.243 Win vs. .308 Win

[North Country Gal]

Those cartridges will almost all be bolt action guns, now, but the 257 and 7mm-08 have been used in other gun actions in the past, though I don't know of any, currently. Now and then, I'll run across an old vintage Remington pump in the 257 from the days before the 243. You might still be able to find a 7mm-08 in some lever guns or autos, but, as I said, they really are bolt gun rounds.

Now, if you want to explore specialty pistols like the TCs or the Remington XPs and so on, no problem. The 7mm-08 has been especially popular in silhouette handgun in various specialty pistols. The 7mm-08 makes a great Encore pistol round, for instance. Have also shot the 243, the 308, the 257 Roberts, the 30-06 and even the 444 Marlin in Encore pistols. Just a matter of changing barrels. Of course, we're talking some very serious recoil when we go pistol on some of these. Not for the faint of heart.

[Ozarkridgerunner]

I agree with NCG there are a lot of excellent calibers out there in between the .243 and .308. And as was also mentioned, the 6 mm Rem is almost identical to the .243. We have two in Remington 700 models and love them. Spot on also on the .257 Roberts , NCG. My Dad now deer hunts primarily with that caliber in a Custom Remington 700 BDL. A tack driving , deer slaying machine.

Okay, to muddy the water, here, don't forget that there are a lot of other cartridges that fit between the 243 and the 308 afar as recoil and some offer better big game performance than the 243.

My favorite has always been the 257 Roberts. Recoil is on a par with the 243 and another great dual use cartridge. It was actually the original dual purpose varmint/deer cartridge and much loved by Jack O'Connor. Gets you into a little heavier 117 or 120 grain bullet for big game work. Really got mothballed, though, when the gun market writers hyped the 243 when it was introduced. Factory ammo, though, is harder to find and pricey, now. An old-timer friend of ours used to work for the DNR as a deer culler in areas where deer were a problem. He never used anything but his 257 Roberts Model 70 and literally shot hundreds of deer with it. Sweet shooting cartridge.

The 7mm-08 is another great in-between cartridge. Still less recoil than the 308, but not as good a varmint cartridge as the 243 as far as factory ammo selection. Very accurate, though.

You guys are making this very interesting, aren't you?

Not to play the fan-boy, but I'm particularly taken right now with the Long Ranger, so I haven't even thrown the caliber choices you note above into the mix, even though I'm sure they're all legitimate, fantastic choices! I love my lever actions and I've quickly become a Henry convert. And, my research on the Long Ranger has furthered my enthusiasm for the brand and this particular model.

But, just for grins, what current brands/models are candidates for a 257 Roberts round, or a 7mm-08 or the 6mm Rem? It's all new to me, so why not check it out, right?

And I thought I had it narrowed down...

I am going to be biased somewhat in my pick of rifle model and manufacturer. I prefer bolt guns for hunting. My picks are the older Model 700 Remington's and pre- 64 Winchester Model 70's. Tons of other great rifles out there though. .257 Roberts will be a bit harder to come by but if you find a rifle that you like in this caliber, snatch it up. You won't regret it. Not much experience with the '08 but a good caliber I hear. On the 6 mm , love that cartridge. Again my rifle of choice in that round is the 700 Remington. Good luck!!

[North Country Gal]

With you on the bolt guns, Ozark, and your choice of bolt guns. Love those vintage Model 700s and, of course, the old Model 70s. I do shoot lots of other types of guns for fun, now, but, even so, bolt guns are still my benchmark guns for performance.

[Ojaileveraction]

How about barrel life between the .243 and the .308?

[Ozarkridgerunner]

How about barrel life between the .243 and the .308?

I am definitely no expert on that. I'm sure factors such as rate of fire come in to some consideration. My .243 is a hunting rifle for me. I don't shoot a lot of rounds through it at the range. However that rifle is 40 years old and has fired hundreds of rounds and the bore is clean and shiny with sharp rifling , extremely accurate . My .308 is a black rifle , a FN FAL. I can safely say it has eaten thousands of rounds and is still very accurate also.

