Rammer

I'd go with the ol tried an true 243. Like everyone elese has stated, the price difference between the ammo is enough of a reason if you plan on shooting the gun much.

As for the loads. I personally use Combined Technology 95gr Ballistic Tips out of my 243 when I decide to use it for deer. I have shot everything out of my 243 (reloads) from Nosler Partitions to Sierra Gamekings,Barnes Xs, etc and the Combined Technology BT is the best load that I have found for killing deer.

nchawkeye

TX...I'm assuming you are talking about hunting deer..and what factory loads are avaliable for deer...Within 200 yards I have had good luck with 100gr Remington CoreLokts, 100gr BTSP Hornady Custom InterLock, 100gr Federal Premium Nosler Partition and the 100gr BTSP Federal Premium Sierra GameKing...Of those four, I prefer the CoreLokt and the Hornady...The Partition seems to be a little too hard and the GameKing a little too soft....Both Winchester loadings in their PowerPoints preformed about like the GameKings...Didn't always get an exit wound on a broadside center lung shot....

Once you get past 200 yards...I go with a Federal Premium 85gr BTHP Sierra GameKing...This has been the bullet I have used for the past 5 years or so....

chiefks

I shoot a 243. I can't see the advantage of the 243 wssm. It does not make that much difference in the balistics. 243 is already a flat shooting round. I practice and hunt with 95 grain winchester balistic tips. I like these bullets over all the others I have shot because they do not foul the barrel near as much. Clean up is easier. I've not shot that many deer with it, but I've had very very good results on the deer I have taken.

statjunk

I really don't like it when someone asks a question and then others chime in with other than what is asked but I'm going to do it anyway. Another poster said that he'd have to practice a lot and at $25/box that may end up being a limitation. With that said, have you considered a .308 Win. It will only have a hair more kick and be much less expensive to buy ammo. A .308 Wincan also be used for larger game. I can buy mil surp ammo for it for between $4-$6 per box.

Otherwise 243 all the way.

Tom

Briman

The answer is so obvious that I can't believe noone mentioned it yet: 6mm remington.

You get approximately 100-150fps more velocity out of the 6mm than the .243 making it pretty much identical to the Winchester Silly Short Magnum, and 3 years from now you will still be able to find factory loads and brass for it.

The .243 WSSM is an answer to a problem that doesn't exist.

Edit: I'd still prefer the .243 however....

rockytop

statjunk, I don't know what .243 and .308 you shot but the ones I shot had a big difference in kick, maybe you had a light bullet in the .308. I hate .308's, they kick terribly for what you get.

statjunk

I don't find the that .308 kicks at all. I've always shot 180gr bullets out of it too. To me they feel the same. Then again I can also shoot 25-30 rounds of 300 WM in 3-4 hours and Ifeel it but not that much either. Not sure on that one, but to me a .308 and 243 are about equal.

Tom

Davoh

By my experience 100 gr Rem Corlokt. is great on Texas Whitetail. Killed my first when I was 9 with a .243 and that load.

Davoh

The .308 is quite possibly the sleeper of the whitetail cartridges. Possibly the best of them though. Inside 300 yds I know a whitetail is going down with 150 gr Rem Corlokts.I hold my range to 150-200 with the .243. Then again I have a very real possibility of those ranges where I hunt. If you're hunting the deep woods, with shots almost always under 100 yds,there is virtually no difference between them in "on-game-performance". I've noticed a very real difference in recoil between my .243 and .308. The difference may be in that particular persons threshold for recoil. If you think a .308 is punishing, dont touch a .30-06.