.243 to .308 what cal and why?

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IABounterHunter

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I know simalar questions have been asked but most of them have been mainly about just hunting fur, I am trying to decide, I have two .223 ARs but would also like a bigger cal. I know alot of guys like 243 but I am thinking of going bigger, I am thinking of going up to the 308. I am wanting to use it some for long range hunting and just longe range shooting,of the bigger calibers which one would you pick and why? I am wanting it in a AR type of rifle,any comments or quwstions welcomed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
i like either the 7mm or 270 mags. both are very good, accurate bullets with plenty of punch. but if i had to choose, probably be the 7mm just because of the choice of bullets.
 
Boy that is a good one.

For me though I do lots of big game hunting also and a .243 IMO is not big enough for Elk, so by default I would go with the .308. Others may say even a .308 is too small for elk but this has not been my experience. To have an AR10 in .308 would be awesome. You could use that for yotes, whitetails and muleys, as well as some elk.

But a .243 is also a great cal for yotes and deer. However if long range is a goal I think the .308 is a better option with the heavier bullet options.
 
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I have a older Remington 742 in .308 and love it, it is well capable of making long range shots, no problem in my opinion. The range I go to has a 300 yard shooting range and my best grouping was a 3.5" group of 5. Now, I am not a great shot, but I am sure there are people that could do much better than that.

I don't know how big of game or how far you are planning on shooting, but I think it would work well for you.

And as toots shor suggested maybe a 7mm or may I suggest one of my faves a .270 either of these would have a great reach if you are planning on shooting really far.
 
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I am wanting it in a AR type of rifle,any comments or quwstions welcomed.

My choice would be a good old AR10 in .308. If you are going to use it for long range big game hunting, let terminal ballistics, species hunted, and your code of ethics determine what you consider "long range".
 
While I agree the 308 is a good long range rifle, I'm not so sure about a long range elk rifle. A rifle that carries a little more energy such as the 7mm Rem mag, 300 Win mag or any of it's cousins will certainly be a better stopper once past 400 yards on elk. My favorite is the old 8mm Rem mag pushing a 220 grain Sierra Spitzer boattail at 3080 fps.

I've seen a lot of elk killed in the past 45 years here in Idaho and a bunch of them with the 308, but once you start talking about ranges in excess of 400-500 yards then there's more than just accuracy working to take down one of those big tough bulls in mid rut.

I shoot several different calibers including the 204,243, 280 Remington, 308 and the big 8mm mag so I'm not advocating any particular caliber, just that taking more energy to a big animal at long ranges helps kill in a more sportsmanlike manner at extended ranges.
 
IABounterHunter, This is a DPMS .308 that I won at the 2005 DPMS 3-gun match.
MrLuckya.jpg


It was fully tricked out, including Sightron 4-16x scope, fluted barrel, etc, and after a breakin session, these are tha 100yd groups it was producing


DPMS308color-mod.jpg


I would never knock anyone's personal choice, but for accuracy, with knockdown punch, this one would be hard to beat.. My choice would have to be the .308..
 
I have an AR 10 in 308 actually a DPMS AP4 and it is awsome. I got a LR Reticle in a Leupold 3X9X50 and sighted in at 100. Anything under 400 is a done deal.
 
.308 long range and knock down power, unless your going to really get in some bigger cal. lotts of diffent shells and lots of cheaper military rounds if you don't roll your own /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
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I am wanting to use it some for long range hunting and just longe range shooting,of the bigger calibers which one would you pick and why? I am wanting it in a AR type of rifle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif



Have you considered a 25WSSM upper from D-Tech? I will hold its own with the 308's in trajectory (sp), will fit on you current AR uppers, and is a great cartridge for whitetail sized game. I'n not sure it would be apprioate for ELk however you never mentioned them in you original post. If you reload, and that would be to your benifit, you can load up some 75 grainers and shoot everything from yotes to PDs.
 

Have you considered a 25WSSM upper from D-Tech? I will hold its own with the 308's in trajectory (sp), will fit on you current AR uppers, and is a great cartridge for whitetail sized game. I'n not sure it would be apprioate for ELk however you never mentioned them in you original post. If you reload, and that would be to your benifit, you can load up some 75 grainers and shoot everything from yotes to PDs.



do you mean my AR lowers? is there a place a person can find a comparison chart and maybe pictures to see the difference, Thanks
 
Go 308 for long range shooting. IMHO The 308 is to wimpy to kill elk beyond 300 yds, but it would do a good job way out there on smaller game such as deer.
 
go with the prven preformer the 308.... the 308 has spawned alot of fine rounds including the 243
I agree the 308 is small for elk but just about perfect for deer /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I would do a 243WSSM upper with a fast twist 24" to 26" barrel and use 107 to 115 grain boolets. Less recoil than the 308 and no need to purchase a complete rifle, just pin the upper to your existing AR15 lower and go shoot.
 
Why not look into a .260Rem. semi-auto. The .260 Rem. is a fine long range caliber. If you get a rifling twist that will stablize a heavy bullet, you can take everything in North America (except the big bears). You will have a flat shooting round that is much better than a .308 out to 1,000 yards.

The .260 Rem. started out as a 6.5mm x.308 wildcat for 1,000 yard target shooting. Very accurate.

Just a thought.
 
I guess I'm not sure about the hunting part, I assumed you were talking coyote hunting and P-Dogs since you posted this topic in the predator hunting section.

If you are going after bear, elk, deer then either the 260 or 308 makes more sense. I have the DPMS LR-308, it's a heavy beast and will never see a predator hunt unless I happen to snipe one from my front porch. The bigger calibers would be my choice for large game hunting no doubt but for shooting on a range for distance I would still consider the fast twist 243 but again for an "off the shelf" gun, in 260 or 308, the DPMS like Old Turtle is holding, will get you way out there with a smile.
 
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