7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

HELLO ALL,

IM GOING TO BUY A HANDI RIFLE FOR MY LITTLE BOY HE CAN HANDLE THE RECOIL FROM THESE TWO RIFLE CALIBERS. ANY ONE WITH ANY OPIONS LET ME KNOW WHICH IS THE BEST, I LIKE THE 7.62 BECAUSE IT IS 30 CAL BUT THE 243 HAS MORE OPTIONS FOR AMMO. SO ANYONE THAT HAS SHOT BOTH PLEASE LET ME KNOW.....

THANKS IN ADVANCE
CHRIS

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Of the two, I would take the 30 cal rifle. However I would pick the 260 or 6.5x55 over either of those. Both are available in the Ruger all weather rifle. Good Luck.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Me also!

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I'd get the 243 out of the 2 that you mentioned for the extended range, better ammo, and it will make a very nice varmint rifle as well.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I personally got the 243/20 combo youth handi rifle for my son 2 years ago when he was nine. I will never be an actual fan of the 243 but I must admit that it has done a very nice job on the two deer he has shot with it.
He is eleven now and our next move will be a 7mm-08. I dont know your sons size or age but if he handle the 08 Id pick it and if you wand a shot gun as well then go for the 243 combo.
It has been an exdellent and accurate rifle,just have the chamber polished before you get started or the rifle brass wont eject.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I'd get the 243. The 7.62 will kill deer okay within 100 yards but it was concieved as a light assault weapon round. Something that could be fired on full auto without much muzzle climb. In other words it's not that powerful. The 243 despite being very very low on recoil has about 500 more foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. The 100gr 243 bullet has a better B.C than the 125gr 7.62. Despite being a larger diameter the much slower speed of the 7.62 is going to negate any potential advantage in killing power over the 243. Also as your son gets older and able to take longer shots the energy of the 7.62 drops pretty sharply past 100 yards. The 243 on the other hand still has more than 1000 fps of energy at 300 yards. The 7.62 drops under 1000 fps of energy well before youget to 200 yards. Also while there is definately a lot of cheap ammo out there for the 7.62 almost all of it is low grade military surplus or Russian made stuff intended for plinking with AK-47 and SKS type rifles. The selection of well made 7.62 hunting bullets will be miniscule compared to whats out there for the 243.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I use a .243. I love it never lost a deer. I have broken the back,briskey shot and my favorite a lung shot where the bullet went in one side and made swiss cheese out of the liver. Bounced around in there and came out the bottom like a drain hole. It is very accurate. The farthest i shoot is 100 yards and I can get very good results with it.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Stay away from that 7.62, it just doesnt have much power. I hunt in oklahoma, colorado and wyoming ( I am not rich, I just spend what little money I have) and I end up with shots over 100 yards frequently. I took a 150 pound doe (before field dressing) with the 243 at 160 yards and it worked perfectly. If I lived and hunted only where there were whitetails, I would only use a 243 or 6mm remington. Get him a 243 and he will use it forever. EJ

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Well, the 7.62x39 is really cheap to shoot (assuming that NEF will fire Wolf ammo) and the recoil isn't quite as sharp as a .243. This means that a kid could practice more without recoil fatigue. Presumably this could mean he/she will become a better and more confident shot. I've heard that where you hit a deer means more than what you hit it with. Ballistically, it packs a little less energy than a .30/.30.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I'd take a .243, no questions asked.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

.243 hands down for me. It just has so much more going for it. The 7.62x39 will work, but the .243 is better in my opinion.

And premium ammo for the 7.62 will cost just as much or more than the .243 and there will not be a lot of selection or availability in some cases. Pretty much everyone will have .243.

I am a big fan of finding a load that works in a gun and sticking with it. If he wants to plink get him a .22.

If you want a .30 cal see if you can get one in a 30-30, they are pretty simular but the 30-30 has slightly better ballistics and some heavier bullets I think.

