Is this "BALLISTICALLY" DUMB?

[GAMALOT]

I just bought a nice Remington 700 BDL from a buddy. It is a .243.
I hunt in the NY Catskills and hunt Whitetail deer.
I have always prefered the .308 caliber for my guns but this was too nice a deal to pass up.
I am kicking around the idea of getting a new barrel in .308 put on this gun.
Would love to hear opinions on both ballistics and the cost factor of doing this.
Whats a new 308 barrel go for if I can find one and how much might this swap cost?
Is there enough difference in ballistics to make it a worthwhile swap?
I do have friends who swear by their 243s but I can't find a load with more then a 100 Gr. bullet and I usually shoot a 150 Gr. in the 308.
Thanks for the help.
Gary

 

[cracked butt]

I would leave it as is. A .243 with a 100 gr bullet makes an excellent deer load.

 

[brentwal]

Leave it a .243 and find a .308 rifle to go with it. 243s get lonely if left alone in safes.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

I think you're fine with it in .243. I've seen plenty of nice clean shots made out to 350 yards and more with .243's. Even my little brother shoots his well.

What is the extreme range in the area you're hunting in?

Take your time, practice, become proficient with your tool. Lots of folks don't feel undergunned in the least with .243's or 6mm. At best, you've got a fine rifle for multiple types of game- that's one of the strong points of .243.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[slopemeno]

.243's are sweet shooting. My dad has an old flat-bolt Ruger 77 thats a great shooter in .243. Very light recoil.

 

[artherd]

.243 is a great round, and should drop just about everything you need to drop with the right bullet.

Most .243 bullets infact have better flight charistericts and many end up ballistically supior to .308 at very long ranges!

 

[berettashotgun]

Broke my boys in on .243's. Handi-rifles. If I ever hear anyone bash either I can only laugh at their ignorance. Excellent deer round. My friends son (11) now is the proud owner of a cherry rem 788 in 243. I sold it to him for $150- on the condition HE paid for it. Matthew shot 2 does last fall with my handloads, 75gr hp hornady, he had almost burned up the barrel practicing, but kept 100 rounds out of the 500 I gave him with the rifle. The load worked excellent in that rifle and his shots were all gonna be within 75 yards, so- he was shooting a light recoiling laser beam. The 100gr are excellent, but haven't had sub MOA with them. Now the barrel change your contemplating is not very practical or economical.

 

[Crosshair]

Deer one day, Prarie Dogs the next.

 

[Delmar]

Nothing wrong with a 243 or a 308. They will both do the job well and is more dependent on bullet/load selection than on anything between the two. If you ever feel the need for a little extra insurance in black bear country, you might consider the 308, but I would bet there are people on this board who did fine with ole blackie and a good 243. The older I get, the more interesting a Savage looks to me. Closest thing to a quick change barrel I know-spin off the locking collar, add barrel of choice, properly headspace it, tighten the locking collar and you have a 243/260/7MM-08/308/358!

 

[miko]

Off the shelf ammo tops at 100 grain but there are 105, 110 and even 117 grain bullets available in .243.

miko

 

[MachIVshooter]

Keep it a .243. Good round. I have a Ruger 77 in 6mm Rem ( marginally more powerful) and it is a first-rate deer killer. Also great for Coyotes with 90 gr. FMJ-BT.

 

[Coltdriver]

I have not seen many rifles that I could rebarrel for under $500 if you have a good smith mount it, set the head space etc.

And to be honest that is not with a real great barrel.

If you wanted to build one the platform you have is a good one.

It just always surprised me how much money you could wrap up in a rebarrel with no real hope of getting the money back out of it. So I'd sell the .243 and go get a .308.

 

[GAMALOT]

Thanks to all. Around here we sight in at around 75 yards and rarely get a shot much over 100 Yds., usually more like 30-40 yards.
I think I will leave it a 243 and be happy with it like you all said.
My 308s are all semi autos and this is the only bolt I own. At the range, it is superior to the 308s I have so I suspect if I go hunting where a long shot is possible the 243 will be at my side.
Of the last five deer I have shot, 4 of them were jumped from beds and the semi was the right gun and caliber.
The 243 was sighted in at 100 yards and was an inch low at 200. The 308s are not quite as close when the distance increases.
Thanks for the advice.
Gary

 

[CB900F]

GAMALOT;

I'm with the majority here, leave it a .243. A very good deer bullet IMHO is the Speer 90 gr spitzer, catalogue # 1217. I took a whitetail and a muley last year with my 6mm Remington using that bullet. I can tell you that in two outta two, in the 160 - 175 yard range, it penetrates bone & drops 'em in place.

If you absolutely must rebarrel it, make it a 6mm Remington.

900F

 

[Fumbler]

Seems everyone has overlooked one major point.

For the price of rebarreling your gun you can buy a new 700 ADL or a used BDL.
Its really worth rebarreling only when you have an unshootable barrel or want a higher performing barrel.

 

[Rockstar]

Thinking that a 150gr. bullet is necessary for deer hunting, just because a .308 in 150gr. is a good round is a non sequitur to caliber choice for deer hunting.

Many large deer taken around here (250-275#) with .243s. Favorite bullet weight for many seasoned hunters is 95gr. in .243.

 

[miragetex]

a slightly contrary view

Gamalot, I can't disagree with the other posts - there's no doubt that the 243 has taken many deer. However, in my personal experience, I found that deer I hit with a 243 took a few minutes to figure out that they had been harvested, which usually included running into some place that made it really hard to get them out to the road. I switched to a 270 and very few of the deer I've hit with it have moved a step. It is absolutely true that bullet placement is more critical than caliber, and a perfect shot with almost anything will do the trick. In the real world, I haven't made many perfect shots, and with a not-quite-perfect shot the 308 you're thinking about will do better. However, I do completely agree that the answer is not to rebarrel your rifle, but to get it a brother in 308 or whatever (I'm a big 270 fan) to keep it company.

 

[miragetex]

a slightly contrary view

oops - sent this twice, thought the first one hadn't gone through but it did. Sorry.