Posted on 07/19/2018 4:40:49 AM PDT by w1n1
In the gun world we all like to talk about which gun or caliber is better than the other.
This goes the same in the hunting world as well.
Something that hunters and semi-seasoned hunters talk about is the best deer rifle/caliber. For the non-hunters most will only think of the 30-06 or 308.
All the old favorites are normally there, like the classic Marlin, Remington and Ruger rifles.
They go back and forth on what’s better between a .270 Winchester, a 308 Winchester and a 30-06 Springfield.
But, some experienced hunters will tell you go with the .243 caliber rifle.
This hunting rifle may be smaller than most, but it packs a pretty good punch on whitetail.
The .243 Winchester cartridge was initially designed as a target/varmint round, it may be used for animals such as coyotes, black tail deer, whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorns, and wild hogs.
This .243 is light, small and perfect for beginning deer hunters. However, this rifle caliber doesn't just stop there. Read the rest of the .243 caliber here.
.270
my fave: 25/06. Same powder as 30/06 but smaller lead, flatter trajectory
7.62 x 54R
I have a 243......want to buy it???
I would not call something as large, aggressive and dangerous as a wild hog, a “varmint”.
The ONLY time I’ve had to shoot a whitetail deer twice was with my .243. I sold the rifle shortly thereafter and went back to my .270.
Although, truth be told, that .243 dropped a feral hog like a wet dishrag.
When you want to hunt the next county over ... from your front porch.
Click bait!!!
243 for hunting? It is barely legal in Colorado.
If you’re hunting in brushy country the 30-30 doesn’t deflect when it hits a twig.
To sum up this article, some people like the .243 and have used it to kill a variety of animals and think it’s the best.
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Other than recoil, why would anyone buy a .243 over a .308 for a deer rifle? When it comes to recoil, the .308 is not a brutal gun to shoot.
It is if you’re a pussy.
.243 is not my choice for hunting large game; I prefer the .308. With that said, I like the .243. I took my first deer with one. It’s got decent ballistics out to about 200yds, then it falls off pretty quickly, and moves pretty fast. Shot placement becomes a much bigger issue with it .vs larger rounds. It’ll get the job done, though.
Answer: 6.5 Creedmoor
I worked a “hunter sight in day” at the range I belong to several years ago. The most common caliber was .243. The second most common was 30-30. It looks to me like most people don’t like recoil.
Also, seeing the results of the sighting targets scared the hell out of me.
I took my first deer with a .243, but it’s not my go-to choice. For close-in situations, my go-to deer rifle is a Marlin 1895 in .45-70; big bullet, quick kill, limited damage (aside from the hole). For medium to longer ranges, i.e., all-around, a 6.5 mm/.260 is my choice. But, for REALLY long range shooting, hands down, a 7mm STW.
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