I wouldn't rule out the 25-06 either.

Paul

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I've used a .243 since 1980...killed at least 130-140 deer with, ain't nothing wrong with that...

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

You won't go wronge with a 243.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

NC, don't you know that there arepeople on here which think that can't be done?:D:D:D:D:D

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Yep...Alot of bsing goes on here...Often by folks who haven't tried what they are talking about...I get a lot of chuckles reading some of this stuff....Just take it with a grain of salt.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

243 would be much better than the 7.62x39.

I'd opt for a 7mm-08 over both. Recoil is very light with this gun. Start off with 140 gr, and if that is too much...which I doubt it will be....use the remington 120 gr hp, and then move up to 140 gr once he gets a little older.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I just could not bring myself to shooting deer with an overgrown rat rifle. I would choose the 7.62x39.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

See what I mean Rebel...

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

So you would choose a round even less powerful than the one you call a rat rifle? Uhm, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Good advice there. :eek:

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Both rounds will kill deer with no problems. I will give you the main benefits of both cartridges and you should be able to make your mind up based on exactly what you are looking for your rifle to do.

The 7.62x39 was designed as a military round. This means that it will finction reliably in semi automatic firearms. The small 30 caliber round will probably offer better penetration, and it will most likely be accurate enough for a deer rifle. The main benefit that you realize with the 7.62x39 rifle is that you will have access to military surplus ammunition for practicing. If your son plans on shooting a good deal with this rifle then the 7.62x39 may be the rifle for you.

The .243 Winchester is a designed hunting round. Being such, you will find that its accuracy should be better than the 7.62x39 because it was designed to place one shot downfield accurately and not to spray the enemy within a 50 yard perimeter. The .243 will offer you a wealth of factory hunting ammunition suitable for deer sized game and also a good variety of ammunition for varmint hunting. Using a bullet like the Barnes TSX you will notice that it offers plenty of penetration on medium sized game. The .243 sometimes ran into penetration problems because of the size of the projectile. In example, if you were shooting a 100g bullet, and on impact the bullet lost about 40% of its original weight you are now trying to drive a 60 grain bullet deep into the vitals of your quarry. This proved difficult. With todays premium bullets however you will find that they retain nearly 100% of their original weight and penetration is not a problem for most people.

If it were me, and I was choosing between the two calibers for deer hunting I would probably choose the .243 Winchester.

If you ask me what caliber I think would be best for a young man starting a lifetime of deer hunting I think that I would pick a rifle that is a little more versatile. I believe that the .270 Winchester is probably one of the best deer hunting rounds ever to be fired downfield. If you would prefer the benefits of a short action rifle then I would say that the 7mm-08 would be great. Both of these rounds offer the types of bullet weight, velocity and energy that spell doom for even the biggest deer at ranges out to 300 yards and beyond. Both of these rounds have also been used successfully on elk, moose, black bear, mule deer, pronghorn, and other NA game.

I hope that I was able to help you out a little bit.

P.S. If you decided that you still want to get him a 7.62x39 rifle for fun you should look into an SKS. There are plenty of places that sell them in almost brand new condition for less than $200 and with ammunition being somewhere in the neighborhood of $120-$140 per thousand rounds of military surplus stuff you two will be able to have a lot of fun at the range.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Rat rifles kill deer very well.....and that's experience talking.....add another vote for the .243

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

I know it's not one of the options listed, but like several others have suggested, I would recommend going with something just a little bigger that can still be downloaded (spelled smaller weight bullet) so that recoil is not an issue.

Go with a 7mm-08 and load it with 120 Grn Nosler Ballistic Tips. You can get the 7mm-08 in a light short action rifle and the 120 BT's will provide a very light recoiling round that is more than adequate for deer.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

The .243 is FAR better than the 7.62 shorty in every measurement of performance.

RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
 

Back to your question. over your 2 choices, the .243!