Thread: Calibre for goats and occasional deer?

I always laugh at a .308 or .270 being referred to as a big banger or big kicker! Seriously, harden up!

Neither. Both are good but there are so many out there. By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?




If this is the case, there are a few things I would suggest you consider. Price and availability of ammo. More common and cheaper to shoot calibres mean more affordable to spend time at the range getting familiar and accurate with whatever calibre you get. I would suggest 308 would be one of the most common but there are others.

Secondly get something that wont beat your shoulder up to start with. If you start out with 270 or 30/06 or a magnum (7mmRem etc) then the likelihood of you developing a flinch is higher and this will have a negative impact on your accuracy.

308 would be my first choice if I was in your situation. Easy to source a wide selection of ammo, capable of more than you re asking.
6.5x55 would be a close second. It has very similar performance to a 308 but recoil seems lighter making it easier to shoot accurately.
243 is still capable but is perhaps not a suitable than the above. shot placement is more critical, but with lighter recoil accuracy is usually easier.
7mm08 is so similar to 308 that it may as well be the same except the ammo tends to be dearer as the selection of cheaper brands like Barnaul etc are not available in that calibre though there is nothing wrong with the 7mm08 and with its increased popularity, there is quite a range out there for it.

Finally there is a mosin nagant listed on this forum for $500 that would well be worth a look at. A bit heavier to carry, but capable of handling anything from 130gr to 220gr projectiles. Barnaul make a 203gr Soft point that works well in these.

To all the haters out there that will say 270 is brilliant, I am not saying that any calibre is not capable of what he is asking it to do, but pointing out there are different points to consider when looking for a first rifle.

Originally Posted by deer243

Are you for real? Don't you work it in sports/hunting shop??(correct me if im wrong) What a load of nonscense. Firstly, for what he wants to use it for the most suitable Cal would be the 243, or 223 .Its for goats for and a once in a blue moon hunt for deer...243 is ideal, or a 223. Secondly, you suggesting a 243 or 270 isn't as common for availability for ammo etc...of cause they are, what planet are you on.
Without a doubt, for a first rifle for what you want and next to no recoil, the 243 is perfect, as it gives some room for error and gives you some distance over the next best choice a 223.
Go to a 6.5 ? 308 ?270 when you decide to hunt deer full time if you wish but if you shooting 0-250m the 243 will be perfect for that too.

Please re read the post. You have clearly misread what I said somewhere. Yes, there is plenty of 243, and 270 ammo about and they are not uncommon calibres. Yes I said all those calibres will do what he wants. Yes I did suggest lighter recoiling calibres for goats and I did not say that 243 or 223 were not capable of killing deer.

What I suggested was that it sounds like he is fairly clearly a newer shooter if he is asking this question. And if that is the case, accuracy will benefit from plenty of practise and learning to shoot. Practise does not come cheap when ammo costs $2 to $4 per round for premium ammo for calibres like the 270 and 243 in comparison to 223 or 308 with the likes of Barnaul, or mil surp. If you go into ANY sports shop and see how many DIFFERENT choices and prices for the 270 and 243 and compare that to 308 and 223. How many can you get for $1 per round? 223 yes, 308 yes, 7.62x54R yes, 270 Ummm Nope, 243 Nope again.

To be very clear and so you dont misunderstand again. if choosing between 270 and 243, yes the 243 would be a far better choice than the 270. Ideal even. But for a newer shooter, I usually start them with my 223 then my 308 and give them plenty of Barnaul to get them used to the gun. If recoil becomes something they struggle with then I drop back to something like 243 or 6.5x55 which has lighter recoil but still effective on what they are using it for. For big reds and a newer shooter 243 would not be my first choice simply because I think there are better options available. Butt would not be my last choice either.

It would all depend on what is priorities are? Is price a concern? Ammo price? Or is it simply which will work better?

