Need help deciding new rifle

[walleyemagic]

looking for new rifle, Bolt action 200 yards max, deer, and coyotes.

what cal I am undecided 308, 270 or 243

[ray koziatek]

i use a 270 but every 240 ive seen has outgrouped it

[L&M]

243

[W.W.IV.]

I like the 270 I think it would go through the trees better for deer and still reach out and touch the yotes. A 223 might be cheaper to shot for the dogs.

[Legacy]

My opinion is you need 2 different guns. But all around i think youd like the lighter cal.

[Gray Fox]

270 WSM. Nice guns shells can be pricey if you dont reload

[mschott]

They are all good calibers 243 might be a little touchy if its brushy.I have one and its a tack driver,have a 308 too it has a wide range bullet weights that you can get to match your game.The one that comes out of the cabinet first though is my rem.model 700 in 280 cal though.

[Broadhorizons]

I voted .243. I own 2 of them and hunt yotes all winter with hounds. This caliber rocks for that. With the right bullet, I wouldn't hesitate to use it for deer especially if you're a sitter/stand hunter. If you do more deer hunting than yotes or shoot on drives, I'd opt for the .308. I don't feel the need for a long-action gun (.270 and 30-06). I feel they are more than needed for deer in NY although I own and use an 06 when sitting in a stand. My favored deer gun is a 45-70 Marlin guide gun.

When my girlfriend decides she doesn't want to hunt anymore, I'll carry her 7mm-08 Howa Youth model instead of the 30-06. This caliber has really impressed me and splits the difference between .243 and .308 perfectly. Light, handy, barely kicks, and very, very effective.

I love shopping for guns...Good luck.

[Jeff J]

Remington makes a 260 which is 6.5 MM. Bigger than the 243 and smaller than the 270. Accurate and might be a good in between caliber. Very similiar to the 7Mm08 and the 25 06.

Jeff

[Schools Out]

I own all 3... (243 wssm, 243 winchester, 270 and 2-308's) and the 243 wssm is my favorite round of the 3... It drops them dead in their tracks and is great for long range... (put one through the heart at 313yds this season) the 270 and 308 are great rounds also.. only problem with the wssm is ammo.. winchester is the only one that makes it... but its good ammo, just hope they never stop making it.. On a side note..... of those 5 guns i mentioned 1 is a 06' model 70, one is a pre64 model 70, one is a ruger, one is a sako and one is a kimber..... If you can afford it buy a kimber.. best rifle out of the box i have owned.

[Shelby Lynn]

I switch my TC Encore from 50 cal ML to 7mm08 during rifle season, love it nice all around cal. rifle.

[chowder]

Be realistic about how much long range predator/deer hunting you are going to do. Consistently being able to make 100+ yd shots comes w/ range time not an expensive rifle. A rifle like a Remington 700 or Winchester 70 (my favorite) with a high quality 4x 12x scope will group till hell wont have it @ 200 in any of the three calibers you mention-if you are willing to put in some serious range time.

If I had a nickel for every guy I've seen shoot his overpriced rifle a few times at the 50 yd target and a couple times at the 100 yd target, all using a rest, and then not be able to understand why he missed a deer at 180 yds (pace it off sometime, it doesn't seem that far through a scope) I could buy you a nice setup.

At the risk of sounding like a s-head I would encourage you to consider getting an economically priced 270 like a Savage/Stevens bolt action with a decent 3x 9x scope ($150 range) and then put the rest of your hard earned $ into several boxes of reasonably priced 130 grain bullets and spend some some range time before and during the season. I think the 270 is the best choice for a couple reasons; 1. it's popular, making the ammo and the rifle relatively cheap.2. it's got a practical advantage over the 243 in terms of # force in the 100-200 yd range especially if you stick w/ 130 grain, which I would strongly encourage b/c you don't want unexpanded exits on thin skinned animals.

I have shot a number of coyotes and countless deer w/ a setup like the one I am describing. In the hands of a shooter capable of consistently making 100 yd free hand shots (no small feat) this kind of setup will rival any other under most hunting conditions.

