DANTHEHUNTER

Why would anyone not want to shoot an 30.06 for the stated animals? If you have an .06 the .243 would be a compliment to it . And I have a .243 in a NEF bull barrel with a nikon buckmaster 3x9x40 on it , it is very accurate and fun to shoot. You could get it in a ruger MKIIVT .243 and have a excellent varmint to white deer rifle. Good luck !

Thunder38849

I would have to go with the majority and say the .08 if you just have to have one of those two calibers. Why not get a .308? Whatever you decide.... Do yourself a favor and leave the little .243 pop gun alone.

NVMIKE

The two aren't much different, the 7mm-08 and 243 have almost identical balistics when you use a bullet 15 grains bigger( 85gr/243 - 100gr/7-08). With good bullets either will work. The 7mm-08 doesnt offer many small varmit/predator bullets like the 243 does. If you hand load the 6mm rem. is better than the 243. As for thunders comments, the 243 isn't any more of a "pop" gun than the 7mm-08 or any other short action(not counting the short mags).

Thunder38849

When it comes to Whitetails and Big Horn Sheep....... a .243 is a pop gun!

Todd1700

I have a .243 and a 7mm-08. I like the 7mm-08 best but this business about a .243 being a pop gun is nonsense. With a good bullet of at least 100 grains a .243 will kill the biggest whitetail that ever lived. In fact I killed my largest buck ever a 225 lb 8 point with a .243 at a distance of 150 yards. Would you like to see what the bullet looked like after it killed him? Me too, but it went out the other side of him still smoking so I didn't get the chance. Pop gun my a$$.

TrophyBux

I've used the .243 for over ten years, and have never lost a deer with it. This includes my best buck too. A 242 lb 8 point. He didn't go ten feet. I won't use anything else! Pair a .243 with the right optics and you can't go wrong.

Highpower

.243 a 'Pop Gun !?!? Ignorance is bliss!

pharaoh2

I had a .243 "pop-gun" That little rifle would send 10 shots into a hole you could cover with a quarter. Tell me, does it not come down to shot placement? I have never seen a 300 WBY do that. If you shoot him in the butt, he aint' going to die!

DarbyDabadoo

There is no doubt my 30-06 has done me well. I think I will probably compliment it, with a .243. I have heard nothing but good things( for the most part). I was talking to this old guy the other day about it. He started
shooting a .243 instead of his .300. - Just for whitetail - he figures that a
lighter bullet at a lower speed is the reason why he is dropping deer better. With the 300 he found he was blowing big holes through and they would run further in the brush, not getting very far. However they were defenitely running further than when he hit them with the .243. Where we hunt it's very thick and if a deer runs 200 or 300 yards -it sucks. I don't know if he is right.
But he had killed more than a few with both guns, and it was true for him
every time. I know there are many factors that contribute to how game
respond. You can go on and on - yet the diferences between calibers will definetly effect some of these variables. What are your thoughts on this?

frizzellr

This is actually hard to believe that it happens every time. Sounds like a fish story. However, there could be a few factors that might contribute to this. Personally I can shoot a 243 Win much better than I can shoot a 300 Mag. I would almost bet most can. That would lead to better shot placement and quicker kills. Another factor may be the bullets used in each round. Lastly, it could come down to sheer chance. Either way there is no doubt about the killing power of a 243 Win.