.243 or 6.5x55 for occasional deer

[colin lad]

right i know there has been plenty of these threads asking what gun to get so here is another i am looking for a deer rifle for the occasional roe stalk, i have a .222 for muntjac and a 204 for foxing so this rifle will only be used a few time a year so don't want to spend a fortune what are your thoughts between the 2 please

 

colin

[Walker570]

6.5 x 55 no doubt what so ever. You have a rifle calibre there which will handle anything deer or wild boar you come across in this country.

[Guest stevo]

as you already have a tidy fox rifle I would have to say the 6.5x 55 as a pure stalking rifle , beautiful calibre and will do everything you can ask of it .

[Fisheruk]

6.5 x 55 no doubt what so ever. You have a rifle calibre there which will handle anything deer or wild boar you come across in this country.

+1

[Archie-fox]

+1

+2

[activeviii]

for the odd roe Colin, go .243 and just buy a box of ammo, this would be the cheapest option. the 6.5 tends to hold their rifle price and ammo is 1/3rd more

 

John shoots the .243 and mines the 6.5 which you shot last time. little less drop on the .243, all his cull animals are head shot and the round he uses is fast and explosive. mine is more of an estate rifle and a few people use in so i want a bullet that causes the least damage but puts the beast on the floor quickly. the 6.5 does this nicely for me. i had the .243 for a fair while and it worked, 100gr prohunters were about the cleanest kill, they are what john now uses, but they still cause major head damage and the chest exit can be twice that of the swede.

[scotslad]

I'd agree with the above, esp if ur after a cheap rifle/combo.

 

Be loads 2nd hand 243's kicking about so u'll have plenty of choice and ammo is plentiful at every gun shop.

Less so with the 6.5.

 

Possibly u could argue ballistics etc between the 2 but really at normal stalking ranges there is no real difference, and to be fair its the same for most similar stalking calibres.

 

In my opinion if u want a cheap rifle u might be as well stepping up to either a .270 or 308, again both readily available 2nd hand and usually cheapish plus easy found ammo.

Ur 243 isn't much heavier than ur current 222 and while with the right bullet placement will do all uk species some consider it a bit light for reds or boar, some hill estates wouldn't allow u on the hill with it.

 

It really depends on wot u want it for and wot u might want it for in the future, if u need to step up in the future do u get an extra rifle or get rid of the 243/6.5

[lancer425]

6.5 55 without a doubt your best option.

[scotslad]

No no chaps, any man without the nous to know a '55 is best aint worth persuading

 

But can u find them cheaply thou??

 

I doubt most folk would doubt the 6.5 is a more versatile calibre but at stalking distances it won't make a lot of difference really.

 

For a cheap rifle they're won't be many more cheaper more numerous cf rifles about than a 243 (probably followed by 270 or 308's)

[colin lad]

for the odd roe Colin, go .243 and just buy a box of ammo, this would be the cheapest option. the 6.5 tends to hold their rifle price and ammo is 1/3rd more

 

John shoots the .243 and mines the 6.5 which you shot last time. little less drop on the .243, all his cull animals are head shot and the round he uses is fast and explosive. mine is more of an estate rifle and a few people use in so i want a bullet that causes the least damage but puts the beast on the floor quickly. the 6.5 does this nicely for me. i had the .243 for a fair while and it worked, 100gr prohunters were about the cleanest kill, they are what john now uses, but they still cause major head damage and the chest exit can be twice that of the swede.

Phil you been to some of my land my other farms are very similar it will only be for a few roe so i stay legal i won't be doing any others as i don't go on invites or stalks not my thing have seen a few s/h on gun trader round the £350 to £400 i have a scope and my use utra is a .25 calibre hence one of the reasons i thought .243 if i go 6.5 it would have to be lot more to buy and then need new mod

colin

[lancer425]

 

But can u find them cheaply thou??

 

I doubt most folk would doubt the 6.5 is a more versatile calibre but at stalking distances it won't make a lot of difference really.

 

For a cheap rifle they're won't be many more cheaper more numerous cf rifles about than a 243 (probably followed by 270 or 308's)

How cheap do you wana go, if on a tight budget ex military rifles out there some sporterised at low money.

Bsa CF2 chambered for the swede and was 150 last year on gun trader they are out there .

[Dekers]

6.5 isn't an everyday rifle, why on earth are people suggesting that for the Occasional Roe?!

 

Of the two mentioned for Occasional Roe, .243 wins hands down, very versatile, brilliant fox ammo available to, and easy for the Muntjac. My .223 is conditioned for Roe in Scotland, and they fall down every time with it!

 

Frankly the .222 and .204 could go if you got a .243, the same could not be said if you get a 6.5.

