.243 vs. .7mm-08

[h2ofowlr]

I have one youth rifle and am looking to get another.  Looking at passing down the .243 to the youngest and getting my 11 year old another .243 or .7mm-08 the larger bullet would give him the option for elk as well.  What experience have others had with the .7mm-08?  Do you guys like it?

[sirsnap]

My daughter shoots a weatherby vanguard 7mm-08 and loves it.  So far she has taken six mule deer and I shot a bear with it as well.  All 1 shot kills.  She will be using it on her cow tag this year as well.   Took most of the deer with federal fusions.  Last year we started using 140gn. accubonds with great results on her buck.  I personally love that rifle I think it may be one of the best calibers out there.  Very little recoil too.

Rich

[Halo]

Heading out to put a few rounds through a 7mm-08 now. I got for my daughter, Ruger All-Weather Compact with a Leupold Ultra-Light 3-9X33 CDS. Just getting it tuned in, gonna try the Hornady Lite rounds, supposedly 31% less recoil. Seems to shoot good, MOA. If you are in my area some time you could swing by so he could shoot it & see what he thinks.

[carpsniperg2]

While the 243 is fine for the elk. The 7mm-08 will shine. The heavy bullet selection for the 7mm-08 will be much better.

[huntnphool]

My kids use 7mm-08's as well, elk hunt for one of them at the end of Oct. She shoots a 140gr Partition

[KFhunter]

wouldn't mind finding a youth lefty in this caliber, might have to make one.


can't stand the axis, but Remington makes a 700 in youth left hand.

[C-Money]

7mm-08 is a wonderful cartridge. Easy on the shoulder and devastating on game.

[RadSav]

While the 243 is fine for the elk. The 7mm-08 will shine. The heavy bullet selection for the 7mm-08 will be much better.

I rarely disagree with Carp, but in the hands of a youth that has not learned how to shoot animals yet...I find the 243 less than fine.  I even find the 260 very marginal if not in the hands of an experienced elk hunter.  Even in the 7-08 I think you really need to chose bullets and shot distance wisely.  Especially if using short barreled youth guns!  But it is a great little cartridge when matching bullet to the animal and situation properly.

[Halo]

wouldn't mind finding a youth lefty in this caliber, might have to make one.


can't stand the axis, but Remington makes a 700 in youth left hand.

I hear Ruger is coming out with the same rifle I got but in a lefty in a few months.

[Halo]

A guy I work with got a 7mm-08 for his wife, small gal, compact rifle, short barrel, not sure what make & model but he was talking today about putting a muzzle brake on it, says it bucks up kinda bad and gave her scope eye last year. I tried the Hornady Lite recoil rounds tonight, a noticeable difference but the claimed 31% might be stretching it. Still a fair amount of recoil in a short light rifle, at least for someone not accustomed to recoil. Myself, I love the thing, feels lots better than my .338 Win Mag.

[Dan-o]

Hard to think of a deer or elk hunting situation where I'd rather have a 243 than a 7mm-08.

I am a huge fan of the 7mm-08, though, so my opinion is tainted.

[h2ofowlr]

In case I buy the .7mm-08 I ran across a decent deal on some Hornady American Whitetail loads.  Picked up a few boxes of the 139 gr InterLocks.  Anyone tried them?

[Dan-o]

They shoot nicely out of my daughter's 7mm-08.   

We're going deer hunting with them this year.   I can't imagine they won't do just fine.

[Greenhorn]

My son's first rifle was the 7mm-08 and he shot his first deer with it when he was 10.  It is pretty light weight and very jumpy when you fire it.  It is hard to keep on target.  Very effective though.  Now his favorite rifle is the 300 win mag.

[doyourtime89]

What about if you were trying to pick a rifle for deer and coyote hunting.  .243 or 7mm-08?   I have a .300 win mag for elk and love it.  I have thought about a .243 for a long time for deer and varmint.  What are everyones thoughts for that?