Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .243 vs. 7mm-08 on whitetails?

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Either will get the job done out to 350 and the .243 will kick you less.

270

If you are not happy with kick then get the .243 and be happy. Bigger holes just don't always mean better results, I get a "kick" out of those posts that say "my favorite round ALWAYS drops them DRT" this in my unwashed and unschooled opinion is because they have not shot enough animals with "their favorite round" to have one or more run. I just shot my last deer of the season a doe at 22 yards with a 300WSM and Hornady 180 grain SP bullet with 63.3 grains of RL19 (a short cased about 30-06 velocity and the gun does not like 165's), I had to shoot from my weak side twisted up like a pretzel and thru a forked dogwood tree so I could not hit her in the shoulder, but was about 2 inches back from the crease, centered on the body, with the deer at an angle toward me as she was coming from even thicker cover, so the bullet angled thru her body coming out further back but still in the rib cage area. I could have let her move more but I was already twisted about as far as I could twist! My aim was steady, the conquest scope was on 2.5X and I had checked it out the week before by shooting a beer can at 75 yards. The shot looked good when I fired but the doe took off at the shot like it was a complete miss and listening I did not hear her fall. Crap! I took a closer look and could see a few leafless twigs and thin branches that were in the path of my shot, so way to go Einstein.... I climbed down and walked over to where the dogwood tree was and found that there were good pieces of lung on the ground. I called my hunting buddy and we started looking. We found a chunk of lung along the death run path, blood up against trees, a ton of blood, a pretty easy trail to follow, cross a small logging road, thru a hole in wild roses on the edge, and into a pine thicket. When we found the deer it had died on a mound of dirt covered with pine needles. I turned it over and it had a plug of something (lung tissue??) out of the 3 inch hole in its offside, no exaggeration this was a big hole. All I could think is that I the bullet was going sideways when it hit her, the entrance hole was not circular either but elongated. The deer was still in estrus (second rut) which may have been why she ran about 82 long steps. My hunting bud who is a dyed in the wool Axx Hat but not a bad tracking dog volunteered that I was blind and probably shot a spike buck in rut. He also volunteered that the 300WSM was a POS and could not even kill a deer reliably; this was offered up as we were crawling thru the hole in the wild roses. My point in relating this long narrative is that if a 3 inch hole in the offside of a reasonable sized doe is not good enough to drop the animal on the spot then there is really no way of predicting what actually is going to occur when you hit the animal with anything short of a 105 howitzer. If I wanted to hunt and was hurt or sensitive to recoil I would get that .243 be happy, and not worry about it. One day in the woods with a .243 is better than 10 days at home with a 7-08 that hurts you to shoot it. You might even consider a 22-250 or a .223 if you are bothered by recoil. Just remember that someone, somewhere, and sometime, maybe an Axx Hat friend of yours will say the .243 is a POS when you have too have to track a deer.

I like the sounds of the 120 gr. in the 7mm-08, too.
For you guys that reload, how much powder difference is there between the .243 and 7mm-08?

IIRC I used the same amount of powder with 85gr 243 loads as I did 140/7-08 loads, 45.0, same parent case, the 308, different neck diameter, and depth of bullet seating is all for the most part. All equal, less bullet wt. = less recoil.

Off topic, but FWIW, a 120-130 grain 6.5mm in a 260 aka 6.5mm/308 is a great deer round, esp. for the handloader with mild recoil. 243 is fine on deer with shot placement as any round, a 6.5-7mm gives some slight cushion perhaps in killing power, but you MUST place bullet with ANY round to be effective and I do not hesitate using a 6BR for deer, uses 2/3 powder of a 243 with 95% of speed. Taken deer to 400 yds, recoil nil.

Where I Believe failures have occured with a 243 are more often with incorrect varmint bullets lacking penetration and poor shot placement. If you DO have to track, chances are the smaller the caliber, the less the blood trail and inversely so why some use a 358 win, etc. for deer, LARGER exit holes for air in, blood out, but ALL those rounds 243-358 will drop deer fast with proper bullet, proper placement under 400 yds.

Yes!! JMO but I'll never run a 243 ever again.

The 7-08 flat puts deer down as good as any cal I've seen yet.
300-350yds it will definatly do the job.

7-08!

7-08.....

FINALLY! Someone addressed the main advantage of the 7mm-08. The 7mm-08 really shines at longer ranges. It's well known that beyond about 200 yards, it surpasses the .308 (.308, .243 and 7mm-08 all have brass from the same family) in the energy it delivers.

Compare the energy of the bullets at the range you expect to be shooting deer at:
.243 (100 gr. bullet)...........1332 fp (200 yards).....1089 fp (300 yards)......882 fp (400 yards).
7mm-08 (140 grain bullet)...1793 fp (200 yards).....1490 fp (300 yards).....1228 fp (400 yards).
7mm-08 (120 grain bullet)...1621 fp (200 yards).....1316 fp (300 yards).....1058 fp (400 yards).
.308 (150 grain bullet)........1615 fp (200 yards).....1332 fp (300 yards).....1089 fp (400 yards).

