RE: Is the .243 a good deer/predetor gune, or is there a better one
There are probably a couple cartridges that fill the predator/deer gun a little better. The 257 Roberts is one and the 260 Remington the other. The 257 shoots a 75 gr. varmint bullet and can be had in a 117 or 120 gr. for deer.The cartridge isn't as popular as the 243 but that doesn't mean it's not better for that dual purpose role. The 260 shoots a 6.5 mm bullet ranging from 85gr. to 140 gr. in the same basic .308 case.(the 243 is a.308 necked down to 24cal. and the 260 is a .308 necked down to 26cal)Coyotes won't notice the difference in which gun hit them , but a whitetail will certainly feel the difference between 120 or 140's and the 100grainer that a 243 spits out.