what is the best varmint/deer caliber

[forum052001]

does anybody know what the best varmint/deer caliber is??

[Lawdog]

forum052001,

does anybody know what the best varmint/deer caliber is??

Really kind of a loaded question but here it goes.  It all depends on what you can get for what you have to spend.  Here are my picks for varmint/deer cartridges.

1.]  .243 Winchester

2.]  6mm Remington

3.]  .243 WSSM

4.]  .250 Savage

5.]  .257 Roberts

6.]  .25 WSSM

7.]  .25-06 Remington

To me anything larger is way over kill on varmints.  All of the above will handle deer size critters IF you do your part.  My pick of the lot would be the .257 Roberts.  Recoil is mild, the cartridge is noted for it's accuracy and it has more than enough punch to do what you want.  Lawdog

[longwinters]

I would take the good old .243.

long

[Carl l.]

I like the .257 Roberts the best, but they make a lot of other good one's too. Carl L.

[stv]

I have been using one since about 1972 and very effective on anything up to and beyond deer.   The 2 I have owned have been very accurate but that may vary depending on your luck with any puchase.  I have seen 243s that are also very accurate and the most accurate gun in this class i ever saw was a Rem varmint in 6 mm.  the guy who owned it just would not consider selling it either

[Bearwolf31]

I would give the 270 win a try as you can whack varmits long distance with a 90gr TNT or 100gr HP or go after deer with a 130 or 150 gr SP. Pretty wide range there.

[Ron T.]

Either the .243 Winchester or the 6mm Remington would do the job.  Both are extremely accurate.

The .243 Win. is a .308 case necked down to .24 caliber.  The 6mm Remington (aka .244 Remington) is a 7mm Mauser case necked down to .24 caliber.  The 6mm Rem. can be pushed to somewhat higher muzzle velocities and is, therefore, a bit flatter shooting than the .243, but not enough to make much difference.

The .243 Win. is, by far, more popular... not because it's better, but because Big Green ("Remington") screwed up and originally made their rifles for the .244 Remington rifle barrels with a 1:12 turns which would NOT stabilize 100 grain bullets (used for deer) whereas the .243 Winchester rifles WOULD stabilize them due to their 1:10 turn barrels.

Remington corrected their mistake by re-designating (NOT "re-designing") their ".244 Remington" as the "6mm Remington" (exactly the same cartridge in all ways) and putting 1:9 twist barrels on their rifles for the 6mm Remington caliber, but it was TOO LATE.

The .243 Winchester got a big "jump" on the 6mm Remington... and it appears the 6mm Rem. will never "catch" the .243 Winchester in popularity even tho' it's a slightly superior round.

However, neither the deer nor the groundhog will know the "difference" between the .243 Win. and the 6mm Rem., so you can take your pick and it won't be wrong... EITHER ONE is an excellent choice.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[gunnut69]

Ron T. is correct except the twist in the 244 was changed with a few months, when Remington realized their mistake.  Unfortunately bu that point the perception was that the 244 was a varmit 'only' caliber...  I don't know if anyone knows for certain but I have only seen 1 244 that had the slower twist.  I bought the rifle and with 75 grain Sierras it is awesomely accurate.  Coyotes just don't stand a chance.  The change to the 6mm Remington name was to improve the publics perception.  It didn't and the 6mm is now nearly dead.  I'd strongly advise the 243 as being the easier to find ammo for.  If a nice 244/6mm is found they can often be had for less money..  Ammo and brass is still readily available..  I have several 243's and 2 244's.  The 722 I spoke of before and an older No.1 that refuses to shoot the 75's well but has shown promise with the 85 grain HPBT..  Still if I had to vote for a dual purpose round I would vote for the 257..  Still a mild round but a better deer killer than the 243/6mm crowd, that is still spectacularly effective on varmits.  Non of these rounds would be a good choice in a prairedog town..

[George Foster]

I have both a 243 and a 6mm and having killed 22 deer with my 6mm and many woodchucks and crows with both I feel they are excellent combination cartridges.  I like the 257 Roberts very well also but I feel you must have a 24" barrel on the Roberts to attain its peak velocity and with the 243 and 6mm only needing a 22" barrel for peak velocities I feel that makes the latter two handier as deer rifles.  I am talking for woods hunting mainly, for open country it doesn't matter.

[ibfestus]

Essentially the Improved .257 will do anything the 25-06 will do and do it in a shorter action.  I've hunted with all three and I guarantee you the little .257 Imp.  will dead a deer as dead as a dead deer will get and do it right now.  Who cares if one round shoots 1/4 inch tighter or 50fps faster.  The dead deer does not do dead any differently.  JMHO

[huntsman]

The 6.5x55 Swedish mauser is my choice. With bullet weights ranging from 85 to 160 grains, it can handle any type of deer hunting and still shoot varmints well with the 85 and 100 grain loads. With its accuracy you could even shoot varmints with the 120 or 140 grain loads and be armed for deer at the same time.

It wasn't part of the original post, but I think you must also consider what else the single caliber can do besides varmints and deer. Here the Swede shines again, being well-known for its ability to take up to moose-sized game. No need to get a second rifle when/if you decide to go for larger game.

[Gregory]

What kind of varmints?  You talking prairie dogs, groundhogs, or coyotes?
I bought a 25/06 as a combo gun but wouldn't want to shoot it 100 times in a row.  It would be better as a chuck/coyote gun where fewer shots are fired.  Wouldn't use it for pdogs.