definitely the 243. I wish I still had mine. But here in wyoming, my 7mm pretty much handles everything imaginable. BTW; Wyohome; where is Deaver???
 
my 7 isnt going anywhere for sure, i love that rifle. I just want something to shoot at littler critters with that wont cost 2.00$ every time i pull the trigger. Besides its always a good idea to have a backup come deer season right?
 
dittos to all the above choices; if you can find an old remmy such as a 721, 600/660/mohawk , or a 788, in 6mm, I would get that first. yes 6mm is still a factory round, by remmy no less, and at Academy, it is about 14 bucks a box.
It is also a fantastic handloading round. Think 243 on super-steroids!!!
you should also see if 223 is legal in your state, or if not that, 22.250; that would knock over a coyote and any deer. But if you cannot get the above choices, next best 2 are the 243, and the 25.06.
 
6MM, think of 243 + 200 fps. hardly super-steroids. It is a good cartrige but may not be as easy as the 243 to find ammo without ordering. I have both and reload so I'm not bashing just relaying info as I see it.
 
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