.243 or .270 for my first deer rifle? (I'm not a kid)

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I'd also vote towards a 7mm-08, get it and get a good 1" recoil pad installed and you'll be set for any game in the lower 48 with the appropriate loads.

The same can't be said for the .243

I've taken a 1/2 dozen or so deer with a .243 and with today's premium bullets it's even better, but I still think it can be a little light for larger deer. I'm also on the side of things where I like two holes in the things I shoot, using standard 100g factory stuff in a .243 will generally only leave 1 hole.

I've taken a few dozen deer with a 7mm-08, actually just bought another 7mm-08 and can't say enough good things about the caliber.
 
I would go with a .260Rem., it has a little more energy than the .243 and is far from the recoil of a .270...that said reloading is pretty much a necessity. Assuming that you don't reload, the .243 is a fine round for deer, hog, and varmint in the South. The 7mm-08 is also a fine round and is nearly as versatile as the .260 (which combines the best traits of the .243 and 7mm-08 IMO). The .260 just makes em' deader. :D
 
I personally don't care for the 243 as far as he excoperfect deer rifle...

If your not presented with a descent enough shot, you may be making that back hurt more by having to track that ol' deer over the hill and through the wood...all the way to grandmas house...!

Look... get a 7mm-08, moving 139 grainers, there are some ridiculously soft recoil pads available today, just look at the recoil pads Savage uses on their 16/116 Weather Warriors, these pads are SO soft that they feel squishy...for lack of a better term.

Hey...that might be a good option for you...a shiny new Savage 16 Weather Warrior in 7mm-08... Accutrigger, Accustock, light weight, good balance...check it out.
 
The 7mm-08 is also a fine round and is nearly as versatile as the .260 (which combines the best traits of the .243 and 7mm-08 IMO). The .260 just makes em' deader.
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Mav... you HAVE to lay off the Hukka dude....lol

...Nearly as versatile as the 260...???
...260 make em' deader....???

I'll agree with the 'best traits' thing, but the other remarks.....please! lol hehehe
 
Mav... you HAVE to lay off the Hukka dude....lol
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Take it easy...the .260 is more versatile (than the .243/7mm-08), it can do most anything that either can, not that it has more power [than the 7mm]...just a nice happy medium IMO. The "make em' deader" line was a joke...haha. :D

FWIW I am considering a 6.5 Grendel for dear hunting this season...the .260s younger brother. :)
 
If I were looking for a long-action deer rifle, I'd go with a .30-06, which can be loaded down if you're a reloader. I don't sense there is much recoil difference between the '06 and the .270, and the '06 is arguably the more versatile of the two.

Advantage of the .243 is its shorter length as well as lighter recoil. My personal choice in a short action is a .308, but it's gonna kick more. The .308, 7mm-08, and .243 are all based on the same case. Again, a reloader could download the .308.

Either the .243 or the .270 will give you greater range than the .30-30, so given the choices you list, I'd opt for the .243.
 
Look at what the man is asking for...it's not about versatility..it's not about hunting everything in the lower 48. He asked for a deer rifle with LIGHT recoil...and only gave us two options... .270 or .243. Of those two options..the .243 makes the most sense.
 
if you do want a 30-06, the savage 116 weather warrior has a model with a muzzle break if you dont mind ear plugs or the high report.
ken
 
I'm going to recommend .243 also, it is one of my favorite calibers and sounds like it fits your situation perfectly.

.270 will have a bit more recoil than you like.
 
I'm with the 7mm-08 fans. I don't own one, but do have a .280 Rem and love it. The 7-08 is a little behind it, but not drastically. My cousin shoots a 7-08 and has no trouble with recoil. He's a small kid. IMO, it's better than a .243. Like I said, just my opinion.
 
I have a mossberg atr-100 in 30-06 and love it.Get one in 243.the heck with them.My brother has a M70 in 270 and recoil is the same and his gun is few pounds hevier!Get some light mags by honady.I reload for my 30-06 and use a slow powder but thats a big thump still.Or go get a bow very very fun:neener:
 
scythefwd said:
uncle mike,
That 270 with a 130gr pill will be moving appx. 3234 fps, the .30-30 with the 150 gr. pill will only be moving 2416 fps. Hello 800 fps difference. That 270 is moving FASTER than an 30-06 shooting the same 130 gr pill (3179 fps). For compairison, the .308 with that exact same 130 gr pill is moving even slower, at 3135 fps. At least according to my reloading manual.

