Accuracy vs power

This isn't a theoretical discussion; I'm trying to decide which rifle to take on my public land deer hunt Fri-Sun. The choices are my bolt-action Mauser in .243 that has a Leupold scope and is very accurate, or my autoloader Remington in .30-06 with a vintage Weaver fixed 6x scope. The Remington is more powerful but considerably less accurate. I don't expect shots over 100 yards, but you never know. The Mauser overall length is about 4 inches longer, making it a little more cumbersome to carry in the woods. Weight between the two is about the same. Both have felled whitetail.

Which would you take? I'm not good at tracking so I prefer for the deer to drop quickly. Is it better to have accurate shot placement with a smaller and less powerful round, or sacrifice some shot placement for the damage of a 160 gr .30-06 round?

where are you going hunting?

I vote accuracy.

Lol!

Put the Leupold on the 30-06??

I had a Remington autoloader once upon a time and thought it was designed by PETA. Take the .243.

I would take the .243 if the scope has a lower power variable scope on it. Hitting a limb with a .243 or 30.06 is not going make much difference in the end result IMO. I would take one accurate shot over more shots under stress if I have missed already.

Accuracy, shoot'em where it counts.

Sounds like you might have a confidence doubt in the back of your mind on one of your rifle's. I would generally take accuracy over power in any situation but I would take confidence over all else.

Accuracy is Better than power because if you are shooting a inaccurate gun and you miss, It don't matter how powerful it is if you miss.

Thanks everybody, I was leaning toward the .243 and the wisdom of this forum confirms it.


The Luminant #603 state land outside Marquez, about a four hour drive from San Antonio. It sucks to have to go that far, but I don't have a lease and there aren't any other rifle-whitetail WMAs closer. I've been there several times and know the sweet spots, and shot a doe there last Thanksgiving weekend.


I don't think the scope is the issue. I think it's closer to this:

shoot them in the head

X2!

another vote for the .243

Add me to the count!

I vote power

....it's an autoloader...squeeze off 3 quick shots your bound to hit something.


Just kidding. Accuracy is more important. I'd take time to get the .30-06 dialed in at 100yds.

I agree that accuracy is more important.

BUT, if the '06 shoots into 2" or less and it is properly sighted in, it has plently of accuracy.

Even if the 243 shoots 1/4 groups, its incremental accuracy won't make any difference for normal deer hunting.

More important is the bullet you are using. If you are going to take the 243, make sure it has a bullet designed for deer and not varmints.

I would take the .243. I thought you might be going to east texas where you might get a 50 yard shot and then would take the .30-06

Accuracy every time.

What good s 1500 ft/lbs of energy is it misses the animal?

Power means nothing if you miss. Good luck on your hunt

And accuracy can mean nothing if you have the wrong bullet...

Good choice, another vote for accuracy.



I visited Luminant right before the 2012-2013 season to scout and made treks from both gates. Though I didn't end up hunting there that season I liked the feel and plan to return.

Hopefully you enjoy the property *and* have a successful hunt.

To success,
Mickey

at Accuracy, all else will fall in place. how thick is the brush hunting, is it swampy land, making it harder ta trail, gun control, final desision tis yours Happy Thanksgiving safe hunt

Accuracy. It doesn't matter how much power you have if you cannot place it in the right spot.

not always,you can kill a deer stone dead with a .22 if you shoot it in the right spot.

And you can kill a deer with an ice pick if you jump out of a tree and land on him....

The point is that accuracy alone MAY (which means "not necessarily") not be sufficient.

A clean kill requires sufficient power, plus sufficient penetration ( use the right bullet) and SUFFICIENT accuracy (MOA is not often required).

Perfect accuracy and an insufficient bullet CAN (not necessarily always) result in a non-fatal flesh wound.

I'd rather have a 30/06 which shoots 1.5 or 2 MOA, than a .25 MOA 243 shooting a varmint bullet.

Or ends up in the guts

If your .30-06 will put 3 shots into 2" or less at 100 yards, that's plenty good enough and I'd use it.

