best cartridge for this aplication?

a straight walled case like the .44 mag. a levergun, or maybe the 77/44

You could not do better than 243 or 6mm unless you found a 257 Roberts.

The .243 or the 7mm-08 are great and versatile rounds. The .25-06 is also a good one, 85 gr pills for 'yotes and 115 grainers for deer and pigs.

My favorite remains 7x57 though .257 Roberts is excellent for what you want as well. A less common choice, these days, but still quite fun is the good old .30-30. Amazing what you can do between 85 gr. sp's on the low end to 190 gr. silver tips on the high end and you will be hard pressed find a better, lighter & handier rifle than a Winchester 94 20" barrel carbine.

My vote is for either 25-06 or 30-06.

Somewhat to my surprise, 7x57 is CHEAPER on AmmoSeek.com at the moment than .243 is. So for the use you're stipulating I'd pick 7x57 since I don't reload. But .243 sure would seem to be a really good round, too.

.243

allaroundhunter said:

The .243 or the 7mm-08 are great and versatile rounds. The .25-06 is also a good one, 85 gr pills for 'yotes and 115 grainers for deer and pigs.

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Same thought here.

30-30 fits all those categories.And cheaper too.

6.5x55, squirrels to moose your covered , 80grs to 160grs and every thing inbetween.

Ian, I also recommend a 25-06. A 100 grain bullet is great for smaller game out to 500 yards. A 120 grain for larger game like deer. Recoil is light and loading components are readily available. Every one I have owned has been a real shooter. BW

.243

.243W or 7mm-08 would fit nicely

Any of the moderate .250's, 6.5's, or 7mm's will do nicely. Worthy of note and consideration would be the .250Savage, .257Roberts, .260Rem, 6.5x55, 7mm-08, 7x57, etc.. Not to mention levergun cartridges like the .25-35, 7-30, .30-30, .32Spl, .32-40, .38-55, .375WCF, etc.. Don't forget pistol cartridge rifles chambered in .357Mag, .38-40, .41Mag, .44-40, .44Spl, .44Mag, .45Colt and .480Ruger. Lots and lots of options. In this class of rifle, you probably have the broadest selection of cartridges and the most overlap.

.223 would do everything you asked.

If you can find a barrel with a faster twist, 6mm Remington would be great for a handloader.

You'll get about 1000 answers but you're on the right track with the .243. I went through the same thing 35 years ago and chose the .25-06 which I consider to be a .243 on steroids. I did it all with that rifle, ground hogs, deer and ever bear hunting. It was my only rifle until 8 years ago when I added a new .300 mag.

That rifle was used while I lived in OH, and AL and FL when I lived there.

243 is what you want. Not that many others won't do the similar things, but for the money and versatility it is hard to beat.

30-30 fits all those categories.And cheaper too.

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How so. You can buy a very accurate bolt rifle considerbly cheaper than a 30-30. Factory 30-30 ammo is a little cheaper but you can reload 243 for a lot less. The OP did say he wanted a good round for reloading.

You can't do this with a 30-30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY0w1c-gf18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0KY-X1e-Vg&feature=related

Most of my two dozen deer with my .243 were one-shot kills. And a 55-grain bullet does terrible things to prairie dogs.

I'm real picky about my shots on deer, since I use the Sierra 85-grain HPBT. It's a blow-up bullet, so I limit myself to neck shots and cross-body heart/lung shots. It's terribly ruinacious on coyotes. Trivial recoil in my seven-pound Sako carbine.

Without a doubt the king of versititlity for the handloader is the 6.5x55, also the ideal deer hunting bullet IMHO. Other great choices for the handloader are the 25-06, 7-08, 7x57, and 30-06. 243 win is a great little cartrage, but it looses out when compared to the 6.5 Sweed because of the old Mauser's super tight twist and available ultra high SD bullets, quite literally a fox to moose performer. The sweed is also a true sissy kicker much like the 243, great caliber to get the kids hunting with.

my suggestion for a straight wall was based on my experiences when i started handloading. started with the .357 and it seemed easy enough, but my inexperience made the transition to shouldered cartridges not as simple. im not to proud to admit i ruined alotta 30-30 brass before i got it right.

but for the OP's needs, i will say the 243 would be ideal. ive taken alotta game with my .243 model 7

.243 was the first cartridge I reloaded for and is still a favorite of mine.

243 vs 6.5x55 versitility comparison. Most loads from Nosler #6
These are two great bullets in the same class as far as energy/recoil even the amount of powder used, so they are natural rivals. The difference is in the available bullets due to the very different standard rifle twists.
Light varmint
243 55gr 4032fps
6.5x55 No comprable SD bullets in production
Heavy varmint/Yote
243 80gr BT .329 BC max 3438fps
6.5x55 100gr .350 BC BT max 3188fps
Advantage 243, varmints don't need alot of retained energy, go with the extra speed.
Deer/pronghorn
243 95gr BT .379 BC .230SD 3144fps
6.5x55 120gr BT .458 BC .246 SD 3002fps
Advantage 6.5x55, much higher retained energy, less drift, superior SD and caliber. Other then a few fps it has every advantage over the 243.
Elk/caribou
243 no suitable SD bullets available. Though the 100gr Partition would do in a pinch, 3100fps .384 BC .242 SD
6.5x55 140gr Partition 2790fps, .490BC .287 SD
Big advantage 6.5x55, the much higher SD and BC combined with the higher caliber, this one is a no brainer.
Bison/Moose/Bear
243, no suitable bullet available anywhere.
6.5x55 156gr Norma Oryx/160gr Weldcore 2644fps.
While no small caliber is ideal for game this size, the Scandinavians have proven for over a century that they will reliably do the trick on any anamal up to and including large polor bear even at old small ring mauser power (aprox 2200fps)
Long range match
243 95gr VLD .480BC 3144fps
6.5x55 123gr LS .547BC Aprox 3000fps or 140gr VLD 2790fps .612 BC
While there is a 115gr VLD 6mm bullet that will hang with the 123gr LS no factory barrel will stabalize it (1:8 required) The 6.5 clearly holds the advantage in terms of wind drift for long range shooting.
Conclusion if you game is small varmint-whitetail the 243 is one tough cookie, but for pronghorn-moose the 6.5x55 clearly shows it is much more versitle, and the better overall choice between the two, and in my opinion the better deer cartrage of the two (I have hunted with both), handloaders have kept this great ol caliber going for many many years now. The new fangle 6.5s aka 260 Rem, 6.5x47 Lapua, and 6.5 Creedmore are all comprable in performance to the old Sweed, but be careful not all of them come with the super tight twist the Sweed has, so they might be limited to 120-140gr if they come with a 1:10 or 1:9.

243 is perfect for your app.