I believe you will be happier with the 243 than any of the others mentioned. The bull barel will cut down on recoil more, but will add cost.

Good luck.

I assure you a 243 is plenty to kill deer and hogs.

matt

Just trying to get him the most bang for the least kick. My 7mm-08 does not kick any more than my .243 or 6mm rem (yes I own all three). I haven't shot my .243 since 1991 mainly because the 6mm Remington and 7mm-08 both out perform it and I can't tell any difference between the three recoil wise.

The .243 is a fine round and I see no problems with him using it. I had thought he was looking to get the most he could out of a rifle without enduring alot of recoil.

Yes the 7mm-08 has cuaght on like wildfire, and there is a reason for it. I wouldn't call it a craze though, that suggests there is hype involved. After shooting and reloading for the 7mm-08 for three years I can honestly say there is no hype it is pretty much the perfect low recoil round.

With that said I prefer a 25-06, 30-06, or 7 mag to it. But i have alot of bolt guns to play with and I am not recoil sensative.

All great info. I want to try and shot a few before i buy. Thanks red chevy and you too chuck. Again Im looking for the best killing machine i can get. The real question is how much more expensive is it to shoot a 7mm-08 over a. 243?

Marlin 30-30. Open sights of course

Look at ammo prices on Brownells and Midway USA and you will get your answer. I would stick with Federal and Hornady if I were buying ammo.

Yes the .243 is plenty. I developed hand loads for a friend's Savage 10, got is shooting .3 MOA, and rang the steel out to 700 yards with it. Not a coyote in his scope has taken another breath since. Some hogs that were shot have been DRT and a few ran off. But I wouldn't be scared to be married to a .243.

I also would prefer to be married to a 7-08 it has a bit more BC and energy delivery on target. For the non-handloader I could see it becoming "the" best Texas hunting cartridge in years to come.

I did a little searching and used MidwayUSA as the source.

Best deal on .243 currently is Federal Power Shok 90 gr. Speer TNT; it's $17.99/box, but there is a $5.00/box rebate. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/587928/...point-box-of-20

Rebate Link http://media.midwayusa.com/pdf/Coupons/federal-big-bucks-rebate.pdf

Least-costly 7/08 ammo is PPU (Prvi Partizan) 140 gr. SP. @ $16.99/box. A little more costly is again a Federal Power Shok 150 gr. Speer Hot-Cor @ $24.99/box, also with $5.00/box rebate. http://www.midwayusa.com/find?statuses=A...serSearchQuery=

You might be able to get these prices locally, but probably when you factor in sales tax, the Midway price+shipping (no Texas tax) is a wash.

Thanks core. That gives me perspective. A few more things: bull barrel yes or no? Why? Best decent scopes, brand? Magnification? Best bullet. 243 or 7mm-08, for sighting in/ target, for deer, for hog? Brand and grain. I know its in depth just want to do this right and get a deer and a hog this year. Sorry.

Basscowboy86

The .243 is a great caliber for deer and hogs. I totally understand the argument for the 7mm/08 because it shoots a little heavier bullet.

Remember that there is managed recoil ammo for both. I've ordered ammo from Cabelas from Hornady in .243 for my son to shoot.

If you want to see the various packages that are available, check out the sites below:

www.gunbroker.com

www.sportingarms.com

7mm mag is a .375 H&H case necked down to fit 7mm bullet. 7mm-08 is a .308 Win. case necked down to fit a 7mm bullet. Huge difference. By the way,the .243 Win. is a .308 Win. case necked down to .243 calibre.

Choose the 7mm-08, you will love it.

Barrett .50 is the only way to go

I shot the barret 50, not my cup of tea.

Oh and any brand i should steer clear of? Don't want to jump on a good deal to have it be crap.

Bull Barrel: A qualified "NO". I say that because if you will do any walking to hunt, you'll have a few pounds of extra weight to tote. Depending upon length/profile, you may add around 3 or more pounds. Also, if money is limited, a bull barrel model new rifle is a budget-buster for you.

Best Bullet: Rifling twist and use will factor in what's optimal. That .243 load with the TNT bullet I linked to was the least expensive, but the Speer TNT bullet is more for varmints. Ideally, you'd use the same load for sighting AND hunting so POI doesn't change. Here's a link for bullet weight/twist/caliber. http://www.ammoland.com/2008/11/29/best-bullet-weight-for-your-gun/

Any mainstream brand ought to have affordable, competent "minute of meat" hunting rounds. You might have to try a few brands/types for optimal accuracy, but unless something's badly wrong, you should get at least ~2"@100 yds. You can certainly get a critical hit with that accuracy.

Ok looking at the savage 11 xp hunter with Nixon 3-9x 40 glass on top. 20" barrel with a 1:9.25 twist.

You will not be disappointed with that setup. As your skills grow, you can swap out parts on that rifle to meet your new needs (barrel, optics, stock). If that has the AccuTrigger, you're already good on trigger as that's one of the best out there from the factory.

Good choice.

I have this same gun in .270 as well. I have had it for almost 5 years and it is a good all around gun. I would buy a better scope for it compared to the one that comes with it. As far as kick its not bad if you arent shooting 20 rounds at a time.

The .243 is a great gun for East Texas. I use one for 25 years or so and now my son has started off with one. I found a nice used gun at a local pawn shop with scope for fairly cheap.

check out a remington SPS or a marlin bolt action rifle. Both are very dependable and shoot great and most of all won't break the bank. I got my wife's remington SPS varmiter in .308 with a nikon 3-9x50, case, & sling for around a grand. Don't skimp on the glass when you do buy.

Well Gents, I'd like to thank you all for your help. I think I've got it narrowed down to the savage model 11 hunter xp in. 243. Thank you for all the info. I gave serious consideration to the 7mm-08 but the. 243 won out. Anything you all think i need to know before i jump into the world of hunting? Anything at all? After that i will let this post fade into the background.

Shoot that rifle as much as you possibly can. Shoot in as many types of environmental conditions as you can. Get in and shoot in as many shooting positions as possible. If you don't know how to shoot from different supported and nonsupported positions learn how. Get your shots as tight as possible in practice. When you are lined up on an animal you are not aiming at the animal you are aiming at a very small specific spot on the animal.

Ok I know some people have said no on the bull barrel, i may be able to get a used one in my price range, besides weight why not get it? Doesn't it lower recoil and help with accuracy?

If you like it , get it and go hunt.

well thanks payne, that cleared it right up. heres something yall can get a little more detail into. what makes a rifle a varminter? does that make it useless as a regular hunting rifle. my theory on my dumb questions is, I would rather look stupid with yall rather than ask all this of my father in law and look stupid in front of him.

AOmetimes calling a varmint rifle is just a title and has no real meaning. Sometimes it was mean it has a longer heavier barrel, and sometimes it is rifled to better stablize smaller faster bullets. You have to be careful with those depending on caliber, because it may take you out of a desirable round for deer because it will not stabilize a heavier bullet.

It really depends on the rifle, what are you looking at.