Multi-purpose caliber

[samuel]

Originally Posted by jaeger

very true. Just in my personal opinion 7mm is about as small as I personally would go for deer. I have witnessed about 6 deer hit with 243 rounds and always with about a 30-45 yd dash and fall. Dont get me wrong I like the caliber but just personally prefer something a little bigger for deer.

You will likely see the same thing with a 7mm,.30-06,or even .338,s.This isnt the movies and sometimes bullets dont stop them instantly.I saw it happen with an antelope once.He ran about 75yds when hit with a .375H&H. sam.

[SwedeSteve]

Unless you get a brain shot, deer are going to run. I shot a Mule Deer once and he ran about 100m down into a draw. When dressing him out, we discovered the bullet had blown his heart to shreds. He was dead, he just didn't realize it yet.

[turner]

Originally Posted by Ron AKA

The 243 is a great cartridge and suitable for game up to the size of deer at short to medium distance. For long distance deer hunting, I think it is a bit underpowered. For hunting, I'm not a fan of the 308. The case is too small for the size of the bore.

If you want to go a little bigger than the 243 in a commonly available cartridge then I would suggest the 270 Winchester. If you want to go off the beaten track a bit, then the 260 Remington is very good and a nice step up from the 243, but probably hard to find. And if really off the beaten track into wildcat country then the 6.5-284 or 6.5-06. Similar performance can be gotten from the factory 264 WM, but it can be hard to find as well. You can find the 6.5-284 at the link below, and some other interesting cartridges. I would not go for a larger bore size than 270.

6.5-284 Cartridge Guide

Ron

Hmmmmm..... I don't think I've ever seen anyone say the .308 has a "too small" case. It's very nearly the same size as the case for the 6.5/.284. And so you know, I own a caliber that is a performance clone to your 6.5/.284, the 6.5 Rem mag.(which actually has a very slightly larger case than the 6.5/.284) The .308 can duplicate, exactly, the ballistics of the venerable 30/06 with LM loadings. It is also known to be extremely accurate and efficient and can smoke any deer sized animal at ranges most normal hunters should never attempt; 500yds or more with suitable ammo. I like the ballistics and SD of a 6.5, or I wouldn't own 2 of them, but I'm simply of the opinion that a proper 180gr bullet fired from a .308 is a MUCH better round, out to say 300yds, than any 6.5 and, with a proper 150 or 165 gr bullet, better to well over 400 yds.(at 300yds it still carries over 2,000FPE in LM form) Yes, I'm aware that the 6.5 is very popular in 1,000 yd target shooting, but so is the .308 and neither fact has anything to do with hunting. I totally agree with your opinion of the .270 and would add the 25/06(with proper bullets 115-120gr) into the equation as well. Simply my opinion

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[oldjarhead]

Originally Posted by calaper

Hi all,

I'm in the process of looking for a new rifle to buy. Currently i only own a .22lr but have had lots of fun practicing on it. I am not new to bigger calibers as i have been shooting with my father since i was younger but i am in a situation where i need the right sort of caliber for what i want to do.

I am after a round that is good for target shooting at decent distances but also require something capable of taking down wild pigs and deer. I am keen to reload and try different charges etc till i find one i like but i'm not sure on the caliber. I was thinking .243 as this has significantly less recoil than a .308 which i thought might also be a possibility.

Any ideas?

Lachie

When I was in Carns (sp?) I chatted with a boar hunter. He selected the .308 over anything else...Man, some of them pigs are huge!
I'd recommend a .308 Win or 30/06.
They still paying bounty on the tuskers?

