Go-Between Cartridge

[lizziedog1]

Lets say a hunter has two bolt action rifles he uses for hunting. One is chambered in 243 Winchester and the other in 300 Winchester Magnum. Granted, with these two guns he could handle just about any hunting situation in North America.

Even though he has things covered, he does want to buy another rifle. He wants one that would fill the gap betwen the two he already has.

What caliber would you suggest? What cartridge would fill the gap between a 243 and a 300 magnum?

 

[Sam1911]

Probably one of these:

243 Winchester Ackley Improved
243 Winchester Super Short Magnum
240 Weatherby Magnum
6mm Remington
6mm-06 Springfield
6.17 Spitfire
240 Hawk
244 H&H Magnum
240 H&H Magnum
240 Gibbs
25-20 WCF
25-20 Single Shot
256 Winchester Magnum
25-21 Stevens
25-25 Stevens
25-36 Marlin
25-35 WCF
25 Remington
250 Savage
257 Roberts
25-06 Remington
25 Gibbs
25 Winchester Super Short Magnum
257 Weatherby Magnum
6.53 Scramjet
257 STW
6.5x53 Rimmed
6.5 Grendel
264 SALZ (264 Salisbury)
6.5mm Japanese
6.5mm Carcano
6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5x47mm Lapua
260 Remington
6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser
6.5mm-257 Roberts
6.5x58mm Rimmed Sauer
256 Newton
6.5mm-284 Winchester (Norma)
6.71 Phantom
6.5mm-06 A-Square
6.5mm Remington Magnum
264 Hawk
6.5mm Gibbs
264 Winchester Magnum
6.5mm STW
6.5mm-300 Weatherby Magnum
6.8mm Remington SPC
270 Winchester
270 Winchester Short Magnum
270 Gibbs
270 Ackley Magnum
270-338 Winchester Magnum
270 Weatherby Magnum
270 STW
7x33mm Sako
7mm TCU
7mm BR (Bench Rest)
7-30 Waters
7mm-08 Remington
7x57mm Rimmed
7x72 Rimmed
7x57mm Mauser (7mm Mauser)
7mm Shooting Times Easterner
284 Winchester
7x64mm Brenneke
280 Remington
280 Remington Ackley Improved 40-Degree Shoulder
7mm Gibbs
275 H&H Magnum
7x61mm Sharpe & Hart (7x61mm Super)
7.21 Tomahawk
276 B-J Express
7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum
7mm Winchester Short Magnum
7mm Remington Magnum
7mm Weatherby Magnum
7mm STW
288 Barnes Supreme
7mm-300 Weatherby Magnum
7.21 Firebird
7mm Remington Ultra Magnum
7mm Dakota
28-30 Stevens
300 Rook
300 Sherwood
307 Winchester
300 AAC Blackout (7.62x35mm)
30-30 Winchester
308 Marlin Express
300 Savage
30 TC
308 Winchester
30-40 Krag
7.62x53mm Rimmed
7.62x54mm Rimmed Russian
7.5x55mm Schmidt-Rubin (Swiss)
309 JDJ
30-06 Springfield
30 Gibbs
7.82 Patriot
300 Hoffman
300 Ruger Compact Magnum
300 ICL Grizzly 7.62x39mm Russian
32-20 WCF
303 British
7.7x58mm (Japanese)
7.65mm Argentine Mauser
310 Cadet
8x48mm Rimmed Sauer
8.15x46mm Rimmed (318 Diameter)
8x58mm Rimmed Sauer (318 Diameter)
8x58mm Rimmed
32 Winchester Self-Loading
32-40 WCF
32 Remington
32 Winchester Special
32 Ideal
8x56mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer
8x57mm Mauser (8mm Mauser)
8x57mm JRS Rimmed Mauser
8x60mm Rimmed S Mauser
8mm-06 Springfield
8x64mm Brenneke
8mm-06 Springfield Ackley Improved

I think these would all fall between those two on the power spectrum, though I might have missed a few.

My vote is the .276 B-J Express.

 

[oldfool]

uhhhh.. I think Sam has it covered there !
but I would pick the 30-30, about as "middle of the road" as it gets, well proven track record

 

[lizziedog1]

Re:SAM1911

Your list includes several possiblilities. One is the 250 Savage.

Anyone here have any experience with this cartridge.

 

[cfullgraf]

You can never have too may firearms. Do you really need another reason?

 

[Sam1911]

Man, a Model 99 in .250-3000 Savage is on my "bucket list" just because it's a great rifle and a fine round. Very close to a .243 in performance. Just a hair better velocity in the 100 gr. class, and capable of shooting just a hair heavier bullet.

