Charlie Martinez
Member
When I bought my first bolt action rifle the store had the Ruger Mk 77 in two calibers on special sale; 243 Win and the 308 Win. For some reason I chose the 243 Win. It turned out to be a very accurate rifle & quite deadly on deer well with good shot placement. I don't hunt anymore but I still enjoy reloading 243 and shooting it once or twice a year on paper targets.
However several years after buying the 243 I had the unexpected opportunity to hunt in British Columbia. It was then (and only then) that I wished I had chosen the 308 instead of the 243. For that trip I had to buy another more powerful rifle and ended up getting a 7mm Rem Magnum. That rifle served me well in BC but it has been sitting in my safe ever since I returned from that trip.
I guess the moral of the story is that the 243 is a great cartridge but if all you can afford having is one rifle and you can tolerate the recoil the 308 is better.
However several years after buying the 243 I had the unexpected opportunity to hunt in British Columbia. It was then (and only then) that I wished I had chosen the 308 instead of the 243. For that trip I had to buy another more powerful rifle and ended up getting a 7mm Rem Magnum. That rifle served me well in BC but it has been sitting in my safe ever since I returned from that trip.
I guess the moral of the story is that the 243 is a great cartridge but if all you can afford having is one rifle and you can tolerate the recoil the 308 is better.