What caliber rifle for varmint, coyote, and *possibly* deer in future

[clfergus]

I picked up a .270 this year for an all around rifle. Great long distance round, flat trajectory. Did so after scouring the boards and reading pros and cons.

 

[ruger1800]

.243

 

[Hookeye]

I still want a .257 Weatherby mag.

 

[mattyd]

The thing with a .358 wildcat is that you have a rifle that will have little resale value, should you ever decide to sell it. No one outside of Indiana cares about them, and once Indiana legalizes high-powered rifles for deer, it'll pretty much be the death knell for them. Even if rifles aren't legalized for deer this time (and I feel they will be), the proposal will keep being introduced until it does pass, just like crossbows.

You bring up a very good point. The opportunity to have made and use the 358 has really created a nitch busienss for IN gunshmiths. If the regulation changes I suspect those that have their gun will continue to use them. Resale value would be not so good in my thoughts and the gunsmiths are not going to have as much work as in the past unless you just have it rebarreld.

 

[Hookeye]

Eh, most are on Savage rifles...............screw on the original factory barrel and dump it if ya need the $.

Or maybe ream to something else? Dunno........maybe .35 Whelen (if done on a long action and not a SM or SSM wildcat)?

 

[Jerry45Acp]

I still want a .257 Weatherby mag.

^^Ditto that^^

I like the Weatherby Mark V Terramark RC in .257 Wby Mag!

 

[Hookeye]

I just wanna hit yotes with screamin' 85gr Nosler BT's

 

[Savage99]

.243, 6mm, .257 Roberts

 

[avboiler11]

As has been said numerous times now...243 is just about perfect for a "do-it-all" chambering.

Light recoil
Large range of bullet types & weights
Fantastic ballistics
Ammo & reloading components available everywhere

Biggest issue I see with 243 is that most factory rifles come with a 9.125 or 9.25 twist, which makes 95gr+ match bullets a bit marginal in the stability department. That's not to say they won't shoot, or that those twist rates are remotely a limitation for somebody buying factory ammo off a shelf somewhere.

THAT SAID...I am a 6.5mm guy. I've had a 260 for more than a decade now and recently switched my precision rifle to 6.5 Creedmoor. Going forward, I think I'm going to start my boys on 6.5 Creed too, using 95 V-Max or 100 A-Max and mild loads (either H4895 reduced loads or maybe something with XBR or Varget).

 

[ChrisK1977]

My .257 is very pleasant to shoot. Another member on here has shot it as well and can tel you how accurate it is with even the 100 grain spritzer rounds. The 80 grain Barnes shot very well as well. I really like those ones.

 

[Hookeye]

I keep hearing "light recoil" as a plus of the .243 win.

Has the world been totally infected with the wimp virus?

Dual purpose, with deer as main focus..............I'd be leaning towards a .25-06.
Varmints primary, deer secondary............6mm.

I understand finances and current economy..................I'd drive a crappy truck and buy a dedicated varmint rifle, and a dedicated deer rifle. Would not settle for just one

 

[avboiler11]

I keep hearing "light recoil" as a plus of the .243 win.

Has the world been totally infected with the wimp virus?

Recoil sucks. Unless *properly* taught to handle recoil, it is a great way to develop a flinch and all sorts of other terrible habits that will impact one's marksmanship, possibly for years. If you don't HAVE to get beat up, why subject yourself to it? That holds especially true for a rifle that will see strings of fire on a range, instead of maybe 3 shots per year to verify zero then one or maybe two shots in the deer woods.

Modern propellents and bullet design has made many "classic" long action chamberings redundant, and while I love the venerable '06 Springfield as much as the next guy, for a dual purpose rifle intended for range & whitetail there's really nothing it does that a 308 (or 7-08, or 260, or 243) can't.

 

[JimH]

I keep hearing "light recoil" as a plus of the .243 win.

Has the world been totally infected with the wimp virus?

Dual purpose, with deer as main focus..............I'd be leaning towards a .25-06.
Varmints primary, deer secondary............6mm.

I understand finances and current economy..................I'd drive a crappy truck and buy a dedicated varmint rifle, and a dedicated deer rifle. Would not settle for just one

Big fan of the 25-06.Not a Weatherby,but still drives an 85 gr. ballistic tip to 3550 and will really let the air out of a coyote.Far more important than speed however is accuracy.

 

[Hookeye]

I dunno, seen guys who supposedly grew up hunting/shooting, who think 150's from a Rem 760 in '06 to be rather brutal.
Had one, shot it in a T shirt................no big deal (buttplate, no recoil pad).
Yeah, not as comfy as my 742.................but still nothing to wimp out over (or flinch).

Rather liked my 7mm Mag BDL. Read mags as a kid how much recoil they had compared to .30-06. Buddy had it, let me try it on his range. 2 shots at 150 yards, offhand.........on a 12x 8" plate............two hits (one center, one high center). Winter, never shot the gun before................and it had a 12X Leupold on it (fixed power- was kinda of crazy for trying offhand- he had it for load testing from the bench).

Yup, bought it Sold it when I got my .300 Winmag.

Do think there a shift in comfort level at that cartridge. Shoulder moved more with the 180 and 200's. But what sucked for me was the blast on my sinuses (or recoil making the snot slosh). Still shot under 1" groups with it off the bench. Those with neck or back/shoulder issues might not like such a cartridge (non braked .300 mag).

Do think a healthy guy of normal build (not fat) should be able to shoot a middle type centerfire OK (.308, .270, .30-06).

Fat or maybe even extra muscle, I think acts like an intermediate sliding surface. Scrawny guys seem to handle recoil better.

Coworker used to only varmint cartridges bought a .300 winmag for elk. He talked about how big and bad it was and I laughed. Not the most in shape dude, kinda short..............after shooting/load development all summer he came to the conclusion his .300 winmag..............wasn't all that big. Got his elk with 1 shot too.

He shoots good, so that big nasty didn't stick him with any flinch.

 

[M4Madness]

Dual purpose, with deer as main focus..............I'd be leaning towards a .25-06.

I've always been a big fan of the .25-06. There's nothing like .30-06 brass with a 0.25" bullet.

 

[bowtech83]

a .243 caliber is the perfect varmint, coyote, deer caliber in my opinion. My grandfather killed multiple deer with his .243 in Canada back in the day

 

[yote hunter]

If you truly want a all round yote and deer rifle your best bet is .243... Period !!!! Yep its that simple...

 

[seedubs1]

I might argue for 22-250. Too bad it's not on the vote for next deer season.

With the new bullets available in the past 10 years, it's more than capable on deer. With a 10 or 12 twist barrel, you can get a high enough grain and BC bullet to take care of a quartering shot no problem. Wish everyone would stop making those 14 twist barrels the standard...but the manufacturers think it's still 1975 and people only want to shoot 55 grain at the high end.

If you truly want a all round yote and deer rifle your best bet is .243... Period !!!! Yep its that simple...

 

[MRP2003]

Just my opinion on recoil,
When I am hunting, I never notice the recoil or the noise from the shot. At the range, I notice both.

I shoot a 44 mag lever action for IN deer hunting and use a 300 WM for PA deer hunting. Never noticed the recoil or noise when I am shooting at a deer.

I have shot my 300 Weatherby Mag at the range only. After 10-12 shots, I could feel a little in my shoulder.

I also use a .308 to deer hunt in PA. Never felt any recoil.

The short actions typically do not have much recoil and the long actions such as a 30-06 still do not have the recoil of a 12 gauge especially if you are shooting a 3" shell.

Yes, I agree with Hookeye (this time), man up a little bit unless you are worried about the recoil for your young son or daughter