Caliber Help Please

[passinggas33]

Hey guys- I wanted to pick everybody’s brain on here and hear some thoughts/opinions. I currently have a .243, a .270 WSM and a 300 win mag. I have built up a nice load for my 300 win mag that I’ve been using for elk and the occasional moose hunt. What I’m trying to decide is what to use for my “other” game that I hunt, mainly being mule and Whitetail deer, black bear, wolf, and antelope. Should I try and build up a nice load for the .243 or the .270 WSM? Or should I sell them both and start with something new? I’m trying to decide if that .243 even has a place in my arsenal. Or maybe my .270WSM doesn’t have a place?? I also have an AR that I usually use for coyote hunting. Anyway, help me figure out what to do! Thanks!!!

 

[N2TRKYS]

80 grain ttsx load in the 243 and 140 grain Accubonds/Partitions in the 270wsm.

 

[TomAZ]

Hey guys- I wanted to pick everybody’s brain on here and hear some thoughts/opinions. I currently have a .243, a .270 WSM and a 300 win mag. I have built up a nice load for my 300 win mag that I’ve been using for elk and the occasional moose hunt. What I’m trying to decide is what to use for my “other” game that I hunt, mainly being mule and Whitetail deer, black bear, wolf, and antelope. Should I try and build up a nice load for the .243 or the .270 WSM? Or should I sell them both and start with something new? I’m trying to decide if that .243 even has a place in my arsenal. Or maybe my .270WSM doesn’t have a place?? I also have an AR that I usually use for coyote hunting. Anyway, help me figure out what to do! Thanks!!!

If it was me, I’d use the AR for predators/truck rifle. I’d sell the .243 and develop a medium game load for the .270 wsm


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[elkduds]

6.5 CM supersedes every other caliber ever created. Everyone on the internet knows that.

I'd keep the 270 WSM and develop a 130 gr load for deer species you mentioned.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Put me firmly in the "I use an ar15 for everything below elk" category

Not sure ur twist but 1/8 will stabilize 77gr tmk loads from black hills. Bad medicine for any critter under 500 pounds under 450 yards.

75gr bthp hornady bullet if it's a 1/9 twist.

Seriously do it, its life's ez button. Frontier 75gr shoots good groups from my gun for 47 cents... that's lake city brass with hornadys TAP bullet and a temp stable powder loaded hot.

 

[howl]

I'd dump the .243 and do the 270 WSM. The .300 would be the "other" for me. I'd rather a 325 to go with my 270 WSM. That's probably because I have a 325 on my shopping list to go with my 270 WSM I already have.

The real hole is the lack of a fun shooting rifle without the .243 around. A .223 or 6.5G might get shot a lot more than a .243.

 

[DangerRanger]

Get the 270 wsm hammering.

If you don't have a supressor sell the .243 and buy a 30 cal can for the 300 win and 270.

A 270 wsm and a 300 win is a perfectly balanced tag team that can handle anything in North America.

 

[passinggas33]

Thanks guys for the input so far. I rarely get rid of guns as who knows if my wife will let me buy one in the future. Sounds like I need to work on finding a good factory ammo combo for the 270 or start building a load. I know there have been a few threads about them, but any suggestions on either of these? It’s a browning a bolt medallion that I’m shooting as a 270wsm. If somebody has any luck with a decent factory load let me know as that always makes my life easier. Thanks guys!

 

[davsco]

looks like you have it all pretty much covered, other than perhaps a .33 for big bear. that said, most of us guys have more than one, or two, or three or... guns because we want them, not because we necessarily need them!

 

[howl]

Fusion 150gr is adequate in my A-Bolt 270 WSM. I don't recall group size, though.

 

[elkguide]

What does your heart tell you that you "need?" I have a WSM and a .300 Win Mag (plus just a couple more) and yet somehow I use a .300 Win Mag for everything from coyotes, whitetails and elk. So I'm about to pull the trigger on a .300 RUM, (because I don't have one) and once the dust settles, I'm thinking that I am going to "NEED" a 6.5 PRC.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I wouldn't ever get rid of my 243.

 

[Wapiti1]

Hmmm. I'm the odd man here, but I'd get rid of the .270 WSM in favor of a larger bore. Probably a 9.3 or .375. Not because you need them, but because everyone should have one medium bore rifle and I don't see enough step up in going .338.

Here is my issue with the .270 (standard and WSM): the standard barrel twist. They are all 1:10 and that saps the potential of the cartridge IMO. If it were standard 1:8, the 6.5 craze would never have happened. A 160gr high BC bullet in the .270 WSM would be hard to beat, but it won't stabilize in a 1:10 twist barrel.

Jeremy

 

[AK Shane]

If you have the reloading equipment I don't know why you wouldn't work up loads for both the 270 wsm and 243. I'm currently running hand loaded 140 gr Accubonds in my 270wsm. If you're working off a friend's bench then yes there are good factory rounds out there. Before i was set up for hand loading I shot some factory Winchester 150 gr. Power Points and Winchester 140 gr. Accubonds. Both shot very well. In fact, the cheap 150 gr. Power Points are the most accurate round I've put through the rifle. Some 130 gr. Federal ammo did not shoot well. I came to the conclusion my rifle liked a heavier bullet.

You're current rifle selection covers your listed animal's perfectly. You can match one of those rifles to any hunt you want to do in North America.

 

[belly-deep]

Keep ‘em all and load for ‘em all. Three rifles ain’t too many.

 

[Newtosavage]

Probably not what you want to hear, but your choices up to this point have been good for all the things you describe.

Not sure why people are down on the .243. It's proven to be one of the best deer calibers in history and would be just as good on the antelope. Probably not what I'd use for bear or wolf but then you have a great caliber already for those too.

I can see wanting a different rifle (lighter, more accurate, fits you better, etc.) but I think you have the calibers covered already.

Having said that, I'm a huge 7mm-08 fan, so if you were looking for a two-rifle solution as opposed to the three you have now, I'd vote for replacing the .270 wsm and .243 with a 7mm-08, and call it a day.

 

[wind gypsy]

Chambering is only part of the equation.. I have 3 different 300 magnums that weigh 6.75, 7.75, and 12 lbs bare. Needless to say they get used for different purposes.

What are the rifles?

 

[BRTreedogs]

If your confident in your 300 why would you switch.
Are you afraid to kill other game to dead?
Fear the man with one rifle, he knows it well.

 

[hodgeman]

Keep ‘em all and load for ‘em all. Three rifles ain’t too many.

I agree...three rifles is what's known as a "good start"!

 

[passinggas33]

It seems like a lot of people are recommending that I keep the 270 WSM (though the .243 will not be sold, just handed down to my son) and either build a good load or find a factory ammo that she likes to run through it. So a little follow up question...I currently have the 300 Win Mag dialed in with a 180 grain bullet. SO, with the 270 should I build a load based on a 130, 140, or a 150 grain? I almost feel like the 150 grain may not be much of a "step down" from the 300 win mag and I might as well just shoot it instead of the 270. I was leaning more towards the 130 or 140 to make it a big enough "step" to justify keeping both guns. What say ye merry gentlemen?

This would make my main 3 gun setup:
Rock River AR15 shooting 55grain
Browning A Bolt 270 WSM shooting ???? grain
Savage Trophy Hunter 300 Win Mag shooting 180 grain

Does this change any other thoughts / recommendations when you see it like this?
Thanks again guys!