243 fervect for varmints, predators, and deer

My vote is for the .243 Rifle also....I've shot several coyotes with my .243 and just went out this evening with it again but didn't see any coyotestoday.I mostly hunt Deer with the .243 Browning A-bolt and I have 2 nice Bucks on the wall to prove it and have shot several Does and never lost a deer yet!I'm shooting 100 grain Hornady"Custom" bullets and using a Leupold 3 X9 X 40mm scope.

.243 would be my choice for a dual purpose gun!

Yep, .243 hands down.

I think I am going to work on getting a 243. Kinda kicking myself, when I bought my 30 - 06, there was a 243 setting right next to it. got the 30 06 because it was $100 less with a scope on it. go figure[8D]

Savage makes a good combo over/under rifle and shotgun called the Model 24F. It is available in several rifle calibers over a 12 or 20 ga. Check it out to see if it might strike your fancy. I have one in .30-30 over 12 ga. Can't get much more versatile than that.

Can't argue with the .243 either though.

Get the 25-06 and you'll put the 30-06 in the back of the closet during deer season.

I bought a Ruger M-77 back in 1980 in .243 caliber, have killed about 150 deer with it...Look at the ammo avaliable, there is a reason you see many more bullet loading avaliable in .243 vs 25-06, a 25-06 won't do anything to a deer that a .243 won't do...It's too long of barrel with few factory ammo loadings avaliable, since it's already a long action, it ends up being 2 1/2 inches longer than a .243...

.243 or .25-06 pretty neatly fills the dual use role. So would a .240 Weatherby Magnum. Maybe a .257 Roberts.