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My sons favorite rifle is the one he got from my dad.I have plenty of 22s for them a 223 and a 243 for them to start with but I would like something a little bit bigger for them to shoot when they are teens I am not sure a 243 is a good rifle for deer I know a lot of people have to look for deer they shoot maybe there is a good bullet or load for them I am not sure any ideas would be great | ||
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Pa .308 Winchester or a 7/08.... | |||
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You'd be hard pressed to find a better cartridge than the 7mm-08 with 140 grain bullets. It'll do anything you need it to with mild recoil and there are plenty available in carbine size.  | |||
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Since deer aren't terribly difficult to kill, a .260 Rem would be something a small child, say ten years old, could use and not outgrow even when he's a grandpa.  Aut vincere aut mori | |||
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I would say anything between 25 cal, and 7mm, non magnum. 257R, 25=06, 260, 6.5x55, 7-08, 7x57 Ect... should serve them good. Extreme Custom Gunsmithing LLC, ecg@wheatstate.com | |||
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I would wait until you or they feel the 243 you have is to small then get a 270 Win./30-06. You could buy it now and store it | |||
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I'm 43 in August and still use my 7-08 ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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Hard to beat a 7mm-08 or 308! "Personal is not the same as important", Corporal Carrot, Men at Arms | |||
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Get him the best 308 win you can afford and he can use that rifle for everything except big bears for his entire life. Start him off with 150s. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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If you already have a 243 - stick with it instead of spending more money. I'm 43 and still use a 243. They are a perfect starter caliber for women and kids as well. Too light? - bullet choice and shot placement are the key. My biggest buck was about 240 lbs and a single shot from a 100gr corelokt dropped him at about 175 yards. I've also used anything from Barnes TSX bullets to Hornady SPBTs to Nosler Partitions and never had an issue. Even a poorly placed bullet from a larger caliber can result in looking for a deer. The key is going to be getting something the kids can shoot well and comfortably without fear of recoil or weight. I have no problems telling you to stick with what you have. DRSS Sabatti 450\400 NE Merkel 140-2 500 NE | |||
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Since you already have a .243, I would recommend stepping up to something in the .270, 7mm-08, .280 range. Low recoil but the flexibility to hunt any Suzette deer under any circumstances. My personal favorite would be 7x57. But realistically it's no better than the others, there are few guns to choose from and you really need to be a reloader to get the most out of it. | |||
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Oops. That should say, "any size deer". This damn iPad tries to change what I intend to say when I don't watch it carefully. | |||
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I was thinking of getting a cpl of the marlin XS7 in 243 but I was shooting mine last year and shot 2 deer at around 200 yds one was dead on the spot no exit wound the other fell over and was down for a bit then got up stumbled went down again. Then got up and slowly walked off I should have shot it again but I thought it would lay down and die in few yards. I waited a hour then went and looked couldn't find it had three friends over we looked for four hrs could not find it no blood at all I might not have made the best shot but I have no faith in those 95 gn sst so if there is a better bullet to load for it would try it. It is a great rifle it is a mdl 70 from 1965 shoots and looks great. | |||
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I agree with this 100% "If you are not working to protect hunting, then you are working to destroy it". Fred Bear | |||
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CZ 527 in 7.62x39. ____________________________________________ "If a man can't trust himself to carry a loaded rifle out of camp without risk of shooting somebody, then he has no business ever handling a rifle at all and should take up golf or tennis instead." John Taylor Ruger Alaskan 416 Ruger African 223 | |||
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Right on! See above. I got my first 243 Winchester at age 14. It worked on hundreds of groundhogs and three one shot kills on white tail deer here in Pennsylvania. I'm a gun nut, and have moved on to other stuff, but the 243 Winchester works on white tail deer in my experience. Sincerely, Chris Bemis | |||
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257 Roberts or 6.5x55 Swede get my pic | |||
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Well at least one of is sure....the .243 is indeed a very fine rifle for deer and if one has to look for a deer shot with a .243 then he'd also have to look for a deer shot with anything. Use the .243....it's a truly fine deer cartridge.....and I prefer 100 grain bullets of almost any flavor. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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I'm a big fan of the 25-06. Its great for both deer and varmint and an easy rifle to shoot. A good selection of bullets is available if you reload and factory ammo can be found almost anywhere. It was my first deer rifle and I still have one in my small collection today. Start young, hunt hard, and enjoy God's bounty. | |||
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I like a bit more umph to.Either .257 Rob or 7-08 would be great. | |||
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I still shoot my 243 my dad bought me over 20 years ago when I was a kid. Matter of fact, I just had it rebarrelled last fall and have already taken an antelope doe with it. Can't wait to get it back out for deer season this year. Interesting you brought up the SST bullet. I witnessed an antelope shot last year with this same bullet. Needless to say, I was less than impressed. It literally blew apart at roughly 100 yards and didn't exit. Not once, but twice, as the hunter hit it twice before it dropped. The other nice thing about a 243 is you can basically find the cheap old Remington corelokt bullets on any hardware shelf in the country! Graybird "Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning." | |||
