Value yalls opinions as there are some pretty gun savy people on this site, so I will ask yalls opinions on this. I am looking at getting a new deer rifle, and am looking at the Coopers, in the Jackson Hunter in either .243 or .308, as that is the two they have in stock, and will be doing a little tradeing. This rifle will be used for whitetail deer in KY and GA only. Max shots will be 300 yards or so. Which caliber and why? Opinions please. Also what about the Excalibers, why do some prefer them over the Jackson Hunters, seem to be little weight difference, and to me the Jackson Hunter actually feels a little better?

Thanks
HeavyBarrel

Personally, I don't think you need either one of those -- because I know where you're shopping and I'm trying to decide between the same two!!

All joking aside, I'd go 243. It's a nice rifle and all you really need here/in Georgia. There are several 6mm bullets up to the task. Little recoil and fun to shoot. I really like the Excaliburs and have another on order. The rollover on the JH is growing on me too. Neither is a bad decision.

I'm off work today for a funeral and will be stopping by the shop in about 30 minutes. What are you trading?

Either one is fine(as you probably know) but I would choose the .308 as I like a bit more bullet weight...but I also don't shoot 'chucks or predators as a normal part of my hunting experience. If they are part of your normal pursuits I would take the .243 as it will probably serve you better in that dual capacity.

My personal choice would be to find a 7-08 or .260 over either of the two you mentioned.

I have used both here in Maine and didn't see a ton of difference. I prefer the 308 and sold the 243.

Got a couple prairie dog rifles (actually Seven Savage Model 12 BVSS's), that I no longer use. A Browning Citori White Lightning that I am thinking about trading, but unsure.
They have a nice 7mm-08 Excalibur there also, but it is 1900 and I kind of like the feel of the JH.

HeavyBarrel

They have the Jackson Game (wood stock, stainless barrel) in 260, 257 and 308 too. They also have one Excalibur in 7-08, but it has some rubberized camo stock on it. The metal has been coated though...

Just saw your post above...I type slow!

If you like to shoot a lot for fun/practice when you're not hunting, the 308 is much easier on barrels.

it doesn't really matter...
6 of one, 7.62 of the other....

I only have 4 years hunting in Virginia, but I'd take either one to the field for deer here. I'm a bigger bullet guy, so I'd prefer a .308 for the variety of bullets to feed it.

You might want look beyond the current hunt and spend a few minutes thinking about where this rifle will end up. If it's headed for a son/daughter in later years, or the grand kids, the .243 may be a better young gun caliber for them. If you see yourself hunting anything bigger than the whitetail, I'd pick the .308 first.

That was a good one; my thoughts as well.

A lot really depends upon your taste. If you like a little more bullet weight and enjoy shooting a lot, the 308 would be my choice.

On the other hand, a fast-twist .243 Win is a great "do it all" rifle that is a joy to shoot recoil-wise and gives you a great chance at the "man with one rifle" moniker... 'chucks, 'yotes, LR steel, deer, whatever w/ one rifle.

What twist is the 243 Cooper? I didn't notice if it was mentioned or not, but it could have a bearing on what bullets the barrel will stabilize.

My vote would be for the 308 though.

David

I can't think of a thing one will do better than the other at those ranges. That said if your undecided I'd say go 308 because if/when somethin funny happens the 243 is usually the first thing to get blamed.

I work with a guy that swears he shot the biggest buck of his life 4 or 5 time "right behind the shoulder". Says he barely found any blood and never seen the deer again. darn tough deer I guess..lol.

I really like the 243 and 708. I have the itch for a 260 and the only reason I wouldn't go 308 is because of all the sniper read about guys around here. Shame cause I know the 308 is a sweet lil round. I might could run one and have it stamped 30/243 or such...grin

If I was buying, and the rifle was gonna be used strictly for whitetail deer, I'd go with the .308. Do you already own a .308 or would this be your first? It's my favorite from a handloading perspective just because there is so much you can do with it, and so many bullet/powder combos that work well.

of course, saying all that, I carried a .243 or .250 savage for most of my whitetail hunting last fall. the little cartridges are just really nice to shoot.

my .308's end up getting more range time because they have heavy barrels and shoot really tiny groups.

I guess if forced to choose I would likely choose the 308, I spend more time ringing steel than shooting varmits in the off season and I like a bit more bullet weight than the 243 gives, partly because I do hunt from the ground some and some shots might be a little less than perfect and because bear is possibility where I hunt.

If I was looking at said rifle, i would be willing to spend a little more to get my perferred carteridges.. 7mm-08 or a 260

For big game hunting the 308 is excellent and the 243 is recoil matched for small folks or hunting pests.

