.243 or 7mm-08

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All4eyes

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Well I have a dilema, I am looking for a new toy so to speak. I am going to start putting together a rifle for my step-daughter. I have everything I need to load the .243, but on the other hand I hear great things on the 7mm-08. What would the benafits be on the 7mm-08 over the .243? I want something she can use for varmint as well as deer, and yet still be affordable for her to shoot. I thank you for all comments in advance.
 
I think the .243 is you best option. You are ready to reload for it and it is a perfect round for your step-daughter. the ammo and reloading supply is more readily available i belive. 7mm-08 may be a great new round but just that a new round with less options and not nearly as proven as the .243. unless you want tostart a new project which you may i would go ahead with the .243

Good luck
 
Hi,

I basically searched the web on nearly everything 7mm-08, 6x55, 243 and 270 over the last 2 months.

I wish I could post the links of what i read...but my bandwidth is very poor here to search paste search paste.

Basically, I found...and will post random snippets as i recall...the main differences are: action length - long versus short.

Wide variety of bullets in 7mm for reloading with many people citing bc of the 7mm (try searching for 7mm-08 and the 6.5bmr page I think? or something like that - excellent article). I'll try to search it for your and link it.

24hourcampfire had several good strings on 243 and 7mm-08. Someone always brings the swede up in these discussions sooner or later (hence my interest in it).

Jack O'connors wife (Eleanor?...sorry Mrs. O'connor for brutalizing your name)used a 7x57. Some people call the 7mm-08 basically a reincarnated 7x57.

You can get a BAR Safari in 243...I was tempted just because of the experiences I've had with that model.

Less factory offerings in 6x55 versus the others (I know you didn't ask..but I predict a swede convetion following this post based upon the other threads I've read).

Chuck Hawks has articles on recoil with some table = all above calibers are listed on it. Remington makes some recoil reducing rounds too. Since you reload, it's easy to mimic this.

I think you would be satisfied with either based upon your desire - low recoil with the ability to hunt small and deer sized game.

L.W.
 
She is 11 now, but won't be able to use it until next year, 5' and around 90 lbs.
 
Have you considered 260/6.5x55. With suitable bullets is will down elk sized animals and is available in a variety of light and compact rifles. Bullets range from 85gn varmint HP up to 140gn+ round that will drill deep into big game animals.
 
If you're already loading .243 you're just a set of dies and a box 7mm bullets away from loading 7mm-08; since both are just necked down .308 Win cases anyway.
7mm-08 may be a great new round but just that a new round with less options and not nearly as proven as the .243.
7mm-08 has been available commercially for longer than folks realize. Folks have also been wildcatting various 7mm/.308 cartridges for just as long as they've wildcatting various 6mm/.308 cartridges (AKA .243 Win).

I'll offer an alternate suggestion though - .260 Remington, which is the same .308 case, but necked down to 6.5mm. It offers better terminal performance than .243, and less recoil than 7mm-08. In fact, with Remington Managed Recoil ammo the .260 will recoil slightly less than a .243. The extremely high ballistic coefficient 6.5mm bullets also give the cartridge exceptional long range capabilities.
 
BTW, if you are looking for a turnbolt for not a ton of money, take a look at the Ruger Hawkeye compact. It's available in 243, 260 7mm-08 and several others. It's perfect for the smaller shooter. You can even get it in 7.62x39 or 6.8 SPC - both light recoiling rounds that work quite well for deer sized game at under 200 yards.

If you want something that is going to be used more than occasionally on varmints, I would probably lean towards the 243.
 
