which calibre would be most suitable?

[Thar]

Hi all you experienced stalkers out there, I am looking to get a stalking rifle and I am torn between a 243 or a 308. Please could you give me some advice as to which calibre would be most suitable?would like to cover all deer in UK.

I guess it depends on whether you are first most a stalker or a shooter.

If you are a “stalker” then either because with the right bullet well placed everything will go down, if you have any problems you will just get closer or more careful to place you shot well. You will then only worry about finding out more about you quarries habits and then a dog to help by pointing unseen deer, the rifle is just a tool which so long as it can shoot 1MOA will have little effect on whether you are successful or not.

If you are a “Shooter” then either because you will think of good reasons to buy the second rifle and a third then change calibre to something unusual or a wildcat and then a semi-custom and on and on.

For roe, munties, CWD, females and young of all the bigger species the 243 is ideal, it is only when shooting big stags that you may want something bigger and to be honest unless you have very deep pockets or are very lucky the reality is you won’t be shooting many 12 pointer plus reds or 8 point Sikas.

ATB

Tahr

 

[Bigrob]

I started on a .243 and then put in for a .308...... the .243 was sold shortly after! I would always stick with the .308 anyday just a really great versitile round.

 

[Jason]

Go with a .308 will do the job on all of the deer you'll find in the UK. I did have a .243 wOrks well on roe, muntjac etc but marginal on some of the bigger stuff.

Jase
Ps did have a .243, once I bought my .308 I sold the .243 as it just wasn't getting used.

 

[Boarboy]

I have both. And even now go through stages of thinking which is best. Both have dropped deer well, and both have seen deer run. However, if i was presented with a broadside rutting fallow then id be reaching for the .308.

 

[User00003]

It's funny, when I first joined this forum and people asked the question about which calibre is best for a roe deer stalking, the answer was always "oh, not this old thing again! look back on XYZ thread, the subject has been covered a THOUSAND times, etc. etc. ".. LOL...

now when I read this post, I thought the same thing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BUT....having listened for a long time to everyone's opinions and educated experiences with different tools, I would probably say that,,not based on MY experience, but based on what I would do if I came into the sport again and had read these forums, I would probably opt for a .270 or a 7mm - it seems like the best of both worlds between the .243 and .308 with plenty of ammo, bullet and brass available, as well as a decent choice in the 2nd hand market. A firearm that will handle roe to sika to reds, ...


oh dear, what am I saying.....I should be recommending .243 AND .308,,,but honestly,,if you're looking for just one,,,consider 6.5x55 if you're gay, or 7mm or .270 if you're a man. - LOL...INCOMING!!!!!!!!

 

[wildgoose1uk]

If you are purely a stalker then either. Both are good capable calibres. If like me you are a target shooter as well then unless you are going to do a lot of 1000m shots I would say 308 every time. It is one thing to use a couple of boxes annually stalking.... but it is entirely another to using 80 rounds in a morning of range work. I can buy privi or MEN ammo for £9 a box in 308. 243 costs a lor more even in those brands. I have a mate who traded in his rifle after two years to buy another of the same model in 308.

 

[Selous]

Buy the 308, much more versatile, 243 is a damn good fox rifle that you can also shoot deer with whereas the 308 is a cracking deer rifle that will also kill foxes......INCOMING!!!

 

[njc110381]

I've shot Deer with a few calibres and my current outlook is that anything apart from a .243 is fine! So the direct answer to the OP's question would be .308!

Now - there will be people who shoot me down and say that with the right bullet the .243 is fine. Well yes it is but.... The .243 shoots best with light bullets. Some don't handle 100gr bullets at all well yet people will still shout that with a good (heavy enough generally) bullet, you can shoot any Deer in the UK. So why pick a rifle that is out of it's comfort range of bullet weight and say it's fine? Other calibres that are slightly bigger are clearly far more "fine" as they are actually designed to lob Deer weight/construction bullets!

