243 VS 7mm 08

[1948CJ2A]

7mm08 would be my pick over the .243. Will a .243 kill deer, coyote, and black bear...yes it will. A 7-08 does it better. Has more energy, similair recoil, and is a flat shooter. For your purposes of the 2 choices you listed a 7mm08 is your only option.

I wouldn't label the 7mm-08 a "flat shooter". IMO, you have to step up to the 280 Rem or one of the magnums to achieve this title.

 

[Art Eatman]

Well, for the "usual suspects" in the common deer cartridges (faster than the .30-30, anyway, and not the magnums), you can figure that if you're two inches high at 100 yards, you'll be close to dead-on at 200 and somewhere in the 5- to 7-inch low situation at 300.

Since the vast majority of deer and bear are shot within 200 yards, just how flat do you really need to be?

(Yes, flat is fun. The .220 Swift is one of my favorites. )

 

[itsa pain]

I don't like either one... mostly because I'm not a big fan of the 308 parent case they both use. And this is coming from someone who owns a 308 Win.

Sticking to your question though, I'd use the 243 for varmints and the 7mm for larger game. You could pick one and use it for both but neither would be optimal for all 3 animals.

I don't hunt bears but for deer and coyotes, a great all around caliber is .257. I have a 250 savage, 25-06 Rem, & a 257 Weatherby to quench my quarter-bore thirst.

To each his own but I think the 308 case and all its offspring is the best design ever packing as much power in a small case with record breaking accuracy in all its forms.

 

[d2wing]

I really liked the 2 243 rifles I owed, they were very accurate. But bullet selection for deer seems to be a problem. Neither hand loads or factory loads would consistently anchor big deer. I would chose bigger selection of bullet with the 7MM.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Neither hand loads or factory loads would consistently anchor big deer.

I've found a great bullet for anchoring whitetails is an 85-grain SGK BTHP. I believe it was Art that suggested it to me. We haven't shot but a few deer but none have had to be tracked. The farthest one was 157 steps and it was a complete pass through with a pretty large exit wound. As big as my '06 even.

Great bullet.

For game heavier than whitetails, it may come apart a little too quickly though.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

It shoots flatter than a .308, .30-30, and 30-06 plus a few other very common deer hunting cartridges so IMO is a flat shooter comparatively.

 

[R H Clark]

There's plenty of good 6mm bullets and the 243 is plenty for deer. They aren't armor plated. LOL Having said that, a man should hunt with whatever he has confidence in but know that confidence is the deciding factor, not 1mm of bullet diameter. the Barnes 80grn TTSX and Game King hollow point 85 grn are excellent premium 6mm bullets for the 10 twists and there are even more options with a faster twist.

Bullets kill, all that is needed is to put them in the right spot. This holds true from 22 RF all the way to 458 win mag.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY0w1c-gf18

 

[Abel]

Barrel life is longer on the 7mm-08 vs the 243.

 

[kludge]

Where are you?

There are worse deer rifles than the 7-08, but none better.

 

[cwmoss]

7-08 is the one I would prefer, which is a 308 necked down, then the 260, just necked down a bit more. You have a wide range of 7mm and 6.5 bullets to handle most anything you are going to hunt.

 

[greenlion]

I bought a 7mm-08 Savage Axis a few years back and then a 243 Ruger American a couple years ago just to plink around with. I've had nothing but trouble finding an accurate load out of the 7mm-08, but the 243 is a lazer. The trigger on the Ruger helps with accuracy a lot, but I also cannot get near the published velocities out of the 7mm-08 without seeing slight pressure signs.

I've though about a 260 Remington a lot, but it seems to be chambered in fewer and fewer rifles every year while the 6.5 Creedmoor is gaining popularity, and the ammo seems more common.

 

[ms6852]

At this point it really becomes personal preference and what is important to you. For example the 243 will maintain supersonic velocity to 1100 yds vs the 7mm-08 which is supersonic to 1500 yds. Both deliver enough energy for deer to 500 yds with the 243 @ 942lbs vs 1324 lbs for the 7mm-08. I believe but don't quote me you need at least 500lbs to bring a deer down.