A friend of mine has a Remington 700 in 7mm-08, and it's definitly a nice cartridge. However, I have a few criticisms of it. A) Ammo is about $40 a box for the "cheap" stuff around here, so if your on a budget or can't reload, stay clear. B) If you can't reload, it's nigh impossible to find around here, i.e. you can only get it at one store in a 20 mile radius. C) The 7mm-08, like most of the necked down cartridges, burn through barrels quicker, but that's not a problem if it's only a hunting rifle.
As for the benefits, from what I can remember, it has better ballistics that .243, but they're are still similar, much like the relationship between .270 and .25-06. The smaller bullet is slightly better suited to varmints, but it's not a night and day difference, just slightly.
Either way, your best bet for these is to make sure she's a dead shot. Both of these will bring a deer down, but if you don't hit it right, all your gonna do is wound it, which is pretty cruel. This is the main reason why I think that smaller calibers aren't the best for beginner hunters. But, if your confident in her ability, I'd say it's more of a matter of economics and ease, as she'd be well equipped with either.

Just my $.02, Good Luck!
 
The .243 & the 7-08 use the same case, they have the same powder capacity, and the same “power” potential. The difference is bore diameter, which equates to ballistics (+.243), wound channel (+7-08), and bullet weight (+7-08).

For deer, bullets for the .243 top out around 100 gr. The 7-08 around 140 gr. Heavier bullets are possible, but they’re impractical, cuz the action is only so long and the case only holds about 55 grs of powder.

Wider, heavier bullets makes the 7-08 a better dedicated deer cartridge. The .243 is the better varmint cartridge, that can also step-up to take deer. It’s dual purpose. Same as it’s always been marketed.

7mm don’t make for good varmint rifles, IMO. Neither do the 6.5mm (though, I‘m sure a few will disagree on both counts). Mostly, because there’s not a lot of good light weight bullets to choose from (meaning, the bullet manufacturers agree with me, too).

So, if you’re serious about one rifle to do both deer and varmints, get the .243. If you’re really a deer hunter that “might, occasionally, maybe” hunt varmints, get the 7-08. It’s a much better deer rifle.
 
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SquirrelSniper,

Where are you finding "cheap" 7mm-08 for $40/box??? I usually find it for $20-30/box, sometimes the same as 308 or $1-2/box more. The only ammo for $40/box that I see is premium stuff. Don't you have a Walmart nearby? Incidentally, my Walmart has 7mm-08 on the shelf, but does not have 308 currently.
 
.260 difficult to wrong with it.

If you're worried about recoil... I will go out on a limb and say 6MM BR.
 
Bought my 4'11" 105 lbs wife a Rem. 700 in 7mm-08 about 6 yrs. ago and she has taken some nice deer with it. And being the one to do the field dressing I can tell ya it does the job well with ballistic silver tips. And she ain't got a bruise from it so far.
 
I say the 243, less kick, can get it in really small rifles; the remmy model 7 is the standard, I also like a mossy superbantam, with addon buttpad discs- they start out real small. also a cz would be great.
their is no deer out there, that can withstand the lightening strike of a 243, especially a soft tip of hollow point. and reaaheeally if you are going to handload; crank up some 90 or 100 grainers at 3000 fps. And as for varmint shots, the 243 is naturally a bit more accurate than a 7.08, with much more of a straight laser shot, all the way out to 400 yds, if need be.
Most girls I know, who hate rifles that kick anything over the 270, both like, and will shoot a 243, all day.
 
I just bought a bunch of Prvi 140gr SP 7mm08 from AmmunitionToGo, for a whopping $14 and change per box plus shipping. For deer hunting, it'll do as well as anything else.

For more deer than varmintin', I'm pretty happy with the 7mm08 and as a handloader I like the bullet selection better than 243. If varmintin' is the predominant use, the 243 is likely a better choice and it will certainly be a bit easier in the recoil department.

In the end, I would almost imagine that it comes down to which ammo is easier to find and/or stock.
 
We tried the walmart and the dicks sporting goods, and neither had it, so we had to go to a range about 15 miles from my buddies house. The cheapest stuff they had was federal for $35 a box. It might have been cheaper, but they usually put a nice little premium, since you have to buy their ammo to shoot at their range.
 
At her size, I would go .243 or even look at .22-250 (although you don't have the reloading equipment), tons of deer have been killed with it.
 
