savage .243 versus springfeild 30-06

.243 Jake · February 5, 2012, 10:32 AM

I've got a Savage .243, and it shoots the flattest trajectory I've ever seen, but some people say a 30-06 is better. i strongly disagree. any other opinions?

Jimro · February 5, 2012, 10:35 AM

Shoot what you like. Opinions ain't facts. There will always be arguments on the internet about what is better.

Jimro

mrawesome22 · February 5, 2012, 10:50 AM

Better for what?

Moose hunting... 30-06 would be much better.

Varmint hunting... the 243win would be better.

And for pure flat trajectory no matter the bullet weight, there are cartridges that shoot much flatter than a 243Win.

Marquezj16 · February 5, 2012, 10:50 AM

I have a .22lr rifle and it's so much fun to shoot, but other's say a .50 cal is way more fun. I don't agree. lol

jmr40 · February 5, 2012, 11:02 AM

A 243 will shoot flatter than a 30-06.

The heavier 30-06 bullet will likely be less effected by wind and likely be more accurate at longer range and certainly have more power when hunting larger game. Small differences in how flat cartridges shoot are highly over rated. If you know the range anyone can compensate for bullet drop. Anyone shooting over 300 yards should be using a rangefinder and using a scope with either a long range reticle, or adjustable turrets ayway.

Quote:

I've got a Savage .243, and it shoots the flattest trajectory I've ever seen,

There are sevearal cartridges that shoot flatter than a 243, although it is one of the better ones.

Clifford L. Hughes · February 5, 2012, 12:21 PM

243 Jake:

I have shot deer and antelope with both th4 243 and the 30/06. The deer and the anteope were small about 120 pounds if that. On one antelope and one deer, with the 243, shots were fifty yards; both were shouldeer shots,both bullets exited the the animals leaving behind a pulverized boiler room. The last deer was running stright away and I hit it on the right cheek bone. The 100 grain Sierra 243 bullet penetrated the length of the deer and lodged under the skin of the right shoulder. The bullet expanded but didn't destroy much on it way. This deer took a finishing shot. On the same hunt, my friend Phil shot a 175 to 200 pound buck that was running stright away. His 130 grain Nosler partition 270 bullet hit the right ham, missing the bone, and lodged just under the skin of the shoulder. The bullet took out the right lung and the deer didn't need a finishing shot. The 150 Grain 30/06 has slightly more striking energy. As you can see from above the 3006 is superior to the 243.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
Usmc Retired

hoffbill · February 5, 2012, 12:55 PM

Obviously anyone who is a serious rifleman would require at least 1 of each along with several others, after all addiction is a serious disease and it is progressive.

mehavey · February 5, 2012, 01:28 PM

(Would you believe... "bullets" ?

JASmith · February 5, 2012, 01:46 PM

Rejoice if you have both!

You get an interesting pair of rifles by sighting one the less expensive 100 gr .243 loads to the same point of impact at 400 -500 yards as you get with one of the premium 180 gr '06 bullets .

Put the same model and power scopes on both and use the .243 for plinking, varmints, antelope, and the smaller class deer. All the shooting lessons, including sight picture and windage, will transfer very nicely to the heavy 30-06 load for those less frequent occasions when the larger cartridge makes better sense.

Other cartridge combinations work too. For more info, there is a discussion at http://shootersnotes.com/articles/paired-rifles/

Kreyzhorse · February 5, 2012, 01:49 PM

Quote:

I've got a Savage .243, and it shoots the flattest trajectory I've ever seen, but some people say a 30-06 is better.

Better for what?

mrawesome22 · February 5, 2012, 04:43 PM

He was hoping we would all emphatically agree with him and then he could tell his buddy "told ya so".

Art Eatman · February 5, 2012, 04:52 PM

kreyzhorse, I think he means that he's been told that an '06 will shoot flatter.

