[Aberdog1]

This rifle is coming up for sale at Cabela's. I was wndering if anyone has an opinion on rather the 22-250 or the 243 would be better.

 

[stallard]

For varmint or coyote hunting I would pick the 22-250 for anything else the .243 would be my advice. Personally I would get the .243, I have other guns for small game and LOVE the .243 cartridge, every gun I see in it seems to shoot lights out!!

 

[jwc007]

For varmint or coyote hunting I would pick the 22-250 for anything else the .243 would be my advice. Personally I would get the .243, I have other guns for small game and LOVE the .243 cartridge, every gun I see in it seems to shoot lights out!!

+1 ! Depends on WHAT you plan to do with it and what you plan to shoot with it.

For Varminting: .22-250
For Deer and Antelope: .243
For Elk, Moose, and Bears: Neither one of the above

My idea of a good all around Centerfire Rifle Cartridge is the .30/06, which will kill anything on the Continent of the USA.

 

[Jake3501]

The .243 is great for White tail and anything smaller and not really overkill for varmints. If there was a .223 in your price range, I would look for it due to the cost of ammo for the other two. Texas allows use of .223 for deer hunting and three of my grandsons have taken 5 whitetail in the past two years with .223

For a wide range of furry critter hunting, you need two center-fire rifles, or you can just get a .300 Winmag and vaporize prairie dogs and bring down Grizz on the other end of the scale!

 

[MilProGuy]

...or you can just get a .300 Winmag and vaporize prairie dogs and bring down Grizz on the other end of the scale!

Since reading this, I can't seem to get the image out of my head of what a .300 Win Mag would do to a prairie dog!

 

[jwc007]

Since reading this, I can't seem to get the image out of my head of what a .300 Win Mag would do to a prairie dog!

Just think of a sudden puff of Red Mist that quickly falls to the ground.

Actually, a lot of overkill Cartridges will do that. Had to shoot a Squirrel suspected of being Rabid with one of my 7x57mm Mausers once, as I did not have a .22LR or .410 with me. Not much left to send in to the test lab and we built a Camp Fire on the surrounding ground area.

Getting back to the topic, you cannot buy one gun to do all things well (aka Jack of all trades, Master of none) but you can buy a gun that will do many things very well, and if I did not have the Battery of Rifles I currently have in my Vault, I would be shopping for a .30/06 Bolt Action, preferrably a Mauser of some kind.

A .243 will go nicely in your start of a Battery of Rifles, but you'll need a .30/06 down the road.

 

[RevolverFan]

That Howa is a pretty nice rifle -- same action as used by Weatherby in their Vanguard. As for caliber, I would get the .243. It is a much more versatile round, and it's easier to find on the shelf of your backwoods bait and tackle than the .22-250.