keeping guns the same caliber

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cupar1

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My girlfriend is getting a beautiful rifle handed down from her recently deceased grandfather. It's a .243 win which is a good caliber for white tale. I am looking at a remington 700 in 300 ultra mag for elk, moose, if for some unknown reason I decide to shake a stick at a bison. However I don't want to use that rifle on white tale. A little over powered with expensive ammo on a gun that will last a 1000 rounds but after sighting in and hunting, who knows how fast I'll wear away those rounds. So I'm getting a tikka T3 in 270 win for white tale, or if for some reason I shake a stick at a mule. At least that's what I thought, however I'm wondering if I should get the tikka in .243 so I can use common ammunition and since I'll have my ultra mag for large game I wouldn't have to worry about being too under powered. Not that a .243 hasn't dropped a few moose on it's own. My concern is the minimum calibers and grains, while a .243 is legal everywhere in canada, some places want at least 100 grain and my favorite ammo barnes TTSX is a 80 grain bullet, if I leave alberta I might have to give up my favorite ammo, or worse yet they'll change the minimums again. so in conclusion here are my notes

Pro: Already have a .243 so I can share ammo,
won't be under powered for mixed game since it wont be used,
Brother is taking his hand at reloading so I could possibly save since I'll have 2x the brass,
is a good caliber for white tale.

con: Not able to use my favorite ammo in some provinces,
270 is a little more common in hunting stores not that I use cheap soft points (great ammo but I'm lucky enough to afford premium)
270 could be used on mixed game,

Open to all advise, or suggestions
 
Tail, its tail.
Maybe try something in another caliber. 7mm-08 same parent case, larger caliber and seems to be a good performer
 
the tikka t3 I want is only offered in .243, .270, .308, 30-06. It's made in more calibers but not sold at my local store outside of those 4.
 
Well BC has better hunting then AB (so that's where I assume you would go) and the 243 with the 80 TTSX is legal for everything but bison.

Bottom line, if you want a 243 get one, if you don't, don't.

If I was looking for a deer gun for the prairies I would go 257 wby or 264 win.
 
cupar1 said:
the tikka t3 I want is only offered in .243, .270, .308, 30-06. It's made in more calibers but not sold at my local store outside of those 4.
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Then go to a non-local store. It seems pretty silly to live near Calgary and think you are limited to 4 calibers for a hunting rifle.

Your "Pro" list for the .243 is a bit strange. There may be no advantage at all to having two rifles in the same caliber so you can "share" ammo, because the two guns may not shoot the same loads well. The big advantage of hand loading is being able to work up a load for a SPECIFIC rifle that shoots well in THAT gun. You may very well end up with two very different loads for two .243 rifles, so there may be no sharing system that works well. If you start loading for the gun (or someone else does) you may find some other bullet than your "favorite" actually performs much better. In short, stop considering all that stuff.

Go out and buy a good white tail (and it is "tail" as pointed out) and move on. There is no reason you can't use a .300 UM for deer as well as larger game. Proper bullet selection will make it work quite well. There is no such thing as too powerful, although it is a bit expensive, and the barrel life will be shorter than some others, but if THOSE issues bother you before you have bought the gun, don't buy one! Get something more "moderate" that is perfectly adequate but which does not have those issues.

I don't understand why you feel you must make choices that have "issues" that bother you when there are so many choices you could make that don't have those issues. You are creating problems for yourself that simply don't have to exist.

I would suggest any one of .270 Win., any of the 6.5 calibers, 7mm-08, 7X57, .280 Rem, .308, .30-06, .358 Win., .35 Whelan would give you a rifle that will do what you want with simply NONE of the issues you seem to think you have. And there are lots of others too, but those are all very easy to find anywhere.
 
I am not keen on the .243 as a big game round. In my experience it will kill deer but in many situations has not exited and left a blood trail so recovering an animal has a few times been not so easy.

I don't mind using a bit more power and better bullet and destroying a bit of meat, if it means a "bang flop" or a blood trail a blind man could follow.

Not saying that a .243 will not kill deer (and larger critters) but I would not go out and buy one for big game hunting.
 
Duffy said:
I am not keen on the .243 as a big game round. In my experience it will kill deer but in many situations has not exited and left a blood trail so recovering an animal has a few times been not so easy.

