What caliber rifle for various use?

[Oregon Knife Guy]

If you were limited to one caliber rifle for hiking, camping, hunting deer and shooting varmits what would you choose- 22-250 or a 243? This is not really the go to gun for my long backpacking trips, but something that I can carry for coyotes while out for a hike and also use as a deer rifle.
Currently I have a 22-250 wood stock but and thinking of upgrading (kinda) from this custom rifle to a synthetic tikka. I have shot 4 bucks with this 250 all but one dropped in one shot, the one took two steps so I plugged him again, but probably didn't need to.

 

[6shooter]

I'd go with whatever you're comfortable with, which seems to be the 22-250. Seems it's doing it's job nicely, so why spend the money on a new gun? If you're gonna get a new rifle anyways, then I'd get a .243, just to have something different, not much point in having two guns in one calibre, unless of course you want to. If it was me though, I'd just keep rockin the 22-250.

 

[Oregon Knife Guy]

My only issue with the 250 is the weight. Really heavy and I like a gun with a synthetic stock so I can beat on it a little jk
Besides my dad stole the gun back from me. Not that I don't have 25 others! Though none I like for deer, my shots seem to be further out than they used to be. 200-300 yards. 30-30 open sight isn't the best for that. And 300wsm is too big.

 

[benthughes]

If I may play Devil's advocate and recommend an AR-15. Good variety of bullets for everything from punching paper to varmits/coyotes. Fun to shoot, endless possibilities in configuration and useful for anything up to a couple hundred pounds depending on the round. Just me

 

[6shooter]

Well, if that's the case, I'd probably pick up a .243 then. Granted, I'm not familiar with the ballistics of a 22-250, so I don't know how it performs out to 300 yards, hence why I'd opt for the bigger cartridge. If I was to go with one hunting rifle, for anything, big game included, it'd likely be a .270, but that'd certainly be a little big for varmints.

If your comfortable with the 22-250 out to 300 yards, then why not? But hey, why not go for a .243? I guess it really comes down to whether you want/need the bigger cartridge or not.


Take all this with a grain of salt, as I only own one dedicated hunting rifle, and it's a 7mm Rem Mag. I was planning on getting a .270, but the price I paid for the rifle/scope combo for the 7mm was way too good to pass up.

 

[the lone gunman]

I like 243 with 75gr. hollowpoints. Heres a link to the 243/75gr VS. 22-250/55gr.

http://www.remington.com/Products/Ammunition/Ballistics/printable_version.aspx?data=PRA243WB*R22502

 

[ivan51]

Well, if that's the case, I'd probably pick up a .243 then. Granted, I'm not familiar with the ballistics of a 22-250, so I don't know how it performs out to 300 yards, hence why I'd opt for the bigger cartridge. If I was to go with one hunting rifle, for anything, big game included, it'd likely be a .270, but that'd certainly be a little big for varmints.

If your comfortable with the 22-250 out to 300 yards, then why not? But hey, why not go for a .243? I guess it really comes down to whether you want/need the bigger cartridge or not.


Take all this with a grain of salt, as I only own one dedicated hunting rifle, and it's a 7mm Rem Mag. I was planning on getting a .270, but the price I paid for the rifle/scope combo for the 7mm was way too good to pass up.

+1 for the .270:thumbup:

 

[PrimitiveMan]

until you mention deer.

I would probably go with a short barrelled .270 with a fixed power scope. 6X

 

[kvaughn]

:All kind of rifles widely available in a large range of configurations and price ranges.Ammo the same. Can safely and humanely take any game in North America short of a grizzly. In the hands of a competent shooter is accurate and deadly out to 400yds. I'll take this 100+ yr old round just about every time!--KV

 

[jhendri2]

I guess it really depends on what you're really looking to do. A 243 will work fine with low recoil. I would also look at 25-06 and a 270, though they'll be built on a long action and be slightly heavier. For short action rounds I would consider the 7mm-08, 7x57, 257 Roberts and 308 win. Most are based on the same case as the 243, but have a better range of bullets to hunt varmints and still take deer cleanly at 300+ yards.

Jim

 

[moonwilson]

:All kind of rifles widely available in a large range of configurations and price ranges.Ammo the same. Can safely and humanely take any game in North America short of a grizzly. In the hands of a competent shooter is accurate and deadly out to 400yds. I'll take this 100+ yr old round just about every time!--KV

This man speaks wisdom. The 30-06 can do it all. :thumbup: You can take grizzly with a 30-06, but it'd be smart to bring a .454 along just in case.

 

[kyturkey]

I like the short actions. You can't go wrong with a 243, 7mm-08, or 308. I got a 7mm-08 (which is a 308 case necked down to 7mm) a couple of years ago for deer hunting and I've been happy with it. You might want to check out some ballistics charts and look at data out to 300 yrds.
Another thing to look at is ammo availability, if you reload or not. If you chose a popular caliber and are on a hunting trip and forget ammo, you can buy some at local mom and pop stores or at one of the big box stores. That being said sometimes I like having something different.

 

[SDS]

Of the two you mentioned I'd probably go with the .243. I carry a .25-06 most of the time and love the rifle and round.

Heard a quote once that said "fear the man who has but one gun, for he likely knows how to use it." Find one your comfortable with and shoot straight.

SDS

 

[Don Rearic]

If I were in grizzly country, there are a lot of things I would feel undergunned with, a .30-06 isn't one of them.

 

[MVF]

Whatever caliber you end up with, a synthetic Tikka is a sweet rifle- nice balance and, for me, it pointed very naturally. I'm guessing you already know about their accuracy. They're all based on long actions, so pick whatever caliber you want.

Pics when you get it please!

 

[udtjim]

Where I hunt, the deer are mostly large mule deer In my mind that means 25 caliber minimum. This is prairie and cross canyon shooting so 200 yards is a average shot with 300 being pretty common. My wife shoots a 250-3000 Savage and I shoot a 308. Over the years, i have taken deer with almost every caliber common to man. The ideal deer cartridge IMO is the 270 and 280. These are both siblings of the 30-06. IMO the 30-06, while a great rifle, is a bit of a overkill for purely deer hunting. I have used the 30-06 a lot but probably won't again. The 308 will do about the same thing in a short action with a bit less powder and recoil. I have a very bad shooting shoulder and recoil is a big deal for me now.

For varmints we use the 250 Savage which was the parent case for the 22-250, just with a 25 caliber bullet. The rifle is a 700 Remington. My 308 is the lightweight composite Stalker from Browning.

 

[DWK2]

I don't know what your budget is but if there are limits, I'd consider a larger jump than to 243. Something that would work for deer but could also handle elk/moose/bear if you ever decide to hunt them. A rifle in the 270 to 30-06 range would be nice. I use a 338WM for hogs, deer, and elk. Probably a bit heavier than necessary but I don't notice the recoil in the field. When hunting in Griz country I don't worry about being undergunned.

DancesWithKnives

 

[Md 25v]

another vote for the AR-15
I have a 20 inch upper in .223 for G-hogs
An 18 in upper in 243 WSSM for deer and coyote
I just got a .50 Beowolf for hog hunting but have not shot it yet

 

[borrowed time]

for the best all-around rifle my thoughts would be a Thompson Contender with 2 barrels.

in black bear only country (as largest 4-legged threat) you could have a .243.

In Dangerous griz country, carry a minimum of 30-06 barrel.

"two Birds with one stone " as the saying goes.

 

[udtjim]

In my good shoulder days, I packed a 416 Rem mag for the bigger stuff. Those days are gone.