Accuracy all day long! Go with the .243.

A lot of people feel that a fast bullet, or arrow, kills. Sadly it does not, it is a well placed shot.

You should be fine with your .243.



Hey it does sound like a very good reason to get something new or "new to you" in between the two calibers. Maybe something like a .270 or a 257 Roberts. Just sayn'

it is and always will be......................................................................................................................................where you put said bullet


accuracy bro

Considerably less accurate??? It's kind of hard to evaluate what that means. If you can hit a tennis ball size group every time at a hundred yards I would go with the bigger bullet.

^^^Boom^^^

Question for you accuracy-trumps-all folks:

If the OPs 30/06 shoots 165gr Core Lokts into 1.5" groups, and his "considerably more accurate" 243 is loaded with 55gr BTs at 4000fps, would you still recommend that he use the 243 for his deer hunt?

I had a 243 deer bullet weight in mind, 90 gr +

But if the 30-06 will group that, and if he limits his distance, then it would be fine.

Feel free to answer the question, but here are the real specs: the .30-06 is inconsistent from the bench. I can get the shots in the 6-inch circle at 100 yards but there's no pattern. Some may be left of center, some may be up, some may be right, etc. From the same bench the .243 is consistently in 1-inch groups. (If you sense I'm doing something wrong, or if any of you Rem 740-742-7400 owners have any tips for improving accuracy, I'm all ears).

And I shoot 100 grain .243 bullets. These aren't varmint rounds.

Given those facts, I vote with the 243 crowd.

Shoot the one you are comfortable with, if in doubt take them both. If hunting from a blind and you miss you are probably not getting a follow up shot unless shooting dummies. Spend some range time either rifle should be terminal to 200 yds minimum with proper shot placement. 98 percent of the deer taken in Texas are most likely 125 yds or less!

Sounds like the .30-06 needs tweaking. I believe your model Remington is a semi-auto and you won't be able to glass bed the stock. Try adding a barrel donut de-resonator. You'll need to experiment to find the sweet spot. With 6 inch groupings you may also want to experiment with different bullets/weights. I'd re-mount your scope to ensure everything is tight. Obviously, you can shoot tight groupings. But the .30-06 is failing you somehow. I'm thinking it's a mechanical problem with the rifle.

You keep sayin the '06 is very unreliable, or how can I make it more consistent but all you have said about the .243 is you shoot 100gr bullets and it's accurate........... I think you have answered your own question bro.

Look all the power in the world won't do any good if you can't put the bullet where it needs to be. The majority of shots at deer are hundred yards or less and the 243 has sufficient powers that range. Many many deer have been killed with the 243.

We owe it to the animali to use the rifle that has the ability to make a clean and efficient kill without wondering if we stand a better than average chance of only wounding them......., which it sounds like the .30-06 has

Use the .243 and post pics of your success

I would hunt with the .243 this year, then after the season, try swapping the scopes or just try another scope on the '06. I've never seen one that was MOA capable, but you should be able to get it down to 2-2 1/2", and if not, it's time to trade it off for a gun that shoots correctly.

I use the .243, dump the Remington and buy a M-70, Winchester in .30-.06, then use that one.

Nowhere in the OP did I read he was shooting 55 grain BTs. But I will say I had a super accurate 22-250 once and I use to drop deer on a regular basis compared to the guy at the lease who lost a couple of deer at less that 100 yards shooting his "ought six."

I went hunting once with a married couple. The wife shot a .243 and the husband had a 7mm Magnum. She shot her deer in the heart and in never took a step. He shot through the deer's neck but obviously didn't hit anything vital because it took 2 trained tracking dogs an hour to find him almost a half mile away.
Go with accuracy. Put the bullet where it needs to be and you'll walk a lot less.

Accuracy, Get this right and nothing else matters.

If the .243 is the accurate one, its plenty of power as long as you put it in the right place.

This is not directed at the OP or anyone but just a general thought.