Have you looked at other rifles besides the Cooper? I prefer the CRF and M70 type safety on the Kimbers.

That's reason enough to get a remmington 700 in 243

I'm 6'2" and 210 pounds, but my size hasn't fooled me into thinking it takes a lot of gun to hunt deer.

Exactly!!

I would go with the 308, but if you can't handle that, go for a 7.62x51.....just my opinion.

AMEN! I am 6'4 and about 280 lbs and I love the .243.

Hard not to like the 243 and 95 Ballistic Tips in this application.

HB,

Either is a fine choice for whitetails.
Man, Cooper's website leaves MUCH to be desired.

The Excalibur stock is far more streamlined but if the JH fits the bill for you, have at it. Either way you'll have a super rifle.

And, a piece of advice that you didn't ask for;

Why are you aiming at a Cooper?

Is this the rifle your looking at?


From what I see in the picture I don't prefer:
A. Lack of checkering on the forend.
B. Lack of CRF
C. Lack of a good safety. Seems to just have a trigger safety.
D. Expensive $2,650.00
E. Rollover cheekpiece.

Actually, this is the rifle--minus the rail and scope....and it's $1619 NIB.

Don't know much about those rifles, but that thing looks nice!

PS, if only hunting deer it is hard to not like the 243. Only reason I carry something larger is I usually have an elk tag in my pocket due to where I live.

heavybarrel: gitchu one of the cooper classics in .250 savage.

I have a Jackson Hunter in 25-06, love the accuracy and feel of the gun, but it is a little on the heavy side. The Model 54's seem a pound lighter?? They are also a little shorter, and would be perfect for my style of hunting. Do I need another? NO, but I sure would like to have one in the short action. Ifn I can sale or trade a couple rifles that I have not used in a long time I will buy one, just unsure about which caliber. Never had a .243, but I have had several .308's.

I am also waiting to see how Cooper handles the customer service issue I am having right now. Sent my 25-06 in for an on going ejection issue, they are in the process of changing out the bolt to the new style ejection (plunger style). If they handle this situation to my satisfaction, I will own another.

Seems like the 95 NBT is a fairly popular bullet for the .243. How about the 80gr TTSX? Anybody use it on whitetails?

Thanks
HeavyBarrel

WGAS?

Both are fine rounds and if you're strictly going to hunt deer I'd say go 243, but you might decide after deer to go after something larger, which in that case the 308 would serve you better and you'd be covered for both.

Seems like the 95 NBT is a fairly popular bullet for the .243. How about the 80gr TTSX? Anybody use it on whitetails?

Actually, I used it on three last year. Yardage was from 20 to 150ish. All three were complete pass throughs and yes, they left a nice blood trail. First one (doe) went about 50 yards downhill. Second doe went three falling steps. The third one, the buck below, I shot 3/4 facing me. Stumbled backwards at the shot, turned sideways and collapsed. He was the 150 yard shot. The bullet exited the flank.

Nice buck! Looks like a heavy bodied sucker.

I will flamed for this, I am sure, but, for serious deer hunting, I would DEFINITELY take the 308. There is no situation I can think of where the 243 will best the 243, and I can think of at least a couple where I would opt for the 308.

I would use either.Since it's one or the other...308.

The 243 kicks less, is fun to shoot, and easy to watch longrange hits through scope.

Ditto

Either are good depending on twist rate and therefore bullet choice. The .308 will be more forgiving twist rate wise as the bullets will for the most part be capable. A 14 twist barrel in the 6 will potentially leave you way too light in my opinion

Yup. Especially considering her "experience".

+ 10 to that...Don is what the stock market calls a " Contra- Indicator"

My vote is for the .243...I killed a couple arks full with a .243 and they all looked the equivalent of " .308 dead"....

Like my kids say............."must be opposite day..".

Poobah & a few others got it right....243

Until a couple years ago the biggest I'd used in the last twenty years was a .223 & I had no problems at all...then I tried the .257 WBY koolaid (which I really liked) but it was costly to shoot. For the past couple years, I've carried a Kimber .243 & it will likely be one of the few guns I still have to pass down when it comes time...

10T for both.. I think I would have more fun with that investment as an all-arounder as a 243....

W

HeavyBarrel,

Toss a coin.

If you plan on hunting bigger game such as elk, go .308 Win


Best of luck,

R

.243 for me. I hunted alot of years with a 30-06, the 243 kills them just as dead with alot less recoil.

Flip a coin... But personally I'd go 308 just for added versatility.

Can't help you I have both and think they are both the bomb.Deer don't seem to care for either of them though.

It matters more where you hit them than what with.

