Matthew T. said:
I'm (obviously) a newbie hunter with a tendency to over analyze things like bullet selection.
Matthew, IMO, you're not over analyzing here. I think you are asking reasonable questions about ammunition. You (and me) will l get lots of opinions here about that - and I can't think of better forum than THR for seeking those opinions - then you can make decisions based on that.
Hawken, idiot or not (and I suspect not), your advice is good. But, again with apologies to Matthew for broadening the scope of his thread a bit (I'll leave and start a new thread if you'd prefer, but just thought since this one is about .243 specifically), I'll clarify my question about rifle to match the bullet a bit. (It could be that
I'm the idiot, but here goes...)
From reading many other threads while trying to make a decision about a future deer rifle (I've spent my gun budget for this year on a pistol, revolver & shotgun), I'm aware that .243 is on light side of the range of rifles folks use for deer (with .308 & 30-06 being on the upper end).
Given that, I'm wondering if people who use .243 tend to recommend bolt actions for that extra umph, rather than, say, a pump.
I'm strongly considering a Remington 7600 in .243 since its action is just like my Rem 870, and - given that I will own only a few guns - I think I'd like to stay with an action for my rifle that I'm already familiar with.
Also, will the bullets that Matthew is asking about - and .243 in general - work also with mule deer, or do folks recommend a larger caliber for mulies?
Thanks all,
Nem