I mean where you know for sure a larger caliber would have made a difference. I'm not talking about a deer never recovered so that exactly what went wrong isn't known for sure. I mean one that had a good shot on it that didn't anchor it quickly. Something that required a lot of tracking or a follow up shot where you could see that a larger caliber would have been better.
I'm not someone that thinks magnums are required for deer. I've hunted a few times with a 223 but never taken a deer with one. All my deer have been killed with a 270 or 7mm mag.
I'm about to buy a Kimber Montana. I am agonizing between the 243 and 7mm-08. I want a very light recoil since the kids and wife may use this rifle from time to time. I don't reload presently but am about to start. I have heard good things about the 80 grn Barnes TTSX in 243 and think that might be a great low recoiling choice. On the other hand I suppose the 7mm-08 could be loaded for low recoil and still shoot a heavier bullet.
I appreciate any insight into my indecision. There may not be a bad choice here. Recoil is a big issue but not at the cost of being less effective. Shots would all be under 200 yards.
Either one of those will work. The .243 is great if you understand its limitations. For a less-experienced shooter that may just shoot for center-vitals, this means memorizing the location of the animal before you pull the trigger. There won't be as much sign to go on, on average, from a deer hit through the lungs with a 6mm bullet versus a 7mm bullet, assuming similar bullet construction. I've used both chamberings. A well-built 6mm bullet in the vitals will kill reliably, but can mean a bit more work if things aren't anchored on the spot. Notice I say "can mean", as I've also had some easy tracking jobs with 6mm's. The only times a 6mm has really made my life hard was when I was running cup/cores and had to take an angling shot. Tracking was tough, but a good TSX, E-Tip, or Partition would have made a lot of difference too.
In a rifle as light as the Montana, I'd probably go 243win if you want the wife and kids to really enjoy it and get proficient with it. Today's bullets make it better than it used to be.
