7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
06-15-2006, 04:17 PM
#11
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
.243 hands down for me. It just has so much more going for it. The 7.62x39 will work, but the .243 is better in my opinion.
And premium ammo for the 7.62 will cost just as much or more than the .243 and there will not be a lot of selection or availability in some cases. Pretty much everyone will have .243.
I am a big fan of finding a load that works in a gun and sticking with it. If he wants to plink get him a .22.
If you want a .30 cal see if you can get one in a 30-30, they are pretty simular but the 30-30 has slightly better ballistics and some heavier bullets I think.
I wouldn't rule out the 25-06 either.
Paul
And premium ammo for the 7.62 will cost just as much or more than the .243 and there will not be a lot of selection or availability in some cases. Pretty much everyone will have .243.
I am a big fan of finding a load that works in a gun and sticking with it. If he wants to plink get him a .22.
If you want a .30 cal see if you can get one in a 30-30, they are pretty simular but the 30-30 has slightly better ballistics and some heavier bullets I think.
I wouldn't rule out the 25-06 either.
Paul
06-15-2006, 05:56 PM
#14
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: WC FL
Posts: 26,323
RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
ORIGINAL: nchawkeye
I've used a .243 since 1980...killed at least 130-140 deer with, ain't nothing wrong with that...
I've used a .243 since 1980...killed at least 130-140 deer with, ain't nothing wrong with that...
06-15-2006, 06:23 PM
#15
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
Yep...Alot of bsing goes on here...Often by folks who haven't tried what they are talking about...I get a lot of chuckles reading some of this stuff....Just take it with a grain of salt.
06-15-2006, 08:34 PM
#16
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 316
RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
243 would be much better than the 7.62x39.
I'd opt for a 7mm-08 over both. Recoil is very light with this gun. Start off with 140 gr, and if that is too much...which I doubt it will be....use the remington 120 gr hp, and then move up to 140 gr once he gets a little older.
I'd opt for a 7mm-08 over both. Recoil is very light with this gun. Start off with 140 gr, and if that is too much...which I doubt it will be....use the remington 120 gr hp, and then move up to 140 gr once he gets a little older.
06-16-2006, 11:07 AM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pine Hill Alabama USA
Posts: 1,280
RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
I just could not bring myself to shooting deer with an overgrown rat rifle. I would choose the 7.62x39.
06-17-2006, 02:56 PM
#20
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location:
Posts: 480
RE: 7.62X39 VS. 243 WIN. FOR DEER
Both rounds will kill deer with no problems. I will give you the main benefits of both cartridges and you should be able to make your mind up based on exactly what you are looking for your rifle to do.
The 7.62x39 was designed as a military round. This means that it will finction reliably in semi automatic firearms. The small 30 caliber round will probably offer better penetration, and it will most likely be accurate enough for a deer rifle. The main benefit that you realize with the 7.62x39 rifle is that you will have access to military surplus ammunition for practicing. If your son plans on shooting a good deal with this rifle then the 7.62x39 may be the rifle for you.
The .243 Winchester is a designed hunting round. Being such, you will find that its accuracy should be better than the 7.62x39 because it was designed to place one shot downfield accurately and not to spray the enemy within a 50 yard perimeter. The .243 will offer you a wealth of factory hunting ammunition suitable for deer sized game and also a good variety of ammunition for varmint hunting. Using a bullet like the Barnes TSX you will notice that it offers plenty of penetration on medium sized game. The .243 sometimes ran into penetration problems because of the size of the projectile. In example, if you were shooting a 100g bullet, and on impact the bullet lost about 40% of its original weight you are now trying to drive a 60 grain bullet deep into the vitals of your quarry. This proved difficult. With todays premium bullets however you will find that they retain nearly 100% of their original weight and penetration is not a problem for most people.
If it were me, and I was choosing between the two calibers for deer hunting I would probably choose the .243 Winchester.
If you ask me what caliber I think would be best for a young man starting a lifetime of deer hunting I think that I would pick a rifle that is a little more versatile. I believe that the .270 Winchester is probably one of the best deer hunting rounds ever to be fired downfield. If you would prefer the benefits of a short action rifle then I would say that the 7mm-08 would be great. Both of these rounds offer the types of bullet weight, velocity and energy that spell doom for even the biggest deer at ranges out to 300 yards and beyond. Both of these rounds have also been used successfully on elk, moose, black bear, mule deer, pronghorn, and other NA game.
I hope that I was able to help you out a little bit.
P.S. If you decided that you still want to get him a 7.62x39 rifle for fun you should look into an SKS. There are plenty of places that sell them in almost brand new condition for less than $200 and with ammunition being somewhere in the neighborhood of $120-$140 per thousand rounds of military surplus stuff you two will be able to have a lot of fun at the range.
The 7.62x39 was designed as a military round. This means that it will finction reliably in semi automatic firearms. The small 30 caliber round will probably offer better penetration, and it will most likely be accurate enough for a deer rifle. The main benefit that you realize with the 7.62x39 rifle is that you will have access to military surplus ammunition for practicing. If your son plans on shooting a good deal with this rifle then the 7.62x39 may be the rifle for you.
The .243 Winchester is a designed hunting round. Being such, you will find that its accuracy should be better than the 7.62x39 because it was designed to place one shot downfield accurately and not to spray the enemy within a 50 yard perimeter. The .243 will offer you a wealth of factory hunting ammunition suitable for deer sized game and also a good variety of ammunition for varmint hunting. Using a bullet like the Barnes TSX you will notice that it offers plenty of penetration on medium sized game. The .243 sometimes ran into penetration problems because of the size of the projectile. In example, if you were shooting a 100g bullet, and on impact the bullet lost about 40% of its original weight you are now trying to drive a 60 grain bullet deep into the vitals of your quarry. This proved difficult. With todays premium bullets however you will find that they retain nearly 100% of their original weight and penetration is not a problem for most people.
If it were me, and I was choosing between the two calibers for deer hunting I would probably choose the .243 Winchester.
If you ask me what caliber I think would be best for a young man starting a lifetime of deer hunting I think that I would pick a rifle that is a little more versatile. I believe that the .270 Winchester is probably one of the best deer hunting rounds ever to be fired downfield. If you would prefer the benefits of a short action rifle then I would say that the 7mm-08 would be great. Both of these rounds offer the types of bullet weight, velocity and energy that spell doom for even the biggest deer at ranges out to 300 yards and beyond. Both of these rounds have also been used successfully on elk, moose, black bear, mule deer, pronghorn, and other NA game.
I hope that I was able to help you out a little bit.
P.S. If you decided that you still want to get him a 7.62x39 rifle for fun you should look into an SKS. There are plenty of places that sell them in almost brand new condition for less than $200 and with ammunition being somewhere in the neighborhood of $120-$140 per thousand rounds of military surplus stuff you two will be able to have a lot of fun at the range.