243 0r 308

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dog slayer

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just wondering what yall think bout the comparison. lookin for a new CHEAP coyote gun that will double as a good whitetail/muley gun. not too worried bout elk or moose, caus i hunt'em with a bow+ i have an old m 94 30-30.
 
Any compromise situation is bound to leave you wanting in one area or the other. The .243 is an excellent varmint round, but frankly I think poorly of it as a big game round. Having said that I recognize that many hunters have had excellent results with the .243 on big game, it's just not for me. While I prefer the .308 on big game, and while it is certainly accurate enough for varminting, you will find that it is pretty harsh on coyote pelts.

You should make your decision weighted by what the rifle used for the majority of the time. Since the opportunity to hunt deer is limited to several weeks each year, the .243 might prove to be the better choice as your "do it all" solution.
 
If you planned on hunting bigger game, I would say get the.308, cause you can load it up or down.

But, for coyotes, deer, and antelope size game, I would use the .243. The last three deer I've taken have been with my .243. All have been bang-flop kills with factory ammo. I also have a .308 for bigger game.
 
I will be the first to digress.....
Why not a 6.5x55? Better for deer with bullets up to 140 grain, still good for varmints with the 90-100 grain projectiles.
Or 260 Remington if you are after a short action.
.243 works on deer and many people use it. Some feel less confident.
Maybe get both......
 
I'd suggest you look at the 260 Rem, 7mm-08 or a 25-06 these are better for what you are looking at doing than the choices you are looking at.
 
I know a couple of people that used target rifles in 308 for coyotes. They liked to do the long distance thing but said that it wasn't a problem at short range either.

The trick was to use hard bullets that wouldn't expand on a coyote. Only ever ruined one or 2 hides when they hit big bones just wrong. The hitting the base of the tail on one walking straight away was quite spectacular apparently.
 
As you used the word "Cheap" I suggest the .308 as there is a better selection of ammo available including some inexpensive military for practice. It does have more versatility than a .243
 
243 is a good round and nothing says you can't take a deer with one. You'll get better performance of course if you handload.
Of course I was pondering this same question a couple of months back and in the end I opted for a 7mm Rem Mag, so what do I know? :D
 
As the others are pointing out - there's a lot of ground in the middle. How cheap a gun, vs. ammo are you thinking?

RG

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I have little experience with the 243 per se, but lots with it's cousin, the 6mm Remington. Anyone who says these are inadequate for deer simply has no idea what they are talking about. A well-placed shot from a 243/6mm is deadly on deer sized game, including Black bears. I have shot about 50 deer with the 6mm [whitetails, muleys & blacktails] and 5 Black bears. Never had to chase any of them any distance. A couple of the bears were good size animals, as were several of the muleys/whitetails. That being said, if a 25, 6.5, 270 or a 7mm make you feel better, then that is fine. For a heavier varminter, the 243/6mm is hard to beat, and knocks coyotes down with authority. a 70 or 75 grain pill from a 6mm is death to larger predators like coyotes or wolves. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Eagleye said:
I have shot about 50 deer with the 6mm [whitetails, muleys & blacktails] and 5 Black bears. Never had to chase any of them any distance.
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And I bet it was done using a good old cup n' core bullets. We live in a consumer world, and have been brain washed to think that nothing can be killed unless you shoot a WSM with a premium bullet. Most of us (me included) have a tendancy to "overkill" anything and everything we do.
 
.243 with an 85 gr TSX or a 95 gr Ballistic Silvertip loaded to the teeth will do in most deer at any sane range. That said, a better combo would be either of the other two based on the .308, either a 6.5-08 (.260) or the 7mm-08, as posted above. Love my 7-08.
 
I've shot a 243 on varmints for years. It will damage a coyote pelt pretty good, as do all the HV calibers (say for a 17).

I have no doubt a 243 makes a good deer rifle. However I like to use a heavier grain bullet on deer size game, and the 243 only goes up to 100gr. Whereas a 308 can be a 150gr or more. Just more bullet for expanding and staying together on impact.

I would pick the 308 and load for what I'm shooting. Check your regulations where you live, because some provinces have caliber limitations for varmints and deer.
 
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shortaction said:
If you are a handloader?

What is the max range you would shoot a deer?
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I am a handloader, and have been for well over 40 years. I would shoot a Spitzer Partition bullet of 95-100 grains, or a TSX of around 85-90 grains. Then my shots would be limited to 350 yards or less. If it was a particularly large muley buck, I would prefer to be inside of 300. Regards, Eagleye.
 
A few years ago I would have said the .243 is a marginal cartridge for BIG deer. I mean the big bodied mule deer that we sometimes get in BC and of course the prairie provinces. This was based on a .243 not doing a good job, many years ago.

Now with new bullets like TSX, and seeing them perform on some decent sized mule deer recently, I'd say you were in business. I wouldn't be taking exceptionally long shots on deer with a .243, but other than that, have at 'er.
 
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