[Ron AKA]

Originally Posted by turner

Hmmmmm..... I don't think I've ever seen anyone say the .308 has a "too small" case. It's very nearly the same size as the case for the 6.5/.284. And so you know, I own a caliber that is a performance clone to your 6.5/.284, the 6.5 Rem mag.(which actually has a very slightly larger case than the 6.5/.284) The .308 can duplicate, exactly, the ballistics of the venerable 30/06 with LM loadings. It is also known to be extremely accurate and efficient and can smoke any deer sized animal at ranges most normal hunters should never attempt; 500yds or more with suitable ammo. I like the ballistics and SD of a 6.5, or I wouldn't own 2 of them, but I'm simply of the opinion that a proper 180gr bullet fired from a .308 is a MUCH better round, out to say 300yds, than any 6.5 and, with a proper 150 or 165 gr bullet, better to well over 400 yds.(at 300yds it still carries over 2,000FPE in LM form) Yes, I'm aware that the 6.5 is very popular in 1,000 yd target shooting, but so is the .308 and neither fact has anything to do with hunting. I totally agree with your opinion of the .270 and would add the 25/06(with proper bullets 115-120gr) into the equation as well. Simply my opinion[
[

I will admit up front that I am not a believer in the big bore and heavy bullet school. I think far too many hunters go to the bush with bullets that are far too heavy and too slow.

The 30-06 is a full 1/2" longer to the shoulder than the 308, and I would be extremely dissapointed if I could not come up with a 30-06 load that would not blow away the same bullet in a 308. I used to load the 308 for a friend, and just discovered that I still have some of the bullets around (and no gun to shoot them in other than a 30-30, which is another very underpowered cartridge and an example of the big bore slow bullet category).

I wish I could find a good reference that gives case volumes. I have one for dimensions. I would rate these cartridges for volume based on a eyeball of the size as follows, from smallest to biggest. The first group are 308 sized cases, which the second group are 30-06 and larger for the 264.

308
6.5-284
6.5 RM
----
6.5-06
30-06
264 WM

Could be that the variations in shoulder diameter make more of a difference than I'm estimating. If anyone has a link to case volumes, I would appreciate getting it. This one is good for sizes, especially some of the oddballs.

page8d

Ron

[Blackrock]

.257 Roberts fits the bill between the .243 and .308 although most any of the cartridges in this family are good. That's why the wildcatters keep tweaking these cases by altering the shoulder angle and playing with the COAL to try to get the best combination.

[jaeger]

Originally Posted by samuel

You will likely see the same thing with a 7mm,.30-06,or even .338,s.This isnt the movies and sometimes bullets dont stop them instantly.I saw it happen with an antelope once.He ran about 75yds when hit with a .375H&H. sam.

It is definately all about shot placement. I double lunged deer that ran about 20 yds with my .308, Ive seen them drop like a rock with a .22-250 in tx. The .243 is no doubt a proven deer slayer. I just personnaly like the versitility of the 7mm-08 better.

[AKHunter]

If you like the .243, go with it. It will serve well for your intents and purposes.

[matt760]

i'd go for the 308 or if i had the money for a custom gun and reloading equipment my first choice would definitley be (Like Mitch) the 338 Federal. hopefully the 338 Fed will take off and become more available.

[Farmer]

Hi,
I've been shooting between 50 and 100 pigs upto 80kg a year for the last four years at my place and me and my shooting buddy have always used .223 and 22-250 with very few problems.

But, today we went out and i took my 7.5 x 55, which is really a 7.62 and just a tad bigger than a 308. The pig i got today to 2 rounds to ground him. Round 1 @ 150m was from behind down throught the back but a bit too far back, 1/2" entry wound, 5" exit and most of his entrails lyging on the ground tripping him up, next shot through the shoulder exiting just behind the neck. Neither shot was a kill, i am building confidence in this gun and am going back to head shots.

I know how bad this sounds and i think the only answer is shot placement.

[nathangdad]

I am a big fan of the .243 which happens to be offered in a number of heavier, target style barrels that make it all the more desireable.

I, also, do not like recoil. Accuracy is what is important. If not a .243 I would suggest a 7mm/08.

Good luck and good shooting.

[SwedeSteve]

You will love that Tikka Calaper! The are extremeley accurate rightout of the box. Fine tuning a handload will wring out even more. Lets see a pic when you get her!