cartridge for non-reloader

[mister_wilburn]

I am looking for another hunting rifle cartridge. Something that is readily available, will shoot flat to 300 meters, and take game from varmint to whitetail deer.

Some cartridges seem to have a lot of potential, if you reload them yourself. What I am looking for is something that comes in enough variety from the manufacturer that it doesn't require reloading to reach its potential.

So far the 243, 270, 308 and 30-06 seem to be pretty good choices. With the 260, 25-06, 7-08 performing better with hand loads.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I am looking for another hunting rifle cartridge. Something that is readily available, will shoot flat to 300 meters, and take game from varmint to whitetail deer.

Some cartridges seem to have a lot of potential, if you reload them yourself. What I am looking for is something that comes in enough variety from the manufacturer that it doesn't require reloading to reach its potential.

So far the 243, 270, 308 and 30-06 seem to be pretty good choices. With the 260, 25-06, 7-08 performing better with hand loads.

In all honestly with the flattest shooting factory loads in terms of pure trajectory there isn't enough difference inside 300yds to even worry about. Just pick a rifle you and don't sweat the chambering. That said I feel 260 or 7mm08 offer the best balance in terms of recoil vs power for critters from deer down to varmints

The fattest shooting loads for the following cartridges based on a 300yd shot from a 200yd zero

243 win/ 55grn Winchester silvertip- ---4.29" (varmint load)
25-06/ 85grn Federal Nosler B-tip ----4.49" (varmint load)
260 rem/ 100grn Federal B-tip-------- -6.18" (deer load)
270win/ 100grn Federal Barnes TSX----5.28" (deer load)
7mm08/ 120grn Nosler B-tip-----------6.52" (deer load)
308win/ 125grn Nosler B-tip-----------6.27" (deer load)
30-06/ 150grn Hornady light mag SST-6.36" (deer load)

 

[rangerruck]

I agree with all your choices, also I would add a 257 bob, a 25.06, and even
the ubiquitous mosin nagant. in the 150 to 170 grain weights, it is a pretty flat shooting bullet. I would say it is somewhere sandwiched between the 308 and 30.06, maybe a bit closer to the 30.06. Actually , I would also add the 6mm remmy; it is a lightning shot out to 400 m, and I see factory loads all the time, especially at Academy's.

 

[Art Eatman]

Hunting in west Texas, with odds on the generally larger mulies and generally longer shots, I'd go with the .270/.308/'06 family. All of them, sighted in around two inches high at 100 will zero at 200 and be about six inches low at 300. That's been my experience over a bunch of years, anyhow.

Nothing out here that needs more than a 150-grain bullet in 30-caliber, or the 130 in a .270.

I don't know as I'd use my .243 out here, very much. I just don't feel it's enough if my one shot of the season is sorta Ma Bellish, and on a really big buck. I've just stayed with my '06...

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

.243 Win for those criteria. Honorable mention to .270 Win, or maybe .25-06.

 

[danweasel]

.308

Cheap, effective and accurate to 300 all day long.

 

[glenn chaney]

gOT MY OL' 341-P FROM MY GRANDFATHER...i PLAYED WITH IT IN THE MID 50'S AS A KID, THEN, AS A PRE-TEEN IN 61', BEGAN TO GET THE CHANCE TO SHOOT THE RIFLE WHENEVER GRANDPA AND I WENT TO THE COUNTRY.
SHE'S LIKE NEW, I WAS GIVEN HER IN 1960'S, LATE, ALONG WITH A 510 TARGETMASTER. BOTH IN PRISTEEN SHAPE...I WAS NEVER TOLD, BUT BELIEVE THEY WERE "DROPS" GIVEN TO MY GF BY MY GREAT UNCLE, WHO WAS SEC. SERVICE/U.S. TREASURY AND FBI. HE GUARDED EISENHOWER.
HAVEN'T SHOT THOSE TWO RIFLES IN A COON'S AGE, LIKELY LAST IN THE EARLY 70'S, BUT KEEP THEM DRY AND OILED.
COULDN'T HELP MYSELF THE OTHER DAY, FOUND A VERY GOOD CONDITION REM. 341-P ON GUN AUCTION AND DROPPED TWO BILLS ON IT BEFORE I WON OUT. THERE ARE NOT MANY OF THESE RIFLES IN GREAT CONDITION LEFT.
I'M IN MY 60'S NOW, AND I'M ALREADY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE NEXT "PATH" OF OWNERSHIP FOR THESE GUNS' FUTURE...

