good general purpose round

JohnMarston

JohnMarston

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I have been looking around for a good general purpose average recoil round for target and varmint, to white tail being the largest creature. The stipulations: the ammo must be relitively easy to find and affordable, with a varrying range of bullet weights. I am also looking to purchase a bolt action rifle of said caliber for approx 500 dollars. little more or less wont push it for me.

My uncle glen reccomended a couple sizes, being:
1. the classic 223
2. 22.250
3. 243

and if any of you fine gentlemen (i use the term loosely [wink]) have any other suggestions, your input would be great. That includes the rifles and rounds!

Many thanks,
Dom
 
varmint to white tail is a large gap in my opinion.....to pick one round.

I'm fond of 7.62 x .39 i shoot target but many have taken deer with this cal.
(does any manufacturer offer bolt actions in this?)

I wish I had a .308 but have enough fun with my sks ;')
 
And I truly ment for white tail to be the largest by far for capability with a well placed shot, because I would be hunting in NY where you can use a rifle for white tail and that would not be too often because of the cost of the permit and such. So normal dutys would be target, varmint, coy dog.
 
Savage edge in .223.
Gun is inexpensive (around 350 with scope)

Shoot 1" groups at 100yds with russian ammo.

Fusion 69gr bthp work good on 'Yotes , should be good for deer.

If you were thinking .30 cal. and money isnt an issue I would opt for the Ruger Gunsite edition Scout rifle. (But I am a bit of a Col. Cooper fan)

For a budget.30cal SKS is hard to beat...

Unless you want "extreme budget" Then get a Mosey.

D
 
Ski said:
varmint to white tail is a large gap in my opinion.....to pick one round.

I'm fond of 7.62 x .39 i shoot target but many have taken deer with this cal.
(does any manufacturer offer bolt actions in this?)
Click to expand...

Savage offers one rifle model in 7.62x39.

Some calibers that come to mind are the .260, .270, 7mm-08 .25-06 or a .30-06. Finding factory ammo to suit all the needs you listed is tough but can be found. Reloading will allow you to tailor any of these rounds to hunt varmints to deer.

A fine varmint round also is the .204 Ruger.
 
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Great suggestion FSTC! That is the kind of stuff Im looking for! sounds like a great gun with good accuracy and price to match. I have a couple of bigger rifles already, so a nice midsize is in order :)

Marine, a good friend of mine frequently reloads his own 223s so perhaps that will be the best way to go. He has been wanting to teach me how to do it for a while. How is that 204 round btw? its very fast I hear.
 
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.243 No question in my mind.
The .22s are illegal for large mamals (deer) in most states. The .243 varmint rounds are screamers yet it is (marginally) large enough for deer with a heavy bullet.

If you are more likely to hunt deer than varmints I would get a 260. Like the .243 it's a .308 necked down. It may be the best compromise because it will do a better job on deer.

A 25 caliber round would be a ideal, but for reasons I can't understand they aren't popular and almost no one chambers rifles in 25s. The 25-06 would be a good choice if you don't mind going less mainstream, but that's a long-action cartridge. I would love a 25-08 (.308 necked down to 25 caliber) but those are wildcats so you have to reload your own.

ETA: +1 on getting a Savage.
 
cockpitbob, I really dont mind going against the grain a little! I will look into the 25-06, at the moment the 223 savage is in the lead with the 243 behind but I am confident there are some folk out there with some information that is good as well! great description on the rounds btw. This is the kind of info I was looking for :)
 
For your requirements, a .243 is the way to go.

I don't know if any states allow .223 for deer, and even if they did, it wouldn't be very effective.
 
+1 for a Savage .243. It's a tack-driver and the action is like butter and I'm a fan of the accutrigger.

Depending on where you live... the .223 might be the better option. It's not a deer round (tho it can be done, but realistically is a bad choice) but you'll save $$$ on the price of .223 vs .243 if you do end up using it for target or vermin.

The popularity of the .243 seems to be fading given the rage of the .308 in recent years. Rightly so, the .308 rules.

A general purpose rd doesn't really exist but given you're earlier stated scenario, I'd say .243.

...But if you don't have one, you need a .223. [smile]

Just like I now need a .308.
 
You can use the .223 up here for deer hunting. .22 WMR is the smallest you can use. I don't recommend either, but it is legal.
.243 is probably your best bet as a varmint/deer rifle if whitetails are your upper limit.

