I love my .243. Had it 43 years, my first rifle and hunted with it as my only rifle for 20 years. Finally had time and more $ to hunt and shoot so I put it away in the stock shown. A few years ago I found a donor stock and put it back in my line up. Grit blast, paint, spray webbing, opened up barrel channel and this 1979 made 700 in .243 still shoots lights out. .243 is great for everything except large bodied whitetails, IMO. So many more ammo options now than when I was 17 years old for .243.

I really enjoy shooting a .243 Win

It is a terrific coyote cartridge. I prefer more energy and larger hole on whitetail.

So nice to tote around, zero recoil, not loud but is a killer. I put QD's on the side of the stock I painted, front carry all day.

I only get to visit Texas and all my hog hunting is currently with the 300 Ham'r. However... If the great state of Texas had an official rifle cartridge I would suggest the 308. It has become the standard bearer and the cartridge everything is compared to. It is never a bad choice (for medium game) and is often the best choice. I shoot lots of other cartridges too. But if nailed down to a single cartridge it would have to be the 308.

I’m surprised 270 is leading. I’ve never owned one but shot a few. Recoil to performance ratio is out of balance in my opinion. Also surprised the 65cm is so far behind.

I voted 270 and own one. Was my first deer rifle at age 10, bought with tips from setting 9 pin. Wouldn’t buy it again though it would be a 30-06 or 7mag. At 10 I was hesitant to buy a 7 mag but think I. The end would have been fine.

I think it’s been the default deer cartridge for several decades. I used to hear all the time how it’s a “flat shooting sum b*tch”.

It will all change over time. Always has.

I’ve seen a few deer shot with a .243….always with either a 100 grain core-lokt or a 100 grain power point, with one 100 grain partition mixed in.

Results were always very mediocre….little blood, deer usually ran quite a ways.

I believe if you lightened the bullet a tad and sped it up a tad it would perform much better.

When I started hunting in my circles it was referred to as a kids/ladies caliber. I agree with 6.5 has by and large replaced it for new shooters, and I would follow suite. A 6.5 cm is a better killer than a .243

I've been hunting with a 36A for over 25 years. Just yesterday took a buck at 130 yards with tried-and-true Win Super X 150 grain Power Point.

I'll just jump in and vote for the 300 HAM'R. This cartridge was born and developed in Texas.
(Keep in mind that I do not live in Texas and all of my trips there have been for the NRA or hog hunting.

I have all the calibers in the list. That said my go to is the .270 first. I am not sure why, but every deer I have ever shot with it folds up on the spot.
JG turned me on to the 7-08 and It is by far the most accurate and may replace the .270 soon. I have a 6.5CM(ManBun) and its a nice little round but I just haven't been impressed...very mediocre.
I have a 30-06 and its a great round but I go to 7 RemMag or 300 Win if I need a bit more horsepower.

When You get around to it Hornady 160 Gr FTX and Lever Revolution is a magic combination.
Actually kicks up performance and accuracy by a big margin.

Of the choices on there I had to go with a 270

Caught off guard on the 270 although I shoot it and so does one of my SIL's. The other has a 308 and is perfectly comfortable with it. I had thought it would be comfortably in 2nd behind the .06.



I would never think to pull your man card, but the 6.5 is right where it should be. Not enough metrosexuals up in TX Lite to get it any farther along.


Procraft actually posted something quite sensible here - "I believe what youre saying, just as id believe the ones toting the 270,243 and 30-06's aren't looking for help shooting lol
Id bet they are some old school, red flannel, Marlboro type guys
At least the ones I know are and there's a bunch of em
A box will last that type a couple years....
They'll hunt opening weekend and maybe the weekend they hear rut is on
If you y'all don't know this type I don't know what to say.."

My brother, now deceased, was a very well competition bench shooter and barrel cutter. He, and a lot of his buddies shot a 6BR. I have one of his guns plus brass, etc. Just have t gotten around to messing with it.

But, I have a safe full of shooting irons with cartridge components, dies, etc that I don’t shoot. A couple I’ve never shot.

People keep mentioning deer camp and hunting but the original topic question does not.

.223 Rem/5.56X45mm and .30-30 are probably what I'd vote for if they were choices.

You're closer.

One cartridge to do it all. Are there cartridges that will hunt everything in Texas as well as defend your home with?

Definitely. And a couple can even be loaded with a little bitty bullet going very fast for prairie dog killing.

X2 and I do live in Texas. Born in Texas and have lived in Texas all my life other than early years as a child.

Seems to me that a state that has a barrel contour named for it “Sendero” wouldn’t want a short range slow moving bullet caliber for its state cartridge. Any round that ain’t moving a standard factory round bullet 3000 fps is automatically out!
270 Winchester for the win.

I prefer the 6.5CM to the .243 myself. With the right bullets it's a deer and hog killing machine. There's a Montana guy over on 24HCF that is a gov't hunter/trapper (if that's the right terminology). He's taken multiples of everything including elk with the 6.5CM and 139gr Scenar, which are fantastic bullets (obviously), and work great on a few mule deer bucks and loads of hogs for me and my son. That being said, the LO's son on our mule deer place has killed several big muley bucks with his .243 and 95gr ballistic tips. They are great bullets as well.

I know lots of shooters & hunters. Can't say I know anyone who owns a 270 or if they do, I've never seen it.

A couple of 308s, lots of 6.5 creedmoors, and then some higher power stuff like 300 win mag, 7 rem mag & such

6.5CM with 6%. Interesting.

It's called Creedmoor Derangement Syndrome. I'd bet it's the most sold cartridge anywhere over the past 3 years.