I started out on a .243 when I was 12 and was about the same size as your daughter is. If she knows how to shoot, it's plenty of rifle. If she needs to practice, get her behind a .22lr for the next year until she can go hunting when she's 12.

I moved onto a .270 when I was around 16 and have just recently bought myself a 7mm-08. I think those both have a little too much recoil for a 5', 90 lb'er. I'd go with the .243, but keep the 7mm-08 in mind when she gets a little older if she decides to go for something a little larger. It's a great caliber.
 
I like the 6.5's, and I would rather have a 7-08 over the .243. That said, for your use I think the .243 is best. No way to screw up calibers, already have reloading equipment, get comfortable shooting a low recoil rifle and then put a good bullet in the right spot in the deer and start the gutting part!!

Ammo selection and cost is mute, you will reload. Gun selection is near mute as they both come in the basic ones w/ slight nod to .243. Both are based on .308, just bullet size. She is a little one that needs confidence more than better anything............

And thanks for getting a new shooter set up, we all owe you something for that.

My thoughts are now complete;)

Tony
 
If you don't mind me veering just a bit, I'll give you my thoughts on this subject... and go a bit against the grain.

Common advice is that children should hunt with small calibers with low recoil, so that they don't get the he*l kicked out of them and get 'scared' of the recoil and discouraged. No one wants that... we want to encourage them to hunt with us!

There is one thing I know of that makes hunting even more discouraging than recoil... and that is losing the deer that they shot. Youngun's are inexperienced hunters and shooters. They may not make the perfect shot. A larger bullet is preferable to a smaller and faster one in this case. In my extensive experience it makes a larger hole, causing the deer to bleed out faster and making them easier to track.

My daughter, at age 11 shot her 1st 2 deer last year with a .270 140grn sp. It kicked all right... but all she was worried about directly after squeezing the trigger was whether she hit the deer! She NEVER felt the recoil. The deer died within 15 feet of where she shot it... the longest shot 90 yards.

I've been deer hunting for over 30 years. In my experience varmit calibers are for varmits (fine for head shots though). I've killed a lot of deer with a 243 100grn sp, but would go with the heavier bullet of the 7mm-08 any day. :)
 
I want something she can use for varmint as well as deer

That requirement pretty well locks in the 243. Easy shooting and adequate for deer, it's a devastating varmint round with the lighter bullets.
Pick her out one that fits.


NCsmitty
 
The model 7 is definitely a better pick than a 700 if you've got someone small who's going to be packing the rifle all day. My 5'5" wife loves her lightweight 7mm-08 model 7.

243 not enough for deer? We kill lots of them here with 223. The difference between 243 and 7mm-08 in terms of killing power is probably not enough to worry about at typical hunting rages.

To my mind, varmint rifles and hunting rifles are two different beasts. In the former, I want a flat shooting super accurate sub MOA rifle that can hit a small target at the extreme range of the cartridge. For a deer rifle, I want something I can pack all day and not get tires, handles well for a quick shot, and has enough killing power to get the job done. Minute of deer is adequate accuracy, and I've taken a few deer with military rifles that shoot in the 2-3 MOA range.

YMMV
 
I would have to go with .243 here. It does both well while the others are a bit much for varmints. The heavy bullets with decent shot placement will take deer as well as anything. I am personally looking to go with a .260 soon as the long heavy 6.5mm bullets sound like a ton of fun but it won't be a varmint rifle at all. If you really think varmints will be in the equation I would go .243. Otherwise .260 and 7mm-08 are both better options for deer. Since you already reload you only need dies and bullets to be into either 6.5 or 7mm options. It really comes down as said above to if this will be a deer rifle with the occasional varmint or a varmint rifle with the occasional deer. That decision is what would push me bigger or smaller.
 
keigansdeer006.jpg

My sons first deer taken with a .243 shooting a 95 grain SST at 178 yards. Buck went less than 30 yards before crashing. Great rifle for youth and small framed folks. Hell it is plenty rifle for anyone to use on deer and varmits.
 
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