Ammo availability is more suitable for the 243, but you can also find some for the 7mm08. Recoil is negligible on both calibers. You decide what you want.

 

[R H Clark]

The link I posted above shows plenty of 243 energy on an elk at 688 yards with a 105 VLD. It's all about bullet and placement.

 

[cdb1]

That choice to me comes down to planning to shoot more coyote than deer and or black bear, get the .243
Planning to shoot more deer and black bear than coyote, choose the seven oh eight.

I have a .243 and shoot a lot of coyote with it but cannot hunt deer with a centerfire rifle in this state and black bear are pretty much non existent except in zoos.

I agree, if I had only one rifle and did not hunt coyote and varmints it would be a 7mm-08. If big game and varmints were on the menu it would be a .243.

Where I live 7mm-08 ammo is more expensive than .243 and .260 costs more than 7mm-08. My favorite caliber is .264 but I handload, mine is a 6.5x55.

 

[itsa pain]

The link I posted above shows plenty of 243 energy on an elk at 688 yards with a 105 VLD. It's all about bullet and placement.

One guy said the 7mm-08 was not flat shooting. Look what can be done with the 243 and the right bullet same for the 7mm-08. Some guys think you have to have a 20mm artillery shell necked down to 338 caliber to be "flat" shooting lol

 

[nastynatesfish]

I have both. Sure the 243 can kill at ~700 yards but I woudnt even advise trying. Sure you can run a large array of bullet writs in 243. But 7-08 with a 100gr bullet is bad magicked on coyotes, and a good target rig with 162-180gr bullets. I feed mine nothing but 140gr vlds or nosler hunting bullets. At ~2900fps out of a 24" barreled rifle I don't think you'd need more. 500 maybe 600 is all I'd push it to kill efficiently. My 7mag does it better at 500+ yards with the same bullet

 

[DM~]

7-08 is the one I would prefer, which is a 308 necked down, then the 260, just necked down a bit more.

AND the .243 is the .308 necked down even more yet....

DM

 

[gamestalker]

I'm not a huge fan of the 7-08, but that's probably just me. OTOH, I have personally seen numerous large mule deer, elk, black bear, and everything in between taken with the .243 win..

Is there some under lying reason why your focused on just those two cartridges? I ask because a .270 win would cover all your bases with no problem. It's accurate, flat shooting, and I have killed many big game including bear, elk, deer, antelope, and even an oryx with nothing bigger than a quality 130 gr. bullet. It has also served as a stellar varmint cartridge with 90 gr. HP's or PSP's.

GS

 

[GooseGestapo]

In reference to "bullet failures" with the .243; My failures have been with:
1. Speer 105gr "HotCor" sptz. 410yd shot hit lungs mid torso. Pin prick entry wound, 1/4" exit wound. Carcass found 3days later after turkey vultures found it first.
2. Hornady 100gr BtSpt "Interlok"; Forward raking torso shot, deer fell to ground, sparse blood trail, deer traveled over 500yds till blood trail was lost. Never located deer; shot distance was 30yds. Deer trotting away after scenting me.
3. Hornady 100gr RN "Interlok"; 25yd downward raking shot from tree-stand. Bullet impacted just under spine raking downward just behind shoulder on broadside shot. Deer fell at shot, jump up and ran with tail down out of sight. Because entry wound was above mid-line of torso, no blood trail. Just brown hair/blood blown out of entry wound. Deer never found.
4. Sierra 100gr BTSpt (before they were call "GameKings" in early 1980's) chrono'd 3,000fps load (IMR4350) from 24" bbl Rem. 700 varminter; Range-estimate 390yds (paced by shooter). Bullet seen to impact behind shoulder, below spine w/broadside shot. Deer found 5days later, Boone $ Crockett head (non-typical) Harris Co. Ga. Property now owned by Jeff Foxworth/Bill Jordan (Realtree Industries). Pin hole entry, pin-hole exit, one rib broken prior to exit. Shooter "retired" the .243 and has since used a .270, later a .300WSM (rifle was anniversary gift from wife....).
5. 100gr Nosler Partition (Federal factory load). 25yd shot, to lungs/liver. Deer ran 500yds and collapsed under other hunters stand on adjacent lease. Shooter was detained by "witness" for prosecution for "tresspass/hunting w/o permission. I declined to prosecute as "shooter" showed me the "back trail" of blood to his stand; and left his rifle at property line leaned up against tree.

