Thread: 243 vs .308

243 with factory ammo would be fine for anything in the north island out to 300 mtr.
If you get one with the new fast twist barrels and hand load then you are good to 500mtr.

Again bullet selection to target and range is critical. This also comes down to personal preferences.
Some want to see an exit hole for blood tracking(harder/bonded bullet), some need to be able to break both front legs to ensure the animal can't jump off a ledge and be lost (mostly south island) which dose demand more power, others want something that makes a big mess of the heart-lungs with out the precision require to take out a leg bone.( softer bullet, ie SST, ELD-M or Berger types

So a 243 is softer shooting and flatter shooting than a 308mm but also carries less energy.
Looking at Hornady factory ammo 243 at 300 yards has 6"drop and 12-1300 ftlb of energy while a 308 will have 8" of drop and 16-1800 ftlb of energy. ( looking only at mid range Common loads. 87-95gr 243 & 150-168 gr 308)
Z
I love my 243, it kill's stuff and is so easy to shoot accurately, however I shoot way more with my 358win but it requires much more attention to form and hold to be accurate.

You cant really go wrong with a .308 as an all round rifle. Huge amount of factory ammo available so you dont really have to worry about not being able to feed it. Provided it has a decent supressor and isnt stupidly light, anyone can shoot it even if you are "recoil sensitive". My wife shoots my 16" .308 no worries & shes what you would stereotype as a recoil sensitive person (shes quite small & sub 50kg).

If there is one gun that does everything for NZ needs it is the .308 Winchester. The End.

Any comments on factory "Lite" .308 cartridges?

Greetings,
My first new rifle after a .303 was a .308 M700. It had a hard plastic butt plate but still felt softer recoil after the .303. I shot it that way for years until my son gave me a Hogue stock. Just about every projectile works in the .308, especially in the 150 to 180 grain range. With a suppressor and soft recoil pad, as mine now is, the .308 is easy to shoot. Ammo is almost always available and hand loading is a joy. My first choice for a first hunting rifle.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by MB

Any comments on factory "Lite" .308 cartridges?

I used 125gn accubonds in my old bergara scout they were brilliant, almost no recoil with a suppressor and killed well on big body reds, have heard that the likes of Barnes and Hammer solid copper also work well when driven hard (within there limitations of course).

I have come to love the 308 it truly is a very versatile caliber

The most important thing imo is not the caliber or cartridge but learning how to stalk close and shoot quickly and accurately off-hand and supported

yeah 308 have used for 50 years - shot from 110 grain right up to 180 grain - but now stick to 150 grain - the 110 grain was FS supplied stubby little round nosed projectile - the goat cullers did not like it but I found it dropped deer just fine - but I think I know why they did not like it man it was noisy - no suppressors back then ahh --what a difference a suppressor makes brilliant invention - but ya cant beat the hole a 308 makes over a 243 - we got supplied a lot of 180 grain in FS and it worked fine

I've had af ew .308s, they do the job for what you want but I don't currently have any......243 with the 1-8 twist however, is not going anywhere.

My first centrefire was 223 used in scubland/bush settings, a deadly accurate rifle within 100m, could put bullet hole through bullet hole.
Ultimately it wasnt a hard hitter but it didnt need to be either, as long as I could see the head of an animal, it was going down.

In the bush its biggest limitation was actually seeing your target and having clear unobstructed line of sight shooting, any leaves or twigs in the way would send a bullet in another direction off course, eg deflection.
The smaller calibre taught me to be a more patient hunter, waiting for the right moment for clear unobstructed line of site shots.

I stepped up to a 308 just because the calibre could bulldoze its way through the under growth.

Never contemplated the 243 as it was to small to be called a bigger calibre and to big to be called small calibre.

Originally Posted by dannyb

I used 125gn accubonds in my old bergara scout they were brilliant, almost no recoil with a suppressor and killed well on big body reds, have heard that the likes of Barnes and Hammer solid copper also work well when driven hard (within there limitations of course).

I have come to love the 308 it truly is a very versatile caliber

That's interesting. If the OP buys a .308, Lite rounds might be a good place to start from a recoil management perspective, then step up the load as required. Makes the .308 very versatile as you say.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

The most important thing imo is not the caliber or cartridge but learning how to stalk close and shoot quickly and accurately off-hand and supported

Don't you mean un-supported??

Originally Posted by MB

That's interesting. If the OP buys a .308, Lite rounds might be a good place to start from a recoil management perspective, then step up the load as required. Makes the .308 very versatile as you say.

the light projectiles certainly make it a pussycat to shoot but it does handicap your maximum range, as long as you are aware of it that's not an issue. I shot a large body mud fat red stag at around 260-280yds through the shoulders and he didn't get up for a second chance....I probably wouldn't have shot that load much further (300ish yards max) but it was still very effective.

Lean on something if possible most likely.

As for the initial question, .308.

1-10" twist or faster, reason versatility and ammo availability.

Originally Posted by trapperjohn

Don't you mean un-supported??

'Off-Hand' means unsupported 'off the hands' only
Supported - using a tree, rock, your hill stick. So I meant both
I think learning to shoot quickly is important after the target is identified. Like when a deer is moving in the bush and steps into a window