[ESquared]

With you on the bolt guns, Ozark, and your choice of bolt guns. Love those vintage Model 700s and, of course, the old Model 70s. I do shoot lots of other types of guns for fun, now, but, even so, bolt guns are still my benchmark guns for performance.

I agree with NCG there are a lot of excellent calibers out there in between the .243 and .308. And as was also mentioned, the 6 mm Rem is almost identical to the .243. We have two in Remington 700 models and love them. Spot on also on the .257 Roberts , NCG. My Dad now deer hunts primarily with that caliber in a Custom Remington 700 BDL. A tack driving , deer slaying machine.

Okay, to muddy the water, here, don't forget that there are a lot of other cartridges that fit between the 243 and the 308 afar as recoil and some offer better big game performance than the 243.

My favorite has always been the 257 Roberts. Recoil is on a par with the 243 and another great dual use cartridge. It was actually the original dual purpose varmint/deer cartridge and much loved by Jack O'Connor. Gets you into a little heavier 117 or 120 grain bullet for big game work. Really got mothballed, though, when the gun market writers hyped the 243 when it was introduced. Factory ammo, though, is harder to find and pricey, now. An old-timer friend of ours used to work for the DNR as a deer culler in areas where deer were a problem. He never used anything but his 257 Roberts Model 70 and literally shot hundreds of deer with it. Sweet shooting cartridge.

The 7mm-08 is another great in-between cartridge. Still less recoil than the 308, but not as good a varmint cartridge as the 243 as far as factory ammo selection. Very accurate, though.

You guys are making this very interesting, aren't you?

Not to play the fan-boy, but I'm particularly taken right now with the Long Ranger, so I haven't even thrown the caliber choices you note above into the mix, even though I'm sure they're all legitimate, fantastic choices! I love my lever actions and I've quickly become a Henry convert. And, my research on the Long Ranger has furthered my enthusiasm for the brand and this particular model.

But, just for grins, what current brands/models are candidates for a 257 Roberts round, or a 7mm-08 or the 6mm Rem? It's all new to me, so why not check it out, right?

And I thought I had it narrowed down...

I am going to be biased somewhat in my pick of rifle model and manufacturer. I prefer bolt guns for hunting. My picks are the older Model 700 Remington's and pre- 64 Winchester Model 70's. Tons of other great rifles out there though. .257 Roberts will be a bit harder to come by but if you find a rifle that you like in this caliber, snatch it up. You won't regret it. Not much experience with the '08 but a good caliber I hear. On the 6 mm , love that cartridge. Again my rifle of choice in that round is the 700 Remington. Good luck!!

So, in a nutshell, you all aren't drinking the Kool Aid when it comes to the claim that the Long Ranger design and mechanics lock up like a bolt action, but with the Henry lever-action package?

[Mistered]

The buzzkiller for me is the alloy receiver on the Long Ranger.
I am sure under normal use with factory ammo it will never have a problem but because of the alloy it will be inherently less strong than an all steel bolt action receiver regardless of the lockup.

[ESquared]

The buzzkiller for me is the alloy receiver on the Long Ranger.
I am sure under normal use with factory ammo it will never have a problem but because of the alloy it will be inherently less strong than an all steel bolt action receiver regardless of the lockup.

Hmmm, great observation. Wonder why they did that? Weight savings? Does it become a durability issue or is there some impact on reliability and/or accuracy, do you think?

[Ozarkridgerunner]

The buzzkiller for me is the alloy receiver on the Long Ranger.
I am sure under normal use with factory ammo it will never have a problem but because of the alloy it will be inherently less strong than an all steel bolt action receiver regardless of the lockup.

I would have to agree.

[Ozarkridgerunner]

I think the difference in the Long Ranger versus a top quality bolt gun in most hunting scenarios and shooting distances would be fairly small. The longer range shots is where the precision of the bolt rifle will shine , IMO.