You could do a lot worse than this

Tikka M690 RH 6.5x55SE | Trade Me

Maybe a tad more expensive on ammo, but it's not exactly a bankbreaker of a round, and there's probably several chaps on here who would help you load for it, making it lots cheaper. Just my $0.02

Originally Posted by timattalon

By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?

Lolz

Originally Posted by Tommy

You could do a lot worse than this

Tikka M690 RH 6.5x55SE | Trade Me

Maybe a tad more expensive on ammo, but it's not exactly a bankbreaker of a round, and there's probably several chaps on here who would help you load for it, making it lots cheaper. Just my $0.02

shit thats nice im a 6.5 man

243 over a 270 and there are many reasons for that decision.

if you are mainly looking at goats the .223 is great and cheap to run as is the .308 or the 7.62x39mm if ranges are going to be short.

7.62x39 or 44mag will do the damage on goats deer an pigs at close range and be cheap to run too. Other wise slightly longer ranges 243 708 or 308 or 3006 if ya feel the need. Not 270 or a tikka.

Originally Posted by timattalon

Neither. Both are good but there are so many out there. By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?

Lots of shooting with shotguns, air rifles and now rimfire, but no, no experience of centrefire, hence the question

I'm not planning on buying a gun tomorrow, want to get more experience with the rimfire first and have a good long think about my options.

Thanks for the all the advice.

223. Good for rabbits, hares, goats and deer out to sensible ranges. And ammo at half the price of 243 makes it easier on the pocket.

Definately .308 i just got a 100 rounds from the russians in wanganui for $118 including postage and I rate that shit over a lot of brands youll pay $40-50 for 20. Recoil isnt noticeable.

If your a new shooter and planning on shooting goats its most likely after your first shot, the rest of your shots will be either trying to hit a moving target or making a quick shot while the animal pauses, bigger calibers dont make you a better shooter but they give you a bigger margin of error.

In terms or meat damage a bigger caliber is not necessarily going to bugger your meat, for instance I shot a 60lb pig on friday night, 50m broadside on straight behind the shoulder, slotted perfectly between 2 ribs, obliterated the internals, no exit 0% damage.

Ive owned 223, 243 and 270 before i got a .308 and never looked back, ill be the first to tell you Im not a perfect shot but the my current rifle- rem700 sps 308 with factory iron sights hasnt failed to drop anything ive pointed it at in the last 7 years

If you read the original post he said between 243 and 270
That leaves either 308 or 6.5
I would go the 6.5 for accuracy, reliability and cost/availability of ammo

Remember opinions are like arseholes

The top one 308 T3 Tikka. Short as . Gunworks specially build suppresser. 125 Noslers going real fast
Light as ,accurate as and hits real hard . Also loves the Belmont HP 130s
Nothing survives this baby !! Shoot off the shoulder no problems .
Recoil non existent with light fast loads. A not too expensive semi custom
very usable and accurate .



The bottom is same but not as short or cool as the top one

The Belmont ammo is so cheap I have been known to shoot Rabbits with it

Just buy my 6.5 and get the ball rolling. Will chuck in a box of 139gn to get you started. Plenty of reloading options if you wish to get into that side of things down the line, from 95gn to 160gn.

http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.n...ad.php?t=25232

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Hey MightyBoosh, I agree with the guys who say "don't go too big too soon" but if you've done a lot of shotgun shooting you will likely know how recoil-sensitive you are.

I'd say it's between the .223 .243 and .308...only reason I leave the .270 out is that it burns a lot of powder for the bore size and will be hard on your barrel if bombing-up goats. Speaking from experience!

If you hate recoil and want to shoot a lot of cheap ammo get a .223

If you tolerate recoil OK and want to shoot a lot of cheap ammo get a .308

If you don't mind a little bit of recoil and want the ideal calibre for goats + odd deer get a .243...ammo is more expensive. Try the Partizan or Highland or Winchester "3 boxes for $90" deals.

Perhaps someone could let you shoot a typical lightweight .308 (eg.Tikka T3) and see how you go.