Looking at getting my wife a new left handed deer rifle. She has shot my .243 with great success, but I have heard alot of Good things about 7mm-08 as well.

Wanted to see if any of you have real experience and opinions on 7mm-08 vs .243

Thanks!

Both are great calibers. The 7mm offers a bit of a wider range of bullet weights and the 243 offers a good amount of varmint only bullets.

7mm-08 is an anything in Texas cartridge, but it'll tear a coyote up more than a .243. A 243 is almost an anything in Texas cartridge. I would'nt go on a Pronghorn hunt with one, but I would take a 7-08. The 7-08 having a heavier bullet will deliver more energy, and high BC bullets will help cheat the west Texas wind. I have a 243, and am about to build a 7-08. I think I, and you need both. Just two different tools in the toolbox.

I have both. The .243 was bought for my wife to deer hunt with. I've shot multiple deer with both, and all deer have been DRTed. I will say the 140gr 7mm bullet delievers a lot more energy than the 100gr Noslers I load for the .243, but dead is dead. Both are built on light weight hunting rifles. The 7mm-08 has noticable more kick. You can't go wrong with either, but if the wife is recoil sensitive, I'd go with the .243.

Why wouldn't you use one on pronghorn? Its plenty for pronghorn, I assure you from experience. They aren't tough.

I switched Kacee to the 7/08 from the .243 and she loves her 7/08 and we able to shoot the larger bullets. She will be hunting plains game with 140gr TSX in the 7/08 including Eland.

Why not the 120's?

probably the distance a pronghorn shot is taken. Most people who shoot .243 say the serviceable range is 200 or less. Certainly people have taken longer shots and made the animal go dead, but ballistics drops considerably the longer out you are reaching with the .243.

At least that is why I wouldn't take a .243 pronghorn hunting.

Going through this debate at the current moment myself.

Currently my wife is shooting my 270 although she isn't a fan of 150 grain loads in it. I was thinking about getting a 243, then thought why not get a 7mm08 and load some 100-120 grain bullets for it and its essentially a 243. However she can and has shot my 270 if the need for something bigger arises so I lean back to a 243.

Its plenty of gun out to 400plus. See a ton(40+) goats die via my hand or me guiding on my ranch. Most big buck don't break the 115lb range, and they are very thin skinned.

Not saying the 7-08 isn't a great step up because it is, with out a doubt, but don't discount the 243.

Fyi for killing goats past 400. The norm is 10mph wind is a calm day, by mid noon you very well could be looking at gusts 30mph

Nothing wrong with the 243WIN or 7-08.

But why not split the difference? I would seriously look at the 260REM for your wife's needs.

I would say that with the modern high bc projectiles that are out there; the 260REM is about the limit of what I would build on a short action (WSM and SAUM not withstanding, and I would also exclude the 308WIN for it's lack of powder capacity to really push the heavy high BC projectles with enough authority and the increase in recoil associated). For anything larger I would jump up to a long action to be able to effectively seat the bullet without taking up excessive case capacity.

You can load the .264's longer high BC's out there quite a ways and have an effective range that is just as good as the 7-08 with even less recoil (IMO).

There is even a 127 gr LRX from Barnes.

Just another way to skin a cat.

- Dave

Why is that? I've got an 84" pronghorn on my wall and I watched 13 yo girl killed one 80"+ with a 220 swift.

Back to the original post. 243 is more versatile. One gun do most type of gun. 58 gr vmax to 100 gr cup and core for deer. It's flat shooting and very deadly. I once killed a 300+ boar with a 90 gr sp right to the ear at 200 yards.

7mm-08 on paper ballistics are underwhelming, but deer don't care about that. If u plan on bigger stuff like axis and stuff it isn't needed but always better to have more punch

What???!!!!!! Who says the 243 is a 200 yard gun? Show me that person and I will show you a fool. Have you ever been goat hunting? They aren't that big literally 110 lbs is a big buck. Paper mâché skin.

Im not sure there is enough difference in 243 and 7mm08 on Texas game to warrant a comparison that's not gonna be caliber fan boy responses.

The longest deer kill I have made was with a .243 at 480 yards. I know my 7mm08 could have done the job just as well. I just wasn't holding it at the time.

This is almost as hilarious as th 308 vs. 7mm -08 thread.

I know, right?

I agree.....Bunch of mortals, glad you own a 257wby also

PH preferred the 140's and I really have no fear with either.

Come on, Bobo! You should know me well enough by now to know that I'm going to defer to BC. The 162 gr 7mm BC versus the 90 gr to 105 gr .243 BC is the answer. I've spent many a day in Pronghorn country and know all too well the wind situation as well as how far away I've seen some nice bucks. If I owned a 243 AND. A 7-08 the easy choice is the 7-08 for Pronghorn. If all I had was a 243 I'd haul azz to the panhandle with it, but would limit my range more so than the 7-08.

How's that?

How's the heat mirage on a 90 deg day.


My point is 243 is very capable, I've killed a few with 22-250 but not a gun I'd take to 400.

I have zero doubt if I took you hunting and there was a stud buck and for some reason beyond our control we couldnt get under 400 and I handed you a 243, that's it would be a dead goat. .

No doubt 7-08 is a great round, but to say 243 isn't effective on pronghorn isnt a very well thought out thought process, and is highly lacking in true experience

Nope. Havn't killed one yet. Seen 1000 of them, but they were just decoration on the landscape.

Lets say I would feel more comfortable with a 7-08 instead of a 243, and I don't liketracking. Of course, out there all you gotta do to track one is look through some optics. "Hey look, over there, about a mile out, he's piled up, on his side." "Crank the truck and I'll get us a beer"

As far as a 243 goes great caliber. Have one myself, first deer rifle my Dad bought me.But I said it before on here and I will say it again. When you buy, go Buy a Tikka T3 lite in 7mm08 and be done with it.

Gut shoot is gut shoots, and vitals are vitals. They aren't that hearty.

You can talk up BC, but just because the BC is so high on the 7mm vld in the 7-08 then guess its a better choice then the 257wby, 25-06, 270, 270wsm, 30-06, 308,, 300mag, etc.

BC is meaningful but not to a guy hunting a fat lab under 400 yards.

You must be a wind calling master. I'm a student, please show me how to be a master.