To those who don't think that means much... the very low recoil .30-30 is moving out at 2496 with a 130 gr pill. We all know how much the .30-30 kicks less than the 30-06. That is only a 600 fps difference. The .243 is lighter by 13 grains, and slower than the .270 by 433 fps (2802 fps). If he is recoil sensitive, the .243 is the round that will beat him up less. In fact, it should feel much like the .30-30 that he can shoot all day. The 270 can actually have more energy than the .30-06, which the OP stated that he was adverse to shooting due to it beating the crap out of him. Why do we recommend the .270 as the best rifle for him knowing he doesn't like handling that much recoil? It is the better deer round, but the .243 will kill them just the same and dead is dead. There isn't anything as more dead or less dead (but there is mostly dead, which means a little bit alive :) ) If the .270 is too much for the OP, then we are left with the .243 out of the choices that he has given us.

OP - Was the -06 you shot a bolt action or a semi-auto? There is a huge difference in felt recoil between the two. With a semi-auto, a good recoil pad, and reduced recoil loads, the .270 or .30-06 might well fit the bill so I would suggest trying them out if you can. If you can't, it would make more sense to get the .243 because it will be much more manageable and you will shoot it more. There is nothing like wasting money on a gun you are afraid to shoot because it kicks like a mule.
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You said mostly dead! Haha! Haven't seen that flick in years!!
 
If you limit it to deer & antelope size animals a 243 Winchester with 100 grain Nosler partitions will drop 'em with no problems. Anything bigger I normally hunt with 270 Win or larger calibers.
 
.257 roberts would be a great compromise.... I am pretty surprised it is being overlooked in this conversation.

but with the OP's inquiry about the .270 v. 243... I guess it makes sense that most people are sticking to those cartridges.

still... look at the BOB.... great performance, little recoil...
 
I didn't expect quite this much activity. In response to "taking my lumps" , not getting a gun that "doesn't hurt", if i don't get one I can shoot repeatedly it will be extremely difficult for me to move/walk/ and get out of bed for a few days to a week. So, no thank you, I'll take my sissy gun. I enjoy shooting, I don't want a gun I can only shoot a few times. I'm leaning heavily toward the .243 at this point, academy has a really good deal on a Mossberg 100 ATR scoped combo for $299, there is also a Marlin 30-30 for the same price but sans scope. I do want to be able to shoot medium range so.......

Next Question: 30-30 or .243 for medium range hunting?
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Please, do yourself a favor and DON'T buy the Mossberg!! Academy also carries the Marlin XS-7 in .243 (without scope) for $289. It's a much better gun for the money than the Mossberg.

For $150 or less, you can get a perfectly good scope (Nikon Pro-Staff, Weaver V9) or get one of the Intensity Scopes that Sportsman's Guide has on clearance for about $60. As long as the optics (clarity) are ok, about any scope will do. A gun in .243 isn't going to stress out a scope much in the recoil department, so don't let folks tell you that you need an expensive scope.

The .243 is going to be much better for medium-long range hunting. The 30-30 is a 150-200 yard max gun. The .243 has no problems out to 300-400 yards. Don't let folks talk you into some weirdo/uncommon/pet caliber. The 243 will do everything you need, accurately, with little recoil, and without multiple trips to multiple shops on wild goose chases looking for ammo!!
 
My vote is for .243. it is a great round and underrated by most-- I would love to have an AR in that....

.243 is great!:)
 
My vote is for the .243 Win. If you look at the MANY reviews across the net, the .243 seems to be a great deer gun when the proper bullets are used. If you use a 60gr varmint bullet then you are going to have poor results on deer. If you buy a rifle with the proper twist, 100gr hunting bullets abound, from factory Federal 100gr sp to Nosler Partition 85gr loaded ammo or Nosler Partitions for handloaders. Pick the right bullet for what you want to accomplish, and practice proper shot placement.
 
Also, if you are looking at the Mossberg then you owe it to yourself to look at the other budget rifles that have alot better reviews. The Stevens is a Savage sans the Accutrigger and is getting good reviews, the Marlin has a ton of good reviews, and both would probably be better rifles than the Mossberg. Plus there are upgrades if you want to do anything down the road, especially the Stevens as it uses the Savage stocks and bbls!
 
I have decided to go with a .243, because of it's reputation AND the availability of ammo. I'm sure there is some oddball caliber with slightly better accuracy but no available ammo in my area.

Now , it's either the Mossberg 100 Atr with scope, or the unscoped Marlin XS7 sans scope.

I only hear good things about Mossberg in my neck of the woods, and I regularly shoot a 30+ year old Marlin..so...

Shall we debate Mossberg vs. Marlin?
 
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