 

[adelbridge]

shooting a white tail at 300 yards with a .243 is asking for trouble. Standard hunting loads in .30-06 and .308 are going to have about 8-10" of drop and several inches of wind drift at 300 yards. Sight in a 7mm rem mag 2" high at 100 yards and it is about 5 inches low at 300, still point blank with no hold over. I made a hit on a deer at 287 yards 7mm Rem mag 150 grain ballistic tip and it was DRT.

 

[beatledog7]

I'd seriously consider 7mm Rem Mag. Shoots flat, hits hard, and can be had in 125-180 grain factory loadings.

 

[Kachok]

If I had to live on factory ammo the only gun I would own would be a 270 Win or a 308 both of which have historically done well for me with factory ammo and given me all the performance I would ever need. Here are the runners up and why they belong there.
30-06, does not really do much of anything the 308 won't do in a shorter, lighter and lower recoil package.
243, I like a little more power personally.
25-06, 7mm-08, 260, factory ammo is overpriced
6.5x55, factory ammo is a little too mild
7mm Rem Mag, 270 WSM, 300 Magnums, are overpowered for nearly all deer hunting unless you are shooting a real long ways, factory ammo is also on the pricy side.
6.5 Creedmore and 7x57, you have to get ammo online (around here anyways)
Now throw in the ability to handload and it changes the picture entirely, I prefer the 30-06 to the 308 because it is much more flexable, I have no issues with 7mm-08 ammo costing too much, I can tune my 270 WSM down for woods hunting and I will take my full powered 6.5x55 over anything mankind has come up with in the past 122 years.

 

[matrem]

I'd seriously consider 7mm Rem Mag. Shoots flat, hits hard, and can be had in 125-180 grain factory loadings.

Amen!

And it can actually be seen on shelves around here. (139s through 175s anyhow)
Some of the boxes I've seen look like they may even have a bit of dust on them.

 

[Agsalaska]

Hunting in west Texas, with odds on the generally larger mulies and generally longer shots, I'd go with the .270/.308/'06 family. All of them, sighted in around two inches high at 100 will zero at 200 and be about six inches low at 300. That's been my experience over a bunch of years, anyhow.

Nothing out here that needs more than a 150-grain bullet in 30-caliber, or the 130 in a .270.

I don't know as I'd use my .243 out here, very much. I just don't feel it's enough if my one shot of the season is sorta Ma Bellish, and on a really big buck. I've just stayed with my '06...

6.5x55 swede. But that may not qualify as readily available.

I agree with the above. I love the .243 in east Texas but it loses a lot of punch at 300 yards. I would stick with the either a .270 or 30-06, especially if you want to have the highest chance of availability.

 

[Kachok]

Owned three 7mm Rem Mags over the years, I would agree they shoot flat and hit hard but not something that I would recommend to a new shooter/hunter, recoil is in the less then pleasant to shoot category (a noticeable step up from the 06), ammo is pricy (though not as pricy as most magnums) and to put it quite plainly the big 7 is alot more gun then most of us will ever need on deer, now when I lived way out in west Texas with 300+lbs mulies and 400yard shots the 7mm Rem Mag made alot of sense, here in the dense coastal brush it just blows these little bite sized whitetail to bits inside 30-30 range. I still keep a long ranged gun, but I switched to the 270 WSM which runs neck and neck with my 7 Mags and the recoil is noticeably less even though my 700 CDL weighed alot more then my new Savage 270 WSM.
The 6.5x55 and it's ballistic twins (260 and 6.5 Creedmore) are about the ideal all around deer/target cartridges, I have a nice selection of rifles come hunting season and my Swede goes with me more then all the others combined, it's performance on the range and in the field can only be described as perfect.

 

[Geno]

OP:

Regarding the 243, 270, 308 and 30-06 being good choices for factory loads, I disagree. Yes, the 243, 270 and 308 are available with excellent factory loads, especially in the Hornady "SuperFormance" line. However, the 30-06 is loaded to anemic levels due to being such a popular autoloader cartridge.

The 30-06 handloaded with 165 grain bullets can achieve 3,150 FPS, yet it comes from the factory between 2,800 to 2,900 FPS and that with 150 grain loads. That is utterly perverse. Conversely, the 270 factory loaded "SuperFormance" 130 grain is loaded to 3,200 FPS. That is at and in some cases better than most can get with handloads.

While I do like the 243, but the 270 and the 308 have a serious edge over the 243 in terminal energy at 300 yards. As an all-round cartridge, using exclusively factory loads, I would opt for the 270 or the 308. Just my humble opinion.

Geno

 

[Kachok]

Geno what powder are you using to get a 165gr to 3,150 in an 06? Best I have managed is 3,002fps.

 

[shaggy430]

Anybody else notice this thread was started in 2009?

 

[Agsalaska]

Anybody else notice this thread was started in 2009?

Not until now. I wonder how, or why, that got brought back.

