.243 versus 7mm-08

[williamd]

eldon219 and d2wing ... agree re the 243, an in between round, and the 358, good round! I found the most satisfaction I got from my various 243's was selling them. I will still pick up one on a good deal ... and resell it!

 

[kenny222]

.243

FWIW, I have had good luck w a Ruger M77 .243 on Mule deer and Antelope useing the Speer 105gr bullet. Since I went to this cartridge I have had excellent success.
Used a couple other loads and did have problems w bullet fragmentation.
I still would advise anyone who will be a one gun hunter to get something on the order of the .308 (of which I own one) or the 7mm/08. If you look at ballistic tables, after 200 yds or so the 7mm looks better than the .308.

 

[a-sheepdog]

Hands down 7mm-08 over .243 Rem., that is just my .02 .

 

[Franco]

I'm not sure this is an apples-to-apples question. 243 is a good kid starter deer gun for sure assuming they are a good shot but the 7mm-08 is a significantly more powerful gun. We own 3 243s but only because I have 3 sons and they each started with 243. However, they've all moved on to 270, 280, and 308.

Bottom line. 7mm-08 does not have significantly more recoil than 243 (maybe less depending on the gun) but has a lot more killing power. No question for me at all.

 

[oneounceload]

I owned a 243, own a 6.5 and a 7-08 - all good for their intended usages. IF you really want something to take varmints to deer, then I would reconsider your choices and include 25's and 26's. The 260 can load from 87 to 160 grain bullets - ballistically right there with the 7-08 and 6.5 X 55. Anything in the range will work nicely for you

 

[elkhunter101]

they are both great calibers but i would go with the 7mm-08

 

[joed]

Oh, you're going to get flamed krochus, you can count on that. However it will not be by me.

I'm still laughing. Thanks I needed that.

 

[Raul]

Since his question was what is more versatile, I would choose the 7mm. I've been using a 243 for deer for a lot of years and killed quite a few with it, but it isn't as versatile as the 7mm. The 7 gives you a greater range of load possibilies with handloading. You can always load it down with light bullets for range use or for recoil sensitive shooters. Max it out with a heavy and you have a lot more horse power than the 243.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

Had a Remington 660 Mohawk carbine in .243 Win with a full length European stock when stationed in Germany well before the 7mm-08 was introduced. I passed the hunting test with it, and the jaegers were impressed with its performance. That said, we were shooting itty bitty deer at 100 meters or less. It was a sweet shooting little rifle I never should have swapped off.

Enough nostalgia. I'm usually a bigger bullet guy, so go with the 7mm-08.

ECS