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.243 Win vs. .308 Win

Discussion about what manufactured ammunition feeds your Henry or other firearms
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JEBar
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Re: .243 Win vs. .308 Win

Post by JEBar » Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:57 pm

ESquared wrote:Seems to me that, for MO deer, at a variety of distances that the 308 is kind of the Goldilocks in this situation. Just about right.

for whatever little it may be worth, I agree ....
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ESquared
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Re: .243 Win vs. .308 Win

Post by ESquared » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:18 pm

JEBar wrote:
ESquared wrote:Seems to me that, for MO deer, at a variety of distances that the 308 is kind of the Goldilocks in this situation. Just about right.

for whatever little it may be worth, I agree ....
Hey, it's worth a lot, thanks for chiming in! I also asked my smithy up at the range today, who's been hunting in MO all his life, and he didn't hesitate for a moment when I posed the ".308 or .243?" question.

He's seen enough different scenarios to know that you don't want to be facing the "buck of a lifetime" (as he put it) with a .243. Interesting perspective and spot-on.
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Ozarkridgerunner
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Re: .243 Win vs. .308 Win

Post by Ozarkridgerunner » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:40 am

Hello ESquared. Just chiming in once again. I think one could argue the pros and cons between calibers till the cows come home. Like we talked about earlier in folks individual preferences in trucks they drive. I believe the .308 is an excellent cartridge for deer. One only has to look at its many years of service as a military round ( 7.62x51) to establish a proven track record of service. The bullet weight options and configurations are many and can serve very well in a range of big game as a hunting round. We have taken many deer over the years with various.30 caliber rounds. But I would respectfully have to disagree with the gentleman who said you wouldn't want to be facing the buck of a lifetime with a .243. As I mentioned before , the larger calibers and heavier bullets for big game are well proven many thousand times over. We know also for their size, a mature Whitetail buck is a tough animal. Not big boned or thick skinned but tough all the same. Shot placement is still paramount as we've all been saying and a larger caliber might be a little more forgiving if the shot lands a bit less than where it should. Then we get into bullet type and performance on whatever game we are hunting. Lot of variables. I have seen drop like a rock from .22 calibers and run away wounded never to be recovered after being shot with a .300 Mag. I've rambled on to say this in a nutshell. We have taken many deer (50+) with the .243. I have never felt or experienced being under gunned using this caliber on any deer I've shot and while we don't have the huge corn fed brutes of the Midwest, We have taken several big mature bucks weighing 200 lbs. For the accuracy , range , speed and hydrostatic shock value of that caliber in a quality 100 gr hunting round I still believe it to be an excellent deer cartridge that is not only adequate but excels in performance if the one behind the trigger does their part. I wouldn't take that gun into brush country treating it like a.444 or .45-70 thinking I could shoot through a small sapling and still kill a deer on the other side.In the right application though I would put the .243 against any other caliber when it comes to taking whitetail deer no matter their size and have done so out to 400 yards. You may not need the versatility of the .243 in a lighter load if your not varmint hunting with it also. You won't go wrong choosing the .308 for a deer hunting round. No question about that. Some people might sell the .243 a little short for being an effective deer hunting cartridge. I will never be one of them. Just my 2 cents ( may only be worth 1 1/2 !! ). Here's hoping you find a great shooting quality rifle in a caliber that you shoot well and performs well. I hope you get a shot at the buck of a lifetime.
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Shakey Jake
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Re: .243 Win vs. .308 Win

Post by Shakey Jake » Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:16 pm

I purchased a Remington 700 for my son in .243 to hunt deer here in Texas. It worked for him just fine.
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