Your 3 favorite hunting cartridges of all time

[358Shooter]

Late to the game here, but here it goes.

243 Win ( Rem Model 7)
358 Winchester ( Ruger Hawkeye, Browning BLR) or any other .358 Bore
416 Rem ( Winchester 70 Express Safari )

Honorable Mention
257 Roberts (Kimber Montana)

Cheers

 

[camlo]

22 magnum
6.5x284 Norma
416 Rem Mag

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Late to the game here, but here it goes.

243 Win ( Rem Model 7)
358 Winchester ( Ruger Hawkeye, Browning BLR) or any other .358 Bore
416 Rem ( Winchester 70 Express Safari )

Honorable Mention
257 Roberts (Kimber Montana)

Cheers

@358Shooter
I would have said I love your choices BUT you stuffed up when you said you have a useless 243. RUINED an otherwise perfect line up. A 25, 35s and a 416 great now GET RID OF THAT 243, you have a lovely 25 that will do all the useless 243 will then some.
Bob

 

[358Shooter]

I would have said I love your choices BUT you stuffed up when you said you have a useless 243. RUINED an otherwise perfect line up. A 25, 35s and a 416 great now GET RID OF THAT 243, you have a lovely 25 that will do all the useless 243 will then some.
Bob

Yeah yeah yeah, I hear you Bob.

In this case though, the .243 is there because it has sentimental value. That was the first rifle my dad gave me, after I shot my first deer with his 35 Rem. I spent many days hunting with him, and made some great memories with him and that Model 7. Now it sits in the case right next to his 308 Belgium made BLR. Now if I could only convince my brother to sell me Dads 35 Rem.....yeah, that will never happen.

358Shooter

 

[WAB]

Nothing wrong with a .243 with 100 gr bullets. The deer I’ve shot with it are very dead.

 

[LWPhunt]

30-06
22 LR
20 gauge

 

[LWPhunt]

30-06
22 LR
20 gauge

 

[375Ruger416]

30-06
22 LR
20 gauge

Great choices, bread and butter - except for the 20 g!

Fortunately I don’t only have to have three so I’ve got a 410 break action for my boys (6 & 10), a 12 g semi auto for my wife, and I’ve got a couple of pump 12 g I’ve collected. Had a few semi autos, but since the 12 g is mostly packed around in case of bears I got rid of them.

What’s your 20g in? Seems like the ticket for upland bird and with a slug barrel possibly for deer in straight wall states.

 

[Antti]

Hello, lets add my first post in this forum

I've had

.22lr
308Win, 3 different rifles, its kind of the standard here in Finland, still have one
7,62x53r
7mm Rem Mag
45/70
9,3x62
.375 H&H Mag

I mostly hunt elks and bears so .375 is now my choice

7mm Rem Mag was awesome, but i found it too risky to change direction from hit of bones, since distances are relatively close. And need to watch the dogs when shoot, so its too dangerous in my opinion. It would be good from 200m+ i guess. As one rifle for all game it would be my choice


For shotgun, its 12/70 for me

So it would be .308win, .375 H&H and 12/70, with those just say direction and i will go

 

[RudiB]

6.5 x 55
.30-06
.450 Rigby

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yeah yeah yeah, I hear you Bob.

In this case though, the .243 is there because it has sentimental value. That was the first rifle my dad gave me, after I shot my first deer with his 35 Rem. I spent many days hunting with him, and made some great memories with him and that Model 7. Now it sits in the case right next to his 308 Belgium made BLR. Now if I could only convince my brother to sell me Dads 35 Rem.....yeah, that will never happen.

358Shooter

@358Shooter
I understand sentiment but I would take your dads 35 Rem over the 243 anyday. Maybe you could have the 243 rebarreled to 35 Rem and have the best of both. The sentimentof the rifle and dads caliber.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Nothing wrong with a .243 with 100 gr bullets. The deer I’ve shot with it are very dead.

@WAB
A 253 with a 100gn at 2,800fps will never do what a 100gn in a 257 Roberts will at 3,200fps.
Bob

 

[WAB]

@WAB
A 253 with a 100gn at 2,800fps will never do what a 100gn in a 257 Roberts will at 3,200fps.
Bob

No argument there, nor is it intended to. But the .243, loaded and used properly, is a fine rifle.