My experience with both over some forty years of "side by side" use is that there's not enough difference to notice, out to 300 yards--which is sort of an outer limit for most deer hunters.

Leaving out the slow movers like a .30-30, and also the hotshot .22s and Magnums, you can set up for two inches high at 100 yards and figure about dead-on at 200. Generally, somewhere around six inches low, give or take an inch, at 300. That holds for almost all of the "deer cartridges" in the common loadings.

Beyond 300 you're getting into sectional density and all that esoteric stuff that is irrelevant to around 95% of all deer hunting.

.243 Jake · December 2, 2012, 12:20 PM

from what i hear, if you are a good shot, then either gun will do fine on anything up to an elk. just an hour ago, i shot a group the size of an M&M with my .243, so no loss of accuracy there. where i hunt, you will never get a shot past 150 yards. i was asking which was better for white tail deer, but , as a friend of mine said, you can kill one of those with a well placed shovel. IMO, the deciding factor is range. under 400, use the .243 for accuracy, over 400, use the 06 for range and FPE.

jmortimer · December 2, 2012, 01:06 PM

.243 with a 100 grain Nosler Partition will kill most anything. With light recoil and with proper shot placement being so effective, it is no wonder the .243 is so popular.

chucknbach · December 2, 2012, 07:30 PM

.243 is my deer and antelope gun. I've taken them out to 550 yds. Unlike Clifford I don't shoot them in the butt ever! I don't take shoulder shots though I have on occasion hit one coming out. Tags aren't cheap and you don't get a lot of meat off a 90-100lbs animal.

Anything over a .243 is just not needed.

allaroundhunter · December 2, 2012, 09:29 PM

Quote:

IMO, the deciding factor is range. under 400, use the .243 for accuracy, over 400, use the 06 for range and FPE.

A .243 is not inherently more accurate than an '06 within 400 yards, so that argument cannot be made.

Is a .243 enough for deer? Sure it is, and it is a dang good deer cartridge. However, if you go for any game larger than whitetail, you are pushing the limits of the cartridge. I personally would not take one elk hunting, there are better options available for that purpose (with the '06 being one).

My Winchester Model 70 will shoot 5 shot groups the size of an M&M at 100 yards, but my Remington 700 .308 will shoot groups the same size at 200 yards. However, if I am going after deer or antelope, I still take the .243.

Why? Because even though the .308 is *slightly* more accurate at extended ranges, .5" will not make a difference in a kill shot on game of that size out to 300 yards; and game up to 200 lbs is really where the .243 is the most useful. It makes clean kills, and doesn't destroy too much meat.

Art Eatman · December 2, 2012, 10:28 PM

Back in February, Jake was curious about comparative trajectories, not accuracy.

February 5, 2012, 10:32 AM	#1
.243 Jake Junior Member Join Date: February 5, 2012 Posts: 11	savage .243 versus springfeild 30-06 I've got a Savage .243, and it shoots the flattest trajectory I've ever seen, but some people say a 30-06 is better. i strongly disagree. any other opinions?

February 5, 2012, 10:35 AM	#2
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	Shoot what you like. Opinions ain't facts. There will always be arguments on the internet about what is better. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

February 5, 2012, 12:21 PM	#6
Clifford L. Hughes Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2011 Location: Southern Californis Posts: 795	243 Jake: I have shot deer and antelope with both th4 243 and the 30/06. The deer and the anteope were small about 120 pounds if that. On one antelope and one deer, with the 243, shots were fifty yards; both were shouldeer shots,both bullets exited the the animals leaving behind a pulverized boiler room. The last deer was running stright away and I hit it on the right cheek bone. The 100 grain Sierra 243 bullet penetrated the length of the deer and lodged under the skin of the right shoulder. The bullet expanded but didn't destroy much on it way. This deer took a finishing shot. On the same hunt, my friend Phil shot a 175 to 200 pound buck that was running stright away. His 130 grain Nosler partition 270 bullet hit the right ham, missing the bone, and lodged just under the skin of the shoulder. The bullet took out the right lung and the deer didn't need a finishing shot. The 150 Grain 30/06 has slightly more striking energy. As you can see from above the 3006 is superior to the 243. Semper Fi. Gunnery sergeant Clifford L. Hughes Usmc Retired Last edited by Clifford L. Hughes; February 5, 2012 at 12:24 PM. Reason: wording

