|
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 500
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 500 |
.243 is a fine deer caliber rifle. I don't understand why it would require an "upgrade"? Now, if you really want is simply another rifle, that I can completely understand Since you don't reload, I'd suggest .308. There are plenty of factory loads, which gives you a wide variety of options to find out what a particular .308 rifle likes.
Last edited by Tannhauser; 01/16/20.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 5,505
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 5,505 |
I'd agree with Tannhauser 100% on all his points.
For deer and things smaller, the 243 you have is as good as any. Use a good bullet on deer, and never look back.
No arguing with "I want....therefore I need". So get something bigger if you WANT one, but from what you said, you'd don't need one. Need is not important at all. Slaves are granted what they need. Free men buy what they want.
For the non-reloader the 308 is going to be the best choice overall.
Last edited by szihn; 01/16/20.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 14,178 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 14,178 Likes: 1 |
Well we're Green and we're Gold, and we play better when it's cold. All us Cheese heads have our favorite superstar. We love Brett Favre.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,360
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,360 |
There isn’t a whitetail deer south of the Mason-Dixon that the 243 Win couldn’t handle easily. But if you must go up and contemplate a larger cervidae than southern whitetail, a 308 Win is a nice step up, 30-06 performance in a 243 Win case.
Last edited by Rossimp; 01/16/20.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3 |
Life Member SCI Life Member DSC Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association
Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard
Ken
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179 |
Really ? I was expecting 460 WBY Jerry
jwall- *** 3100 guy***
A Flat Trajectory is Never a Handicap
Speed is Trajectory's Friend !!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3 |
The .460 Wby is for rabbits,Jwall.
Life Member SCI Life Member DSC Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association
Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard
Ken
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179 |
“Use enough gun” Jerry
jwall- *** 3100 guy***
A Flat Trajectory is Never a Handicap
Speed is Trajectory's Friend !!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3 |
Of course.
Life Member SCI Life Member DSC Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association
Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard
Ken
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,380 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,380 Likes: 1 |
.243 is a fine deer caliber rifle. I don't understand why it would require an "upgrade"? Now, if you really want is simply another rifle, that I can completely understand Since you don't reload, I'd suggest .308. There are plenty of factory loads, which gives you a wide variety of options to find out what a particular .308 rifle likes. Yep - pretty well sums it up. There is an old saying - "dance with the one who brung you". While the 308 doesn't have a lot of recoil it does have enough that it will not be as comfortable or as much fun to shoot as the 243. - Something to think about. drover
223 Rem, my favorite cartridge - you can't argue with truckloads of dead PD's and gophers.
24hourcampfire.com - The site where there is a problem for every solution.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 46,745
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 46,745 |
Camp is where you make it.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 75,000 Likes: 5
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 75,000 Likes: 5 |
Keep the 243.
55 gr to 100 gr in a factory twist.
Can do it all
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,513
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,513 |
Think I'd pick a 270 if I was younger. Shoots fast and flat like a 243, and kicks less than a 308. Course the 308 I had was a six pounder with a short barrel, so I might have a different view than some. And the 270 seems like more of a step up than the slower 6.5's. Now I want a Swede but would buy a Creed because.... off the shelf ammo. Or a 243 with a faster twist than the one I have that doesn't like 100 grain bullets. Shoots the 80gr mono's lights out though. This is what I'd really like, Just an upgrade in rifles in the same ole 243. And I have a 30-30 for a walkin around rifle.
Last edited by DollarShort; 01/16/20.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 26,264
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 26,264 |
Hi guys the first rifle I ever bought is a 243 and this is my all-around rifle, I use it for everything, but I'm thinking about upgrading caliber, no I don't need nothing for big game, I just need a good deer caliber. Any suggestions will be very appreciated. Thank you in advance. Another 243..........
Casey
Not being married to any particular political party sure makes it a lot easier to look at the world more objectively... Having said that, MAGA.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,790 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,790 Likes: 1 |
Molon Labe
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 17,275
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 17,275 |
I've climbed that hill and am on the way back down. Have a Kimber Hunter in .243 Win being delivered tomorrow. Have always loved the round and the recoil!
My 6.5s and 7s will still be available if need be.
g
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson
GeoW, The "Unwoke" ...Let's go Brandon!