Triggernosis,that means the 7mm-08 waaayyy outperforms the .243 at the ranges you're talking about, hitting harder than either the .243 or the .308 beyond 200 yards with the most common bullet weights. With a smaller bullet (120 grains) it still is almost identical in energy to a much heavier 150 grain bullet from a .308, and shoots flatter. And recoil is very light, especially with the 120 grain bullet. In fact, the 7mm-08 is probably the most-often recommended caliber for women, new hunters, and recoil sensitive hunters. You can't go wrong with it. The 7mm-08 is tailor-made for your purposes. The 7mm-08 is probably more accurate as well, thanks to generally better ballistic coefficient numbers.

At the distances you are talking about shooting, this is a no-brainer. Get the 7mm-08 and start with 120 grain bullets. If you want something more, be brave and try the 140 grain bullets. The final reason to get the 7-08 over the .243 -- way more versatility in bullet choices.

Steve

Higher BC's do not make bullets "generally more accurate". They make them carry more energy at longer distances.

Either way, the 7-08 is THE best whitetail cartridge going, IMO...

Not to generate more discussion on a side issue here, but the reason I said "generally" is that bullets designed with a higher BC can be more accurate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the idea behind boattails (which have a higher BC) to reduce the effects of turbulence at the base of the bullet?

Either way, we're on the same page.


Same case, same case capacity. Bullet seating depths will cause the capacity to vary, but that comes into play more with bullets heavier than 140 grain. Anyway, it's really downrange energy you care about.

Steve

Jimmyp I agree with what you said but ,I'm wondering could you explain your statement "The deer was still in estrus (second rut) which may have been why she ran about 82 long steps" -- I may be learning something here. Thanks Web

Taking nothing away from the great 7-08. And knowing very little about shooting game at long ranges. I seen and heard of many Military Sniper rifles in the 7.62 NATO (.308) but never the offspring of the .308-- the 7-08. IMHO if it is better they would be using it.. Web

Just my way, but I feel if I wanted to run a 120 grainer I'd do a Roberts instead of a 7/08... :

Dober

Just my way, but ...

If you have to ask an internet forum IF you should use a 243 vs a 7mm08 for deer, you probably ought to get a 308 ...

If you know a 243 is good enough, you're fine driving a 223 where legal.

GE

I have a recoil table that shows 708 recoil at 13.35 ft-lbs where the 243 is 8.68 ft-lbs. That is a substantial difference and I would go with 243 if recoil sensitivity is your driver.
I have been considering a 243 myself because they are so pleasant to shoot and the ammo is cheaper than my 7-08. If you want a rifle to handle heavier game, pick the 7-08 and then shoot milder loads like remington's newly released low recoil loads in 708.
H

Cost is one factor that hasn't been mentioned here. Of course a lot of loonies don't consider it at all, but one fact in the rifle business is that the cartridges that are "standards" (chambered by every company that makes bolt-action rifles) are the .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield and .300 Winchester Magnum. And probably over 90% of rifles sold are chambered for those cartridges, maybe 95%.

The end result of all this is that ammunition for those cartridges is relatively cheap, because it can be made in huge batches. Which is why .243 ammo (and brass) is cheaper than 7mm-08 ammo (and brass).

It's also why we can generally find ammo for those cartridges in just about any store that sells ammo--such as Fellman's in Jordan, Montana. I am always looking at what ammo's available in stores everywhere, and during the height of big game season last fall there were cases of ammunition in the aisles of Fellman's. There were plenty of .243's and .308's (and the other usual suspects) but no 7mm-08's.

It also means that if cost is a factor, then the rational choice would be between the .243 and .308.

I'm a HUGE .243 fan, and normally I'd say .243, but if you're looking at 300-350 yds, two comments. The 7mm-08 is the better choice, though I'd never hesitate to pull the trigger on a mule deer at 350 yds with my .243 M788 and 100 gr. Nosler Partitions. (and I've done it quite successfully) Second comment, if you're looking to shoot deer at 300-350 yds (pardon me while I put the flame suit on...) you may want to look at a different rifle than the BLR in terms of accuracy. That a long shot with a 7mm-08 or a .243, even with a .30-06 that's a long shot. You want as much accuracy as you can get, to me that means a bolt action or one of these newer "black" rifles that I keep hearing about.
Selmer

PS - I answered before I saw the .308 comments. More recoil, but excellent round for what you're doing.

Absolutely, excellent point. In my experience and my opinion, there are three bullets that will get the job done on deer, every time, from a .243. The 85 gr. and 100 gr. Partitions, and the 85 gr. TSX. Everything else is inferior to these three. Again, my opinion.

A cartridge for hunting whitetail for someone who's recoil sensitive - that has .250-3000 written all over it. Too bad it's so hard to find now. You could always get a .22-250 and re-bore/barrel to .25 .

I am kicking that one around. My daughter hunted some with me this year (she's 15) and has went to the range with me for years. She handles my .308 and .30-30 quite well, and has an affinity for the .30-30. I tried to steer her towards the .308, but she ain't taking it. She likes the lever. I told her that I would build her a bolt in a good, soft-recoiling caliber (that being the .250 Savage), but she isn't really interested.


I just may do it anyway.......for me.....