Originally Posted by
dverna
Adding a rifle is not something I wish to do....especially a .243. I got rid of the following calibers over the last few years, .243 Win. .243 WSSM, 6mm, .25/06, as I had no practical use for them. If a person can shoot, only two calibers are needed (vs wanted) to handle anything in Michigan, a .223 and .308. Investing $800 in a gun, scope, dies and cases that lack long term usefulness does not make sense.
I like Lloyd's recommendation of the Barnes 110 gr bullet at .300 BO velocities. The longest shot the boy will get is 200 yards. Lloyd has harvested more deer than most, and I trust his judgement as it is based on multiple kills. Yes, I trust his judgement even though he is a Yooper...LOL.
I will load some up and see how he does. Recoil with the 110 gr Barnes @ 2400 fps looks about the same as the .243 load you are using (100 gr at 2600 fps) so not gaining anything by spending $800.
If he "gets into it", we will get him a .308 or .30/06 when he gets older as his all-round hunting rifle. Not much on this continent one of those calibers cannot handle.