Originally Posted by
Bbj270
I still say the 7mm08 is a better caliber. The 7mm08 with 140 overlooks is 2142 ft lbs at 100 yards. A 100 grain 243 corelocks is 1615 ft-lbs at 100 yards. Muzzle velocity is 2860 for the 7mm08 and 2960 for 243. All information from remington website. My cousins 8 year old son shot is 243 and 7mm08. He liked the 7/08 better, He killed 4 deer and a 175lbs bear with it last year. Another friend took his 14 year old grandson to Africa and he shot 6 plains game animals with his 7/08. I might add my conditions 7/08 is a youth model seven with synthetic stock and his 243 weights more and is a wood stock 788. So recoil is not any more noticeable.
Better? How so? I own both 7mm-08 and 243, along with 270, 280, 264 Winnie, 7mm STW, 30'06. 7-08 is a great round, so are the others. To say one is "better" than the other is nonsense. I have yet to see any whitetail that can tell the difference between any of em with a properly placed shot. If we were talking about a do all gun for whitetails, bear and African game, I'd agree that 7-08 is probably a better choice than 243. However, the question was for a youth gun for deer and antelope. I have a soon to be 5 year old whom I'll be shopping for a quality bolt gun. 243 will be the choice. Recoil energy from a 243 100gr bullet is 8.8 lbs as compared to 12.6 lbs for a 7mm-08 140 gr bullet (Chuck Hawks site). No way am I going to subject a 55 lb kid to 43% more recoil for no real benefit on game.