I'm looking for any extra possible advice towards my first rifle purchase for hunting. I'm leaning towards the Model 750 Woodsmaster, so for a general deer only hunting rifle would the Model 750 in .243 or .308 be a good cartridge to start with?
Also note: I'm not looking for advice on changing the rifle platform I chose, just which cartridge would be better suited for a deer hunting round. Thank you.
First hunting rifle: .243 or .308?
Re: First hunting rifle: .243 or .308?
Not a tough choice for me, I have been a fan of the 243 for years.
Some think it is too small, not true at all. It's a very hard hitting round.
If you might hunt larger game in the future, go with the 308.
avery
Some think it is too small, not true at all. It's a very hard hitting round.
If you might hunt larger game in the future, go with the 308.
avery
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iamjimmy86
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:51 am
Re: First hunting rifle: .243 or .308?
Thank you Avery, I've been leaving towards the .243 for a long time. I'm just trying to gather as much info as I can before I go forward and shell out the money for a rifle. And yes as far as I can see I will only be using it for deer hunts.
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remington600
- Posts: 701
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:27 pm
- Location: High Ridge Missouri
Re: First hunting rifle: .243 or .308?
If I were to be buying a newer rifle I would scrap both if those choices and go with the 260 Remington.
Billy
Billy
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The Gamemaster
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:04 am
Re: First hunting rifle: .243 or .308?
Without knowing all of the particulars, there is no way for sure to answer your question correctly.
Because I live in Pennsylvania, my opinions are biased towards larger caliber firearms.
My particular situation finds me hunting in the hardwoods of western Pennsylvania 80% of the time and my rifle of choice is the standard 30-06 govt. in 760 Gamemaster.
The truth be told, I am something of a expert deer hunter - over 200 successful hunts to date and I can attest to the fact that more deer are killed in Pennsylvania with the 30-06 and .270 then any other caliber.
On the plus side the 30-30 Winchester holds its own in the woods of Pennsylvania as does the standard Remington Core Lockt ammo.
As my dad would say - dead is dead.
You don't need some large magnum rifle to kill a deer, but you definitely can't get away with a pop gun 100% of the time either.
I have witnessed hundreds of deer kills in my life and I can say that the rifle plays a important part in the harvest of a whitetail deer. How ever, the person pulling the trigger also has to do their part.
The .243 / .308 are both good rounds in the right hands of a skilled hunter, but the .243 is a poor choice for a inexperienced hunter, as is a semi auto rifle.
It only takes one shot to kill a deer.
Once you learn that - you will harvest more deer then if you think that you have to have firepower.
Ballistically, the .308 Winchester compares rather favorably against the 30-06 Government out to about 300 yards, if you use the same weight and style of ammo, so I would go with the .308 Winchester personally. I would also go with the Remington 150 gr ammo and would stay away from any of the light magnum loads and heavier bullets.
The .243 performs best in a bolt action rifle in a open field someplace where there is not anything to block your shot and I would not take a shot at a whitetail deer over 200 yards with it.
The lighter bullet, although flying faster in most cases then the 150 gr 30 caliber bullet, is more susceptible to wind drift and looses more energy down range then the 150 gr 30 caliber bullet in my opinion.
However - the rule of thumb is - if you are going to compare it to a 30-06, why not buy a 30-06?
In the world of guns the 30-06 and .270 Winchester will not kick any more then a .308 Winchester.
You will not be able to carry much more ammo for the .308 then the .30-06 - again, remember one shot, one kill.
So the only benefit is a shorter action, which if you are not going to pump it anyways - who cares.
It is also my personal opinion - that I have never experienced a guns kick in my 35 years of hunting while shooting at anything, so if you want to try to justify that one gun would be better then another based solely on the size of the bullet and the amount of powder in the shell - I can honestly say that any gun will kick at the shooting bench if you hold it wrong. But not even my .300 Winchester Magnum, nor my .270 WSM or my .300 Weatherby has ever kicked while shooting at a whitetail deer.
So anyone that wants to dispute what I had to say can very well go right ahead and try, but I will stick to my guns on this one.
I will also add that if it was me, and I was going to stake my hunting career on just one rifle, I would purchase a gently used Remington 760 in either 30-06 or .270!
Because I live in Pennsylvania, my opinions are biased towards larger caliber firearms.
My particular situation finds me hunting in the hardwoods of western Pennsylvania 80% of the time and my rifle of choice is the standard 30-06 govt. in 760 Gamemaster.
The truth be told, I am something of a expert deer hunter - over 200 successful hunts to date and I can attest to the fact that more deer are killed in Pennsylvania with the 30-06 and .270 then any other caliber.
On the plus side the 30-30 Winchester holds its own in the woods of Pennsylvania as does the standard Remington Core Lockt ammo.
As my dad would say - dead is dead.
You don't need some large magnum rifle to kill a deer, but you definitely can't get away with a pop gun 100% of the time either.
