The "small" deer rifle

[SaxonPig]

I wound up with this after a furious round of gun swapping about 20 years ago. Don't even recall what I traded for it. I love the #1 but don't really have any specific use for the 243 as I don't hunt. Oh well. Think I have about $300 in it so if i ever sell I can probably make a few bucks on it.

 

[stagpanther]

Got this muley at just a hair under 540 yards last fall.

Awesome shot there Kraig--where can I get one of those (and I'm not talkin about the rifle or deer)?

 

[ThomasT]

I'd rather my kids believe the cartridge is marginal and they must take well judged and good shots than to have them think the cartridge will make up for poor judgement or shots

That should be the proper mindset even if you are shooting a Bazooka.

 

[Mobuck]

"My concern is accidentally chambering the wrong round in the wrong rifle if they are that close to each other. Am I wrong in assuming it simply can't be done?"
243 Win and 270 Win are not at all "close to each other" in appearance. The 270 case is about 1/2" longer than the 243.

 

[stagpanther]

"My concern is accidentally chambering the wrong round in the wrong rifle if they are that close to each other. Am I wrong in assuming it simply can't be done?"
243 Win and 270 Win are not at all "close to each other" in appearance. The 270 case is about 1/2" longer than the 243.

Welllll...I once stuck a 308 round in a 270 win rifle--because the cartridges came in the same kind of box by appearance and I grabbed the wrong cartridge (learned that day to never switch between rifles single-feeding at the same shooting session). In case you're wondering, the rifle did not blow up and the bullet actually hit very close to the point of aim--but the case did make a mess in the chamber and bolt lugs.

 

[Pathfinder45]

Well, Stagpanther, it's good to know that you survived that one. Was the rifle wrecked? If that had been a 243 fired in a 270, the pressure would have been low and accuracy dismal as the too-small bullet loosely rattles down the bore with burning powder and hot gasses blowing past it. Much less dangerous to the gun and shooter, but one wonders if it might be a fire-hazard in dry seasons. Still, the 243 and 270 don't look that much alike, if you are not distracted.

 

[stagpanther]

Was the rifle wrecked?

The barrel appeared to be OK--the bolt and chamber held together however they were riveted together by the spent case. They were all retired to my wall of shame.

Mistakes like that seem unlikely and/or stupid--until you do one yourself. That's why I have no problem fessing up to them when I make them.

 

[Pathfinder45]

Well, I've never done that, however, I have shot a chronograph.

 

[dgludwig]

Welllll...I once stuck a 308 round in a 270 win rifle--

Back in the early sixties, while stationed at an air base in Oscoda, Michigan, I rented a Model 94 Winchester from the recreation department (the rental fee was a dollar a day) to go on a bear hunt in the Upper Peninsula in some cedar swamps near Whitefish Point, with three Airman buddies.

Though the four of us never saw a bear (plenty of blueberries though) and never fired a shot, when it came to returning the rifle I couldn't get the round out of the chamber (or maybe from the magazine because I'm not sure if it's even possible to shoehorn a .308 round inside the chamber of a .30-30; I can't remember which). The personnel from the department was able to extract a .308 cartridge from the Model 94, chambered in .30-30, and gave me a well-deserved scolding.

Apparently, I had left a .308 cartridge in the pocket of a hunting jacket that I had wore in a previous deer hunt and managed to get it mixed with the .30-30 rounds. My guess is very bad things would have happened if I was unlucky enough to have fired a .308 cartridge from that Model 94 (again, if that's even possible). Being lucky trumped being dumb that time.

 

[stagpanther]

I have shot a chronograph.

I'm thinking of shooting mine on purpose--it's so temperamental that it only works when it wants to.

 

[dgludwig]

Quote:
I have shot a chronograph.
I'm thinking of shooting mine on purpose--it's so temperamental that it only works when it wants to.

I shot some targets for the same darn reasons.

 

[Pathfinder45]

And that's pretty much how mine got shot. The blasted thing was begging for it to happen.

 

[std7mag]

For me, your Ruger77 would be a no-brainer.
I love my 77MKII in 257 Roberts.

ShootistPRS, you must have missed my remark about the 7x57mm Mauser casings.
Check out Grafs for the PVRI brass.

 

[Rob228]

You won't go wrong with the .243, but there are a lot of new 6-6.5mm cartridges doing neat things.

 

[Don Fischer]

Manufactured to give the same energy proformance to X # yds using the same bullet at a lower velocity is not possible. Seem's to me Remington is hedging a bit. They say I think it was the same proformance, maybe, maybe not. Performance isn't really measured by energy. Seem's that all cartridges from 22LR on up provide enough to cleanly kill depending on bullet placement and range. The velocity X velocity Devide by 7000 (# grs in pound) devide by 64.32 (specific weight of gravity) X bullet weight equals energy. make everything the same but lower the velocity and the energy goes down. There is no reason to shoot ammo like that if you don't like the recoil your getting. Go down in caliber of at least case size.

 

[zipspyder]

Manufactured to give the same energy proformance to X # yds using the same bullet at a lower velocity is not possible. Seem's to me Remington is hedging a bit. They say I think it was the same proformance, maybe, maybe not. Performance isn't really measured by energy. Seem's that all cartridges from 22LR on up provide enough to cleanly kill depending on bullet placement and range. The velocity X velocity Devide by 7000 (# grs in pound) devide by 64.32 (specific weight of gravity) X bullet weight equals energy. make everything the same but lower the velocity and the energy goes down. There is no reason to shoot ammo like that if you don't like the recoil your getting. Go down in caliber of at least case size.

If you actually read it's not the same bullet. I don't think you understand the ammunition enough to give an informed opinion on it. I appreciate your enthusiasm on this but maybe you should quit while you're behind. Why go down a caliber when you can have one gun do it all if you need more or less performance depending on the ammunition used? It's just another option for hunters to use that don't want to have umpteen guns for every type of hunting.

 

[stagpanther]

umpteen guns for every type of hunting.

That would be me. And when hunting season finally arrives--I can't make my mind up on what to use.

 

[zipspyder]

Yup, that's me as well. I have a 30-30, AR15 7.62x39, 308 and 7mm-08. Oh and a 303 British if I feel nostalgic...lol

 

[Don Fischer]

I think your right zipspyder. Think I'll leave it alone. One of us hasn't got a clue what he's talking about!

 

[zipspyder]

I think your right zipspyder. Think I'll leave it alone. One of us hasn't got a clue what he's talking about!

I don't mean any disrespect at all to you Don but I've been dealing with recoil management ammunition since its introduction and have been using it to teach youngsters to deer hunt with it for years. I was OK with reloading my own but found my time more useful for other things. Many youngsters just don't have access to smaller caliber rifles and it didn't seem wise to teach them with "my rifles" they would never hunt with. So I told them to bring what they would use and I would provide the training ammunition if available. I've tried just about every low recoil load out there for practical applications and find it perfectly acceptable for it's intended purpose. If you feel I don't have a clue by all means feel free to pm me and we can continue the conversation without going off topic in the thread.