# 243 or 308 for youth?



## Mission (Oct 20, 2008)

narrowed down to a few deer rifles for my son. but ive never fired a 243 or a 308. can you guys help me out with the feel [kick] of a 308 compared to my 270. i know the 243 would be fine for him, but curious about the 308 kick.

thanks.....


----------



## JustUs4All (Oct 20, 2008)

308 in a light rifle can rare pretty good.  You didn't say how old and big your son is and how much experience he has had with shooting other things (like shotgun, etc.)  I still don't think I would have wanted to start on a 308 when I was a kid.  If you reload you can load down a little, but I would probably advise you to start with the 243.


----------



## Wild Turkey (Oct 20, 2008)

308 hands down. If he is 12 or younger buy reduced recoil loads to start with. Then as he gets older go regular loads.
This way he can enjoy the gun for a lifetime.
I hunt with a 308 most of the time. 43 yrs old


----------



## Mission (Oct 20, 2008)

sorry bout that. hes 13, but a small kid. only rifle hes shot is his 10/22, but shoots the 9mm pistol fine. i wouldnt let him shoot the 270...to much kick

i will probly go with the 243, but wanted some feedback on the 308, possibly using reduced recoil ammo, like fusion lite etc. just trying to think ahead as he grows/gets more experience, start with reduced recoil ammo, when hes ready move him up to regular ammo

*the rifle im looking at for him only comes in 243 or 308*, this is why im asking about the 308


----------



## GeorgiaTrout (Oct 20, 2008)

Either one of those caliber will be good for your son to start hunting with. Those are two calibers that can be used  from 10 years old - 80 years old.


----------



## NOYDB (Oct 20, 2008)

He can shoot the .243 for the rest of his life, if he so chooses. 

Just me, but I'd get him a youth model .243. Then if he outgrows it, sell or trade it. They are making more kids on a regular basis, so it's not like there won't be a market. 

Let him get older/bigger and more experienced before dealing with larger calibers.


----------



## Mission (Oct 20, 2008)

yeah, im looking at the mossberg atr 100 super-bantam youth. comes in 243 or 308, 20" barrel, adjustable stock


----------



## Arrow Flinger (Oct 20, 2008)

243 with Remington Core loc 100 grain.  A deadly combo.  My Son started with the 243 handi rifle at 8 years old and killed over a dozen deer with it before he moved up to a 270. I liked the 243 so much that I bought it from him when he bought the 270.


----------



## boothy (Oct 20, 2008)

get him a 308 he can use it for the rest of his life for various types of hunting.  its not to much gun he won't even notice the kick when he shoots a deer.  When i was 13 i got a browning 30-06 and it is the same gun i use to hunt with today.  get him the 308 you will be glad you did.


----------



## GSUJake (Oct 20, 2008)

I hate the .243 for deer. Shot a bunch with it. Never had an exit hole except neck shots. .308 will put em down


----------



## returntoarchery (Oct 20, 2008)

Might consider a 7mm-08. Excellent cartridge with an excellent bullet selection. According the recoil chart less recoil than the 308 but might give him a little margin of error on shot placement over the .243 Win although any cartridges regardless of quality or size than overcome really bad shot placement.


----------



## Bucky T (Oct 20, 2008)

Either one is fine if you ask me.  Shot deer with both calibers and I'm a fan of both.

Heck, I started off with a 30-30 when I was 11 and moved up to a 30/06 when I was 14.  I was a toothpick back then, probably weighed around 130 soaking wet.

No reduced recoil loads back then either.  Still hunt with my 06 and love that gun.  But then again I was brought up shooting guns from 5yrs old and up.  Wasn't a stranger to a high powered rifle when I got my hands on that 06.

Bought a .243 when I was 18 just because I wanted one.

It's a deer killing caliber for sure.  Shot plenty of deer with it and it's never let me down.

If your worried about kick, get the .243.  No kick whatsoever and super accurate.  He can go through a whole box of shells on the table and will be wanting to shoot another box out of it.  

I'm sure you'll hear the story of a small bullet, have to be ultra precise, blah, blah.  If you ask me, no matter what caliber gun your shooting you should be ultra precise and a good shot.  That .243 will get him used to the big boom with minimal kick.  It will flat out drop a whitetail too!