 

[ACE (in CT)]

Don't do it, don't answer, it's a trick!
Somebody's wife started this thread and next thing we know there will be a conversation that starts with:
"So, as I understand it, you only need 3 of these rifles".

3 Hunting Cartridges, Who ever heard of such a thing?!? I mean, is that even legal?

 

[akrifleman]

@WAB
A 253 with a 100gn at 2,800fps will never do what a 100gn in a 257 Roberts will at 3,200fps.
Bob

Let's see. Most custom barrel makers all say its incredibly hard on throats. I agree, but of course who cares about my word.
243 cases stretch more than any other - ridiculous for such a small case
They are never offered with a proper twist, offering marginal stability.
I want to say it sucks to reload, but that isn't true. This is in the middle. There are far worse, and far better. Reloading isn't just cranking a handle, it includes prep work AND tuning. A 300 RUM is far worse, for tuning as an example.
Smaller cartridges (6XC, 6Creed, 6GT) easily exceed its ballistics, as they are far more efficient AND readily take higher BC bullets, and can readily handle any bullet the 243 can do and does dream about. It *could* have been great if it was built like the 6 Super LR, but it wasn't (still using magical 308 brass).
Even near the time of printing, the (now) 6mm Rem and the 6.5x55 easily did everything better.

No, the 243 is the most nostalgic and popular round. The defense is always sentiment and popularity. Almost anything else makes a better rifle. I own a lever 25-20, but my sentiment doesn't make it a great cartridge.

 

[Inkgardener]

Don't do it, don't answer, it's a trick!
Somebody's wife started this thread and next thing we know there will be a conversation that starts with:
"So, as I understand it, you only need 3 of these rifles".

3 Hunting Cartridges, Who ever heard of such a thing?!? I mean, is that even legal?

I agree!

I have 3 favorites for each species of game.

 

[WAB]

Let's see. Most custom barrel makers all say its incredibly hard on throats. I agree, but of course who cares about my word.
243 cases stretch more than any other - ridiculous for such a small case
They are never offered with a proper twist, offering marginal stability.
I want to say it sucks to reload, but that isn't true. This is in the middle. There are far worse, and far better. Reloading isn't just cranking a handle, it includes prep work AND tuning. A 300 RUM is far worse, for tuning as an example.
Smaller cartridges (6XC, 6Creed, 6GT) easily exceed its ballistics, as they are far more efficient AND readily take higher BC bullets, and can readily handle any bullet the 243 can do and does dream about. It *could* have been great if it was built like the 6 Super LR, but it wasn't (still using magical 308 brass).
Even near the time of printing, the (now) 6mm Rem and the 6.5x55 easily did everything better.

No, the 243 is the most nostalgic and popular round. The defense is always sentiment and popularity. Almost anything else makes a better rifle. I own a lever 25-20, but my sentiment doesn't make it a great cartridge.

Probably all true, but it’s flat shooting, low recoil, and kills what I shoot at. Mine is actually a safe queen as I have other rifles that typically get the nod. I just get sick of all the hating on a cartridge that has proven itself many times over.

 

[akrifleman]

Probably all true, but it’s flat shooting, low recoil, and kills what I shoot at. Mine is actually a safe queen as I have other rifles that typically get the nod. I just get sick of all the hating on a cartridge that has proven itself many times over.

My son shot his first deer with one, I *still* have one (NIB Savage Weather, safe queen). Love my 358 Win Savage Model 99, and there sure ain't no military reason for it. I think a couple of us will argue the proven vs popular, but I do take your point on hating on stuff. Probably there is enough of that on the internet.

 

[Woodcarver]

Probably all true, but it’s flat shooting, low recoil, and kills what I shoot at. Mine is actually a safe queen as I have other rifles that typically get the nod. I just get sick of all the hating on a cartridge that has proven itself many times over.

Perfect cartridge for young hunters; grandkids all used one for their first antelope and deer. I might shoot it more, but the only rifle I have in 243 is a youth model, so it's a bit short for me. Before I got it, my son used my shortened 250-3000 for his first deer. Ballistics are very similar with 100gr pills. Just use the right bullet and put it in the right place.

 

[Warbeast]

Don't do it, don't answer, it's a trick!
Somebody's wife started this thread and next thing we know there will be a conversation that starts with:
"So, as I understand it, you only need 3 of these rifles".

3 Hunting Cartridges, Who ever heard of such a thing?!? I mean, is that even legal?

And ypu can even have those 3 in one rifle

Blasphemi