243 vs. 270 vs. 30.06

[tboesche]

I am about to buy my first bolt gun this weekend. A Rem. 770. All three calibre's are available at walmart for 334.00. I will use this gun for range shooting mostly and maybe someday hunting.

Which calibre makes the most sense? I wanted a .308 but the guy at walmart says he can't get it.

What say you?

[Kawabuggy]

I say don't buy a 770 at all. I know the price seems right, but in the rifle world the 770 is the red-headed step-child. I've heard some people like them after buying them, but most have buyers remorse. Save a little more money and buy a REAL 700 series, or a Browning, or Winchester, or any of the other big makers. I have never owned one so I can't speak from personal experience, but do a quick Google search on them and see what turns up. Lot's of unhappy owners.

[WildBill]

Ditto on the 700. As for caliber, I'm personally fondest of .308, but I guess it depends what you want to hunt with it.

I really can't comment on the quality of the Remington 770, but I have had my Remington 700 in .308 Win for many years. It is a fine gun and caliber. It is a classic rifle, both in appearance and function.

The ballistics of a .308 Win are very close to the 30-06 and it is an extremely accurate cartridge. The bolt is throw is shorter than the 30-06, which I find very convenient. When this crazy "ammo shortage" goes away there should be plenty of commercial and surplus ammo available. Having many bullet weights and powder combinations at your disposal, the .308 is a great caliber for reloading and customing your loads for hunting various type of game animals.

[sskimber]

All of the above are good choices. Any of these will do for dear, and as for target shooting they will all also do well. The best advise I can give is to find people with the different calibers in different guns and see if you can shoot there gun. I have shot the same model gun in different caliber and one was a joy to shoot and I could not stand to shoot the other. Choosing a caliber is largely a PERSONAL choice. There will probably be people trying to convince you each one of the choices is the absolute best.

[WildBill]

All of the above are good choices. Any of these will do for dear, and as for target shooting they will all also do well. The best advise I can give is to find people with the different calibers in different guns and see if you can shoot there gun. I have shot the same model gun in different caliber and one was a joy to shoot and I could not stand to shoot the other. Choosing a caliber is largely a PERSONAL choice. There will probably be people trying to convince you each one of the choices is the absolute best.

Very true, there is no "absolute best". In my experience the .243 Win has minimal recoil and is very accurate, but the bullet weight is more limited than the .308 so I would not choose it for larger game. I find that the .308 Win is manageable as far as recoil. It is about the same as a 30-06, but is much less than the .300 Win Mag. I have never shot a .270 so I can't comment on it.

[pbwalker]

Well, I have a 770. I got it this year and I have no complaints. One shot, one kill for the doe and two hogs I got. It is a solid, inexpensive rifle. Most of the complaints I saw were about the 710 and didn't see too many on the 770. I'm sure they exist, but you can also find complaints on Sig, Glock, Kimber, etc.

I went with the 30.06 mainly because that's what I know, have shot before, and know its capabilities.

[tboesche]

I have shot the 700 in 7MM, a lot of gun but it was a joy to shoot. I had been told that the action on the 770 was the same as a 700. I may have been misled. My brother handles Weatherby's advertising and can get me a Vanguard for about the same price. No scope though. The Weatherby is an aweful nice gun to get painted sand and tan.

I guess I am just really unsure what I want to do. I have the itch to buy a new gun and have about 400 bucks saved up. I want to build a new AR but I want to wait until the prices come dow, if they ever do. I also want a bolt gun with a bipod that is cammo'd. On top of that my daughter wants me to get her her own 9mm handgun to shoot IDPA with.

So many choices, so little money.

I'M SO CONFUSED!

[Mike1951]

Savage rifles are one of the best bargains and they have a well earned reputation for accuracy.

The Stevens 200 is their low end model.

[TDDude]

If you ever want to get your younger kids interested in huntin or shooting rifles, get the 243. The recoil of the 30-06 will turn them off because it's pretty intense for a young child to handle.

If the shot is placed well and if good hunting ammo is used, any of the calibers will work with any average white tail or mule deer. If you're going elk hunting (for example) then you can probably afford more than one rifle anyway so get the cannon sized caliber for that.

[jpierce30]

I have had my Remington 700 in 30.06 for nearly 30 years. I love the gun. I had a muzzle brake installed so I could shoot at the bench and enjoy it. The brake was worth the investment. I can shoot it all day without any shoulder issues. I use mine mostly at the bench, but killed a hog with it this year and deer last year. If you can only get one gun.....get the biggest one you can!!!

Can't really go wrong with the caliber, just buy a higher grade weapon.

[Medino]

I can't possibly see that much that could go wrong with a bolt action rifle since it has very few moving parts as compared with a semi auto.

As far as the caliber goes
.243 for kids low recoil will kill everything in Texas except for maybe the biggest deer in South/West Texas
.270 Moderate recoil will kill most anything in lower 48 except maybe a moose or big elk.
.30-06/ .308 Moderate recoil slightly more than .270 will kill anything in North America
All are more accurate than i will ever need as i have yet to take over a 120 yard shot in 15 years of hunting in Texas.

I suggest you get a bipod for it it makes shooting it much easier and sturdier from the bench. I picked up a Harris bipod for my new rifle it is amazing i will not be taking it off any time soon.

I have hunted with all of them they can all drop a deer on the spot. I have a 30-06 because i want to do some moving around before i settle down so i plan to hunt everywhere i go not only in Texas.

[bpet]

If your going to own one pistol, it should be 45 ACP (1911 platform prefered)

If your going to own one shotgun, it should be 12 guage

If your going to own one plinking rifle, it should be .22 cal

If your going to own one rifle for hunting, it should be 30.06.

I have a slew of hunting rifles, lots of calibers, lots of brands. My only regret is that I no longer have either of my Winchester Model 70s in 30.06. Sold one to my brother and gave my other one to my son. I am now in the market for a new generation Winchester Model 70 in 30.06.

.223s are fun, I love my 25s, my 270 used to be my favorite deer gun, my .300 H&H will take anything I can hunt in North America, but I sure miss my 30.06. Just waiting for the right rifle to come along.

Never owned or even shot a .243 but one of the guys I hunt with didn't take a 200 yard shot at a slew of hogs because he was unsure about a clean kill. I give him credit for passing on the shot but were I him, I'd carry a little larger caliber just in case.

[ghostrider]

You can't really go wrong with any of those calibres, but depends on what you'll ultimately use them for, whether you'll be reloading or not what/where you might end up hunting.

I imagine the 30.06 probably has the most choices in factory ammo and certainly a wide choice of bullets for reloading.

[The Annoyed Man]

I own a 700 VSF in .308 and love it. I've had it for about three years now. It's a very accurate rifle, and the .308 cartridge is alleged to have "inherent" accuracy. I don't know if that is true or not, but it does perform very well in my particular rifle. Not sure I would want to use it on dangerous game like an Alaskan brown bear, for instance, but I would be pretty confident of being able to take anything else with it as long as I do my part and make correct shot placement. Brand new 700s are almost certainly going to be well out of your price range, if that price you named on the 770 is your upper limit; but, you can probably find a used one for closer to that price point. They are durable rifles, and so as long as it has received decent care, a used 700 will perform just as well for you as a new one, and you'll have the satisfaction of owning a "finer" rifle than the 770.

Of the other two cartridges, I would almost certainly go with the .30-06. It will kill almost anything in North America. It has a wide variety of available commercial loadings. It is available anywhere that sells ammunition - year in and year out. It has 103 years of re-loading data available for it. AND (bonus points), it gives you an excuse to pick up that CMP Garand you've always wanted too.