Sheridan

Stormin,

What other rifles do you own ?

".....but I've got plenty of other rifles to handle them."


How are we suppose to recommend a rifle, if we don't know if we are being redunant or not ??

Colorado Luckydog

A .243 or a 308 is not capable of taking either deer or antelope past 200 yards. The minimum caliber for those animals at longer ranges would be a Remington 300 Ultra Mag.

stormin1563

Seriously??????? Come on man..... The whole purpose of this site is to help each other out, and share experiences. No disrespect, but if you're not familiar with the topic, don't post.....

infmphunter

I have a feeling he was being a little sarcastic. Seems like everyone thinks the answer to every kind of western hunting is something akin to what you'd mount on top of a humvee in Afghanistan.

If you're going to do a lot of shooting and don't reload, the .308 is a no brainer. After .223 ammo for the .308 is probably the cheapest and most available for plinking. Plus I think it's just a cool caliber.

skinnnner

he was being sarcastic,hes a drama queen like that.LOL!

Colorado Luckydog

Heh Heh Heh!!!Yes, I was being sarcastic. These kind of threads about which gun should I shoot are getting old.

The caliber you shoot will have less to do with your success than the practice time you have with the gun of your choice. Learn about your game, find a good spot to hunt and practice with whatever gun you choose to shoot. Those are the keys to success, not which caliber you choose.

skb2706

Personally I believe you need the complete set of .308 based guns. Two just won't do. The .243 for the smaller of the big beasts, .260 Remington (my favorite) for the next step up, definitely a 7-08 for the larger deer and such, .308 for elk and then who knows.

infmphunter

Doesn't that always seem like the natural progression? You sit down and think about just ONE rifle, and you think well a .308 can knock 'em all down, the ammo is available and on the cheaper end, so I can use it for a plinking gun too, I'm set. Then you start to think about it and say well those 150 grain bullets might really tear up an antelope and for them and mulies I don't need anything too big for them, so let me try a .243(or in my case .25-06 is something I really want when I start reloading), then you say well now I got nothing in between the light .243 and the .308...I need that .260 to fill in the gap. Then you start thinking well now that I'm reloading I should check out a .30-06. I always wanted a Garand and it's such a classic round. THEN you think well what if I need some extra punch some day? A .300 win mag would really reach out and touch 'em and it couldn't hurt to have one.

I swear I'm not addicted, I can stop any time I want. I just don't wanna stop.

MinnFinn

.308 is less power than .30-06 so less range and not real flat shooting. I would say .270 Win. would be a better choice for what you're hunting for a flatter shooting bullet to reach out and touch your antelope and plenty of killing power for them and deer, even elk.

turkeyward

I spent a couple years researching and checking out lots of successfull hunters and 40 years of experience in the woods and 30 years guiding in one fashion or another. The best one gun I came up with is a 270WSM. You guys can do what you want to badmouth it but only an unexperienced person would or one who was just a fool. My wife took a full grown 6 point bull elk at 442 yards and crushed him. This gun is used for the family gun and the emergency client backup gun. It has killed at least 100 critters in its 6 years and has performed magnificently. To qualify it -- I'm a dyed in the wool big gun guy. I love the really big magnums but have to yield to the 270WSM as being the new best "ONE GUN" -- gun. I feel it passes the 30-06 for that purpose. If you are going bigger than deer then the 30-06 would have to get the nod. I truly feel the .243 is too small for a mature deer. As always shot placement is critical but with the .243 it is absolutely crucial. Those who know better - shoot better. Don't get me wrong, I like the .243 in the right situation but mature deer and anything bigger is just asking for trouble.