I just purchased a new Savage 93FVSS 22mag (which I have yet to shoot) but I am thinking ahead to my next gun. I own a H&R single shot .308 which I use for white tail hunting but i would like a caliber between a .308 and the .22. I was going to buy a .223 because the ammo is relativly cheep and abundant but it seems as though it is too close to .22 for me to bother. What caliber would you buy to fit in between these cartridges? I would be using it for alot for shooting comps and target practice, not necessarily hunting.
I know a .22 mag and a .223 are quite different as far as ballistics go but what caliber would you buy if you had to pick one for all around performance?
.243?
.270?
And yes I would reload what ever cartridge I deceided on.
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I would go with the .243, and the .223 would be my next choice. The .243 is really nice because it can honestly be a great varmint gun, and a great whitetail deer/pronghorn cartridge. It is very light on the shoulder which makes it extremely fun to take to the range and have fun with. There are a ton of bullet options out there for the handloader. It is a relatively cheap cartridge to reload, powder capacity is not a whole lot and since bullets are small, they tend to be fairly inexpensive. It is a really popular cartridge too so if for some reason you decided to stop handloading, there still would be a lot of factory loadings available at most sporting goods stores.
The .270 is pretty close to the .308 as far as power level goes. You would use it to hunt the same animals really and wouldn't gain you much of anything. As a matter of fact, it might be more expensive to reload slightly due to its increased case capacity. It is a smaller diameter bullet going faster, so you gain a flatter trajectory but your energy levels aren't that much different.
I think the .243 is a great choice for you, I recently added one to my collection.
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Browning X Bolt .243, Nikon Buckmasters 3x9
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Browning A Bolt .270 SS, Nikon Buckmasters 3x9
Ruger Blackhawk 6 5/8" .41 Magnum
What is it going to be mainly used for? If it's for varmints and paper, the .223 will be the cheapest to shoot. If the .243 is legal for Whitetails, the .243 will give you the option of using the .308 or the lighter .243.
The .243, with good hunting bullets, works great on Whitetail sized game.
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Your're kinda looking at two different applications...You mention competition and target practice...Forget the .270 for that as most .243s and .223s when tuned will out shoot a .270...
As a general rule the .223 will outshoot a .243 in addition it would be more pleasant to shoot if you are talking about shooting a hundred rounds a day...Add in that it's cheaper to reload...
Since you have a .308 I'd go with the .223 as it's actually a few steps up from a .22 mag...
I may have just over thought the question. I was looking at it like this, the .22 mag is .22 caliber. A .223 by definition is only .003 larger than the .22. My thinking (thanks to the Jack Daniels) was that they were to close in caliber to be of much difference but obviously the .223 is a much stronger load given the fact it is over 1000 fps faster at the mussle tham the .22 mag.
I guess I was just wondering which you wold choose if you had to pick one. Looks like a .223 is still the best bet.
Picking a new caliber
