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.243: next size larger

13K views 45 replies 27 participants last post by  Tio 
#1 ·
Quick question guys. I'm looking to buy a rifle for my son who is 10 years old and ways 70 lbs. The rifle will be used for deer hunting. My question is this what is the next caliber up from .243, is it the .257. I know Savage made a .250 but I have never seen one. I just think I want something a little more powerful than a .243 but with little recoil. What do you guys recommend.

thanks
 
#2 ·
If you can find one, a .257Roberts is pretty sweet...low recoil but a good deer round.

The .260Rem. is much newer; a bit more recoil with heavy weight bullets, but still not anything to disturb a young shooter who is use to the .243....will handle most big game situations just fine.
 
#5 ·
why?


A .243 is quite possibly my favorite caliber, its done anything i have asked it to: whitetails, grounhogs, turkey, paper. It works equally well on all of those things, and i can shoot it all day long with out feeling it the next day.
 
#6 ·
Going to make an appeal here...please make the rifle fit the kid. IF it doesn't fit him well, even a .243 can build in a flinch from the "slap" an ill fitted stock will give. Can stay with the .243, go to a .250savage or 260Rem., but if the rifle isn't set up for his length of pull and fit his face, he's not going to be able to do his best.
 
#7 ·
Yes, Yes, Yes!
 
#8 ·
Agree with Ribbonstone. .257 Roberts, and make it fit. I have a .250 Savage and it's a gem, but they're fading away.

The .257 lets you step up to 120gr. bullets, at reasonable velocities where the bullets don't shred, and is just a touch behind a .270 Win, itself no slouch.

Both my .250 and .257 will punch 100gr. Cor-Lokts through pigs..... something not all rifles/bullets will do. Sometimes a bit more modest velocity makes a much better hunting round.

Good luck.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Coming from a life long .257 robbie fan , i would have to suggest staying with the .243 , .260 , or 7mm -08 for the simple fact that they can be had in a youth size rifle off the rack . Sure you can find a .250 savage or an old roberts and hack it down for him but after you do some shopping and see the price of these jems from the past you'll find yourself not able to muster up the motor skills to run it under the bandsaw (due to the brains uncanny ability to shut down when it senses we're going to do something we'll later regret). Remington ,Winchester , Savage ,Browning all have a youth model chambered in some if not all the .308 based cartridges , .243 being the most useful for off deer season chores on smaller stuff and the7mm -08 being the closest thing to a managable version of the .308 ( may still yet be a handful for a seventy pound fella though). I never saw the niche that the .260 would fill for the average Joe as it sort of is like splitting an Atom, and then splitting it again when you look at it compared to the .243 and 7mm-08. Personnaly I think Remington never got over the lack of popularity of their 6mm Remington that came out on the losing end of the battle back in the day when it and the .243 were fledgling cartriges looking for a place in the hearts of Sportsmen, so they gave 6 and a half mm a try.


444fitch
 
#10 · (Edited)
I think you'd do fine with a .243 but if you're set on something a little more powerful, I'd recommend either the Remington Model 7, Winchester Model 70 Compact or the Browning A-Bolt Micro Hunter in the 7mm-08. They're all nice rifles and one of them should fit your son well. Take him to a sporting goods store and have him shoulder one of each and see what feels the best to him.

Savage only offers the .223, .243 and .308 in their youth model. Remington is the only youth model in the .260. But if I remember correctly, I seem to remember something about the .260 did well initially but sales have started to slow. I read somewhere that ammo selection has been cut back and availability isn't what it initially was, so if you don't reload that may be something to consider. Also you may want to check out the Chuck Hawks recoil table:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
 
#11 ·
Brother and I bought .243's at the same time...he got a standard weight as he saw it as a deer round. I bought a varmint weight as I was mostly a varmint hunter at the time...so from starting with different expectations, we see the same round in a differnt light.


He's pleased with it as a deer round...I was pleased with it for long range varimints. When I shot game with the .243, used his rifle (after all it wasa signted in and didn't run 10.6pounds) and his ammo...and it worked; he prefered the 95gr. Nasler partition for game...for coyote he used a 75gr. Nosler "Zippedo" (we still have 150 bullets stashed away).

Guess my early use as a varimint only rifle has colored my outlook on the .243....it has worked for my brother, and even for myself, but I still see it more varmint than deer.
 
#15 ·
Should clarify some thing that often times is overlooked when getting a kid ready for deer season. Most kids regardless of size will have difficulty shooting just about anything if they are introduced to it with out enough time to become accustomed too it . If it is their first experience shooting any thing aside from rimfire the blast and just the movement from the recoil even if not harsh or punishing can scare them off and make developing the skills to actually do justice out in the field difficult . This is very common as I have encountered alot of well meaning Dad's , Uncles , what have you picking out juniors first deer rifle at the shop or at the range days before the season trying to cram basic riflemanship 101 into a 30 minute session with (usually) dismal or less than adequate results . Let me stop and say that I am not impling that this is the case in this instance , but the poster doesn't say if the lad has any type of centerfire rifle experience under his belt. If so fantastic as it will make any new rifle that more easier to aclimate himself to. The problem arises when we lull ourselves into believing that a "youth " rifle or a customarily "light recoiling " cartridge will some how be a short cut to making a inexperienced youngster skilled enough to take a responsible shot on live game. Truely I'm not trying to be the Conscience Police on this matter but I feel as we are at most a few weeks away from most States firearms deer season there are surely a whole lotta kids in this situation. Moral of the ramble is , while alot of different guns and ammo combinations will suffice as a"kid's first"m, previous experience behind the wheel and length of time before the hunt is really important to consider when making a choice.