Very fun guns to shoot.  Definely will not give him a flinch or make him shy away from a high powered rifle.

My dad is a .308 man.  He has two.  An old 742 Woodmaster and his little Reminton Model 7.

I'll tell you that little model 7 has a stout kick.  You wouldn't think it, but it does and the muzzle blast is pretty harsh too.  It's a fun gun to shoot and very accurate, but I'm thinking along the lines of what a kid might think when he/she squeezes the trigger.

His old Woodmaster is a dream to shoot and just sways you back nice and easy.

Now on the other hand, you might just want to get him a good old "Dirty 30"  Aka 30-30.  The kick is the same or maybe a tad bit less than a .243 and it's a bonified deer killer too. 

I started off with one and the new lever guns out there now are much more safer than my old 336 with the half cock safety on the hammer.

But, if you have your heart set on a .243 vs. 308.  My vote is for the .243

BuckyT


----------



## Sultan of Slime (Oct 20, 2008)

.243 it's what I shoot.
It's easy on my shoulder which is good cause I roll around with my arms.Been using one for 10 years now and only had one deer go more than 40yds most were DRT.


----------



## shop foreman (Oct 20, 2008)

Hard to say different kids like different things of the two i'd say .243 i have one and have killed tons of deer with it only lost one due to bad shot, corelok ammo will do the job and they will exit.I bought my son one he's 10.


----------



## BigBlack (Oct 20, 2008)

+1 243, I still use mine and I am 36.  I do have a 06 and 300wm but love that 243


----------



## Laman (Oct 20, 2008)

243 gets my vote for that rifle you listed.  Seriously that looks like a great first rifle because of the length of pull adjustment that can be fit to your son exactly.  I cringe every time I see a young shooter or female trying to shoot a rifle/shotgun with an ill fitting stock.  Stock problems increase felt recoil, lead to inaccuracy, difficulting with scopes and flinching.
Fit that 243 to him, buy him a good set of earmuffs, and let him practice enough to become comfortable with the process and he will be fine.


----------



## doublelungdriller (Oct 20, 2008)

243


----------



## njanear (Oct 20, 2008)

Do you reload?  If so, the .308 can be loaded with plinkers in the 100gr range up through the 125/150/165/180gr range.  Even if you only deal with off-the-shelf ammo, you can get the reduced recoil rounds that will do the job as he is starting off.  Throw a limbsaver pad on there and he will be good to go.

Nothing against the .243 though - it is a great round too.


----------



## Mission (Oct 20, 2008)

alright everyone, thanks for your input on this. im gonna go with the 243, when hes ready for a bigger rifle.... we will deal with it then. 

now the problem is finding one of these, they are selling out like crazy. nobody has any, they must have had a huge run on these with deer season and all. everyone is soldout, thats a good sign in a way

thanks again...


----------



## beagler101 (Oct 21, 2008)

the mossberg 100 atr in 243 is the one im getting


----------



## beagler101 (Oct 21, 2008)

thats a great choice


----------



## bighonkinjeep (Oct 21, 2008)

According to Chuck Hawks rifle recoil table an 8Lb 270 shooting a 130 gr bullet produces 16.5 ft/lbs of free recoil. by comparison a 7.5Lb .308 with a 150gr bullet produces 15.8 ft/lbs free recoil.
A 7.5lb 243 with a 100gr bullet produces 8.8 ft/lbs free recoil.
an 8lb 7mm-08 with a 140gr bullet produces 12.6ft lbs

My choice would be a 7-08 because of the high performance,low recoil and wide variety of loadings and the ability to deliver much more energy into the target.

 I hope the above info helps put these calibers into perspective.
Good luck BHJ


----------



## turkeyhunter835 (Oct 22, 2008)

308 all the way!


----------



## GSUJake (Oct 22, 2008)

reduced recoil loads work great for smaller kids.


----------



## grouper sandwich (Oct 22, 2008)

According to the recoil charts posted at the top of the forum, the 308 recoils slightly more than a 270, all things considered.  I'd guess they are probably pretty much the same in perceived recoil.  Of course this does not take into consideration reduced recoil loads.  But, my call if it were my son would be the 243.


----------