I don't mind using a bit more power and better bullet and destroying a bit of meat, if it means a "bang flop" or a blood trail a blind man could follow.

Not saying that a .243 will not kill deer (and larger critters) but I would not go out and buy one for big game hunting.
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Use a real bullet. It helps.
 
Some of your rational is a "tale".
Having had more than one rifle in a same calibre is a place I will not go again. Just created problems keeping fired brass in the right order but if someone else is reloading for you . . . square the problems.
The .270 Winchester will cover a considerable range in game, and may even be mild enough that your girlfriend can use it without discomfort.
If you ever draw a buffalo then you can shop for a suitable rifle as the cost of rifle/scope/ammo will pale in comparison to the hunt.
 
No interest in hunting a buffalo but I believe the 300 ultra would do fine with a 200 grain at such high velocity. My furthest shot has only been 300 yards since I zeros my scope at 250 I can be within 4" from 100 to 300 yards. I don't intend to shoot game past 300 yards because I'm all about bang flop, wounding an animal without killing it in 10 minutes or less actually bugs me. Sorry if I sound like a bleeding heart vegan. However a .243 is very capable of bang flop. I am aware other calibers exist but I can get 1 in any of those 4 discounted. I also have never had issues with any of my dad's rifles or my 1 with switching from ammo to ammo I get very consistent 1.5"or better groupings at 100 yards with different weights and manufactures. Maybe it'd be different at Longer ranges but I don't intend on shooting very long distances. However it sounds like there's no benefit in keeping two guns the same caliber. So now I'm back to which one I want more .243 or .270. Thanks for the advice.
 
No matter what you shoot, you better get over the "all about bang flop" stuff, because there is nothing that will produce that effect on deer every time. If you ever start shooting them, you will find that out. The only hit that will produce a bang flop every time is a central nervous system hit, and I never try them on un-wounded game, and would discourage anyone else from taking them as a first shot. A shot to the heart/lungs may, on occasion, produce a bang/flop, but the only guarantee from such a hit is you will have a dead deer no matter what you used to shoot them. A .300 Ultra Mag will not be any different in that aspect than a .30-06.
 
cupar1 said:
I don't intend to shoot game past 300 yards because I'm all about bang flop, wounding an animal without killing it in 10 minutes or less actually bugs me.
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"Bang-Flop" is WELL UNDER 10 minutes...

If I got it right , from that confused post, what will serve you best is a mid-range caliber... something like .25/06, 6.5X55, .260, 7mm-08, 7X57, .280, .308, .30/06 etc... etc...
 
bang flop has happened when a moose we got had a 270 from my fathers rifle go through both lungs and heart. However I was under the impression bang flop was a term for a quick clean kill that didn't require much or any tracking. If the animal lives for more then 10 minutes then I would feel bad and obviously had poor shot placement. That has yet to happen to me on big game knock on wood. I'm sorry I don't have the terminology down and for some reason feel as though you are looking down at me. I may be way off base. I have never lost an animal nor has any of my immediate family, I can shoot 800 yards just fine but I don't want to add that many more variables to create a risk of being the first to wound and lose. We have never had a ticket expire either. I have decided on the 270 even though ammo is a bit more expensive. As I said I am aware they make the tikka in many calibers I can only get the deal I want on those 4. The 300 ultra isn't necessary but much of my possesions aren't mauser was correct a 30-06 would have worked just fine but I chose the 300.
 
cupar1 said:
However I was under the impression bang flop was a term for a quick clean kill that didn't require much or any tracking.
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No, Bang Flop is a term describing an animal that "immediately" falls (flops) when shot... on a bang flop there is zero tracking.
 
bearkilr said:
Most can, they just have trouble hitting what they're aiming at. Myself included. :D
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Good point. I've never done a aimed 800 yard shot. or anywhere close to it. I am physically capable lol. I could probably hit the vitals on a moose. I'll never know.

hoytcanon said:
No, Bang Flop is a term describing an animal that "immediately" falls (flops) when shot... on a bang flop there is zero tracking.
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I am now aware of that, I was posting saying I was un aware.
 
hoytcanon said:
No, Bang Flop is a term describing an animal that "immediately" falls (flops) when shot... on a bang flop there is zero tracking.
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Indeed.
This looks like a "Bang Flop" to me, or as the Brits say, Base over Apex. ;)

[Youtube]37JwmSOQ3pY[/youtube]
 
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