"A Well Regulated Militia" Life Member
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,286
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,286 |
Brevity is the soul of wit... just sayin. 7mm-08 great for deer and you can go up 20-40 grains in bullet for a deer load great factory ammo also
7mm-08 vs 308... does 308 has more selection and prices ? Any time someone asks a question like this I like to refer them to midwayusa.com. Shop the Ammunition/Rifle Ammunition offerings and show all 176 types. The number of offerings for each cartridge is shown to the right of the cartridge name. Here is a sampling: 60 = .243 Win 69 = 6.5 Creedmoor 3 = 6.5 PRC 64 = .270 Win 17 = .280 Rem 8 = .280 Rem Ackley Improved 31 = 7mm-08 67 = 7mm Rem Mag 158 = .308 Win 123 = .30-06 82 = .300 Win Mag 2 = 300 PRC 5 = .338 Federal 25 = .338 Win Mag 2 = .358 Win 44 = .45-70 Government My suggestion would be to choose a cartridge based on your wants and needs as well as availability and cost of ammo and/or components. If you reload or plan to do so, ammo costs are much less of a concern but you should still look into the cost, variety and availability of components - especially cartridge cases since they are the only unique component for a particular cartridge. Prices for cases can vary from under $0.50 each to over $2.00 each. You say you don’t need a “big game” rifle. Do you plan to hunt hogs or bear as well as deer? What about range of shots? A .243 is fine for lots of things but factory rifles are generally not twisted for heavy-for-caliber, high B.C. bullets. If you want to start stretching your range past 350-400 yards a good place to start is with the 6.5 Creedmoor – whether you plan to purchase factory ammo or reload. A .243 Win launching a 95 grain Hornady SST at 3185fps (Hornady ammo spec) delivers 992 foot-lbs energy at 400 yards. A 6.5 Creedmoor launching a Hornady 143g ELD-X at 2700fps (Hornady ammo spec) delivers 990 foot-lbs energy at 750 yards. At 750 yards the .243 will have 57” of drift in a 10mph crosswind, and less than half the energy of the 6.5CM, while the 6.5CM will drift only 35”. Another advantage of the 6.5CM is that recoil is only marginally greater than the .243 Win you already have. As you go larger in caliber and heavier in bullet weight, recoil will increase accordingly. The ballistics of the 6.5CM, coupled with ammo and component availability are reasons I purchased one even though I have a .243 Win, .257 Roberts, 6.5-06AI and a slew of rifles in .280 Rem and larger. For Daughter #1 I purchased a lefty .270 Win and handload 150g Nosler bullets. That handload beats the 6.5CM some but not by enough to justify the cost of factory ammo if I didn’t reload for her. While the 6.5CM was originally developed primarily for target competition but finds wide usage for hunting, the new (2019) 6.5PRC was developed for hunting but has good application for target competition. Factory rifle and ammo options are limited at the moment, although what is available is pretty good and more and more manufacturers are supporting it. I believe it will be hugely popular in years to come as it balances performance with barrel life. As with the 6.5CM, the SAAMI spec is properly twisted for heavy-for-caliber, high B.C. bullets and it adds about 250fps to what the 6.5CM can do. Comparing Hornady factory loads for the .243 Win, 6.5CM and 6.5PRC at 500 yards with a 200 yard zero: .243Win/95g SST = 1950fps, 802ft-lbs energy, -38.4” drop, 22.2” drift 6.5CM/143g ELD-X = 2030fps, 1308ft-lbs energy, -44.4” drop, 14.4” drift 6.5PRC/143g ELD-X = 2248fps, 1604 ft-lbs energy, -36.2” drop, 12,6” drift A .308 Win and .30-06 are never wrong in my estimation. If you want a lot of fun, it is hard to beat lever actions like the Marlins, especially the .45-70. Standard factory loads for the .45-70 tend to be pretty mild in recoil in spite of the heavy bullets. As they say, the .45-70 can be loaded “from mild to wild” and factory options for Marlins range from trapdoor and cowboy loads to loads suitable for Cape Buffalo and grizzly bears. My subsonic 350g handloads for my .45-70 are among the most fun-to-shoot loads I have – even my daughters love them and they are very inexpensive to build.
“Perfection is Achieved Not When There Is Nothing More to Add, But When There Is Nothing Left to Take Away” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 14,178 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 14,178 Likes: 1 |
Well we're Green and we're Gold, and we play better when it's cold. All us Cheese heads have our favorite superstar. We love Brett Favre.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,994
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,994 |
The real question here is - what do you want the upgrade to do for you? Assuming you want to stay short action:
If it's more effective range, 260, 6.5 Creedmoor or 7mm-08. If it's much bigger game, 338 Fed or 358 Win. If you want total flexibility, 308 Winchester. 7mm-08 is a close runner up here IMO.
The three I have experience with: .308 - everywhere, accurate, affordable and potent. Not much that you couldn't do with it. Very popular for lots of reasons.
7mm-08 - can be better on paper than 308 for many purposes because the bullet is sleeker, but isn't quite as available and you won't be buying any surplus. Still, published loads show a 175 bullet at 2600+ fps. Which is about what a 30-06 actually was back in the day, but in a lighter easier recoiling and probably more accurate rifle.
358 - boy, I like mine. Better for a handloader, published loads will push a 225 grain Partition to 2500 fps and flip over just about anything. Shoots flatter than most people think, and kicks about like an '06. You don't want to have to buy your ammo.
Work is what you do to finance your real life.....
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,548
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,548 |
Hi guys the first rifle I ever bought is a 243 and this is my all-around rifle, I use it for everything, but I'm thinking about upgrading caliber, no I don't need nothing for big game, I just need a good deer caliber. Any suggestions will be very appreciated. Thank you in advance. Another 243.......... Party pooper ..........
|
|
|
|
494 members (007FJ, 1OntarioJim, 1lesfox, 160user, 17CalFan, 1Longbow, 46 invisible),
2,263
guests, and
1,184
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,192,377
Posts18,488,483
Members73,970
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|