bjohnston0311 Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 my seven yr old is currently shooting a .243. I'm thinking of buying my wife an 08. here is my question to anyone with young hunters... let him stick with the 243 or bump him up this year? more than likely I will let him shoot the one I buy first, but is it worth buying 2 or is the .243 more than sufficient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PriceRacing35 Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 .243 or 7mm08? People think I'm crazy for shooting a .243 I have for 7 years. I started out with a little .22Hornet. But I have no problem putting down a deer at 350yards with the .243 I wouldn't necessarily punch one right thru the shoulder. Every buck on the wall came from the .243 and my father only shoots a .257Roberts. We leave the big calibers home until we decide to go out west. Then break out the .300ultra and 7mm STW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjohnston0311 Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 .243 or 7mm08? that is some good lookin trophies you have there! all taken in MO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 If he can shoot, I would let him stick with the 243 a few more years. I like the 7-08 better, but not worth buying another gun just for a slight caliber increase. Also got to be careful with recoil at that age. My girls shoot a 243, it's deadly when you keep the crosshairs where they should be for any rifle, just not forgiving for marginal shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PriceRacing35 Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 .243 or 7mm08? Yes sir. All on the family farm. Won't say exactly where lol. But..we're only about 40miles from Kansas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoobee Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 The 7mm-80 is about 20% more powerful than the 243. So there will be slightly more recoil with the 7mm-08. Again it boils down to recoil tolerance by the shooter. The 243 is an entry-level rifle for kids and women. The 7mm-08 is a wildcatted 308, which was originally designed as anti-personnel for closer ranged shooting. Both of these calibres are lighter recoil rifles, compared with the larger .308's like the 30-06 and the 300's. You just need to try them and find out which you like. I like the 300 RUM. It borders on the amount of recoil I can tolerate. And it will kill anything in North America from polar or grizzly/brown bears, to antelope. It also works extremely well as a very long range sniper rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I have a hunting buddy that has used a .243 for quite a few years. As far as I know, he has never lost a deer due to that gun. As was said, very important to make a clean, killing shot, as bone hits could stop the bullets in its tracks. I would stay with the .243 for him right now. too_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoobee Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Somewhere between a 223 and a 300 RUM most hunters will eventually find what they are happiest with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjohnston0311 Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 .243 or 7mm08? appreciate all the good comments.... I think sticking with the 243 will be the best option at this point. thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 If you were starting off buying a rifle and didn't have a .243 I wouldn't bother buying a 7mm-08 for the gain you are going to get. If I were to choose one over the other if I didn't have either, it'd be the 7mm-08. Both are great calibers and are very suitable for smaller shooters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSeb53 Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have shot the majority of my deer with a .243, from when I started hunting at the age of twelve until I was about 20. All have died within sight and most dead before they hit the ground. Plenty of knockdown power from 100-300 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Stick with a .243. I am 36 and weigh in at 190lbs. I still shoot a .243 in NE Oklahoma. Our deer are pretty much the same size (100lb does, 130'ish bucks). The .243 has more than enough energy to put down deer in this area. The longest kill I have on record with a .243 is 286 yards on an antelope. The .243 has more than enough energy to get it done. I do handload Hornady BTSP but even with the cheaper Winchester Super X or the Remington Corelokt the .243 is still a HARD hitting round. People question then and or call them marginal but when you look at an energy chart and get to the nuts and bolts they still have more energy at 100+ yards than the old .30-30. If you consider a deer needs roughly 1200ftlbs for a clean kill the .243 is still good (perhaps a bit marginal) at 300 yards which means that anything inside 200 - 250 yards youre fine. And like stated above... I have only had to track one deer to the .243. She went all of 40 yards but did make it into a timberline. All of the other deer I have hit went a total of a few feet. I smacked a doe a few years back at 175 yards. She was in the open so I got to watch her. She was a big girl too, probably 135lbs. She folded, kicked a few times and crawled all of about 10' before taking her last breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 The .243 with 100 grain soft points has worked well for my wife and oldest daughter. Think it makes a real good choice for a young hunter or recoil sensitive hunter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckhunter14 Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 If he just hunts small game and predaters the 243 is a more than sufficient gun.got one last year and baged 3 bucks before the end of the season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVdeerhunter Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 im for the 7mm-08 but at 7 i think it will be a little to much for him.just got 1 for my boy and hes 10 and the recoil will be close for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 My vote is 7mm-08 got one for Ash and it is a step up from 243..she loves... it not much more recoil either, and is a youth model with recoil pads ..very capable of 200- 250 yards shots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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