 

I have shot the biggest deer in this country with a .243 and they fall down, but we are only talking about Occasional Roe!

Edited September 22, 2017 by Dekers

[activeviii]

6.5 Is a nice shooting rifle as you have felt Colin but the cost to feed it will be more, Charlie just had a heart attack when Neil dropped him 2 boxes of ready rolled, close to £80. Charlie is still keeping his .243 but like the 6.5 as he has shot a few of ours and thinks he could put one to good use.

 

John shoots the .243, he has gone through a lot of different guns over the 50 years of shooting and now all he uses is a 22lr and a .243 and shoots everything from muntjac's to reds, and the odd boar when needs must. Bullet choice being the key.

 

As you rightly said, plenty of .243's out there. A lot are shot out or close to being shot out so just be very careful when buying. Don't so much have this problem with the swede as it lobs the bullet out and pushes through the body, unlike the .243 that smashes it's way though.

 

If it was an every day stalker then I would say 6.5, I have 3 of them at the moment. It as the occasional stalker then the .243 will be more the adequate for need.

 

Wth the lay of the land as well it might be wise to use the faster 243 to cut out the ricochets, you can also run a 55g bullet if your staying on for foxes after, but they will kill the barrle off quicker.

 

.243 Colin lol

[al4x]

Personally i'd also go .243 but then I would also use it in place of the other two rifles....

[scotslad]

Personally i'd also go .243 but then I would also use it in place of the other two rifles....

 

Must admit that's why I would recommend either a 270/308 as there is very little between the 3 rifles really.

U'd proably pick either up for the same money as a 243 and it would give u a rifle for every job u could possibly need.

Some woodland stalkers in eng chose he 308 for the extra knock down power even on roe

 

 

In Scotland u can legally shoot Roe with a 222/22cf anyway, and does the job perfectly well, probably more Roe shot in Scotland with .22cf rifles than anything else.

And the .204 would have more than enough power also for roe barring the legality issues

 

In my opinion if u had 3 rifles 222, 204 and 243/6.5 in the cabinet there is just too little difference between them all to justify the price, as even 2nd rifle plus a decent scope and mod are not that cheap.

 

While thats cheap for rifle esp a 6.5 I doubt there won't be much choice, even going up to £3-600 u'd have any amount of 243's/270 or 308's

[lancer425]

The OP has 204 and a 222 for foxing not that he mentioned foxing in his OP anyway, Why buy a .243 which is despite what it has been pressed into use on deer it is a varminter and its original wildcat conception title was just that .243 varminter .

The 6.5 is far more versatile as a DEER rifle and can pass muster on moose in Scandinavia not requested by op i admit but nor was the foxing application which was covered by the .204 and the .222 anyway. if the need arise. the .243 is popular because of UK licensing guidance and the .240 minimum calibre laws rather than its stellar performance as an all round deer rifle.

About the only area the .243 can get even close to the 6.5 is in availability in most shops of ammo for the .243, in this country the 6.5 is probably harder to guarantee ammo most places, but equally the .243 has no cheap military ammo to call upon should the need arise.

Any military round is guaranteed success .223..5.56 nato . 308 .762 and 3006 are obvious evidence of this, the 6.5 55 has a lot going for it good sectional densoity for bigger game and accuracy in its nature just the ones that imediatley spring to mind, the Scandinavians put this round to use on a very broad range of quarry the .243 languishes in the shadow of the 6.555 over there and for good reason.

[Dekers]

The OP has 204 and a 222 for foxing not that he mentioned foxing in his OP anyway, Why buy a .243 which is despite what it has been pressed into use on deer it is a varminter and its original wildcat conception title was just that .243 varminter .

The 6.5 is far more versatile as a DEER rifle and can pass muster on moose in Scandinavia not requested by op i admit but nor was the foxing application which was covered by the .204 and the .222 anyway. if the need arise. the .243 is popular because of UK licensing guidance and the .240 minimum calibre laws rather than its stellar performance as an all round deer rifle.

About the only area the .243 can get even close to the 6.5 is in availability in most shops of ammo for the .243, in this country the 6.5 is probably harder to guarantee ammo most places, but equally the .243 has no cheap military ammo to call upon should the need arise.

Any military round is guaranteed success .223..5.56 nato . 308 .762 and 3006 are obvious evidence of this, the 6.5 55 has a lot going for it good sectional densoity for bigger game and accuracy in its nature just the ones that imediatley spring to mind, the Scandinavians put this round to use on a very broad range of quarry the .243 languishes in the shadow of the 6.555 over there and for good reason.

 

He want OCCASIONAL ROE, not Moose or any other deer. Poachers commonly use .22lr and subs on Roe and they work!!!!!!