I've shot Deer with .243, 6.5x55, 7x57, .338WM and .375H&H. With sensible placement the 6.5x55 and 7x57 do what I deem to be the best job. Strangely neither are that powerful but they lob a good weight of projectile at a sensible speed. The others are either too light and too fast, or just plain stupidly powerful and/or too fast!

.308 lobs quite a heavy bullet at quite a sensible speed so even though I've never used one I have little doubt that it will do a fine job. Avoid light and avoid fast and you'll get along just fine on all species. It drills a decent size hole all the way through anything in the UK but without splashing and either destroying a small Deer, or perhaps not getting in deep enough to do the job on something big.

And you may have noticed, I don't like .243 much!

 

[njc110381]

honestly,,if you're looking for just one,,,consider 6.5x55 if you're gay, or 7mm or .270 if you're a man. - LOL...INCOMING!!!!!!!!

Incoming indeed. So it doesn't recoil much but don't put the guy off of one of the best UK calibres out there! If you want to be a man and use a .270 - blow up half of what you shoot, burn more powder than a howitzer, put up with a muzzle flash that is that bright it put's the sun to shame..... I could go on but I've made my point. It won't make the Deer any more dead!

 

[50/50]

I always think this one is simple, the first thing is that both will do the job. The second thing is that, at all reasonable stalking ranges, you can down load the 308 to behave like (actually better than) a 243 with 110 grain bullets but you can't ever load your 243 up to 308 levels with a 150 or 165 grain bullet. With each 308 you buy you get a free 243.

I've never shot a deer and spent time thinking that I wished that I'd made a smaller hole in it but I have spent time after a not so good shot thinking that it was good I'd made as big a hole as possible.

Last season I had two BIG sika stags in the scope, I'm pretty sure both would have made a medal. I didn't shoot either of them as they would have been too heavy for me to extract and I mostly shoot for meat rather than a trophy. Neither presented broadside on shots or came closer than maybe 150 yards. At that distance a neck shot was out and it would have been necessary to shoot through the point of the shoulder on both of them. Had I of taken either shot I'd have been much happier with the 308 and 150 or 165 grain bullets than a 243 with a lighter bullet. Should you ever find yourself in the same position my money says you'll never regret having the bigger rifle with you.

+1 ....couldn't agree more....also I'm not a big bloke and I never notice the recoil, particularly with a mod on.

Plus .308 factory ammo always available worldwide, ....which probably explains why it is the most popular calibre in the world!

7mm-08 is a great round but you probably need to be a re-loader, from what I can gather.

 

[JabaliHunter]

use a .270 - blow up half of what you shoot

Never seen that before and I've used mine happily for 15 years on muntjac, roe and fallow.
I'd probably go 7mm-08 (AI if you handload) with 140gr for one UK stalking rifle covering all species including the odd boar.

 

[Jason]

I had a .243 and a .30-06 both for deer and I now just have a .308 for deer, moved away from 30-06 ( do still like 30-06) because the mates I shoot with use .308, have an applicaion in for a 6.5x55. .308 good for all uk deer and boar,puts them on the deck with very litle meet damage. Good range of ammo and it's an accurate cartridge. Drop wise not worth worrying to much about a stalking ranges.

Mate of mine has a .243 and .270 and guess what he hasn't had the .243 out of the cabinet for a few years....

If your not sure what calibre to buy go for the .308 and put the money you would have spent on he .243 into it as well.

 

[njc110381]

Never seen that before and I've used mine happily for 15 years on muntjac, roe and fallow.
I'd probably go 7mm-08 (AI if you handload) with 140gr for one UK stalking rifle covering all species including the odd boar.

No I was being a little tongue in cheek with that comment, but I still feel it could be a bit on the quick side if your bullet choice isn't right. I think more than anything I just find it quite a harsh round to shoot.

 

[JabaliHunter]

Agree with you there. Probably a better choice for reds, but can be made to work as you say with good bullets and shot placement.