Quote Originally Posted by BigBear View Post
I've heard the .243 vs .308 debate a lot.

Is .243 as available as .308?
Will .243 be "enough" for North America hunting?
Why is it considered "better"? (Flatter shooting?)
I've never really looked into .243
As cheap bulk ammo, no the .243 is not as available as .308 ammo. But then who is going to buy a precision rig and shoot mil-surp in it? As for the actual rifle, I got 10% off on the .243 because it had been sitting. The shop told me the requests have almost all been for .308. The .243 is not a .308 when it comes to game. While I have hunted with my LR .260Rem rig, it was for Pronghorn and Deer sitting in a spot or walking on flat ground. The .243 to me is marginal for elk, but if you are skilled and patient, yes, it is sufficient. Not what I would recommend for sure. Faster and flatter means your error in range and wind estimation has less effect, slightly less, but still enough to consider. For some, flatter also lets them cheap out on glass and worry less about the edge and dialing affects.

Is it better? No. Better for some, maybe, but that depends on the shooter, the skill, the budget, the target and the round count even. I will admit my first rifle was a .243 and I have a lot of rounds downrange with .243Win. I have probably shot 50 head of big game with the .243Win as well, but this will largely be for target shooting. I have shot similar groups with my .243Win sporter weight rifle to my LR precision rig in .260 and .308. We will see what this one does. If it sucks, I can easily rebarrel it. That is one beauty of the RPR...if you have a set of gauges and an AR15 wrench, you can rebarrel at home.