February 5, 2012, 01:46 PM	#9
JASmith Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2009 Posts: 157	Rejoice if you have both! You get an interesting pair of rifles by sighting one the less expensive 100 gr .243 loads to the same point of impact at 400 -500 yards as you get with one of the premium 180 gr '06 bullets . Put the same model and power scopes on both and use the .243 for plinking, varmints, antelope, and the smaller class deer. All the shooting lessons, including sight picture and windage, will transfer very nicely to the heavy 30-06 load for those less frequent occasions when the larger cartridge makes better sense. Other cartridge combinations work too. For more info, there is a discussion at http://shootersnotes.com/articles/paired-rifles/ __________________ Nevermore... http://shootersnotes.com

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February 5, 2012, 10:50 AM	#3
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	Better for what? Moose hunting... 30-06 would be much better. Varmint hunting... the 243win would be better. And for pure flat trajectory no matter the bullet weight, there are cartridges that shoot much flatter than a 243Win.

February 5, 2012, 10:50 AM	#4
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	I have a .22lr rifle and it's so much fun to shoot, but other's say a .50 cal is way more fun. I don't agree. lol

February 5, 2012, 12:55 PM	#7
hoffbill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 246	Obviously anyone who is a serious rifleman would require at least 1 of each along with several others, after all addiction is a serious disease and it is progressive.

February 5, 2012, 01:28 PM	#8
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,882	(Would you believe... "bullets" ?

February 5, 2012, 04:43 PM	#11
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	He was hoping we would all emphatically agree with him and then he could tell his buddy "told ya so".

February 5, 2012, 04:52 PM	#12
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	kreyzhorse, I think he means that he's been told that an '06 will shoot flatter. My experience with both over some forty years of "side by side" use is that there's not enough difference to notice, out to 300 yards--which is sort of an outer limit for most deer hunters. Leaving out the slow movers like a .30-30, and also the hotshot .22s and Magnums, you can set up for two inches high at 100 yards and figure about dead-on at 200. Generally, somewhere around six inches low, give or take an inch, at 300. That holds for almost all of the "deer cartridges" in the common loadings. Beyond 300 you're getting into sectional density and all that esoteric stuff that is irrelevant to around 95% of all deer hunting.

December 2, 2012, 12:20 PM	#13
.243 Jake Junior Member Join Date: February 5, 2012 Posts: 11	from what i hear, if you are a good shot, then either gun will do fine on anything up to an elk. just an hour ago, i shot a group the size of an M&M with my .243, so no loss of accuracy there. where i hunt, you will never get a shot past 150 yards. i was asking which was better for white tail deer, but , as a friend of mine said, you can kill one of those with a well placed shovel. IMO, the deciding factor is range. under 400, use the .243 for accuracy, over 400, use the 06 for range and FPE.

December 2, 2012, 01:06 PM	#14
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	.243 with a 100 grain Nosler Partition will kill most anything. With light recoil and with proper shot placement being so effective, it is no wonder the .243 is so popular.

December 2, 2012, 07:30 PM	#15
chucknbach Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2011 Location: Gillette, WY Posts: 135	.243 is my deer and antelope gun. I've taken them out to 550 yds. Unlike Clifford I don't shoot them in the butt ever! I don't take shoulder shots though I have on occasion hit one coming out. Tags aren't cheap and you don't get a lot of meat off a 90-100lbs animal. Anything over a .243 is just not needed.

December 2, 2012, 10:28 PM	#17
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Back in February, Jake was curious about comparative trajectories, not accuracy.