Buckshot,
To be honest (which I always am despite the fact that I'm a lawyer :grin: ), I got the .243 because, ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to have a big gun collection of almost all of the cartridges. Everything from .223 to .458. So far I have the following:
.243
.25-06
.260
.264 WM
.270
.270 WSM
7mm-08
7mm Rem Mag
7mm Rem Ultra Mag
.308
.30-06
.300 WM
.300 WM (I have two)
.338 WM
.375 H&H
So far that's 15 rifles and 14 different cartridges. Next I was thinking about the .223, 300 WSM, and we'll see from there. Actually, I was in my spare bedroom the other day (where I keep all of my guns and fishing poles, and I was kinda admiring them. :-) You know, some people can be very materialistic - they want a nice house, expensive car, big boat, flashy clothes, membership at the country club, etc. While I do have relatively nice things, I would rather have a nice gun collection than a Mercedez 500 convertible (not that I can afford one at this point, but then again my gun collection, including shotguns and handguns, is about $25,000...you could buy a decent car for that.) I guess it's what makes you happy. As for me - I'm a "salt of the earth" kinda guy. I guess you could consider me somewhat of a high-end international lawyer city slicker with a good 'ole country folk heart and values. I love the outdoors because it was the outdoors, in addition to my conservative family values, that have molded me into the person that I am today - and I am proud of who I am and who I have remained to be. I always wanted a nice gun collection, and I am now living my dream. I truly am living the American dream.
Anyway, sorry about my "Living the American Dream Speech," I guess that I got a little patriotic and a little taken away.
Okay, back to your post, other than adding the .243 to my list. I intend to use the .243 mostly for target shooting at the range, then also for southern whitetail deer hunting, and - only if it happens to be the only gun I have on me when deer hunting, hog hunting as well.
Zachary