.243

243 95gr nbt....

The tounge my not be politically correct but I did just kill it while it was minding his own business?

.243 100gr Nozler Partition
205 yard bang-flop

..............Used only as a deer rifle out about 300 yards it really won`t matter.

The question should also be. In the future do you plan to use this rifle on larger game other than deer? If so, the 308 gets my vote over the 243.

And since you are considering a 308, that tells me you might not have a 30 cal. For more game other than deer, the 308 is a better all around choice.

A deer rifle to 300...the 243 is more than ample, with less recoil, muzzle blast, etc. I have killed most of my deer with a 308, but we've piled up the 243 kills as well.

Bottom line, the 243 is great for WT. that's my vote.

How come every time somone ask about a "deer rifle" it so quickly turns into a "if you go after bigger game thread"? How many people on this site only have one rifle? Or only want to own one rifle? Yes heck yes kill the deer with a 243 and "if you go after a elk or moose"........then you can buy another gun.

Run a 6mmAI reamer about a 1/4 inch into the chamber of the 243!!!!

Hehe

...........And my question back to you is this. So what if larger game is mentioned? And since the OP did inquire about the 308 as a possible choice vs the 243, who`s to say that he won`t own just one rifle though highly unlikely?

Although he did state that he was going to use it for deer, he DID NOT say that it was to be used "ONLY" for deer for the rest of his natural hunting life.

The 243 will double nicely as a varmint round too...............

Lol true true.

I'm sorry squeeze I only went by what the op asked. If you read he said deer only. So I took it this rifle was.....well for deer only. My mistake. Maybe next time somone ask a specific question about a "deer only rifle" I'll mention they might think about larger game that was not mentioned.

I don't spell very well but I can read decent.

..............No problem. But I wonder how many have bought a rifle to use only for deer and then later changed their mind?

I support the 308 choice "if later on" it were used on game other than deer. In the hunting world things are always subject to change.

With what I been looking at as far as white tails go in my little part of CT, a 243 makes a lot more sense.

Between a hunting buddy and I, we've stacked up a small train car full of deer with the .243. And I'm not talking about the little 100lbs version of WT deer, either.

The .308 is a fantastic cartridge, and I've killed and seen killed a bunch of critters with it, too, but it really comes into its own when larger game are also on the menu- elk, moose, etc. If we're just talking deer and smaller, then the .243 is plenty. Of course, it goes without saying that what I've said depends on the shooter using the right bullet. A 55gr V-Max is hell on coyotes, but I wouldn't want to take a raking shot on a big WT or MD buck with one. Pick the right bullet and the .243 will flat out impress you on deer-sized meat.

I have shot a many animals with the 95g Partition with 43.0g of IMR 4350 and a win primer. This load is as good as any 308 load, very little if any recoil.

85g Tripple shocks with 44.5g of R#19, win primer in my rem 700 shoots holes through deer from any angle.

Not many people try the paritions in the 243, and those of us that have, swear by them. I killed many cow elk in Az with the 243 and 95g Partitions, amazing combo.

Three years ago, I rattled in a 220 lb whitetail at 320 yards, and I let my 16 year old cousin shoot his first buck, he went three steps. I killed some monster Nebraska corn fed whitetails with the 95g partition, way out there.

For some reason, in my rifles the 95g partition is more accurate than the 100g partition.

A buddy of mine is an avid deer hunter, I mean rabid. Kills a giant every year. He owns 1 rifle, Remington 700 in 243. The man is just plain deadly with it and uses it for tracking, still hunting, and standing. His house is a shrine to truly giant North Maine Woods deer.

Last year, he drew a zone 2 bull tag. Killed his moose (900 poundish) with 1 shot with factory 100 grain bullets. Moose was so impressed it actually took 10 steps towards the road before it died. That is a hell of a cartridge.

I still prefer the 308.

I had a similar dilemma only my choices were 6mm or 300 Savage rather than 243/308. I ordered a Mickey stock, which arrived, and I didn�t have anything to put in it.

Why I add this is because I did a Google 24-Hr Campfire search and found a thread dated 2008. A private message to one of the contributors of the thread netted a NIB 300 Savvy barrel for a ridiculously cheap price!!!

THIS FORUM IS AMAZING! REALLY GOOD AND KNOWLEDGABLE PEOPLE HERE.

DMc

There are an awful lot of guys out there like your buddy - they simply don't sweat this stuff. They're more interested in getting big critters in front of them - when they do, the hard part is over.

Many make the hard part the rifle choice and fail on the big critter thing.

Can't tell you how many elk and deer have died out this way via' flight 243. 85gr TSX or 90gr NP and get to stacking up critters.