243 VS 308

Between 308 and 243, for target shooting/hunting deer/hogs a .243 would be the better choice.
You can shoot all day long with .243 and be better off.

Buds might have good prices/choices, but you might want to cruise some local pawn shops as well to compare choices and prices. .243s are pretty common and you might find a comparable choice locally.
 
I you place your shots right, the deer won't do much running anywhere. .243 huge advantage for my purposes, as I can use bullets as light as 55gr for varmints and over 100gr. for larger game. There is no FL game that a well-placed shot with a .243 won't drop...quickly.
 
I have shot a .243 a lot on deer, hogs, and more recently coyotes and prairie dogs. The key is that with today's wide choice of high quality bullets designed for a variety of applications the .243 is a very versatile caliber. I am currently using Hornady SST 95gr for deer and hogs, and 55 and 58 gr bullets for coyotes and prairie dogs.
You mentioned that you are looking the Axis which without looking I assume has a limited choice of calibers. I would recommend you look at Savage 10 or Remington 700. There are many other quality rifles on the market as well but if budget is limited you can get a bottom end Savage or Remington and have a wide range of upgrade options, many of them fairly inexpensive, available in the future. You don't get that with the Axis. If you just want a low priced rifle with low recoil that can still take down deer/hog sized game, the 243 Axis will get the job done if you shoot straight. As several other posters have mentioned firepower will not always compensate for poor accuracy.
 
First of all, I agree with the others, Bud's is your best bet---I've bought over ten long guns from them and I've not found better prices anywhere---no tax, no shipping, just whatever fee your local FFL holder charges for handling the paperwork---I've owned one .243 and never got the chance to actually hunt with it, never even fired a .308, so I'm in no position to offer any advice on those two rounds, but I'm definately a 30-06 fan---125 grains for the little ones and the 150 to 165 grainers for the heavy stuff---works for me---
 
versatile

If you are looking for 1 rifle to cover a wide spectrum of game of all sizes, including elk, moose and bears, and likely African Plains game, (I will never get to hunt either) the .308, with its wide variety of heavier bullets is the choice. No one can argue that a .308/165 or 180 premo slug is not more rifle than the .243 by a wide margin.

But, most of us will not get to Africa, brace a grizzly or a moose, or level on an elk. Deer and hogs, maybe black bear for most of us. For that, the .243 with a good bullet ( I like the NOsler Partion in .243) is fine. Watch out for fragile varmint slugs in .243, make sure you get a big game bullet.

I've shot and hunted the .243. and watched my boy use it too, enough to change my entire opinion, for once I was a dedicated .243 basher. No more.
 
The last 100 lb doe I shot at 100 yards (perfect broadside double lung passthrough) with a .308 168 grain Hornady Amax ran 70 yards before dropping. Part of the lung was sticking out of the large exit wound.

The 150 lb buck I shot that same weekend with that same gun (slightly quartering, double lung pass through) only ran 40 yards.

I have shot half a dozen deer with the 6.8 SPC 110 grain bullets (double lung shot broadside) with less energy than a .243 and all animals dropped within 0-60 yards. Most of the hogs I shot dropped within 50 yards but a few have dash away to the thick brush.

The short of the story is animals are completely unpredictable when shot even when using good bullets at good presentations (broadside and quartering). Larger calibers in my opinion don't matter that much assuming you use .243 and larger calibers.

The .243 has less penetration and energy that the larger .308 but that does not mean it kills any less.

Assuming you want a good blood trail, a double lung pass through shot is ideal for tracking.

On a deer, a .243 may fail to pass through on a quartering shot but not on broadside double lung shot. The .308 gives you more penetration in that situation.

Hogs are much tougher and pass through shots are not guaranteed on very large hogs.

I don't see a huge advantage for the .308 for a general purpose hunting/recreational target shooting rifle.

You can buy a .243 and keep it for a lifetime to pass to your kids.



If you every get into long range precision shooting later, you would probably get to a heavy barrel precision rifle...but that's a different need all together.
 
Why not a .308 with a limb saver or similiar recoil pad? I have both, and felt recoil is similiar (limb saver on .308). My 6.5 creedmoor is far far far more accurate than either, but its an $800 gun vs two $300 guns, so the comparison isn't fair.

If cuttin yards is how you earn your money, why not save up all summer and get an even better gun? Grass cuttin season is just starting....deer season is still months away.
 
the .243 winchester wins this debate hands down. Sure its better to get more gun, but given the situation, theres only a few species in north america that you would not be able to go hunt, ie

grizzly, kodiak, buffalo, moose, and possibly elk.

however, most people who specifically hunt grizzly and kodiak normally start with a minimum caliber of 375 h and h.
 
Unless you reload or are independently wealthy, avoid the less common calibers (7mm-08, 6.5 Grendel, etc.) which are hard to find and expensive. I would go with the .308 because it comes in many flavors, is in every store that sells ammo, and is relatively inexpensive.
 
My vote is for the 308. Better selection of bullets and brass is abundant. The 243 in a fine cartridge but considered too small for elk in Colorado. Keep 308 velocity down to about 2700 fps and with that comes extended barrel life.
 
Another vote for 308. I have 2 308 rifles, no 243 but I have a 6mm Rem. I just can't get the 6mm to shoot right. Regardless, I think 308 is the most efficient and best all around round. It has light recoil (my lighter weight 6mm has more recoil). I hunt in middle Georgia, raised in south Georgia and north Florida, so I know all about thick woods. I know that heavy bullets are way better in thick woods and at short distances. i have shot 2 big bucks with the 308, the largest one dropped right there. 6mm shot a doe and it ran 75 yards. I know, it may be shot placement, but all were double lung shots. The 308 with 168gr Nosler ballistic tips had about a 4 inch wound channel. also, you don't have to reload those, you can buy it already loaded from Nosler.
 
I would take the .243 because it will do the job just as well with less recoil. Just my 2 cents worth. I live in Dallas and the deer here are small as well. Never had to track a deer I shot with a .243; they usually die within 30-40 yards of where shot.

Todd
 
Love both rounds though I shoot the 257 Roberts now that I'm 243 less.

Pick the one you can shoot best and don't look back.
 
I would be willing to bet if I handed most a rifle without knowing the caliber and you shot your average deer with it, other than recoil, you could not tell the difference btween a 243, 260 7mm-08, 257 roberts, 30-30, 308 etc. Ive shot numerous deer with them all and unless it was a high shoulder or neck shot 99% of them reacted the same. A mad scramble then pile up. Some bled alot and some didnt.
Only when Ive gone up to a magnum 30 could I see a significant difference upon impact.
My two sons had a long string of one shot kills with a 243 handi rifle and Remington 100 gr core lokt ammo. That little rifle has since been passed on and is still killing deer.

My personal favorite is a 25-06. Just because.
 
For what you described the .243 hands down. I've shot the Axis in .308 quite a lot and recoil is a bit much in that rifle which surprised me (I'm not recoil sensitive by no means but after a box of shells the fun had worn off the ammo was 150gr Remingtom Core-Lokts). If you are not used to a decent kick the .308 in that gun could cause you to develop a flinch which wouldn't be good. It's the only Axis I've shot so I can't confirm recoil in other calibers but gees it's got to be less in the .243 I hope. Now if you are just hung up on wanting it in the .308 you can try a Managed Recoil load but you will give up a bit in range. FYI the .243 will kill deer sized game just as cleanly as the .308 inside 400 yards. It's all about shot placement not bullet size.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top