hmmm... too many decisions
 

So I am looking to get a Remington 700 SPS Varmint. I am sick of watching money vanish and fattening up coyotes as they are picking off my goats. With that being said I know you cant have 1 rifle that does everything great, but I am looking for 1 rifle that will pretty much get me by with what I need to do. I know that the rifle I want is going to be heavy for deer hunting but I am okay with that.

So the questions is what caliber should I buy it in. I want something that will nail the coyotes from a good distance (300 yards) yes I can still use for the 4 times a year I go deer hunting. Now heres the twist, alot of my friends are starting to go pig hunting, which I might give a shot at. With that in mind the calibers I am looking at are .243, 7mm-08 and .308. I was initially leaning towards the .243 but I am thinkin in might be a little small if I do decide to go pig hunting. The 7mm-08 looks like a nice round but very pricey. So with all that being said, what do I get my new rifle chambered in? Maybe I should go with the 243 and just use the 12 guage with a slug for pigs????

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

A friend of mine out here in California is a Pro Coyote hunter. He uses a 700 BDL in 7/08 with some good Glass on it. And a bipod. He smokes them left and right. Best of both worlds for the song dogs and deer.

T

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

Go with the 243. It will do the job on both yotes and deer, and is certainly enough for porkers. As withany hunting situation, it's shot placement that is a big factor.

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

308 is a great choice. Personally I would not consider a sub 30 caliber if I was only going to have one rifle. I would recommend the 30-06, but it was not one of your choices. The 308 will serve you well. And you could find some surplus ammo for a pretty good price that will allow you to practice a bit if you decide you want to do that. Tom.

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

Large pigs are harder to killl than deer and they can have a nasty temper, go with the 308

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

257 Weatherby will do it all

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

Out of your choices 308. I would much rather have a 30-06 though.

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

Go with the 308 it will be able to pull 300 yards with ease and not leave you lacking in any other situations.

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

But will it bruise the meat on say a smaller deer that not a long shot?

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

One you didn't mention that would work good for what you want is a .25-06.

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

For what you want,the 7mm08 is perfect. Yes,I'm guilty of being a 7mm diameter bullet fan,but with good reason. A 7mm08 is plenty big enough for any deer/hog ever to walk the earth,without the recoil of the .30s. Even tho the .308 don't recoil much,the 7mm08 recoils less,has flatter trajectory,excellent accuracy(as do all your choices in .308 family case size),and supurb ballistic coefficent,along with 6.5mm bullets. The .260 also would do it but I seriously doubt it'll ever match popularity of the 7mm08.

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

I'd get the 243. No way in heck a pig will know the difference, or a deer, or a coyote...

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

Regardless of your caliber selection, don't bother with a heavy barrel. Get a standard sporter rifle configuration. There's absolutely no reason to buy a heavy barreled rifle for your intended purposes.

RE: hmmm... too many decisions
 

I love my 30-06. Any reason you don't want one of those?