Not really middle of the road between .243 and .300 Mag, though.

 

[Brian Williams]

7mm-08

 

[helotaxi]

I would say .257 Roberts, .250 Savage, .260 Rem or 7-08.

Bigger bullet than the .243 without being a magnum.

 

[lobo9er]

A 12 gauge and 22lr. kinda tongue in cheek but coupled with a 243 and 300 win about covers all your bases. And of course any of the ones sam has posted sits about in the middle of the 2.

 

[Sam1911]

I think Brian's got the right idea. Some middle-of-the-road 7mm cartridge would let you get into the 140-160 gr. range with solid velocity. That's an actual improvement over the .243 that the .250 Savage and other quarter-bores won't really give you.

 

[stan rose]

If you reload I would go with the .300 Savage(same components as .300WM), or the 8mm Mauser which is a great and often under estimated cartridge.

 

[Gunnerboy]

6.5x55 would be the best, a 140gr bullet has the penetration of a 180gr 30-06 and the recoil of a 243 with a 80gr, so thats my choice.

 

[68wj]

I like the 7-08 idea too. Any of the standard fare would be good as well: .270, .30-06, .308, .25-06 etc. Maybe a .280 if you want to be different.

 

[451 Detonics]

I would likely say one of the 7mm's as well although the .260 Remington would give you one of the best long range cartridges out there today.

 

[jbkebert]

I have several go between rifles. I hunt with a .243 and a .300 winchester mag. The others in the safe ar a .25/06, .257 Roberts, .270 Win, .260 Rem, .308 Win. However the one I always reach for is the .270 Win followed by the .25/06

 

[Leathermarshmallow]

I would think that a good middle of the road hunting cartridge would be a .270 or 7mm08 or .308 win.

 

[NYH1]

If you're just looking for something to fill the gap between your 243 Win. and 300 Win. Mag. I'd look at a 7mm-08 Rem., 270 Win., 280 Rem., 308 Win. or 30-06 Spr. If you're looking for a short barrel carbine brush gun a 30-30 Win., 35 Rem. in a lever action or a Remington 7600 carbine in 30-06 Spr. or 308 Win., 35 Rem. if you can find used ones.

NYH1.

 

[CraigC]

In a boltgun, something like the .250Savage, .257Roberts, .260Rem, 6.5x55, 7mm08, 7x57, .284Winchester, .300Savage or something similar.

For a lever, any of the .30-30 class of cartridges like the .25-35, 7-30Waters, .32-40, .35Remington, .38-55 or any of the Big Bore 94 offerings (.307/.356/.375).

 

[Art Eatman]

This side of the big bears, a .270 or .308 will kill any game animal that a .300 maggie will. IMO, the .257 Roberts or a 7mm08 is closer to being an "in-betweener".

Odds are, really, that the short and handy "brush gun" would fill the utility gap, if close-range hunting is on the menu.

 

[EmbarkChief]

My vote would be the 6.5x55 or a .280Rem. The 7mm-08 is a great round, but he already has a short action in the .243, might as well step it up a bit. It would help to know what he is going to be using it for.

 

[Sam1911]

It would help to know what he is going to be using it for.

Anything you can't kill with a .243, but that a .300 Win Mag is too powerful to use on.

That's why I suggested the .276 B-J Express. A cartridge I've never heard of, for a game animal that's not been invented yet!

(I keeeeed, I keeed!)

 

[Dr T]

I have filled this range several times (but my 300 magnum is a 300 Weatherby). I will likely fill it again. So far I have:

6.5 Creedmoor
6.5 x 55
270 Win
308 Win
30-06

The 308 and 30-06 are both compact, fast handling rifles. The 270 is an all around 22" barrel configuration. The 6.5x55 is a sporterized Model 96 Mauser, and the 6.5 Creedmoor is a long barreled rifle for hunting senderos.

For me, the point is not so much the caliber, but the configuration of the gun that you want. Once you pick the type of rifle you want (short, fast handling gun to use while still hunting on foot, long barreled rifle to use from a stand, etc.), you can pick any one of a number of cartridges that will do the job intended.

 

[R H Clark]

I would be looking more at the best use of a different action rather than caliber.Is there any hunting situation he might find himself in where a lever,pump,or semi auto would be a benefit.I would pick an action,brand of rifle,then the caliber best suited for it in that order.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

It's hard to go wrong with .308

 

[303tom]

I am going to have to agree with the oldfool 7.62x51R or 7.62x51 is about as middle of the road as you can get !