.243 and .308

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luftmech

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What short falls would a .243 have over the .308 for deer sized game. Other then the obvious of its faster,lighter. Are these two cal.'s too close to one another for much of a difference or would they compliment each other when both owned ?
 
243 is really a specialist's rifle. You have much less fudge factor when dealing with bad angle shots or so-so-shot placement. You have to be willing to let the less-than-perfect shots go. The 308 is a much better rifle for deer and game of that size. IMHO the 243 is better suited as a walking rifle for chucks and predators.
 
The above are both fair comments, with fudge factor and blood trail both quite valid as you can accidently strike the shoulder or even miss the lungs/heart/liver on walking or running game.
Personally I will wait for the standing shot (even if it means waiting longer) and go for the neck. I've never lost a Deer, blood everywhere and no more than a few hoof steps taken. This is also an all angle shot. More than adequate with .243
But thats my 0.2c's
 
if your a meat hunter and will take what ever shot is offered use the 308. the 308 has more range, and more thump at distance. 250 to 300 yrds with the 308. i myself would limit to 200 yrds with 243. the little 100 grn bullet can't compete at long range with a 165 30 cal. all said the 243 is good for the hunter that will wait for the perfect setup. bullet placement is often more important than power.
 
I would buy neither, I would get a 260 (if you handload) or a 7mm-08 if you don't. Same case, no debates about shot angles(on deer), both shoot flatter than a 308, less recoil, more punch than a 243.
 
I would much rather shoot a sporter weight .243 at long range on deer than a sporter weight .308. The .243 is a far better choice for recoil and flat shooting accuracy at the 300 yard mark than most .308s. The arguments against the .243 such as poor angle and bad shot placement are silly... a bad shot is a bad shot with any cartridge. And a 100 grain partition from a .243 will shoot lengthwise through most deer at 300 yards.:rolleyes:
Ha!:p
 
BigUglyMan said:
The 308 is a much better rifle for deer and game of that size. IMHO the 243 is better suited as a walking rifle for chucks and predators.
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I agree, I see the 6mm's as more of a long range coyote/wolf gun than a good deer cartridge, although it surely does work, especially in the hands of a skilled shooter with patience.
 
BIGREDD said:
I would much rather shoot a sporter weight .243 at long range on deer than a sporter weight .308. The .243 is a far better choice for recoil and flat shooting accuracy at the 300 yard mark than most .308s. The arguments against the .243 such as poor angle and bad shot placement are silly... a bad shot is a bad shot with any cartridge. And a 100 grain partition from a .243 will shoot lengthwise through most deer at 300 yards.:rolleyes:
Ha!:p
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Redd, 300 yards is not even that far :rolleyes:

zero'd for 100 yards, the 243 with a 100 gr. @ 2960 fps drops 12" and drifts 7" in the wind. Impact velocity is 2300 fps and impact energy at 300 yards is 1175 ft-lbs.

the 308 with a 150 gr. @ 2810 fps drops 13.6" and drifts 8" in the wind. Velocity at 300 yards is 2175 fps, and energy is 1575 ft-lbs

an inch and a half more drop at 300 yards is nothing in the field, but the extra frontal area and bullet weight/energy of the 30 cal surely could make the difference between a quick kill and a long tracking job.

308 all the way
​
 
I have both. 308 is my deer rifle, 243 is for varmits. They serve very different purposes for me. I load 70gr Speer TNT's in the 243 so I would never even consider shooting these into a deer.

ZM
 
Impact velocity at close range will be quite high for the .243. Expect alot of bloodshot meat under this circumstance.

I personally like the heavier bullets for all the calibers I use.



sc
 
Well if you wanna go for the 308 might as well go for the 30/06 same bullet diameter but you can get bigger bullets for the 30/06 150gr 180gr 220gr
but the heavyest the 308 has is a 16some slug
 
todbartell said:
Redd, 300 yards is not even that far :rolleyes:

zero'd for 100 yards, the 243 with a 100 gr. @ 2960 fps drops 12" and drifts 7" in the wind. Impact velocity is 2300 fps and impact energy at 300 yards is 1175 ft-lbs.

the 308 with a 150 gr. @ 2810 fps drops 13.6" and drifts 8" in the wind. Velocity at 300 yards is 2175 fps, and energy is 1575 ft-lbs

an inch and a half more drop at 300 yards is nothing in the field, but the extra frontal area and bullet weight/energy of the 30 cal surely could make the difference between a quick kill and a long tracking job.

308 all the way
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Sure T/B wreck my fun with logic....:mad:
I still think a .243 is fine for deer and most of them will shoot rings around most .308's at long range.:p
 
Hmmm, I see guys at the range with .308 and up who flinch/twitch each time their rifle goes bang..
I'm 230lbs and have fired most british military small arms and still prefer the light smaller faster bullet for this reason.. I'm with "Red" one this one!
 
I also find the 6mm's more than adequate for most deer situations out to 300 or so. A 100 Partition will almost invariably exit a deer, even at 300 yards, and most of these firearms are capable of surgical accuracy in the hands of a skilled rifleman/woman. If I am hunting for that elusive "Big" Buck, and know that the shot may be really long, I take my 270. Regards, Eagleye
 
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Boer seun said:
Well if you wanna go for the 308 might as well go for the 30/06 same bullet diameter but you can get bigger bullets for the 30/06 150gr 180gr 220gr
but the heavyest the 308 has is a 16some slug
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308 factory ammo is offered up to 180 gr., if you handload you can shoot 200 gr. Most 308 Win rifles w/ 1-12" twists can't stabilize the long 220 gr. slugs, and if they do, they can barely push them to useable velocity - 2200 fps
 
I agree with most coments and would take the 308 as well, However the 243 does make a nice tree stand or ground blind rifle. If you have time to set up on a rest take a nice breath and sqeeze it off the cartridge will work fine.
However taking a risky shot quartering on shoulder will make a mess and splated at high velocity. You will still; get your deer but you will need a second shot. I seen this first hand happen.
 
Having seen one 243 100 grain partition fail to penetrate a quartering away shot at 75 yards, (Hit no bone, perfect muchroom under the hide on the off side) and another come out the same hole it went in on a shoulder shot, (shot again by another of our guys also with a 243). I'll pick the 308 every time.
Now admittedly 2 shots, are not much of a range of experience. But, couple that with many years of infalable performance from the 308, and even the 30-30, and I'll stay away from the 243. For bigger stuff anyway.
 
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