Thinking about getting into a 243

[tomh2004]

Go with the Marlin xs7 in 243. I've got one that is more accurate than anything I own. I have several rifles that cost WAY more than the Marlin. And it out shoots them all.


tom

 

[336A]

Thanks for the replies and your personal experiences with the .243 folks. For those that mentioned other calibers thnaks but no thanks. I have given some of the other cartridges some thought but I want to stick to something more main stream. It is easy to find ammo, components and a vast array of rifles in .243 from vaious companies. The same can't be said for for the .257 Bob, 6.5x55, and some others. They are great cartridges to be sure but I don't relish the thought of having to mail order brass. I like being able to find what I need on the shelves of my favorite LGS for convenience sake.

 

[Geno]

The .243 Win and the 6mm (.243) Rem are both wonderful for deer. For as much as I like both, I would opt for a .260 Rem. Trade the 7mm if you don't want it and don't use it. Get what you do want, and will use.

Geno

 

[Six-Gun]

I think the .243 is a fine choice. Being a guy moving away from magnum calibers myself, I'm probably a bit biased here. I'm not a fan of recoil for the sake of recoil and I'll go through motions to make a smaller, softer-hitting caliber work for what I'm hunting. The .243 is a sorely underated cartridge that will kill even the larest deer with ease. It doesn't hurt that it can be extremely accurate. I own a Tikka T3 in .243 that will do this regularly with my handloads:



3 shots @ 100 yards = .294"

 

[BrocLuno]

Aw, I pretty much figure that a .243 is real close to being a do-all cartridge. Mine is a little Sako 19" carbine with a 2x7 scope on it. I've tagged a couple of dozen bucks, ruined several coyotes and did in a fair number of prairie dogs, with various handloads.

For the kind of hunting described in the opening post, I'd trade off a 7mm RemMag in a heartbeat.

Ditto what he said

 

[Onmilo]

Just to add.
if you can tolerate the sharp quick recoil impulse of the 7mm Mag, I would keep it and just buy a .243

I never cared for the way a 7mm mag recoils and prefer a .300 Winchester Magnum or .375 H&H Magnum if I need a bigger gun.

 

[BigSteve57]

My wife hunts with a Browning A bolt .243 topped with a Leupold VX II 3-9.
She's never had a problem with whitetails.
Hunting situations in Pocono PA area where we have hunted have been (for us) generally no further than 100 yds.
She's also a pretty OK shot.

As for me I use a 30-06 but I'm very comfortable with the .243.

 

[T.R.]

The field of deer and varmint hunting cartridges has been wide but best sellers are few. Winchester's 243 has led the pack for several decades because of excellent marketing, superb accuracy, and great performance. I've toppled many animals with our 243 slide action rifle and none got away. Its a myth that a big cartridge is needed for big deer. One look into the chest cavity of a deer shot by 243 is convincing.

257 Roberts and 6mm have faded considerably. Unfair but true.

250-3000 Savage was displaced by the 243 about 50 years ago. Unfair but true.

Heavy jacketed bullets fired from 223 and 22-250 have toppled deer, too. But many states restrict these smaller cartridges from the deer hunting arena.

In summary, 243 is widely popular within its niche market as varmint and deer cartridge. Even European built rifles are popular in this chambering.

Good hunting to you in 2012!

TR

 

[Savage99]

336A,

I would keep the 7mmRM and use it to hunt the fields in the off season for pests.

A 30-30 would be of no interest to me what with its lack of range and so so ballistics.

Look for a light 243 that you like and dump the 30-30.

I have used the 243 since my first new one in 1957 and its a great round. Best for pests.

After you get a 243 shop for a handloading outfit.

 

[sixgunner455]

Savage99, you did notice that he named himself after that .30-30, right? I think he might like it just a little bit.

 

[skoro]

Several years ago I purchased one of the new "FN" Winchester Model 70 featherweights in 243. Outstanding rifle. I mounted a Weaver scope on it and it's everything I would have hoped for. Enthusiastically recommended.

 

[Six-Gun]

Its a myth that a big cartridge is needed for big deer.

Truer words have never been spoken. I shot two whitetails during this year's rifle season with a 30-06 purely because it was a new gun and I wanted to try it in the field. I was a stern reinder of just how overkill a .30 caliber anything is for even the larger deer we have in Nebraska. I have no beef with anyone wanting to use a .30 cal rifle on deer, especially when you start extending your range, but I'd sooner take even less punishment dropping down to a 7mm-08 or .243 if I'm after whitetail deer of any size.

 

[336A]

A 30-30 would be of no interest to me what with its lack of range and so so ballistics.

Look for a light 243 that you like and dump the 30-30.

Well none of the umpteen deer I've taken with my 30-30 sure didn't laugh it off, even the one I took at approximately 140yd Plus I like the puzzled looks I get at the range when I out shoot bolt guns when checking my zero There is no way I'll ever be dumping my 30-30, that ain't even an option.