Just what the title says. I'm looking at Encore barrel options trying to decide which caliber to get!
My typical deer hunting conditions are heavy cover, 50-75 yard visibility. Most deer around here average about 160 pounds dressed, but 180+ is not unheard of. There are a few places where it is very possible to see a 200 yard shot, but that would be about the limit, and those places are rare.
So far I've looked at each of the following:
1) .45-70 20" with peep sights. This basically mimics the current setup of my Encore, which is a .50-caliber muzzleloader. This would give me a realistic range of just over 100 yards. Recoil and cost are up with this option, but compared to the muzzleloader, I'm not sure either is really greatly increased or decreased.
2) 7mm-08 or .308. I view these two as 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Either would be adequate to 300 yards IMO, and either one could be reloaded economically. Availability of ammo definitely goes to the .308, but there is something tempting about the sweetly balanced performance of the 7mm-08.
3) .243 Winchester. My lightest option. Not sure I'd be comfortable taking shots past 200 yards with a rifle this light. Actually, it is difficult to consider because it IS such a light rifle. But the .243 I have fired so far was accurate and pleasant to shoot. Still though, that little 6mm pill versus a big rutting buck has me wondering the outcome.
Any other thoughts I should consider? I'm trying to stay in something available from the factory, not a custom-barrel (otherwise I'd get a(nother) .260 Remington and be done with it!
) with components readily handy for reloading. I'm not super-concerned over factory ammo selection, but a dearth of 7mm-08 ammo locally also has me raising my eyebrows.
FWIW, I'm young and this is likely going to be my last hunting rifle setup for a while. My game will probably be nothing larger than whitetails for a very long time, with most shooting being done at rocks, paper, steel plates, clay pigeons, possible odd woodchucks, potentially coyotes, etc.
Thanks all.
My typical deer hunting conditions are heavy cover, 50-75 yard visibility. Most deer around here average about 160 pounds dressed, but 180+ is not unheard of. There are a few places where it is very possible to see a 200 yard shot, but that would be about the limit, and those places are rare.
So far I've looked at each of the following:
1) .45-70 20" with peep sights. This basically mimics the current setup of my Encore, which is a .50-caliber muzzleloader. This would give me a realistic range of just over 100 yards. Recoil and cost are up with this option, but compared to the muzzleloader, I'm not sure either is really greatly increased or decreased.
2) 7mm-08 or .308. I view these two as 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Either would be adequate to 300 yards IMO, and either one could be reloaded economically. Availability of ammo definitely goes to the .308, but there is something tempting about the sweetly balanced performance of the 7mm-08.
3) .243 Winchester. My lightest option. Not sure I'd be comfortable taking shots past 200 yards with a rifle this light. Actually, it is difficult to consider because it IS such a light rifle. But the .243 I have fired so far was accurate and pleasant to shoot. Still though, that little 6mm pill versus a big rutting buck has me wondering the outcome.
Any other thoughts I should consider? I'm trying to stay in something available from the factory, not a custom-barrel (otherwise I'd get a(nother) .260 Remington and be done with it!
) with components readily handy for reloading. I'm not super-concerned over factory ammo selection, but a dearth of 7mm-08 ammo locally also has me raising my eyebrows.FWIW, I'm young and this is likely going to be my last hunting rifle setup for a while. My game will probably be nothing larger than whitetails for a very long time, with most shooting being done at rocks, paper, steel plates, clay pigeons, possible odd woodchucks, potentially coyotes, etc.
Thanks all.