243 Winchester or 7mm/08...

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Easy..go .243

The 243 is a fantastic deer caliber. Espesially if you are going to be shooting only up to 100 yards. With a good bullet and a good shot your in business. I like the barnes ttsx 100g or even the good old remington coreloct. Im not a 7mm-08 hater by any means, its a fantastic round. But for what you stated I woulg go .243. And with short shots like that a 1-4x, or 2-7x would be perfect if you havnt decided on glass yet. Thats my opinion but you really cant go wrong with either one, both are great calibers.
 
Shot my biggest whitetail with a 243, their not all that big around here. For a little bigger game i'd go with the 7mm.
 
I'm glad for your decision. While I have a personal prejudice for the .243, it is an undeniable truth that in most deer or larger game, the 7mm-08 will have an edge.

Almost every cartridge commonly in use has certain niches that it fills. The .243 really should not be used on really big deer or elk, because it can't break bones well enough, or penetrate through a huge gut full of fodder. Without premium bullets, you chance failure. the expanded diameter of the 08 will be a bit larger, the mass larger, and penetration deeper. You will need that if you ever confront a larger deer.
 
Whoa, there brian, a 100 grn partition will penetrate, bone and a "gut full of fodder". What you failed to mention that "in the hands of some that can't usually hit where they aim" might not be a good caliber, otherwise it's fine for us that know it's capability!!!;)
 
"...a 100 grn partition will penetrate..."
Right, a 100 grain Nosler Partition in a .243 will smoke just about anything.
 
Right, a 100 grain Nosler Partition in a .243 will smoke just about anything.
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Funny, I don't see .243 mentioned as an elk or bear cartridge, much......

Unless recoil is an issue for you, the 7-08 has the advantage for big game applications...... while a 100 grain Partition out of a .243 will work for deer.... it won't do anything a 140 or 150 grain Partion out of a 7-08 can't do (with a higher BC and more downrange energy) ..... and the 7-08 will work for larger game, too.
 
elk or bear?

Have the last few guys even read his original post?? He will be deer hunting and shots typically under 100 yards. With the information given he could get away with a 22-250! 100 grains of any good bullet will take down even the biggest deer...shot placement gentleman. Shot placement
 
Blacktail are relatively small. 140# is a good size. So unless you run across a record breaker the .243 is more than enough power. At 100yds even if you do come across a record breaker the .243 is more than enough.

You do have a larger bullet choices with the 7mm-08. There is a theoretical advantage to heavier slower bullets. The argument is that larger slower does less meat damage than lighter faster bullets.
It's true in the extremes imho. But there's not enough difference between the two cartridges you mention.

I'd lean towards the .243, mostly because light recoil and possible target shooting is attractive to me.

In the end it's about the rifle not what cartridge you're shooting. A relatively light easy to point rifle in either round will be a great choice. If you can find a short barreled Savage Model 99 in .243 that might be a perfect choice.
 
I just have to disagree. a person firing a mediocre bullet against a big bull quartering, from the front, or misses their intended target can hit pelvis, thigh, a lot of rib, or, a giant pile of sawdust and compost.

That sort of impact is going to hamper the performance of any bullet, and in many cases, just shut it down.

Even the top 10% of shooters still miss in the hunting fields. Nobody can be absolutely certain beyond 1-200 yards that a hunting shot is going to without a doubt strike within a 6 inch radius, there is too much variability. A wind, a bump, the critter twitching, even a twig or horsefly that got into the bullet path.

choosing the absolute minimum caliber is a personal choice. I find it unethical. The broken stub of an exploded .243 bullet sliding through a lung is going to be a badly wounded and slowly dying animal. A 180 grain partition out of a .30 caliber rifle will do far more damage even with a poor shot, and the animal at least will bleed out quicker.

Everybody has the choice. Use a shoot and release caliber like the 223 on mule deer, and risk leaving it there for the scavengers after a day of internal bleeding, or do your best to ensure that a poor hit is still a probable kill.

I will use a .243 against missouri whitetail, as distance is short, deer are small, and my abilities allow me confidence to put it in the zone at 200 yards. If I ever go outside of the realm of missouri whitetail again, I will use one of my 30-06 rifles. Why would I even remotely choose to go undergunned against a deer? Would I take a .243 out against black bear? a cougar? It's kind of unfair to treat a deer with any less certainty than you would something that can stomp you.
 
Given the same choice about 18 years ago (now 25/06's available then), I chose 7/08 because it gave me a bit better bullet weight and options than a 243. No regrets and that rifle (700BLD stainless) still puts meat on the table on a routine basis.
 
