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

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Warhawk83

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I will be buying a deer rifle in a week or so and need help choosing the caliber. I eliminated the 30-06 after shooting a buddies, beat the CRAP out of me. I have rods in my back so recoil has to be light. I can shoot my dad's 30-30 all day long with no problem. Which would be best for me, .243 or .270? Keep in mind I'm 25,I know these threads are generally asking on behalf of a 10 year old. Thanks.




R.L.
 
There isn't much difference in recoil between a 270 win and 30-06 in the same rifle. So I guess that means you need to look at something smaller or perhaps in between the 243 and 270. What's wrong with a 30-30?
 
I agree with 22 rimfire. There is minimal recoil diff between 06 and 270. Look at the 7mm-08 and the 243 both have lighter recoil and the 7mm-08 is a better choice for larger game if you are headed for that. To me 243 is minimal for deer, with that being stated, my son has shot both of his first deer with a 44 mag carbine which is equal to a 30-30 in recoil. The distance was 100 yards or less. I just picked up an encore in 243 and I plan to use it as my deer rifle past 100 yards, I have my pistol for anything closer. Also my buddy's daughter (9 years old) got her first deer last fall with a 243 at 100 yards.
 
243 kills plenty around here and the recoil is light.

If you reload, then you can do what gbran said. If you don't relaod, then I would go with the 243.
 
I can shoot my dad's 30-30 all day long with no problem. Which would be best for me
Click to expand...
You just answered your question..................

a 30-30 is a fine way to go....
 
Yeah, I think the key to picking tolerable recoil in an '06 or .270 is weight. A Model 70 Featherweight is a good choice for someone who carries it a lot, but only plans on shooting it once. If you want to pull a nasty joke on a rookie teenager, let him shoot that one first.

I personally prefer the opposite extreme. I hunt a lot with varmint-weight rifles. I don't mind carrying them, they are going to have the least felt recoil.

I would say it depends. If you are looking at white-tail deer, and you know you won't be hunting anything bigger, get a light-medium weight rifle in .243. If you are shooting western mulies and you MIGHT want to be able to shoot elk as well, get a meduim-heavy rifle in .270. (There are many other calibers in between, but I seen no reason to complicate your choices, they are perfectly fine.)
 
243. If you don't reload anyway.

In all of this ammo shortage crap, when I was at WalMart last week they had only 5
boxes of individual caliberss in stock and one was .243Win.

One can always find ammo for a .243Win.
 
between 243 and 270 for you, w/ the rods and all, i'd say 243. however, i would also say there are some really good chamberings in between your two ends that should be considered seriously: 25-06, 257 roberts, 260 rem, 7-08, etc.

i would steer you towards the 708 or 25-06...
 
From what I've read about my own .30-30 lever gun I keep coming across how this caliber in that gun has taken more deer over the last century and a bit since it was introduced than any other cartridge. Why would you want to mess with THAT sort of history?

The only issue I've read about is that it's best used at 150'ish yards with 200 being pretty much max if you want to ensure a killing wound. So stalking a bit more to ensure a closer distance will be part of the hunt.

And since you manage with the gun and the round just fine I'd have to agree with Bearhands that you've answered your own question.
 
I like my Winchester 70 in 270 nothing wrong with the 243 just that rifle with that round fits me just right.
 
I think you should seriously look at the 7mm-08! With full power loads, its fine for elk and you can shoot low-recoil loads for deer. For instance, the Remington Managed Recoil loads in 7mm-08 have about the same muzzle energy as a 30-30, but better retained energy at distance and a flatter trajectory. They should be fine for deer hunting within 200 yards. The full power loads in 7mm-08 have 20-25% less recoil than a 270 in the same weight rifle, the same effective killing range basically and the 270 only has a slightly flatter trajectory going for it. Oh, a 150gr bullet from a 270 should recoil about the same as a 150gr bullet from a 30-06, assuming the rifles are the same weight.
 