 

[Dr T]

Yep, it is an old thread. we can probably blame Google for it somehow.

Back to the question from the OP:

In general I agree with Art since we are both from West Texas (be he is from farther west than me). However, I have revised my assessment of the suitability of the 243 up a few notches since 2009: Better bullets and better factory ammo. Even the cheap(er) stuff at wallyworld uses decent bullets and is reasonable accurate my my 243's.

One thing about the current ammo "shortage": It has made me appreciate some of the less popular chamberings in my collection. Often it is the only factory stuff you can find on the shelf.

 

[matrem]

(a noticeable step up from the 06),

aww?

Been shootin .30/06s and 7 mags for thirtysome years, and yep, there's a tiny bit of difference (.284 175s at 2900 to .308 180s at 2700) in the exact same rifle, but no more difference than two extra inches of steel on the front end most 7 mags provide.

Years ago, several of us did that comparision without knowing which was which, and after an afternoon of BS and wishful thinking, we all failed.

30/06s only recoil advantage is a slightly lighter gun to have same recoil as 7 mag.

 

[Kachok]

aww?

Been shootin .30/06s and 7 mags for thirtysome years, and yep, there's a tiny bit of difference (.284 175s at 2900 to .308 180s at 2700) in the exact same rifle, but no more difference than two extra inches of steel on the front end most 7 mags provide.

Years ago, several of us did that comparision without knowing which was which, and after an afternoon of BS and wishful thinking, we all failed.

30/06s only recoil advantage is a slightly lighter gun to have same recoil as 7 mag.

Well I have never been able to get through more then 20 rounds or so with my 7mm Rem Mags, one of them had a solid but plate and left me black and blue after only 8 shots. In contrast I can shoot 50+ of my heaviest handloads out of my 6.5lbs 30-06 without a flinch, I don't think the 7mm pushes any more then a hefty 180gr 06 handload but it feels much more snappy to me. To be fair only one of my 7mms had a recoil pad on par with the one on my 06 but all of the 7mms were considerably heavier (Rem 700s and a Winchester 70 all 26" tubes)
I do alot of shooting, I assure you I can easily tell the difference between a 7mmRM and a 30-06.

 

[Davek1977]

I made a hit on a deer at 287 yards 7mm Rem mag 150 grain ballistic tip and it was DRT

. My nephew did the same to a mule deer doe....with a 100 gr bullet out of the .243 My other nephew did as well, at 200 yards. I have personally killed many a deer at close to 300 with the .243. Far from being "in trouble" every one I've shot has dropped dead on the spot, buck or doe, mulie or whitetail. That said, I shoot a 7mm as well. I love it, and it collects deer for me every year....but it doesn't kill them any more dead the the .243 does. As a non-reloader, I'd pick the .243 for varmints and whitetails over the 7mm. The 7mm shines as a "do-all" North American rifle, but for the smaller end of the spectrum...varmints and whitetails, the .243 is both cheaper and easier for the average person to shoot accurately.

 

[stubbicatt]

I dunno, but in this time of shortage, the one cartridge I see consistently on dealer shelves is 243.

It can be had with itty bitty 55 grain bullets up to 100 grain bullets, and with proper shot placement will take any game animal you point it at.

 

[Kachok]

I dunno, but in this time of shortage, the one cartridge I see consistently on dealer shelves is 243.

It can be had with itty bitty 55 grain bullets up to 100 grain bullets, and with proper shot placement will take any game animal you point it at.

I would not say ANY game you could point it at because there might be a brown bear somewhere who would jump at the chance to prove you wrong No the 243 is a great CXP1-CXP2 cartridge, ultralight varmint bullets at scorching high speeds and hefty 85-100gr bullets usually make short work of deer and yotes, not the ideal deer cartridge but if you mind your range, shooting angles, and bullet selection you could take any deer in north America with one.

 

[stubbicatt]

I would not say ANY game you could point it at because there might be a brown bear somewhere who would jump at the chance to prove you wrong.

Bear is a game animal? Ok. Then I stand corrected... OK, then. OTHER than bear, the 243 is a pretty good cartridge... sometimes.

Regards,
Stubb.

 

[Reloadron]

So far the 243, 270, 308 and 30-06 seem to be pretty good choices. With the 260, 25-06, 7-08 performing better with hand loads.

Personally if you do not own any of those calibers I would start with the .308 or the 30-06 chambering. I would strongly suggest the .308 in that you aren't giving up much versus the 30-06. Both calibers offer a good selection of over the counter ammunition at reasonable cost.

I own and shoot several of the others you mention but if you do not own a .308 I would start there. I just see the .308 as an all around good chambering in a first high power rifle cartridge.

Just My Take....
Ron