x3 That's what I did.
.270 or .243?
- Thread starter LondonDave
- Start date
x3 That's what I did.
.243 is pretty much useless. Too much gun for a coyote and not enough for for big deer, maybe small Ontario deer 
but not Saskatchewan whitetail .
.270 does a great job on anything from deer to moose to elk.
Cheers!!
but not Saskatchewan whitetail ..270 does a great job on anything from deer to moose to elk.
Cheers!!
.270 can shoot heavier bullets for larger game and a 25-06 can shoot very light weight bullets for a great flat shooting cartridge for varmits. Either would be a good choice in a minimum recoil rifle. .270 would have the edge if moose hunting was anticipated.
Don't bother with the .243.
Don't bother with the .243.
Last edited:
wise words.
- Location
- Melbourne, Ontario
Buy both ya cheap bugger & tell the kid the 243 is his rifle & you'll be a hero in his eyes even when he passes it on to his own kid...
Actually the kid is using his own money to buy this gun.
I've bought all the shotguns and still have more that I want to buy.Dave
For a "gopher round", I've always been impressed with the way my .243 has never failed to drop a northern Alberta whitetail with a single shot out to just over 300 yards. Sorry, but it's true. Yes, the shot placement was was very good in each case. But the .243 makes it easy to put the shots where they belong.
I'll wholeheartedly agree that the .270 wins this argument if moose is on the agenda. But for a starter rifle for a young hunter, there's an awful lot to be said for getting in plenty of trigger time at the range and learning to shoot well. Not that it can't be done with a .270 -- but it's done easier with a .243. Besides, we all know he'll end up with both rifles sooner or later
The success of the .243 on deer and larger game has more to do with shot placement and (superior) bullet construction (considering that its a less powerful round than the .270). In my view that makes the .243 a better round for an experienced shooter if he/she wants to use a lighter cartridge.
As the calibre is meant to be a "first rifle" for a young shooter (and I'm assuming that ammo will be restricted to factory ammo as opposed to handloads), I'd still recommend the .270 Win. (or, if the options are a little more open, the .260 Rem, 6.5x55 Swede or 7mm-08) all of those will satisfy the criteria (coyotes to moose) while being "light" in the recoil department.
Of those, the 7mm-08 and the .270 will give the best choices of factory ammo (in terms of selection and availability). If handloading is an option, then any one of the above will be a great choice.
As the calibre is meant to be a "first rifle" for a young shooter (and I'm assuming that ammo will be restricted to factory ammo as opposed to handloads), I'd still recommend the .270 Win. (or, if the options are a little more open, the .260 Rem, 6.5x55 Swede or 7mm-08) all of those will satisfy the criteria (coyotes to moose) while being "light" in the recoil department.
Of those, the 7mm-08 and the .270 will give the best choices of factory ammo (in terms of selection and availability). If handloading is an option, then any one of the above will be a great choice.
A different game here, have you considered a Thompson Center single shot? You can get a barrel in darn near any cartridge you could think of, and he will always have the same rifle to progress with. Just a thought.
Think hard about the advice that keeps popping up here and wherever else questions like this get asked to go with 6.5x55 or 260 Remington. They both shoot plenty flat, deliver plenty of bullet and the recoil is very managable. As far as speed goes the 243 adn 270 might be considered near-magnums and that's just not needed in a first all-round type hunting rifle.
RG
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RG
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