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 The 6.5X55 will be adequate for a lifetime. 120 to 140 grain for deer and 150 to 160 grain for elk.  Head and shoulders a better performer than a .243.  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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I just picked up a Winchester M-70 featherweight in 7-08. The young hunter is 9yrs old and I am going to start off this season with "mild" 140gr bullets for deer season. The rifle has a nice crisp trigger pull and I like the fact that it is a short action. I will have the stocks LOP shortened. | |||
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yea that... and any rural service station/liquor store will have .308 in stock in case you forget it 500 miles from home. | |||
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I killed lots of deer, black bear and two elk with my 243. Eventually traded up to a 270. I still miss that 243, should've kept it. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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308 -- opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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Winchester classic model in 7MM-08 US Navy RETIRED NRA LIFE MEMBER | |||
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7mm 08 absolutely. Ideal in a Tikka T3 or a Winchester Mod 70. "When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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The classic 7x57 Mauser should fit the bill nicely. It's worked just fine for me on anything from blue wildebeest to impala. | |||
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If it's to be a forever rifle I'd favor a .257 Roberts in a Model 70 Featherweight topped with a 2.5x8 Luepold. I'd move up to a .25-06 next. Everyone has a .270 laying around but a truly accurate beautiful quarterbore is not a rifle that gets left at home. | |||
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260rem or 6.5x55 both excellent deer cartridges with mild recoil. | |||
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INTERESTING.....thirty replies and all of them ranging from 6mm caliber to the .308 caliber......and not a single recommendation for the .223.....and after all those gruesome threads about how good the 223 is for deer.....where did those guys go?  /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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Another fan of the .243 for a beginning hunter/high powered rifle shooter. Lack of recoil, killing power, ease of getting factory ammo, ability to use it for deer down to gofers. Great choice imo. If I were looking at other calibers, I would look at the .257 Roberts, or the .260 Rem. | |||
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In a theoretical sense the 260rem looks ideal. But I'd recommend a 7mm-08. Because anything a 260 can do can be done by a 7mm-08, and probably a bit better. But one thing I can say in the 7mm-08's favor is that you can find ammo for it everywhere. even Walmart... not so the 260Rem. a 6.5x55swede only makes sense if you already HAVE one or live in scandanavia. Otherwise it's like recommending a Volvo 544 or a Saab 99 (or frankly ANY Saab now that Saab is defunct) as "the ideal car" If I provoke you into thinking then I've done my good deed for the day! Those who manage to provoke themselves into other activities have only themselves to blame. *We Band of 45-70er's* 35 year Life Member of the NRA NRA Life Member since 1984 | |||
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My absolute, hands down, favorite deer rifle is a 7X57. The only down side is most gun shops have a limited supply of factory ammo for the old war horse, consequently I suggest it's ballistic twin, the 7mm08. It is easy to shoot, appropriate for deer and elk, and is a gun he can use for the rest of his life. | |||
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I assumed that since this thread was about a gun for grand son, that we're talking first gun, young kid, 100 lbs or less, 9 or 10 yrs old. Recoil will make a difference in how much a little one enjoys, or hates shooting. I love the 7-08, and the .308, but wouldn't most agree that very little felt recoil will be better for a youngster to gain confidence, and become comfortable with etc. .243, .257 Roberts, .250 Savage, .260 Rem. Great choices!  | |||
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Since you already have a 223 and a 243 I'd have to say the 25-06. If the lad can handle a full size rifle it's versitile, easy to shoot, and when the kid discovers the ballistic charts in the gun catalogs he won't feel undergunned and need something faster right away. Ammo is relatively easy to find, brass is cheap, there is a nice selection of bullets to load, and it's easy to load for. Best of all it's cool and his mates at school won't have one. I got one for my Godson 2 years ago and his friends at school told him he was full of s&^t cause there was no such thing. He killed his first deer at 260 yards and loves that gun. Second choice would be 260 or if you want get him something really diffrent and cool the 240 weatherby is PFM on deer. You can get the new weatherby vangaurd S2 for 500 bucks. | |||
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I guess my my reluctance to get them 243 was a bad judgement on my part when I loaded a v Max for a deer load I will try a 95 gn tsx this year and see if I like it better. It bothered me to not find that deer last year I have never lost one before I have also shot several with a 223 but I don't think I would let someone shot that Unless they could shoot pretty good. I have a little bit before I need to buy there rifles the oldest is not yet 2 but I can hardly wait to take the little guys hunting and fishing with me | |||
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My grandsons will start their deer hunting with a .243 Win. loaded with Speer 105s ! They have so many guns coming their way that they may use the .243 for one year and move right up to something bigger . Don't forget to have your Liberals spayed or neutered ! | |||
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LOL - For me the 270 Win was/is the best deer rifle! I've got two!!! BUT - When it came my time to get my son a deer rifle I Got him a 308. LOL, go figure. AND like Mike and Dog say - He's still using it now years later as his only BG rifle. ________ Ray | |||
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