ORIGINAL: James B
Having used both the 257 Roberts and the 243 for deer, I would choose the Roberts in a heartbeat over the 243. Any advantage the 243 has is only on paper. I have not used any factory ammo in the Roberts but I load the 100 Grain X bullet to 3050 fps. I do use the +P WW brass. My wife does her deer hunting with the 250 Savage, another great deer round. My lower limit for deer is the 25 calibers.
I'm with you James. I like the .243 just fine (though I fancy the 6mm Rem more), but the advantages to having just a little bit larger bullet diameter and a heavier bullet with that .257 or the .250-3000 make it a little bit better choice in my opinion.
Its almost moot and I'm sure its probably been done, but has anyone heard of or had any experience necking the 308 case down to .257? With the .260 on the up end and the .243 on the low its really almost not needed, but I wonder what the performance would rival?