To reiterate my original point, I find the .243 to be adequate against blacktail. I believe that a controlled expansion round should be used, because we don't always have nice, simple broadside shots. Even for those small deer, If I was buying new, I'd seriously consider moving up to a 25 or 7mm round, such as the savage or 7mm-08. small deer don't need a 257 or a 7mm magnum unless ranges reach 300 yards, and personally, I think that more because of trajectory than lost energy.

I don't believe in using the minimum round against an animal. That part is a personal choice. It doesn't change the fact that a .243 rifle will perform as medium game round.
 
Brian your a little aloof, as Ive killed Missouri whitetails that weigh 265 lbs dressed, Missouri doesn't necessarily have Sasquatchuan whitetails but we have bigger deer than the average blacktail.... and the .243 win. is totally big enough for those suckers....;);)
 
I live in the southwest, where the lead in the soil has done some genetic damage to all of the species here. Any deer that reaches 25o pounds here does it because he has 2 heads and an extra leg. I just saw a mutant possum in my back yard that could eat a rottweiler.

I also grant that a lot of the guys here are now shooting on farms, from stands that command views of 3-400 yards of fields, and there, I can say that a 7mm magnum is even appropriate.

I'm never going to forget my neighbor, though, who shot a deer with a 30-30. he started out with a gut shot, then a hind leg, one in the high chest, and finally, when it tripped over a log, he got it high in the neck. All while on the run.

I wouldn't want him hunting deer with anything bigger than a taser, but since he is, I'd rather see him shooting big 12 gauge slugs that will tear great big holes in a deer, than a .243 that would just leave a crippling wound when he shoots it in the haunch.

Yep, I am an idealist, and want to see people overgunned rather than undergunned, because too many people are like my neighbor. "if I hit it, it will die."

I have a credo. there is no such thing as overkill; dead is dead. Underkill is what you need to avoid, no matter what you are shooting at.
 
Brian, you and your neighbor just need to practice your shooting skills. ;) Some people (like your neighbor) need both shooting and decision making skills. You can't justify or quantify bad hunting and judgement skills by using larger weapons to kill animals cleanly.

Killing animals cleanly is the only thing I strive for when I hunt, and I don't need to be overgunned to accomplish my goals.
If you and your neighbor need mentoring, I volunteer... I believe that every hunter, old or new, OWES the animal they pursue a clean and humane harvest.
After all the only thing between us and the antihunter crowd is our mannerisms, let's take our neighbors by the hand and lead them to the range and practice with them!:)
 
I wouldn't buy the 243, as I consider it marginal for deer. The 7mm08 gives more room for error, and even the great shots need a little margin for error every now and then. But, if you reload, I'm with a couple of the other guys that suggested the 260 Remington. That would be just about perfect for what you'll be hunting. If you don't reload, get the 7mm08.
 
I'll add my take on it. For deer you can't go wrong with either. .243 will work more than adequately. When i was younger i gut shot a doe at around 350yds she didn't move. Conversely my first deer was shot right behind the front shoulder at 200yds, he ran about 50yds. My father has shot some with a .300wby some run some don't. It's not an absolute guarantee how the animal will react to being shot just because most of the time they drop like a sack of bricks. And i completely agree with hooligan saying the .243 is underpowered for deer is false, a well placed shot will drop a lot of animals with most calibers that many hunters consider "weak" A dear friend that was our gunsmith back home who passed killed his elk with his .243.

I'm a 6mm and 6.5mm nut though so i would either go .243 or .260 if you reload. Since i like the long range type stuff, the 7mm bullet doesn't really hit good enough speeds IMO to compensate for it's BC till you get the .284 winchester or better.
 
Different Strokes for Different Folks.....

Have the last few guys even read his original post?? He will be deer hunting and shots typically under 100 yards.
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Yep.... I read it. I just think that one day he might want to hunt somehting larger.... the 7-08 allows for that.

With the information given he could get away with a 22-250! 100 grains of any good bullet will take down even the biggest deer...shot placement gentleman. Shot placement
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I wasn't aware of any 100 grain bullet available in .22 cal ....or any loaing data for one in .22-250 ......;)

Maybe, maybe not..... perfect placement is not always possible, particularly if you are not "hunting" on a "game ranch" from a tower blind with a Moultrie feeder 100 yards in front of you ....... and a .22-250 might be just peachy for one of your Texas "Hollywood Plastic Fantastic" deer (enormous, unpossible in nature racks on skinny bodies) ..... but for a 200 lb buck moving as fast as he can, I want some foot/lbs..... YM, and hunting situations, MV....
 
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