.243 Not Man enogh for Red Deer

Trufflehunting

Well-Known Member
Over the last couple of years i have decided that .243 is not man enogh for Reds.
In the future i intend to shoot boar, perhaps in france and i know that they do not allow military calibres into france.
Generally speaking I shoot roe and foxes, with the odd trip for reds.
A 30-06 was suggested to me because it is possible to load 100 grain and larger (i would use 100grain for Roe)
I am looking for a calibre to shoot all species in the uk
Could you let me have your thoughts, (I also need to take the rifle over to France)
Regards
TH
 
I am pretty sure that you will not be allowed to take a 30.06 to France as it is a current millitry Caliber
 
I'm not sure I'd agree with that statement but let's not get into that :D

.270 will do everything you want... and more
 
308 would be a good choice and you can use this in france too as it is not a military calibre.

You really would not want to be using 100gr bullets out of a 30-06 even if you are lucky enough to be able to get it to obturate the meat damage would be horiffic.

The 300 using 123gr soft points or 150gr Noslers has always been reliable for me in this calibre you can then step up to 150gr or even 168gr partitions for piggies.

For my French Boar trips the 308 is my weapon of choice
 
Over the last couple of years i have decided that .243 is not man enogh for Reds.
In the future i intend to shoot boar, perhaps in france and i know that they do not allow military calibres into france.
Generally speaking I shoot roe and foxes, with the odd trip for reds.
A 30-06 was suggested to me because it is possible to load 100 grain and larger (i would use 100grain for Roe)
I am looking for a calibre to shoot all species in the uk
Could you let me have your thoughts, (I also need to take the rifle over to France)
Regards
TH

I have to disagree with what you are saying. I have been to the USA on 3 different hunting trips and I can assure you that a .243win with a good homeload is more than capable of taking a Red Deer at 150yds. I know wardens in the USA on hunting lodges that use them exclusively and claim that if you cannot shoot straight you may need "extra gun" to make up for your inaccuracy. Yes a 300win mag will take elk at 600yds and make a bigger mess when the bullet gets there and yes you have to moderate your range with larger deer with a .243, but as is pointed out to me regularly on here 99% of british stalking is done at sub 200yds so I would recommend that a .243 is ample if you can shoot straight and know where to aim.

The 30-06 is a great caliber as you can generate custom loads to equal the ft/lbs of the .243 with 110 grain bullets or you can generate a 220grain 2500fps donkey stoppers. The .30-06 is incredibly versatile.
 
The 30-06 is a great caliber as you can generate custom loads to equal the ft/lbs of the .243 with 110 grain bullets or you can generate a 220grain 2500fps donkey stoppers. The .30-06 is incredibly versatile.

30-06 is 7.62x63 in metric which makes it a military calibre.... .270 is based on 30-06 but designed for hunting
 
I have to disagree with what you are saying. I have been to the USA on 3 different hunting trips and I can assure you that a .243win with a good homeload is more than capable of taking a Red Deer at 150yds. I know wardens in the USA on hunting lodges that use them exclusively and claim that if you cannot shoot straight you may need "extra gun" to make up for your inaccuracy. Yes a 300win mag will take elk at 600yds and make a bigger mess when the bullet gets there and yes you have to moderate your range with larger deer with a .243, but as is pointed out to me regularly on here 99% of british stalking is done at sub 200yds so I would recommend that a .243 is ample if you can shoot straight and know where to aim.

The 30-06 is a great caliber as you can generate custom loads to equal the ft/lbs of the .243 with 110 grain bullets or you can generate a 220grain 2500fps donkey stoppers. The .30-06 is incredibly versatile.

It is not an option to shoot boar with .243
I have experiance with reds remaining standing for a while when shot, both myself and a friend.
He neck shoots if a second shot is required
I belive to 30-06 is not allowed into france
What are your thoughts
TH
 
308 would be a good choice and you can use this in france too as it is not a military calibre.

You really would not want to be using 100gr bullets out of a 30-06 even if you are lucky enough to be able to get it to obturate the meat damage would be horiffic.

The 300 using 123gr soft points or 150gr Noslers has always been reliable for me in this calibre you can then step up to 150gr or even 168gr partitions for piggies.

For my French Boar trips the 308 is my weapon of choice
308 is a 7.62 NATO so I don't know why you think it is a non military round!

If you want just one rifle for everything you want to shoot and don't homeload, then the calibre has to be decided by the largest/toughest game you will take with it. There are lots of rounds which would suit your purpose such as .260, 7mm-08, .270, .300 win mag.
 
If your thinking about 30-06 then look at .308W. 150 grn SP will take care of anything the UK has to offer as well as take care of wild boar without to much meat damage. 30-06 is 10% more powerful than .308 and has a longer action Never had to use 100grn bullets out of one.