 

A .222 or .223 is more than capable on Roe, why on earth does he want a 6.5?

 

If he was after Moose I may agree and suggest 6.5, he doesn't, nor does he want any other deer, he wants OCCASIONAL ROE!

 

Frankly, if it was not for the Law I would say stick with the .222.

 

.243

 

 

 

[Benthejockey]

I've got a 243 and I love it. I've also got a 308 which I also love. When you shoot stuff with them there's a noticeable difference. Shooting the 308 is like throwing a brick compared to the 243 being a good sized stone. The perceived recoil on my 308 is less than my 243. Actual physics may say different but to my shoulder that's how it feels. You've got two decent foxing calibres both of which would knock over roe regardless of the legalities and they're both very capable of flattening foxes. You also enjoy reloading if I remember correctly. So go for something different and get the swede if you're going to reload. Or go obscure and get a wildcat of some type and tinker with reloading.

[scotslad]

Or

 

 

 

He want OCCASIONAL ROE, not Moose or any other deer. Poachers commonly use .22lr and subs on Roe and they work!!!!!!

 

A .222 or .223 is more than capable on Roe, why on earth does he want a 6.5?

 

If he was after Moose I may agree and suggest 6.5, he doesn't, nor does he want any other deer, he wants OCCASIONAL ROE!

 

Frankly, if it was not for the Law I would say stick with the .222.

 

.243

 

 

 

 

 

Or only shoot Roe in Scotland!!

 

 

Must admit I think a lot of the 1 calibre is better than others is slightly pointless for most hobby stalkers shooting at sensible ranges, most hunting calibres with a sensible zero are pretty much point and shoot out to 200m anyway (or within an 1")

The only difference is the weight of bullet u want/need to throw or legalities.

 

when u get out past 200 differences will show more but the 'nut behind the butt is still more important' if u practice and know the fall for whichever calibre u go for and can estimate range u'll never be that far away.

In almost all cases/missed shots it is human error not the falling of the calibre

[Dekers]

I've got a 243 and I love it. I've also got a 308 which I also love. When you shoot stuff with them there's a noticeable difference. Shooting the 308 is like throwing a brick compared to the 243 being a good sized stone. The perceived recoil on my 308 is less than my 243. Actual physics may say different but to my shoulder that's how it feels. You've got two decent foxing calibres both of which would knock over roe regardless of the legalities and they're both very capable of flattening foxes. You also enjoy reloading if I remember correctly. So go for something different and get the swede if you're going to reload. Or go obscure and get a wildcat of some type and tinker with reloading.

 

 

Interesting, ALL my rifles are light.

 

My .308 is a Remington 700 SPS, and with 150g PPI SP it is a pussycat to shoot, a pal has a CZ .308 and with the SAME ammo it is a painful animal to shoot, it is more than difficult to believe they are the same calibre shooting the same ammo!

 

My .243 is A T3 Hunter and is VERY gentle with everything, but if I get down to 55/58g it is unbelievably gentle!

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Dekers

[Benthejockey]

I really enjoy shooting my 243 and it is the gun that gets taken for a walk more often than any of the others. I think it's probably gun fit maybe or the different stock materials the 243 is wooden stocked and the 308 is plastic. But anyone who shoots them agrees with me the 308 is very gentle compared to the 243 even without the moderator on whereas the 243 is a bitch without the mod.

[colin lad]

thanks all for replies plenty to think about must say when i first thought about variation i was leaning towards the swede but after a good think and money side of things the 243 makes sense really as i have a 25 mod and the guns are cheaper to buy and probably to re load for

 

thanks Colin

[al4x]

Where the 243 wins is you can use 55grn bullets for foxing and then heavier ones on deer,

Or just a decent soft point on everything..... mine I use 85grn soft points and everything foxes to fallow seem to fall over. Summer I'll occasionally swap to lighter bullets but it's hardly necessary.

If you do go for one Colin and want a selection to test for re loading I've got a fair few different options!

[Savhmr]

Occasional means probably low ammo costs compared with regular stalking and range work, so personally, I'd go 6.5 swede. Lovely shooting rifle that'll take anything the Uk has to offer and with less meat bruising than the higher velocity .243.

 

Ammo costs are negligible when you count the cost of a cartridge (or box of) against a decent roe carcass. They only become relevant when shooting hundreds of rounds annually rather than dozens.

[Dunkield]

When I went through this I thought about lighter bullets for this and heavier for that.

The fact is I bought a 6.5 13 odd years ago now and use the same 140 grn for everything from foxes to wild boar.

I doubt many end up going to the bother of changing bullet weights & re-zero'ing etc unless it is for something specific, or they have it all dialed in on their scope.