Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have prett much ruled out the .243 for now. So now I'm thinking of a 22-250. There is already a thread on this caliber, so I don't want to start a whole new discussion here. But as I understand it, the power and ballistics of the 22-250 are superior to the .223. The downsides are more expensive ammo, and wear on the barrel. Sincwe barrels for the handirifle are so inexpensive, I do not see a problem with that. Cost of ammo is about the only thing for me to consider.