.243 Winchester vs. .270

[gamestalker]

A .243 will easily dispatch a deer without any issues what so ever. If the bullet choice is right, penetration won't be an issue. A high quality bonded core bullet from 90 grains to 105 grains will do just fine. The 105 grain can get 3100 fps MV, and the 90 gr. is good for at least 3300 fps. Speer and Nosler both make great bullet's that will fill the bill for hunting deer and other medium sized game. I think Barns may have something as well.

 

[bobnob]

If a .243 cal hole kills "better" than a .22 cal hole, all other things being equal a .277 hole will kill better again.
Its obviously the injury caused by the wound that kills the animal. A larger wound will cause a larger injury.
But for a young bloke the .243 is a better option. The .270 kicks a good bit. I am betting he will still own it when he is 70 and will still be using it!

 

[dbb1776]

dead=dead. People love the 30-30, 243 has more muzzle energy. Use a big game bullet and it should kill big game! Use a varmit bullet and you'll lose big game.

 

[Sav .250]

My 243 has accounted for a lot of deer. That being said, the Win 270 might be a little better for long range . Every cal has it`s limits!

 

[DIM]

270 is great for hunting and not just deer! Target shooting with 270 you can, I've done before, but 243 cost less to punch paper, specially if you reload, 243 has great selection of target bullets, with 270 you have to punch paper with hunting bullets most of the time, what a waste...

 

[helotaxi]

Hunting bullets or 115gn SMKs meant for the 6.8SPC. Not bad for short range, but at short range why put up with the recoil?

 

[6.5swede]

Both will do the job on medium game. The 270 Win will be more versatile. For the recoil sensitive, you could load 100 - 115 grain bullets in the 270 and get 3200 - 3500 fps. I've recently been using the 110gr TTSX @ around 3350 fps. Good accuracy in my 270, reduced recoil (compared to the 150 gr NPT) and excellent performance on a couple of hogs that I've shot so far. There are plenty of options in non premium bullets in that weight range as well.

 

[DIM]

Yes 6.8mm bulets 115 gr match do exist, and yes you can load them in to 270, but those bullets are short and have low B.C like 0.318, Sierra make 135 gr SMK B.C 0.488 , that's probably best option to shoot targets, I use 130 gr SGK for hunting, recently I start loading 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips, great B.C 0.496 shoot one hole @ 100 yards, I know a bit overkill for local deer population, if not deer-less season last year I would tested its performance.