I spent 30 years in Louisiana deer hunting and the 243 was fine with good bullet placement. You can buy some commercially loaded premium bullets if you think you need more than the basic 243. You will really enjoy your time with a 243 mild recoil.
 
between 243 and 270 for you, w/ the rods and all, i'd say 243. however, i would also say there are some really good chamberings in between your two ends that should be considered seriously: 25-06, 257 roberts, 260 rem, 7-08, etc.

i would steer you towards the 708 or 25-06...
Click to expand...

+1
I`m a bit biased toward the 7-08 though...
 
Your shoulder will not be able to tell the difference between a .270 and a .30-06. They feel identical to me, which is not a surprise given the similarity of charge & typical bullet weight. I am a big .243 fan; in south central Texas, it is perfectly suited for anything here. I have been spending quite of bit of bench time with a .243, and it is a pleasure to shoot. I am old enough to admit that I do not enjoy shooting .30-06, .270 or 7mags from the bench.
 
OK, here is a little info to digest. Felt recoil depends on rifle weight, weight of the projectile, velocity of the projectile, and fit of the gun to the shooter.

That said, to eliminate as many factors as possible, we will assume the same rifle, the same bullet weight (150 gr) and the same fit (of course it's the same fit... it's the same rifle only chambered differently).

The 270 with a 150 Gr. bullet ranges from (slowest) 1841 fps to (fastest) 3010 fps according to my lee reloading manual.

The 30-06 with a 150 fr bullet ranges from (slowest) 2297 fps to (fastest) 3068 fps. Notice there is only 58 fps difference at the max loadings. I bet you will find that the loadings from factories don't differ much either in hunting loads.

The .243 using a 117 gr bullet (the heaviest I have load data for) only reaches 2638 - 2802 fps. Same velocities give or take, but the bullet is just a little over 2/3 the weight.

The .243 or the .30-30 would be good for you, the .270 will be too much if the '06 bothers you.
 
I'm gonna say no to the 30-30


Yeah you heard that right!

Your average lightweight 30-30 levergun with a primitive hard buttpad and straight stock only serves to amplify the felt recoil of what is actually a pretty mild cartridge. For someone with injures the 30-30 as most of us shoot them will not be enjoyable.

243 is the lightest recoiling round everyone accepts as a deer cartridge, But if you're not going to take long shots (less than 150) I urge you to look at a .223 or 22-250 provided your state has no restrictions against it. This would take you from low recoil to NO recoil. Plus there's some really light rifles in .223
 
Warhawk,
If you don't mind my asking where at in LA are you?
Thanks,
WNTFW
 
A 7MM-08 with the Remington reduced recoil rounds will kick about as much (or maybe less?) than a .243. Or, you can always shoot full house loads out of it and it will *still* kick less than a .270. I have a .270 and I love it to death but I am somewhat recoil shy and even it can be too much to shoot at the range for fun.

Check out this recoil table for comparisons:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

According to chuck Hawk, a 140 grain 7MM-08 will produce 12.9 Ft/Lbs recoil of energy. a .270 130 grain bullet will produce 16.5 Ft/Lbs of recoil energy. (compared to a .30-06 150 grain at 17.6)

You can see how close the .270 is to the .30-06 and how much lighter the 7MM-08 is compared to that.

I bought my 14 Y.O stepson (6 foot, 240 pounds) a 7MM-08 and I'd like to trade my .270 for one, myself. Plus I am a reloader so there's a great assortment of 7MM bullets to use. You can use it for elk and other heavier game too if you wish someday, which I would NOT do with a .243.

--Duck911
 
I would choose the 7mm-08 in a traditional bolt action rifle or a 30-30 or 35 Rem in a lever action rifle such as the Marlin 336. I consider the 243 the minimum caliber for whitetail deer. It is an okay choice. Frankly, I don't enjoy shooting a 243 all day long... shoulder gets a bit sore after about 20 rounds or so in 30 minutes of shooting. But when you are hunting, you generally will only shoot one or two shots, possibly three and I doubt you would even notice the recoil in any of these including the 270. Shooting from a bench is a different story. But I guess you are concerned about injuries that might go undetected initially.
 
I would suggest a 6.5 option. It will give you the best of both worlds. Hardly any kick at all no matter what you get them in and it will give you more accuracy than you will possibly need. It will kill better than a .243 and it will kill as well as a .270.
 
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