Thread: Calibre for goats and occasional deer?

As per title. It'll primarily be a goat gun, with the very occasional deer stalking trip, maybe once a year. Just started doing some reading and trying to decide between .243 and .270. Any thoughts?

Neither. Both are good but there are so many out there. By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?




If this is the case, there are a few things I would suggest you consider. Price and availability of ammo. More common and cheaper to shoot calibres mean more affordable to spend time at the range getting familiar and accurate with whatever calibre you get. I would suggest 308 would be one of the most common but there are others.

Secondly get something that wont beat your shoulder up to start with. If you start out with 270 or 30/06 or a magnum (7mmRem etc) then the likelihood of you developing a flinch is higher and this will have a negative impact on your accuracy.

308 would be my first choice if I was in your situation. Easy to source a wide selection of ammo, capable of more than you re asking.
6.5x55 would be a close second. It has very similar performance to a 308 but recoil seems lighter making it easier to shoot accurately.
243 is still capable but is perhaps not a suitable than the above. shot placement is more critical, but with lighter recoil accuracy is usually easier.
7mm08 is so similar to 308 that it may as well be the same except the ammo tends to be dearer as the selection of cheaper brands like Barnaul etc are not available in that calibre though there is nothing wrong with the 7mm08 and with its increased popularity, there is quite a range out there for it.

Finally there is a mosin nagant listed on this forum for $500 that would well be worth a look at. A bit heavier to carry, but capable of handling anything from 130gr to 220gr projectiles. Barnaul make a 203gr Soft point that works well in these.

To all the haters out there that will say 270 is brilliant, I am not saying that any calibre is not capable of what he is asking it to do, but pointing out there are different points to consider when looking for a first rifle.

Originally Posted by timattalon

Neither. Both are good but there are so many out there. By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?




If this is the case, there are a few things I would suggest you consider. Price and availability of ammo. More common and cheaper to shoot calibres mean more affordable to spend time at the range getting familiar and accurate with whatever calibre you get. I would suggest 308 would be one of the most common but there are others.

Secondly get something that wont beat your shoulder up to start with. If you start out with 270 or 30/06 or a magnum (7mmRem etc) then the likelihood of you developing a flinch is higher and this will have a negative impact on your accuracy.

308 would be my first choice if I was in your situation. Easy to source a wide selection of ammo, capable of more than you re asking.
6.5x55 would be a close second. It has very similar performance to a 308 but recoil seems lighter making it easier to shoot accurately.
243 is still capable but is perhaps not a suitable than the above. shot placement is more critical, but with lighter recoil accuracy is usually easier.
7mm08 is so similar to 308 that it may as well be the same except the ammo tends to be dearer as the selection of cheaper brands like Barnaul etc are not available in that calibre though there is nothing wrong with the 7mm08 and with its increased popularity, there is quite a range out there for it.

Finally there is a mosin nagant listed on this forum for $500 that would well be worth a look at. A bit heavier to carry, but capable of handling anything from 130gr to 220gr projectiles. Barnaul make a 203gr Soft point that works well in these.

To all the haters out there that will say 270 is brilliant, I am not saying that any calibre is not capable of what he is asking it to do, but pointing out there are different points to consider when looking for a first rifle.

Are you for real? Don't you work it in sports/hunting shop??(correct me if im wrong) What a load of nonscense. Firstly, for what he wants to use it for the most suitable Cal would be the 243, or 223 .Its for goats for and a once in a blue moon hunt for deer...243 is ideal, or a 223. Secondly, you suggesting a 243 or 270 isn't as common for availability for ammo etc...of cause they are, what planet are you on.
Without a doubt, for a first rifle for what you want and next to no recoil, the 243 is perfect, as it gives some room for error and gives you some distance over the next best choice a 223.
Go to a 6.5 ? 308 ?270 when you decide to hunt deer full time if you wish but if you shooting 0-250m the 243 will be perfect for that too.

Neither. Both are good but there are so many out there. By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?




If this is the case, there are a few things I would suggest you consider. Price and availability of ammo. More common and cheaper to shoot calibres mean more affordable to spend time at the range getting familiar and accurate with whatever calibre you get. I would suggest 308 would be one of the most common but there are others.

Secondly get something that wont beat your shoulder up to start with. If you start out with 270 or 30/06 or a magnum (7mmRem etc) then the likelihood of you developing a flinch is higher and this will have a negative impact on your accuracy.

308 would be my first choice if I was in your situation. Easy to source a wide selection of ammo, capable of more than you re asking.
6.5x55 would be a close second. It has very similar performance to a 308 but recoil seems lighter making it easier to shoot accurately.
243 is still capable but is perhaps not a suitable than the above. shot placement is more critical, but with lighter recoil accuracy is usually easier.
7mm08 is so similar to 308 that it may as well be the same except the ammo tends to be dearer as the selection of cheaper brands like Barnaul etc are not available in that calibre though there is nothing wrong with the 7mm08 and with its increased popularity, there is quite a range out there for it.

Finally there is a mosin nagant listed on this forum for $500 that would well be worth a look at. A bit heavier to carry, but capable of handling anything from 130gr to 220gr projectiles. Barnaul make a 203gr Soft point that works well in these.