I usually go with not-so-common cartridges like .257 Roberts or my favorite; 6.5 Swede.
 
Sheepdog...i actually do not have a 223 of my own. my father has a 222 that he is quite fond of. Maybe i will go 223 right now for the pure fact ammo is readily available/cheaper and I have other guns for larger prey.

Cockpitbob, thanks bud! I always say just like the country song...too much of a good thing is a good thing! and if a little green means the good thing lasts, I'm all for it :)

PatMcD, those are some interesting facts! Have you ever used a (?) .257 scramjet? that is a unique caliber that has quite a bit of speed and thump, the ammo seems darn near impossible to find tho.

What is the price comparison of a box of 20 60 grain 223 vs a box of 20 average size 243? its 75 gn as far as the smaller factory loads go, right?

Dom
 
You need a .223 rifle for varmint and a .308 for deer.

ETA: Like my grandpa always says, "You can't pull a plow behind an Aardvark".
 
Dom, since you already have a .223 and a friend willing to help you learning to reload go with that for now. Just dont use the .223 for deer.
 
I dont own a .223 yet sir, that was why the reason for the round contemplation. my friend todd reloads his own 223 all the time, so he could teach me and I could give him some funds for the supplys and a 12 pack for after :) On the other hand, on the Savage web site there is a Stevens rifle with a 22 inch barrel in 25-06 for approx 250 bux. I did some reading up on the 25-06 and many people seem to like it for everything from deer to varmint. So that is also ringing clearly in my mind.

Dom
 
.223 all the way. proven round, readily available & affordable. also a huge selection of different factory loads (if your not gonna load your own). a well placed .223 would drop any deer but would def want to consider something bigger. for smaller game it would be sweet.
 
haha no worries man! im going down to A&J in housatonic today to see what they have for a selection of 223 guns and ammo and 25-06 guns and ammo! i will report later on this evening my findings and some other schtufff!

Dom
 
I'm inclined to think anything in .30 caliber, .308/7.62 NATO would be a good choice as it can be used in a variety of loads and also can double as a SHTF round. Nothing wrong with 7.62 x 39 either.

On a budget, a good used Winchester or Marlin 30-30 lever action can also fill the bill quite nicely.

I always thought than in sub 30 cal, the .243 was a good round and also like the .270 Winchester, but I would stick with something in .30.

Another poster suggested the new Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle. I handled one up at State Line and I would love to have one very much !!! The only drawback that I can see is the short barrel and if you tend to be recoil sensitive, this could be a problem, on the other hand I like the idea of a general utility rifle/carbine that can be used for a variety of purposes. Remember the old saying "beware of the man who only uses one gun"...if you can master something like the Scout, then you have nothing to worry about either in the hunting fields or if ever the SHTF IMO.
 
I have a couple various 30 cal guns, but am lacking in the 20's size dept...and I am a man of variety! But those are great suggestions none the less mr mark! I am not quite recoil sensitive but if my fiancee ever wanted to shoot it, it would have to be on the lower recoil end of the spectrum hence the smaller calibers :)

you are probably smellin some truth there marine haha
 
mark056 said:
Another poster suggested the new Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle. I handled one up at State Line and I would love to have one very much !!! The only drawback that I can see is the short barrel and if you tend to be recoil sensitive, this could be a problem, on the other hand I like the idea of a general utility rifle/carbine that can be used for a variety of purposes.
Click to expand...
I have to admit to being attracted to the Ruger Scout.
 
So I took an adventure down to A&J today, sold a Davis Derringer that was given to me and a Marlin 39TDS that was much too short which was also given to me...and I start looking around. I saw a couple model 700s in 223 there, but they were way too much money for the quality. Seemed to be a little poor, not A&Js fault but it seems like quality slipped a little. Then just for haha's I took a look at some AR's and decided they werent what I was looking for. In the AR rack was a nice used ruger Mini 14, but once again not really what i am looking for. If I really wanted a nice autoloader I would get a Armalite in 308. Then holy mother of mary did I see a beauty, a Rossi Rio Grande repeater in 30-30. once again not what I was looking for but sweet jeezus did i damn near buy it haha! dark buffed stock with everything stainless for a decent price....too much candy, too little funds!
 

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