For boar you can use 180 grns if you like or 150grn pills will work just as well if you want a bit more of a harder hitting bullet then use a 150/180grn RN bullet.

I've used my .308 on everything from Red to Muntjac and it's a great round a friend has takes his to Africa and uses 150grn SP on plains game to good effect.

Jase.
Ps did use to have 30-06 didn't notice to much of a difference between .308 and 30-06, only noticable difference was length of the action and the recoil. It's my opinion 30-06 is more of a push were as .308W is more of a sharp punch 30-06 doesn't drop then any differently.
 
The 243 is fine for Boar in the UK as there is no min Calibre both of my 243's are conditioned for boar.

Across the channel though it depends on where you are 6.5 and 7mm are concidered too small on many driven hunts so you would be better looking at a 30 cal
 
308 is a 7.62 NATO so I don't know why you think it is a non military round!

If you want just one rifle for everything you want to shoot and don't homeload, then the calibre has to be decided by the largest/toughest game you will take with it. There are lots of rounds which would suit your purpose such as .260, 7mm-08, .270, .300 win mag.

Ah PIP a common misconseption by the ill informed the 308 win and 7.61x51 are not the same and have different chambers and sammi / cip specs.
 
Get a 7-08 and a big boy like a 9.3 or a .375 h&h if you're going into Europe. The 7-08 is ideal for large deer but hey 9.3 or .375 for boar..... now you're talking;)
 
.223 Remington (5,56 Nato)
6.5 Swedish
30.06 Springfield
.30 Krag
.308 Winchester (7,62 Nato)
7,62 X 39
7X57
8X57 JS
.303 British

From another website. The above are illegal.
 
Ah PIP a common misconseption by the ill informed the 308 win and 7.61x51 are not the same and have different chambers and sammi / cip specs.

Thats twaddle - having used 7.62 ammo through a 308 I can assure they are the same (it goes bang and if there is anything in the way it falls over dead) - haven't used a 308 in a G3 or WHY - but have you ever seen separate load data?

(However if you'd like to enlighten us I will stand to be corrected )
 
Go with a 7mm08 or 7x64 - will shoot anything you need and the latter is also really good with 173 gn for boar. 7mm-08 good with 140gn. And legal and available throughout France.
 
I too have been through this process with 243. I actually ended up with a 7x65r which is the rimmed version of the 7x64 and to date has taken both Roe and big reds with no issue. Mine is a 16 over 7x65r and when I get to France after boar (when brother in law gets his act together!) I will use slug in top barrel and round nosed 173gn in the bottom.

And picking up on your comments re beasts standing after shot, I had a stag stand after the first shot and take 2 more shots through heart lungs ( and all good shots in the right place - two criss crossed thecheart) last summer with 7x65r so dont think a bigger calibre will necessarily make them drop any quicker. He had no idea I was there so no adrenalin to make him run and bleed out quickly. Admittedly probably only 15 seconds from the first to third shot which knocked him over.
 
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Obviously what you are saying about shooting on the continent poses issues with silly european firearms laws and as I did say you would need more ft/lbs for boar, my comment was that a .243 is plenty to take a red deer if you are capable of hitting it in the right spot. I have family in the states and have been there fishing and shooting many times a .243 will easily take any deer we have in this country. They actually shoot Elk in the USA with .243 under 150yds so don't worry about it dropping a reds at normal UK stalking distances.

If you want to shoot deer and boar on the continent there are many calibers to consider such as; .270Win, any of the7mm configurations such as 7mm08, 7mmWin Mag, 7mmRemMag, 7MMRum, you have the 8mm's and the 9.3's too, each of which comes in a myriad of configurations, you could even get your FLO to let you have a .375H&H if you really want a donkey stopper.

If I wanted to shoot in Europe though I think I would try and keep the recoil down and the accuracy up and go for a 7mm08. The 7mm08 has slightly more recoil than the .243 and has similar but slightly less ft/lb than the .308 and .270win but plenty to take down a moose if you wanted too, the 7mm bullets also have better BC's than the .30 cals too.

Quote on the net about the 7mm08.
The 7mm-08, with appropriate loads, meets the required standard for moose hunting in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Such loads allow it, for that purpose, to be compared favourably with the 6.5x55, 7x57, 7x57R, 300 Savage, 303 British, and some 308 Win. and 270 Win. loads; they have killed many moose.
With appropriately constructed bullets, the cartridge is usable on elk, black bears and hogs.

^^^^^ I think that sums up my choice.

Homeload would be something like 7mm 150grain bullet used with varget to give 2800fps and 2650ft/lb Approx.
 
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