I'm not including all the "blow ups" I've seen with "poachers" using the 80gr and lighter bullets. Or, those shot at night across fields/powerline row's; ect.

Sorry, my "ambivalence" towards the .243 is from personal observation and experience over a 25yr career in Conservation Enforcement and 40yrs of deer hunting. I still have a .243 and it's very accurate, and I killed the only deer I shot last year with it. (100gr Privi Partisan Semi-Pt Spt. 164yds, from my kitchen window (lased). Broadside heart shot, deer ran 25yds.... pin prick entry, 3/4" exit wound... Typical of my experience with most "deer" weight bullets in the .243. (41.5gr IMR4350, chrono's ~2,950fps).
(shot placement, shot placement, shot placement...).

But; I've had "failures" with the 7mm08, but have been limited to failure to expand on "trick" bullets (Hornady 140gr SST's). Only deer of 5 shot with bullets from that lot # was shot downward from tree stand through the spine. Bullet at ~2,750fps impact velocity still failed to expand... I prefer Sierra's and Rem. CorLokts.....

 

[Highboots]

243 vs 7mm08

I have a 243 an a 270 .I don't like the 243 much a buddy of mine use the caliber a lot love it till he started to loose deer .He told me to get a 25-06 or 257 Roberts .Also I am new here so this is first post Thanks Highboots

 

[T.R.]

243: Widely popular across the planet. It knocks over deer sized animals with ease. I would not choose it for bears.

7mm-08: Heavier bullet but shoots a very flat trajectory. This cartridge has what it takes for game larger than deer.

TR

 

[Kachok]

Lets be clear here. The only advantages the 243 holds are availability, not that 7mm-08 is hard to find at all there is just more 243 laying around, and according to some a slight speed/trajectory advantage though to be honest with you I am getting 2953fps average out of my 140gr 7mm-08 3gr shy of my max load, no 100gr 243 load could surpass that in any meaningful way with a 100 or 105gr even pushing it's limits.
The advantages of the 7mm-08 are clear, significantly higher bullet weights for larger game, I personally use up to 160gr and 175gr loads are not unheard of, higher energy across the board, less drift at range, and a noticeably larger frontal area for more impact on target.
For deer/bear hunting the choice is very clear. However if that range were varmint/small deer the 243 would have some significant perks that would make it more competitive.
Someone here mentioned the 7mm-08 is harder to load for, and in general I would agree with that, but once I found what powders it likes it became one of the easiest, second only to the 6.5x55 which is so painfully easy we joke about it. My 7mm-08 is shooting 1/2-3/4 MOA with 140-160gr SGKs, around 3/8" with 145gr BTSP and one ragged hole with 120gr Pro Hunters, if you cannot hit a deer clean with that you have no business hunting.

 

[Eb1]

I second post #9. .257 caliber perferably in 115 grain ballistic tips. Those have never let me down, but have put the deer down at distances up to 300 yards. Straight down. Never another step when they were shot with the .25-06.

Beer? I'd take my 30-30, .303 British or Ruger 77/44 in .44 Magnum.

 

[firedawg60]

Beer? I'd take my 30-30, .303 British or Ruger 77/44 in .44 Magnum.

Better watch that mixing firearms and alcohol!

 

[AZ Desertrat]

Except for the availability of heavier projectiles, the .243 should be fine for all the above....I have taken black bear up in Washington with the .243...also belong the the "I got an elk with the .243" club....it can be done...just be careful....and be close.