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.243 or 7mm-08?

4K views 22 replies 19 participants last post by  beagler 
#1 ·
Pretty sure I'm going to purchase a Ruger American Compact for my 9yr old daughter. Now my question is .243 or 7mm-08? Was considering getting managed recoil ammo in 7mm-08. She isn't a tiny framed girl. She took her first turkey a few weeks back shooting a 20ga Mossberg 510 Mini now I'd like to get her a deer.
 
#2 ·
I just moved my 10 year old up from a 223 to 708 but I handload and use a reduced load with no problems. I would go with the 708 but with the reduced recoil load. A full load in the compact gun may be a little too much.The 120gr sierra bullet going 2500fps is a deadly combo on deer.
 
#6 ·
My dad and I both have .243's and he has a 7-08 as well. I don't think either one is a bad choice. Both will reliably harvest deer and neither has significant recoil and can be easily handled by youth hunters.
That being said, in my experience, we get more bang/flops with my dad's 7-08. He shoots 162 grain hornady interlocks at 2550 fps. I have never seen a deer take a step from that load. Sure you can get bang/flops from a .243 as well.

Either one you choose won't be wrong. If it were me, I'd go 7-08 and work up to full loads as she gets older. Even with full loads, it isn't bad. She may be able to handle them now.
 
#7 ·
I agree....I like the 7-08...

I shot my buddies for him and I was very tempted to buy one....still am lol..


It was just a joy to shoot...

I didn't shoot anything other than paper...but on paper i know I'd be happier with it than a 243 for deer...


Not bashing the 243...we all know its a capable cartridge...
 
#8 ·
Uuu
beagler said:
Pretty sure I'm going to purchase a Ruger American Compact for my 9yr old daughter. Now my question is .243 or 7mm-08? Was considering getting managed recoil ammo in 7mm-08. She isn't a tiny framed girl. She took her first turkey a few weeks back shooting a 20ga Mossberg 510 Mini now I'd like to get her a deer.
The Ruger compact is a pretty light gun @ about 6 lbs. So I'm gonna tell you that your daughter will experience 40-50 % more felt recoil with the 7mm-08 than the .243 which is significant in that light a rifle. And it will be louder if she is at all sensitive to the crack of a rifle. I have hunted with the .243 for over 50 years and it's never failed me on deer. I also have a 7mm-08 so I can make a comparison. I'm a big guy but I always shoot better with a lighter recoiling rifle.

The 7mm-08 managed recoil loads are difficult to find. If you reload, you could definitely do a reduced load for it and get .243-like recoil or less. But if you don't, I would go with the .243 without hesitation and especially with bullet options like the 80 Barnes TTSX or 85 gr TSX that are now available even in factory loads.
 
#10 ·
I bought my son a compact model 7 in .243 when he was 7.Between the two of us,we killed 8 deer the first two years he hunted.It worked,he shot it well but I wasn't overly impressed with the terminal performance.Last year when he turned 9,I moved him up to a Kimber Montanna in .308.I loaded him up some slighly reduced loads with 125 gr bt's to practice with and 125 accubonds to hunt with.Neither one of us felt the recoil was bad and the terminal performance was night and day compared to the .243.If you reload,I'd go with the 7mm-08 for sure.You can load down a 120gr bt and it will drop deer with authority.
 
#11 ·
I own a 243. Nice ADL. Never took it out for deer. Always 270 or above for me. Now that I have two daughters. I have thought into the future and purchased them both deer rifles. I am way ahead of the game. But I found deals on Savage Light Weight Hunters one in 7m-08 and one in 260 Rem. I couldn't pass up. I will develop loads for both and break them in. lol But love the idea of the 7mm-08 load it light when they are young. Then load it up as they get older. Perfect.
 
#12 ·
I would just get her a .300 Win Mag with full power 180 grain loads, don't see why that would be a problem........................kidding of course. Out of the two, the 7mm-08 will provide greater versatility in the future when she's big enough and experienced enough to shoot full power loads. Plus, the 7mm-08 doesn't stop at deer, it can take an elk if you stuff the right bullet in the chamber. In case she ever would want to venture west and not buy a new rifle.
 
#15 ·
I have two model 70 compacts, 1 in 243 the other in 7mm-08. When my son turned twelve this year I gave him the choice of which he wanted to carry and he chose the 243 because it kicks less. The last thing you want to do is have your daughter develop a flinch because of recoil or muzzle blast. Either will get the job done with proper shot placement. The one plus to the 243 would be you could get some light 55 grain bullets and practice on groundhogs this summer. I also agree with the above post, the 7mm-08 would provide more versatility in the future. Maybe you could just flip a coin, both would be a solid choice for a first rifle.
 
#16 ·
In my opinion,if you're really serious about getting a kid started the right way,you should make it a priority to reload if you don't already.Kids need piles of range time and the first thing they have to overcome is the muzzleblast of a centerfire.You can accomplish that with reduced loads,even in a .243.They also need to shoot a lot and you won't have them shooting as much if you're buying factory loads.If you reload,you can work up reduced loads using H4895 and make the recoil practically non-existant.As time goes on,just keep moving it up.There's nothing wrong with a .243 but a 7mm-08 is a far more versatile choice.

I worked up a couple loads for my son's .308 last year.It's a kimber Montanna that I bought for him the day after he was born 9 years earlier.He wanted to shoot it last spring and I was skeptical.He weighed about 65lbs at the time and a .308 out of that light of a gun concerned me.I started with 42 gr of imr 3031 and a 125gr ballistic tip.I loaded up 150 rounds and he shot that all summer at deer targets.When hunting season rolled around,I bumped it up a couple grains and put a 125 gr accubond in it.I saw five deer die with that load this past year and the terminal performance impressed me.Every shot was a passthrough and all were dead with seconds excpet for a doe that he center punched the liver at 209 yards.That deer ran about 60 yards and just laid down.
 
#19 ·
i have been shooting the 7-08 in a rem 700 BDL for about 22 years and ive shot everything from 110 gr hollow points up to 160 bt out of it.and they will all work for deer.but with the lighter bullets you cant shoot in the shoulder and not expect alot of meat waste. rib,neck,head shots with those light bullets out of the 08
my oldest daughter took her first deer with this gun shooting a 120 gr bullet out of it shot it right in the armpit and it was a bang flop shot..she dosent mind shooting this round at full power and shoots it comfortable.

i just purchased a ruger american compact in the 243 and shooting a full power load with a 80 grain bullet you really dont notice the difference in recoil.the 243 with that short 18 inch barrel CRACKS louder. but as far as recoil its very close in comparison.
 
#22 ·
Both my girls started out with 243's. Both being savage rifles, one is the youth hunter the other is the xt hunter. Now they are 18 and 14. Neither has lost a deer, and all were shot with green box Remington 100gn core lock bullets. I have been shooting the hunter at 400 yds with 90 gn nosler ballistic tips. At 400 yds that lill gun will put 5 in a 3" group.
 
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