# moving up from rimfire - what centrefire to buy?



## Aussie shooter (Dec 6, 2003)

Hi guys,
I'm growing out of my rimfire and starting to look at some centrefire calibres, mainly for benchrest but hopefully also for small to medium size (Australian) game. It's so tough deciding which to spend my money on! I am leaning towards a .223 Rem but I'm a bit worried I'll also get bored of that too easily. As a student running costs are the most important. The other two I'm considering are .243 Win or .270 Win.
I'm also a little "wet behind the ears" when it comes to shooting and a bit worried about developing a flinch from shooting centrefire. What is the recoil like on the three calibres mentioned? (.223 Rem, .243 Win and .270 Win).

Thanks a lot guys, I would appreciate your advice greatly!


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## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

223 is a good, inexpensive and widely available round. It will take out Kangaroo's as well. Ask me how I know sometime :lol:

There is very little kick but if you are going to shoot alot, make sure you wear hearing protection.


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## TURKEYMON (Jan 2, 2004)

.223 is the same as the military m-16 very little recoil. cheap ammo. The .243 has about twice the recoil of the .223. more expensive ammo. The .270 win. has about the same recoil as the 30-06 with the same weight bullets. Both have more recoil than the .243. Cost of ammo is 10.00 to 25.00 depending on brand. A good selection for target shooting or hunting would be a SKS 7.62x39. It is a 30 cal., with little recoil and cheap ammo. :sniper:


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## Aussie shooter (Dec 6, 2003)

Thanks steve and turkeymon! Steve I'd be most interested in hearing how you know that a .223 takes down roos! Have you hunted out here before? turkeymon, thanks for sharing your knowledge, I have a much better understanding already, I much appreciate it. Cheers guys!


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## lil_lee_hunter (Nov 28, 2003)

i like the 243 but i also own a 223 both are great cartriges. the 243 might be the better choice. it has alittle more knock down power so as a new hunter you wont be dicouriged to see a animal struggle to its feet after a shot. there isnt much recoil not enough to develope a flinch anyway. well hope u come to a conclusion.

tyler :sniper:


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## Aussie shooter (Dec 6, 2003)

Thanks Tyler,
I was reading your other posts in the fav deer calibre section, it's good to see a young guy like yourself with such a good knowledge, I'm five years older than you but you obviously know much more than myself! I know who I'll be e-mailing for any specific questions!
Good on ya mate,
Mark


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## akuwdiver (Mar 28, 2004)

As you are looking at guns, are you going to reload? Sure, the .223 is cheap to shoot; it does not have a great variety of GOOD hunting bullets for lager animals. The 243 is a better caliber offering heavier bullets that will shoot better for longer ranges out 200-400 yards. The .270 is a 30-06 in the basic ballistics. I would go with D none of the above and get a bolt action 308. It will give little recoil with the light bullets and has the same or better ballistics than the 30-06 for all but the heaviest bullets. Look at a few of the reloading sites and read some of them


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## sdeprie (May 1, 2004)

Almost any centerfire will give more recoil than the 22. The best way to protect from developing flinch (and to protect yourself from damage) is to religiously wear hearing protection. The second secret is to mount the gun properly to the shoulder. The third secret is gun fit. A friend of mine had a fancy rifle in 270 win and warned me "The 270 kicks like a mule." He got a different brand of rifle and when he shot it, was afraid he had a dud load. Rifle fit transfers the recoil, and if it fits you, the recoil from any of the calibers will not be uncomfortable. Enjoy. :beer:


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## Aussie shooter (Dec 6, 2003)

Thanks mate, very interesting

I ended up buying a .223 and its been a real learning curve since! The recoil was actually heavier than expected (shooting from a bench) but its easily manageable. I'm even considering selling it to go bigger already. Sometimes if it hits me in the wrong place it actually hurts but I've got that down pat now. I've shot a few other rifles, (22-250, 6.5x55 and 308) and they were manageable if i held the butt firmly into my shoulder. The 308 was a cannon and if I bought one I could probably only manage 10 shots in a session (LOL!) but I'd like it I think.

I will begin reloading the 223 soon, but as I say I'm tending towards the 308 more now, for longer ranges and better options for hunting purposes. Thanks for the advice akudiver.

Cheers guys


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