gunbroker has a tikka compact for a darn good price-thinking about getting one and putting a night scope on it for hogs...anything wrong with this set up? and would yall go .308 or .243? I have shot lots of hogs with .243 and had good results with the right bullet and shot placememnt, but wondering if the .308 would be worth the extra recoil? thinking I could use the .243 as both hog gun and "loaner" for SIL and friends kiddos for deer...

308 with a limbsaver recoil pad...what recoil difference

Yup....

Make sure NV device can handle .308 joules. Most are rated too. .308 will devastate.

308 low recoil ammo, still a good wallop to pigs.

At the distance you'll be shooting with NV, I'd probably go .243 with a good bullet and call it a day.

I mounted an X-Sight on my 306 savage hog hunter. Sure does a good job on hogs and have put 3 boxes through it with range/hunting combined with no issue

What night vision scope should I be looking at?

Depends on how much you want to spend...

Charlie

Let's say you could spend what you wanted to but had a bent towards not being wasteful...$1000 shoes are NICe and all but $65 dollar shoes will do the same job...

.243 at 100 grain. is my pick

On the rifle, I'd always pick the bigger hammmer, which why I have a .308.

There is no "wasteful" with regards to seeing at night... the more money you rub on it, the better you can see, so it depends how far and how good you want to see.

For mid $500+ you can get a Sightmark Photon or ATN X-Sight. Thermals start in the low $2,000 range.

Charlie

308

243 no doubt... fairly flat to 300y. Just more forgiving, efficient and easier to shoot...isn't the 308 casing the same as a243?

Just a fatter neck

.243 at 100 grains for me too

been using a AR-10 308 for the last 2 years on hogs devastating. wife upgraded from a 243 to 308 this year & has no problem with recoil. 243 you are always going to be restricted to 55grain up to 115 grain bullets

while the 308 will use 100grain up to 240grain - the 308 will give you better life out of the barrel in excess 5000 rounds. And while it may not be the best 1000 yard gun it has been doing it for a long time. One of the great things about the .308 Win is the availability of high-quality factory-loaded ammo.


If your going to shoot a 100grain out of the 243 you might as well shoot it out of the 308. I have seen some load data claiming 3200fps 100grain .308. with the 243 & 100grain you are at the upper end of the performance level. 308 your just getting started!!!

Hodgdon Varget
47.5
F210m
Sierra 110 Varmint
Win
3200 fps
Very Accurate Varmint Load, 2.650" COAL

Reloader 15
47.0
F210m
Hornady 110 V-Max
Win
3200 fps
Accurate, hard-hitting Varmint Load. Try .010" into lands

xmas for me will be a Tikka SS/fluted in 308

Sounds like you want a 243. How tall are you? The length of pull will be too short for you on the compact if you're over 5'5"-5'6". That will make the gun feel like it kicks harder. It would be great for your friends kiddos though. LOP on compact is 12.5. I think most guns are in the 13.5-13.75 range.

Do you like skinny chics or kinda fat ones? They both get it on.

They are what they are. Choose one. There is an obvious difference in the cartridges and anyone can find the ballistics online. Both are easy to reload for, and factory ammunition is abundant. Either will reliably kill a hog or deer. Even if it is HogZilla.

I'm with him. They do the same thing on deer and hogs. 243 is deer/hogs and smaller. 308 is deer/hogs and larger. How about a 708 and split the difference. 28 cals are where it's at. I have 708, 280, 28 nosler, lazzeroni firebird. I even shoot a 28 g shotgun.

A man after my heart.

.243 will be great for Javalina, but no contest when it comes to hogs....308 is a hog/deer gun in spades. You're good for anything you'll likely find in Texas.

That said, I know of one ranch that claims to have some Rhinos...not for hunting tho..just to look at.

Sightmark Photon for $700

tikka 308 w/ limb saver

Beautiful combo!!!

Now you have me thinking I want to put a Photon on My sako 85 30-06!

Wouldnt that be nice oh yeah!!!

308 if you like shooting BIG hogs and like actually finding them dead