I have read and watched your posts and you do go against whatever direction the thread is going troll boy! And you are right not alot of difference in most it is personal preference but he asked for opinions and received them and I don't see where you explained one damn reason you don't like the two, and good ammo is expensive regardless if it is .308 or 7/08 or .270 or .280 so that argument doesn't hold water unless you wanna shoot cheap arse ammo!

dang I forgot the popcorn

That's a lie popcorn boy.

No that is true!

I wonder what the recoil difference is between 120 grain 7mm-08 and 100 grain .243?

About 1lb of felt recoil.

Another vote for 7mm-08. Someone asked about ammo at Wal- Mart. They have a fairly good selection of the common rounds HOWEVER; the tricky part is finding someone to open up the glass case to get it!

7-08 has a huge following on not only this forum, but many others!

The 7mm-08 is certainly a more versatile round for typical big game. In my opinion, it would be a better long-term decision for a young man. As mentioned, it can be loaded to have recoil just slightly above a .243, then loaded heavier to handle much larger game.

With today's bullets, it offers a rifle that shoots flatter than a .308, hits with more energy than a .243, but has less recoil than a .270 or .308. Solid choice.

I agree with the 708 recommendation. A wider range of bullet choices if you reload, meaning a wider range of applications. if you don't reload, starting out on the managed recoil loads, then moving up to full house 140's will allow this rifle to be well utilized for the rest of your son's life, and probably his son's too.

For strictly whitetail and smaller game the 243 is sufficient, but barely in some cases. And you'll never be able to run any heavier than a 100grain bullet. To me, that's simply too limiting for a "one gun" scenario. Sure, there are people that love the 243. And no doubt that it has proven itself over many years of service. But, to me, it falls more in the class of a varmint cartridge with the ability to use it whitetail hunting when conditions are optimum. Pushing it beyond that is asking for disappointment. That's my opinion of the round, some will disagree, no doubt.


And ammo availability would never be a factor in my choosing a caliber. NEVER! I have ammo for each of my rifles packed in at least two different locations when I go on a hunting trip. And usually a few rounds stashed at camp when going to where I normally hunt. Anyone who "forgets" their ammo didn't have their mind in the right place when preparing for the hunt to begin with. Also, what are the odds that the store is going to have the exact same ammo you were using to start with? That's a gamble with any caliber. A change in something as small as lot numbers can make a difference in point of impact. If one was to forget their ammo and go buy some more, they'd really need to re-sight/verify anyway. So that argument holds absolutely no water with me.

I like the .243 for those of smaller stature/newer to shooting. My wife has one and no deer has gone farther than 20 yards. She just took a good 9 that didn't take a step after she hit him. As others have stated, the availability of ammo is also a plus!

However, if you son is never going to buy another rifle, the 7-08 will, as others have said, is able to "move up" in grain size for larger game.

243 WCF
100GR BOAT TAIL SOFT POINT
BC .39
MPBR FOR 6 INCH VITALS
SET SIGHTS + 2.49
SECOND ZERO=240 YDS
MPBR=282




7-08
140 GR BOAT TAIL SOFT POINT
BC .45
MPBR FOR 6 INCH VITALS
SET SITES +2.51 @100YDS
SECOND ZERO=235 YDS
MPBR=277
Path is very close between .243WCF 100 gr, and the 7-08 140 gr, But FPE energy is around 400 to 600 FP higher with the 7-08 140 gr

If you take the rule of thumb of 1,000 FPE for WT, The 243WCF is capable to about 370 yards. More than enough FPE for a clean kill with proper placement on the average Texas WT.

And the 7-08 looks to have the 1,000FPE to about 600yds

That 1000FPE is a bad rule of thumb IMO, BUT man I like your style!

It all depends on the Indian.

Yes and I won't get into that argument. Deer have been killed with cars, rocks, spears (friend of a friend did so just recently actually), all the way to airplanes. Doesn't mean I'd use those methods or "calibers". If it works for you, keep on doing it! To each it's own as long as your getting it done on a consistent basis.

the FPE combined with premium weight retaining bullets ensures pentration should you hit bone. It's like having insurance, you don;t know you need it until you've screwed up.

both r good calibers and i have both. ones a 6mm on a 308 case and ones a 7mm on a 308 case and thats about the difference between the two, 1mm.

the holes they put on deer look about the same.
the S2 comes in stainless in 243 and not in the 7-08, that might make the choice for me, id take the stainless in .243
ive used a 243 for over 20 years and never lost a deer, not even my kids and they made tremendous shots at game over 200 yds.
i like the 7-08 but whats the big deal with it, the 7mm mauser has been around longer and the 7-08 just matches it.

7m-08 for Me ! I love the 243 too !! 243 ammo is alot cheaper to shoot.

Love the 243..but being recoil is very simlar on both calibers never hurts to go with the energy.

And yes I would toss in the 25-06... But hard to compare a LA vs SA.

Either will work fine but when using a .243 one must make sure and not use varmint bullets on deer sized game.

My daughter started shooting the 7-08 at age 8, now I shoot it also because I like it so much. In my opinion the 243 is very capable of doing the job if pinpointed more so than the 7-08. With kids, I like to give them a little more room for error. Your son will have no problems with the 7-08, and you may even start shooting it.

I understand that it's not for everyone and some have personal preference; however hating the 7-08 is beyond my belief.

I've been shooting the Hornady Custom 120gr reduced recoil rounds in a Stevens 200 7mm-08 this year ($23.99/box at Cabellas). I have added weight to the stock since its a very light gun and the recoil is very light. I can't imagine it being much more than a .243. I really like the round. I shoulder shot a buck, 100 yards, field dressed at 125, and he went down like a sack of potatoes. That did it for me, I really like the round and would vote 7mm-08 over .243. Add to it the fact that you can shoot up to 160gr bullets and it is a no brainer for a more versitle hunting rig.

Let the little man who has worked his rear off pick the rifle he wants...
Scope under 300 bucks?? Leupold..
Less?? Weaver or Nikon... Have a Weaver and love it..

Never could dump the 400 bucks on a Zeiss.. Hear it's good glass, but for another 100 bucks I start thinking of some other rifle I want...