I have witnessed hundreds of deer kills in my life and I can say that the rifle plays a important part in the harvest of a whitetail deer. How ever, the person pulling the trigger also has to do their part.
The .243 / .308 are both good rounds in the right hands of a skilled hunter, but the .243 is a poor choice for a inexperienced hunter, as is a semi auto rifle.
It only takes one shot to kill a deer.
Once you learn that - you will harvest more deer then if you think that you have to have firepower.
Ballistically, the .308 Winchester compares rather favorably against the 30-06 Government out to about 300 yards, if you use the same weight and style of ammo, so I would go with the .308 Winchester personally. I would also go with the Remington 150 gr ammo and would stay away from any of the light magnum loads and heavier bullets.
The .243 performs best in a bolt action rifle in a open field someplace where there is not anything to block your shot and I would not take a shot at a whitetail deer over 200 yards with it.
The lighter bullet, although flying faster in most cases then the 150 gr 30 caliber bullet, is more susceptible to wind drift and looses more energy down range then the 150 gr 30 caliber bullet in my opinion.
However - the rule of thumb is - if you are going to compare it to a 30-06, why not buy a 30-06?
In the world of guns the 30-06 and .270 Winchester will not kick any more then a .308 Winchester.
You will not be able to carry much more ammo for the .308 then the .30-06 - again, remember one shot, one kill.
So the only benefit is a shorter action, which if you are not going to pump it anyways - who cares.
It is also my personal opinion - that I have never experienced a guns kick in my 35 years of hunting while shooting at anything, so if you want to try to justify that one gun would be better then another based solely on the size of the bullet and the amount of powder in the shell - I can honestly say that any gun will kick at the shooting bench if you hold it wrong. But not even my .300 Winchester Magnum, nor my .270 WSM or my .300 Weatherby has ever kicked while shooting at a whitetail deer.
So anyone that wants to dispute what I had to say can very well go right ahead and try, but I will stick to my guns on this one.
I will also add that if it was me, and I was going to stake my hunting career on just one rifle, I would purchase a gently used Remington 760 in either 30-06 or .270!
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umcpumpgun
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 8:17 pm
Re: First hunting rifle: .243 or .308?
I will have to say amen to what the gamemaster said in his post. Given the choice of the two calibers 243 and 308 there isn't any question the 308 by a wide margin. I hunt with dogs in the south and have had more requests by hunters to look for their crippled deer shot with 243's than any other caliber. They are deadly in an open type terrain in which you have plent of time to pick a killing shot by an experienced hunter,not a novice. Like Gamemaster said I hunt in the woods where things are pretty close as well as quick shooting. My cousin held the record for the most cripples I ever trailed up with my dogs after they finally gave up looking on their own. Most left only short blood trails before they ran a lot farther with no blood trail. Yes,some fell dead in their tracks,but a lot of them hit in vital areas ran far enough in thick cover they would have never been found. I can only add one thing to what Gamemaster said,get a pump Remington and you will be set to go. I'm not going to brag about how many deer I have killed,because I don't have any idea how many that is,but here in the south we have 8 weeks of modern gun season besides the other months of seasons and we have very liberal limits if you want to take advantage of them.
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721/270Win
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:03 am
Re: First hunting rifle: .243 or .308?
Jimmy,
I'm guessing you're a 25 year old young man (by your user name) and can handle a little recoil. With those assumptions I would tell you that the 308 is the more versatile chambering and my recommendation for you. A lot has been said about the 270 and 30-06 already (which I agree with) so I'll stick to the question asked. You didn't say you were considering a magnum chambering so I won't go into all the reasons why they're not a good choice for a first rifle. I don't know where you live or what type of hunting you may do in addition to deer but the 308 would be adequate for black bear, moose and elk if needed, provided you use a good bullet and load. The .308 is used in target shooting more than any chambering here mentioned so good loads for that discipline are readily available. It's become popular for varmint shooting more recently and those loadings are also available. Standard 308 loads like 150/180 PSP are probably second only to 30-30 for being the least expensive centerfire rifle cartridge you can buy. 308 is probably the most versatile of the four most popular deer cartridges ever (308/243/30-06/270).
I'm guessing you're a 25 year old young man (by your user name) and can handle a little recoil. With those assumptions I would tell you that the 308 is the more versatile chambering and my recommendation for you. A lot has been said about the 270 and 30-06 already (which I agree with) so I'll stick to the question asked. You didn't say you were considering a magnum chambering so I won't go into all the reasons why they're not a good choice for a first rifle. I don't know where you live or what type of hunting you may do in addition to deer but the 308 would be adequate for black bear, moose and elk if needed, provided you use a good bullet and load. The .308 is used in target shooting more than any chambering here mentioned so good loads for that discipline are readily available. It's become popular for varmint shooting more recently and those loadings are also available. Standard 308 loads like 150/180 PSP are probably second only to 30-30 for being the least expensive centerfire rifle cartridge you can buy. 308 is probably the most versatile of the four most popular deer cartridges ever (308/243/30-06/270).