11 replies to this topic

[Locnload]

Is the recoil similiar in these two calibers? My son will be able to hunt deer next year and I am mulling over these two calibers. Thanks.

[Desert Fox]

7-08 will kick a bit more due to heavier bullet. How old is your son? 243 will be good for beginners since it doesn't kick as much. Either of the two will be good for deersize games or for a dual purpose rifle. Goodluck! DF

[A17Shooter]

243 is more suitable for a light varmint / casual target kind of shooting. That's where most people spend their ammo.JMHO

[4RHUNTS]

I went with a 7-08 for my daughters when they started hunting deer and pigs. I started them out using "Youth Loads" that you can get from Hodgdon's website. Used a 120 grain Hornady Spirepoint bullet. Is very accurate in my Remington Model 7. Now that they are older I load it with either a 139, or 154 grain Hornady bullet. The reason I went with the 7-08 is due to its versatility which allowed me to stick with one rifle and just move up in bullet weight as the girls got older. You are only able to go up to about 100 grain bullets for the 243.Just my 1/2 cents worth.So with all that being said.......I bought the 243 for myself

[Fjold]

I have the 243 and the 308, with 100 grain bullets the recoil of the 243 is noticeably less than the recoil with 150 grain 308 load. I would estimate that it is between 1/2 and 2/3s of the felt recoil and is directlye related to bullet weight.I've used the 243 for antelope and deer with 85 grain Nosler Partitions and 100 grain Hornady bullets and they have worked perfectly. But I think that the ideal combination caliber is the 260 Remington (308 necked down to .264/6.5mm caliber), shooting 80 grain bullets all the way up to 140 grainers. (The 160 grain round nose are too long for the 260's case capacity)

[Shoot-it]

I do know all those cals you guys mentioned use the same case. I know A guy that loves shooting hogs with his 7mm08 I don't know the different from that to a 308 other than caliber.

[peeker seeker]

I have the 7mm08 and the 308. Dang same round almost. both are dead accurate . But the 308 got more types of bullets. But that Savage 116 7mm is a really fun gun to shoot. Rounds cost more for it than the 308. What about the 25-06. not bad recoil. I use it on deer and coyotes, same load 100 grn soft pt does not tear up the dogs and kills CA. deer dead. the 25 shoots really flat. I have taken Jacks out over 400 yards with it .

[D-Man]

Having the same debate for my daughter's first rifle. Will 7mm-08 load up big enough for something like an elk? I have only seen 110 grain bullets in a factory load. My daughter would use the Savage in a youth model (she is only 5' 2") and this would be for everything from yotes to big game.Darren

[Locnload]

Thanks for all the answers. My son is a skinny 11 year old, so I think I will wait for his birthday in August before making a decision, (and to see if he puts on a couple of more pounds, lol). Thanks again.

[Braz]

What you should do is find a shooting club somewhere near where you live. Go talk to them, and I'm sure you will find a youth group there, or at least some guys that have several rifles of different calibers that they will let him try. That way you can find the optimum rifle for him that he likes without guessing.

[Locnload]

That sounds like the best option Braz, thanks.

[A17Shooter]

Here are some numbers for recoil with three different calibers. The rifle is held constant at 7.5 lbs. The velocity is reduced slightly from the max shown in the Speer manual.1. 243 with 100 gr bullet at 2700 fps, 41 gr powder charge.Recoil Velocity - 8.3 fpsRecoil Energy - 8.0 ft-lbs2. 7-08 with 120 gr bullet at 3000 fps, 51 gr powder charge.Recoil Velocity - 10.7 fpsRecoil Energy - 13.5 ft-lbs3. 30-06 with 165 gr bullet at 2700 fps, 56 gr powder charge.Recoil Velocity - 12.8 fpsRecoil Energy - 19.0 ft-lbsThere it is for what it's worth.