243 or 6.5x55 or 270 please help
 

I have 2 rifles sako hunter in 308 and tikka t3 in 22.250

I am still deciding which caliber I should pick as a middle rifle in sako 85 hunter not any other brand.
I want it be in between the two I have.
I'm thinking between 243 270 or even 6.5x55 to compliment my other two and will be using only norma factory loads.
I only want one caliber of the 3 mentioned above.
308 (.... ? ....) 22.250
I am using factory ammo Norma soft point 180gr for 308 and Norma soft point 53gr for 22.250.
I would really appreciate your expert opinion on what caliber I should get in sako 85 hunter to compliment my 2 rifles.
Many thanks in advance.
I live in Australia Queensland.
Strictly hunting and rarely range shooting.
Hunting from wild cats,foxes, wild pigs and dingos, kangaroos,deer,camels,buffalo.

My choice would be the swede.

Thank you Ron.
Would you pick the swede over the 270 if you had to chose only one?

yes.......

So you can hunt camels in Australia? Did not know that... Kangaroos either.

Out of the 3, I guess a few thoughts. The .243 bridges the gap well between the .22-250 and the .308, a little nicer on your smaller game. Complication: Having a .308win already, you might benefit from being able to make brass for either cartridge from the same brass if you reload. On the other hand, it's infinitely frustrating to get into the field and find out you have .243 ammo when you're holding a .308, or vice versa.

.270win is pretty similar to the .308win in overall power, a bit lighter weight bullet, but not significantly so on mid-sized (under 600lb) game. Doesn't count as a "gap bridger" in my book though.

6.5 Swede, same game as the .270win, high end power, not really a 'gap bridger', but better in my book.

Personally, I'd take the .270win off of the list, and between the swede and the .243win, I'd look at how much time I spend hunting big vs small game. I spend more time hunting small game, so I'd go for a .243, but if you spent more time shooting buffalo and deer (which I'm assuming your buffalo are pretty big), then I'd look at the 6.5swede.

You can't go wrong with either the swede or the 270. I am partial to the 270 personally. It shoots flat and just plain works. It also has a little more horsepower than the 6.5x55. Either way, I don't think that the critters are going to be able to tell the difference between them.

Agreed, its far under rated by many but its a pleasure to shoot a good one.

"I want it be in between the two I have." Sako


.243


I like to have "another" rifle to be able to "back-up" the one I already own.

What he said! ^^^^^ How damn cool is that?:happy0001:

As Nomercy said, and a few others did as well...the true bridge caliber is the .243...the Swede and the 270 more closely compete with the 308...I personally like all 3 calibers for different reasons and I am a huge fan of the .277's...but if you want a true gap filler, go with the .243, it's a great caliber, very versatile with the capability to shoot bullets between 55 and 110 grains. You will never regret owning a .243 ...or a Swede or 270 either for that matter...so I say go buy all 3? hahaha:D

.243, you are looking for readily avail factory ammo.

Thank you so much for your posts..
I don't know, the voices in my head are telling me "get the suede get the suede get the suede" and I will be ordering one in Sako 85 Hunter tomorrow...
Something about the Suede I don't know I just like the idea of having one.
Unfortunately I will not be buying another calibre for the next 10 years or so,that's why I going for quality guns not for quantity... 3 is max I can afford at this stage !
And yes we do camel shooting in South Australia and Buffalo in Northern Territory.
The 270 has a sharp recoil and I think it is too close to 308... I was going to get the 270 initially instead of the 308 but all my friends said DON'T...
308 is very popular in Australia way more than 270 and 30.06 which I also was told to stay away from 30.06
I know that the 30.06 is very popular in the USA...
Is it true that the 243 is a barrel burner????

Simply put, no. No moreso than your .22-250 at least, which, also, is not a "barrel burner".

If a hunter ever honestly burns up a barrel, then they've spent enough hunting that they could easily have rebarreled or bought a new rifle.

I don't know much about he 22-250 compared to my experience with the other 2. I have both a .243 and several 6.5 X 55's.

I'd give you the nod for the Swede. Your 22-250 will throw pills up to 80 grains, the 243 throws stuff from 70-115, and the Swede load pills from 85 grains to 160. Not all bullet weights will do favorably in just any barrel/twist. And of course I might have the same barrel as you and get different results. Guns can be particular.

Your 22-250 may like a certain weight bullet and a 243 and Swede likely will too ... depends on your twists ... but the 243 has a smaller window of bullet weights it'll handle well ... 55 grains to 115 and likely it'll do best in the 70-100 gr realm.

By comparison a Swede will be able to throw bullets from 85 grains to 160 with the sweet spot being in the 120 - 160 grain realm.

I'd opt for the Swede to give you a better spread of bullet weights and applications.

I am a big fan of the 6.5x55 SE. Norma makes some fine hunting ammo for it.

I'm aware of the 3 caliber deal. But don't count out the 260 Rem.
Its a pleasure to shoot and its flat trajectory is a plus. It beats out the swede by +/- 100fps with a milder recoil. My Sako in 260 Rem (rebarreled .308) is an amazing medium game stopper. I own 2 Sakos, one in 260 Rem, one in 7mmRM. I dig those Sakos.
If I were buying from your caliber selection, the 270 Win. would be the go-to in my opinion. Proven game stopper here in the US.
Recoil is tolerable, and can bag groundhogs to elk. I would say it bridges a few gaps.

I would choose the .270 all day long. I'd shoot the 130 grain bullet,but that is a personal choice depending on what you're shooting.

I agree, the 130gr Hornady GMX stoked with 46.6gr IMR4064 is a lethal combo.
The ogive and sectional density of the 130gr bullet is a perfect marriage for the 270Win.

I really love my Browning A-bolt Hunter in the .243 and highly reccomend it...but a 6.5 will have more knock down power as mentioned and have a larger choice of grain bullets to choose from.Another good caliber choice would be a 7mm-08!

"redgreen" said it

I've owned all 3. The only one I still own is the 6.5x55. The effectiveness of that long skinny bullet is amazing. Plus you can get heavier bullets if you want. The heaviest I've seen for .243 was 105 gr and the heaviest I've seen for .270 is 150 gr. The Swede has bullets up to 160 Gr. Plus they have a higher sectional density which helps give deep, straight line penetration on game. The Swede is still common in Scandinavia for moose.

Hey Sako85hunter308,

Did you ever decide?

I go with a 257 Bob or 260 Rem,

.243 fills the gap you have the best, but i don't consider a .308 a BIG gun by any strech of imagination.