.243 or .270 for coyotes and maybe deer?

skidooracer_99

New member
still deciding on a coyote gun, was set on getting a .243 and be done with it. a friend's trying to convince me to get a .270 now. i was only gonna use this gun for coyotes i see on the farm or driving. so i needed long range and lotsa power. not worried about furs at all. now my friends trying to get me into hunting deer with him. i never have before. but when i do, id like more gun than a 243. just as long as the 270 can do everything for coyotes as the 243. hes saying the 270 is better for both? also which is generally more accurate to shoot too and flatter?
 


Personally I would get a 243. Ballistcally speaking they are very similar, both being flat shooting guns. If you are only hunting deer size game and smaller i would go with a 243. Less recoil, and plenty of wallop for deer. one of my hunting partners has been using a 243 for the last 7 years and has shot a deer 5 of those years, 3 of those deer dropped right where they were standing. Although a 270 is a great deer round also, haha good luck.
 
A 243 works exceptionally well for coyotes and deer. A 270 works exceptionally well for coyotes and deer. Got a quarter.
 
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Split the difference, get a 25-06.



+1, sound idea and a great compromise. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
.243 More options on the type and size of bullets you can get... from one end of the spectrum to the other... or pick a 90-100 gr. bullet & call it good from yotes to hogs to deer.

But in the end its your choice & neither will be wrong if you get a gun you like.
 
I'm a big 270 fan, love everything about the caliber. IMO it is about as close to the perfect deer caliber as you can get. It will kill coyotes very well, but wouldn't be my first choice. If I were looking for a do-it-all caliber, it would definately be the 25-06.
 
Being that your in Alberta Canada... you will have Deer a bit larger than I would intentionally go after with a .243. I take deer every year with one, It's fine on Southern does, and small to Med bucks... of course it will Kill any of them, but it does not Anchor them like the .270.

Because of your location, I would say get the .270, you have a Good chance on running into Bears, and Monster Bucks. If it was going to be a Coyote gun only, the .243 would do the job Very well. ~Ace~
 
Sounds like you've made up your mind based on your "more gun for deer statement. I like the compromise you were offered with the 25-06. The best of both worlds in my opinion unless you add elk to the equation. Personally, I tend to carry the .243 for coyotes,deer, and hogs. With todays bullets it does all I need it to do with light recoil. Good luck on your choice.
 
I'll throw my two worthless cents in the hat.

I have the 243 and the 25-06 snd the 270. I have killed deer with all of them, Mule deer, Black Tailed deer and White Tail deer. My kills have been from 30 yards to over 400 yards. I've used them all on coyotes to gophers, prairie dogs etc.
I would take the 243 or the 25-06 long before I would go 270. The 243 shoots soooo smoothly, the 25-06 anchors deer and coyotes like a hammer. The 270 is often times just a little too much caliber and makes huge holes in everything that 130 grain bullet passes thru.

The 25-06 is a great caliber and I believe is most notably the best sutied caliber between the three "IF" you are going to use it for deer too. Otherwise for coyotes and occassional deer hunting, the 243 would be my first choice. I laugh at guys that take 300 mags or 338's deer hunting and they tell me a 243 isn't capable of cleanly killing deer????


This deer taken with a 243 100 grain SP about 60-75 yards. One shot, one kill.
Garys2007deer.jpg



This deer taken with 243 100 gr SP at 189 yards three shots but one hit in the leg two in the neck.
Carriesdeer.jpg


This deer taken with 243 95gr Nosler Ballistic Tip at over 300 yards, one hit, one kill three misses, he was running hard away /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

da97b78f.jpg


Three other deer were taken with a 243 in my presence and all dropped like a sack of spuds. The 243 is a great choice as is the 25.
 
If you're handloading, get a 25-06 for sure. You can nuke 75 gr Vmax's for coyotes and rip 110 gr Accubonds for big deer. Top it with a 4-14 power scope and it becomes a super versitile weapon.

If your not handloading the 243 would be on the lite side but 100 gr coreloks are good for both dogs and deer.

I have never had a 270 but some regard it as the best deer gun ever.
 
It is more a matter of what you are comfortable shooting. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Shot placement matters so much more than bullet weight. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif It is more fun to target shoot the lighter calibers so you are more apt to shoot them more often so you are a better shot......
 
any of these are great and will do the deed but if your reloading check out the 243wssm you can get some really good velocity out of this cartridge.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammuni...506RA*PRSC270WA

here's some ballistics comparing the 243,25-06,270win to each other. they're all tit for tat, but the factory ballistics for the 243wssm 95 ballistic tips are flatter and have more knockdown power then the 25-06 (in the bullet) but i have reloaded 100g SPBT and 87g HPBT with great results. only thing i like about the 25-06 is a lil heavier bullets... but either way i don't think you could go wrong... i own a 270 and the 243 wssm and have shot a 25-06. so just put them all in a hat and pick one lol you can't go wrong.
 
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Between the 243 and the 270 I would go with the 243, but you would be shorting yourself if you did not look at teh 25-06.

I own all three calibers and I beleive the 243 is a great varmint gun and a more than capable deer gun. The 270 is a great gun but because of bullet choice is ideal for Varmint. The 25-06 on the other had is a great gun for both capaicties. Using the 75 gr bullets (love the federal fusions for factory ammo) you can put AT&T to shame by reaching out and touching coyotes at long distances and have plenty of residual engery at the end of the haul. You can go to a 110-120 gr bullet for deer, still have great range and knockdown power over that of the 243.

The downside to the 25-06 is that you can't walk in every Wally World or Minute Market and find ammo for it. It's not hard to find, and getting more plentiful as the popularity of the quater bore grows, it just isn's as common as 243, 270, 308, and 30-06.
 
what about a .260? I do agree with the others above. I would either go with a 243 or a 25-06. I have 2 .243s. My wife uses one every year for deer hunting and for coyotes. And mine is a backup coyote gun behind 22-250. And mine is the first one i grab now for deer hunting. Its amazing what an 85 grain nosler partion will do out of the .243 One shot one kill almost everytime. I have shot 25-06 and love the cartridge. It would do a great combo job also. I was wondering what the rest of the guys thought about using the .260? How similar is it to the 25-06?
 


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