To all the haters out there that will say 270 is brilliant, I am not saying that any calibre is not capable of what he is asking it to do, but pointing out there are different points to consider when looking for a first rifle.

Originally Posted by deer243

Are you for real? Don't you work it in sports/hunting shop??(correct me if im wrong) What a load of nonscense. Firstly, for what he wants to use it for the most suitable Cal would be the 243, or 223 .Its for goats for and a once in a blue moon hunt for deer...243 is ideal, or a 223. Secondly, you suggesting a 243 or 270 isn't as common for availability for ammo etc...of cause they are, what planet are you on.
Without a doubt, for a first rifle for what you want and next to no recoil, the 243 is perfect, as it gives some room for error and gives you some distance over the next best choice a 223.
Go to a 6.5 ? 308 ?270 when you decide to hunt deer full time if you wish but if you shooting 0-250m the 243 will be perfect for that too.

Please re read the post. You have clearly misread what I said somewhere. Yes, there is plenty of 243, and 270 ammo about and they are not uncommon calibres. Yes I said all those calibres will do what he wants. Yes I did suggest lighter recoiling calibres for goats and I did not say that 243 or 223 were not capable of killing deer.

What I suggested was that it sounds like he is fairly clearly a newer shooter if he is asking this question. And if that is the case, accuracy will benefit from plenty of practise and learning to shoot. Practise does not come cheap when ammo costs $2 to $4 per round for premium ammo for calibres like the 270 and 243 in comparison to 223 or 308 with the likes of Barnaul, or mil surp. If you go into ANY sports shop and see how many DIFFERENT choices and prices for the 270 and 243 and compare that to 308 and 223. How many can you get for $1 per round? 223 yes, 308 yes, 7.62x54R yes, 270 Ummm Nope, 243 Nope again.

To be very clear and so you dont misunderstand again. if choosing between 270 and 243, yes the 243 would be a far better choice than the 270. Ideal even. But for a newer shooter, I usually start them with my 223 then my 308 and give them plenty of Barnaul to get them used to the gun. If recoil becomes something they struggle with then I drop back to something like 243 or 6.5x55 which has lighter recoil but still effective on what they are using it for. For big reds and a newer shooter 243 would not be my first choice simply because I think there are better options available. Butt would not be my last choice either.

It would all depend on what is priorities are? Is price a concern? Ammo price? Or is it simply which will work better?

Originally Posted by timattalon

By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?

Lolz

Originally Posted by timattalon

Neither. Both are good but there are so many out there. By the sound of it, you have not done a lot of shooting yet, would that be correct?

Lots of shooting with shotguns, air rifles and now rimfire, but no, no experience of centrefire, hence the question

I'm not planning on buying a gun tomorrow, want to get more experience with the rimfire first and have a good long think about my options.

Thanks for the all the advice.

223. Good for rabbits, hares, goats and deer out to sensible ranges. And ammo at half the price of 243 makes it easier on the pocket.

You just told me you want a 308! One of the cheapest calibres to run (great for goat bombup's & is ample performance for any deer that walks NZ. A tikka t3 308 job done

The .243 would be an excellent caliber for what you required. It is easy to shoot and reload and is more than capable of cleanly killing both goats and deer.
The .243 also has the advantage of probably having a higher resale value as its more popular with internet experts.
Actual international sales figures may suggest otherwise...
I've owned and operated both calibres and I'd go for the .243 for the situation that you have described.
I'm sure you'll get heaps of advice on these two and many other calibres...
In the end, as I've said before, what caliber you get doesn't matter that much as a good man will own many different calibres over his life! ;-)

Just my opinion.

Jw 103 Norinco ticks those boxes the ammo is cheap enough to shoot lots and recoils light. Its got the power for kills on deer out to 300 yds, light and handy in the scrub. A guy I know at alfredton got one for a bike gun, taken more deer with it in the last 2 years than his 2506 or 7mm.
The rifles not pretty but it's practical.

Mainly goats and deer either 223 or 243. if shooting a lot of goats I would go for 223 ammunition is ready available and affordable in all gunshops and choose a heavier bullet for the occasional deer. I shoot 308 as well but for a new shooter probably to much recoil if he is shooting lots of rounds in a short time on goats. I reload for all three calibres but to use the 243 to its best he would need to reload for it or buy expensive premium ammo.

Dear243 is spot on .223 or .243 learn to shoot these first.

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out of those two choices .243

If primarily goats then get a 223. As said, plenty of affordable ammo and you will learn to shoot well without hammering yourself as you would with a heavy caliber. I've shot hundreds of goats and this is my choice and where I cull there are a few deer around for the pot as well, never had an issue because of the confidence you build with the easy to shoot 223.
If only a choice of the two mentioned then 243.

I'd suggest .243, regardless of the choices you suggested.
.308, .270 (my preferred hunting calibres) etc will have more recoil than a beginner needs to endure.
The .223, while it has cheap ammo, does not leave much margin for error on deer. It would be fine for goats.

That leaves the .243, which has a great selection of both ammo and rifles. Light recoil so that you will be able to shoot it at the range or bomb up a mob of goats without getting bashed up, enough gun to kill large red stags if you take sensible shots.

Some other calibres have lowish recoil to such as .260 and 25/06 but ammo and rifle selection is small. And ammo probably quite expensive (I reload so not sure on factory ammo prices these days).

Go the .243!