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

I think I'd tell that lady to find another hunting group.... or take up golf.

No contest. 7/08.

Bea 175

I came on this late, but it is interesting. I also have a .243 and a 6mm. I bought a take -off .244 (6mm) real cheap and built a short carbine with it. It shoots O.K. @100 yards, but I have to use 100Grain RN to make it work. The older 6mms Remington made had a different twist rate and usually won't handle much else accurately. Not pokeing at you, just in case someone reads what you said and tries to use those bullets in an older 6mm.
Either a .243 or 7mm-08 is fine for deer. If you reload, the 7mm-08 is probably more versatile.

My preference is the 7mm-08(model 7) It is a deer killer. I sold my 243 (ruger 77).


But I will say there is a difference in recoil. The 7mm-08 kicks more.

New guy here...haveing both I would say the 7-08

If for nothing else, bullet selection.

its like comparing apples to apples, yeah there are differences, but in the end they both will taste like apples and give you almost the same result.

without the right shot placement, it won't matter. with the right shot placement they should be DRT.
I haven't shot a 7-08 before, but I have killed numerous critters with a 243, and thats what I use for WTdeer/antelope/mulies. I have yet to have one die out of sight, or even further than 20 from the shot for that matter.
I plan on using my 243 for elk this year and have no qualms about doing so. I know what it can and can't do. but with a 100 grain partition I'm not worried a bit.

there is a similar thread in the Elk hunting section as well. and the answers are much like you see here. some guys think bigger is better, many will tell you if you're using a good bullet, shot placement is the only obstacle, and caliber doesn't matter much.

"7/08 with the 130g Speer BTSP is awesome"

Keith, what's your load with this round? I'm thinking of running this bullet next in my 7/08.

Does a 100 gr 6mm bullet do everything that can be done by a 140-160 gr 7mm bullet,given equal construction?

Colorado1135-where you going elk hunting this year? Guided and or non and public or private land.

Many thx, and how's the Red doing now?

Dober

public land, late season cow hunt colorado, guiding myself as usual.
here's mine from last year, same hunt/unit


the red?

The Red River, you're in Crookston right?

Dober

ahhh yes sir!

through here we have the red lake river but it flows into the red just west of town.
she got wet and wild this spring but not as bad as last, things have calmed down now, just waiting for the catfish run to start any day now.

....

7-08 is best by far. Either is good and neither has much recoil. IMHO Dee

I would go with the 708 and never look back. Loaded with 120 Nosler BT. Recoil should not be an issue, but if so load it down to 2600-2700fps. To me it comes down to versatility, and the 08 is simply in a different league.

There's a sexy new round.

Its the .308 win.....much better than the 243 or 7-08.

What others have said: 7 better than 6 for speed of drop, though death is going to be the same when good shots are placed.

My experience is high on caribou, low on whitetails, but they both kill equally well with the 7 seeming to get the animal on the ground faster overall than the 6 does. But a good bullet in the 6 - and I don't know if you will do better than a Partition on deer-types in this size- is a great equalizer. Shoot a 95 or 100 Partition in a 243 and you'll probably not notice any difference from a 7mm-08 loaded with anything.

Not in my opinion. A good bullet in the 6 can generally equalize the two for animals in the size range of deer, but I'd always choose the best bullets in 140-160 for the 7 over the best 100s in the 6 if I were hunting the bigger deer.

7-08 is a stellar round, but you can neck the suck right out of it up to .358 and just put the smackdown on them big ol' nasty deers.... grin...

Killed more deer with the 243 then any other rifle, except a 32 Win. Spl. - Maybe.
Had mostly one shot kills. The only time I remember two shots is when one went down close to me and still had it's head up. One more in the neck to dispatch.
All shot in the brushy Adirondack Mountains and upstate ares of NY.
You will have loads of fun and like the .243

Jim