If you become seriously interested in predator hunting you will probably want a 222(my favorite) or 223 at some point, you don't need the # force for these little guy's but after you've called in a few you often need to be able to step out into the 200yd+ range and the 222 and 223 have very flat trajectories.These setups get very expensive fast b/c you will spend more on optics than you do for the gun. Good Luck & happy shopping!

(sorry about the typos-think I got the worst of em fixed!)

[W.W.IV.]

Very well put Chowder. Everything you said is right on.

[kingslamon22]

good ole 30 30 works good for bolth and the guns are awsome to shoot. marlins are more accurate at longer ranges. especially the new stainless xlr

[walleyemagic]

Chowder,

Maybe you misunderstood my post. I am looking at a purchasing a new rifle and was asking opinions on cal size. I have been shooting for over 35 years and also an avid bow hunter, I would consider myself a competent and ethical shooter ,I hope you can place 100yd shots off hand if you are a hunter.

Your post is implieing that I am a new shooter and need range time, "Consistently being able to make 100+ yd shots comes w/ range time not an expensive rifle" At the risk of sounding like a s-head I would encourage you to consider getting an economically priced 270 like a Savage/Stevens bolt action with a decent 3x 9x scope ($150 range) and then put the rest of your hard earned $ into several boxes of reasonably priced 130 grain bullets and spend some some range time before and during the season.

I did not even mention price of gun, but now that you ask I am seeking a high quality wood stock that I can someday hand down to my son as my father did to me.

I will take you statement about the 270 in to consideration.

Thanks

[chowder]

Didn't mean to get your dander up there walleye! I got the distinct impression that you had not done much rifle hunting. Quite frankly most of the guys I see shoot 4 or 5 times at the range before "opening day" look like they have been doing the same thing for 35 years, so forgive me for my erroneous assumptions.

[walleyemagic]

No problem, Chowder I do know what you are saying about practise though. I see guys every year in dicks or gander the eve of opening day buying a new gun and ammo. You know they are not practicingwith it b4 opening day unless they are shooting and sighting in the dark. I have belonged to a shooting club for over 20 years and also upland bird hunt. I unfortunatly am leaning towords the 270/243 I have always been one to wait for the best shot , never running. I plan on reloading my new rifle as i have reloaded shotshells but learning to do brass.

Thanks

[bob 13]

i was watching jim shockey the other night, he said the 308 is the best all around cal. that is just one persons preference, but a very knowledgeable one.

bob13

[Gezijamez]

Have you considered a 25/06, I live in the mountains of Pa with considerable farm land around, I an sit on my back deck and see almost every game animal Pa has to offer, I have taken ground hogs, coyotes out to 300 yards with my 06, It is a fast round, but I do have a 26" bull barrel, have taken many deer at all ranges with it. Bought the wifey a Bolt action savage 243 last year, so far I like it, I also have a 7mm/08 which is a nice shooter also It has the accu trigger Nice wood stock, all around nice gun. I think all the calibers who have selected will do the trick, The 7mm and the 243 really is just a 308 necked down. Just my $.02 for what its worth

[flybuster]

As many others i own all three plus a bunch more. now your ballistics at 200 are not that different, " pulling numbers off the top of my head" If you dead zero at 100 the 243 will shoot-2.25 ....270 is -3and the 308 would be -3.5. Now site in one inch high and you can hold rite on anything you want to shoot. Now that thats out of the way your choice should be based on two things. Recoil and devastation? A 243 will rock a coyote sure , and it will kill deer but do you feel good about takeing a shot on the move or quartering to you "and yes i am well aware a 243 generates enough kinetic energy to break bone out to 400" 270 -308 now thats a deer gun they will destroy bone on the way in and out. less perfect shots with that kind of energy will damage more organs and bones. so recoil, If you can confidently squeeze a 308 with no jerk i would go that route... bigger is better .... if recoil may be a issue try a lighter loaded 270 to give you the best of both worlds.

Personally i love my 308, I have it in a bolt and a AR. Nothing beats a 308 tracer sailing across a feild at 3 AM on a moonlite night.