444fitch ( I promised myself I would hold my breath while typing this to limit my cyber- blab, and came real close to blacking out , I will go lay down now.)
 
#16 ·
Well to clearify the situation a little more, my son has been shooting his bb gun for 3 years now and this past summer we practiced a lot with a 22 mag. he was pretty good with the mag so we decided try it hunting( in maine the smallest rifle allowed is a 22 mag). Anyway opening day he shot about a 100 lb doe tracked for about 500 yards and the trail stopped(pretty sure it was superficial). A week later we went hunting and he asked if he could shoot my .308 so he fired at a doe and missed. she didn't run to far away. I told him to shoot again but he said he really didn't want to. i told him to shoot anyway and he got her. After that I felt like a jerk because that was a pretty crappy thing to do. Anyway I'm just looking for a good gun for him to buy this spring so he can practice in th summer and be ready for deer season
 
#17 ·
Vonson,

I started out with a .243 Win many years ago at the age of 10, and managed to kill several deer with it. It's a good round for deer, with minimal recoil.

Not to tell you your business, but the .243 is a great rifle for both beginners and experienced shooters alike. I still have one, and it's a joy to shoot.

Take care,
Drifter
 
#20 · (Edited)
Not directed at you , Just gotta wonder about the powers to be in your State, that minimum cartridge regulation is a perfect example of planning the rulebook from the board room by some folks with no dirt on the bottoms of their shoes.


444fitch ( My two previous posts were of a supportive nature I believe , but every now and then you just gotta vent.) No harm implied.
 
#23 ·
I think for a 70 pound kid, I'd vote 243.
The 25-06 kicks a hair more than a 243, as it uses more powder. With a 100 grain bullet, it'd be a good deer round without kicking too badly. You can also get 120 grain loads when he can handle them. The 25-06 will make a good long range varmint round with lighter bullets (75 or 85), but, the 243 does, too.
I like, and use, both cartridges. Still...70 pounds? I vote 243
 
#24 ·
Been in that boat two, no wait three times. Seems like my wifes hobby is buying houses ,so who has the more economical pastime. O.k. dear no more guns till we close on the house , so help me. Yeah right . I have the benefit of having what could best be described as a wad of guns and the size of the blob shows no sign of change if occasionally one is thrown on the heap (figuratively speaking , rest assured to all who are concerned) . And I can't think of a better way to "camoflauge" a new gun purchase then to sneak it in under the radar at a time when you got money zig-zagging all over the place, tranfer here to pay for title , cut a check for mortgage insurance there , ah ... hey wait dear whats this five hundred and something sumtin'th check for dear?.. Oh that , that went to the termite inspector. Joe's house of Guns?... Hey what can I say sweetum's , He's very thorough. ( You get the picture ). Eventually you fess up , but not until she comes in the door with an antique piano bench for the piano that you don't have(?) "Won't it make a lovely plant stand? .... Yeah whatever dear.


444fitch
 
#25 ·
I don't think you could go wrong with any of the main three discussed: 7mm-08, .260, or .257 Roberts. The design of the platform the caliber comes on is just as important. If it is a rifle that is comfortable and has some classy eye-appeal (according to the boy's taste) he is going to like it better and shoot it more. The .25-06 has more recoil and really excels at longer ranges than your son is likely to be shooting at.
 
#26 ·
If you can find one, a .250 Savage kicks less than a .243, and comes within 50 f/s in velocity with a 100 gr bullet, as the .243 with a 90 gr. bullet. The .243 is a good choice if you can't find the Savage, which could take some time, and is limited in available factory ammo. If you handload, the .250 is a great cartridge.

The .260 is a good round, and is more versatile than the .243, but with heavier bullets does kick somewhat more than the .243. I have a Ruger M77 MK II Compact with a 16.5" barrel, and with the 100 gr nosler Partition I can't tell the difference between it and the .243, but the blast from the short barrel is rather intense. My wife did not like that aspect of the Compact.

The .25-06 is another good cartridge, but it does kick more than the .243, .250 Savage, .257 Roberts or the .260. If you're looking for a low recoiling .25 caliber with readily available ammo and a factory rifle, get the Ruger 77 MkII Ultra Light in .257 Roberts. It is an outstanding cartridge, in a handy rifle. I have a friend who uses one. He loves it, and says it is outstanding on Whitetails. I've shot it, and it's a great little rifle. Subjective recoil is similar to the .260.

You didn't say if you handload or not. If you do, you can control the amount of recoil in any caliber by loading light loads or reduced loads. When I was younger, I started deer hunting with a Remington 700 in .30-06. As a 13 year old weighing about 120 lbs. the full house 150 grain loads kicked my young butt. That Christmas I got an RCBS Jr. single stage reloading press with all the other goodies, and at that point I started experimenting with 125 gr bullets, reduced 150 gr loads, and cast bullet loads. It made a huge difference in comfort, as well as increasing the amount of practice in which I engaged. It also helped keep costs down. I could handload three to five more boxes of ammo for the same price as one box of factory ammo.

I'll probably be flamed intensely for this idea, but here goes. Have you considered the .223? With the Nosler 60 gr Partition, or the Winchester 64 gr Powerpoint, it works well on Whitetails, IF you limit your shots to broadside only within 150 yards. Just an idea.
 
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