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for coyote. a 243 is pretty good i think. i have seen a lot of people use that for them.

 

.223 is a good all around varmint caliber. The rifle, sorta depends on your budget. Don't forget glass, a good rule of thumb is, to spend as much on the scope as spent on the gun.

 

A .243 is what I like to use for deer lol. I would just get a .223 or smaller for varmits. I really like a .22 mag until you get up to coyote sized stuff.

 

My 17hmr gets the job done.

 

idk. i have shot a doe with it. field dressed she was 97lbs, so alive and with guts she was close to 110 or 115 probably. it will take down something even bigger as well.

 

A couple of my friends have Savage bolt actions chambered n .223 and they really like them. One of them has taken several deer with it. It isn't legal to hunt deer in every state with that caliber though. Since you already have an AR you wouldn't be buying multiple calibers of ammo which is always a plus in my opinion.

 

.204 Ruger

 

i got a doe a couple years ago and dressed she was about 110-115 lbs.
doesn't really answer you're question but the biggest animal I would be comfortable taking with a 243 would be a average size whitetail.

and to answer your original question .223 is the most common (as far as going to wal-mart and them having ammo for it) calibre. IMO you could go 2 ways.

1. get a different upper for your AR, something more for accuracy, distance, and for a specific weight bullet,(taking into account the barrel twist. and getting a good quality scope to put on top. OR
2. a good bolt gun (savage remmington ruger ect.) in the calibre you choose and a good scope.

 

270 boat tail.....

 

243 or 22-250 (IMO) are great

 

A friend of mine shoot a moose with a 243 two years ago. I wouldn't go hunting moose with such a small caliber myself, but he got the job done. It must have been a well placed shoot.

For varmint I like my 22-250.

 

I hunted everything with a savage model 10 in 243(pre accutrigger), but went up to a Remington 700 AAC SD in 308. I also re-bareled my savage with a 24'' 308 heavy bbl. My wife uses a Mauser 98 sporterized in 308. I love 308 and shoot sub moa with 168 gr black hills and federal gold metal match BTHP. I have a Remington 798 in 375 H&H that I plan on using more. Make sure you get good glass on your rifle. Experiment with different ammo to see what shoots best out of your rifle. Also make sure you get a caliber you can afford to shoot it. My 375 doesn't let the animal suffer, but my pocket sure suffers

 

.243 is a good all around caliber, just depends on the actual bullet being used and the job intended to do. You can get very light bullets for varmint or heavier bullets for deer. 22-250 to me is overrated. The barrels for them are only have twist rates for light bullets which means they dont usually shoot heavier bullets very well. Sheds its velocity very fast. I think if you have a AR then maybe the .243win would be a good bolt gun caliber to have, and ammo is available anywhere. I personally use a savage mod 10 predator in .223 w/ nikon 4.5-14 scope. With 55gr bullets its super accurate out to 300yds. I also use my Ruger hawkeye in 7mm-08.

 

If you want one gun that you can take any game up to whitetail deer, I would say a 243 Winchester or the 6mm Remington. Same calibers, the 6mm offers slightly better ballistics. A light weight bullet such as a 55 gr ballistic tip or even 70 gr ballistic for varmint will always get the job done, but with those velocities, you will get pas thru on yotes, especially with the 70 gr, the 55 gr V-Max or Nosler Ballistic tip may not pass thru at longer ranges. If you have a friend who handloads, you can push a 55 gr to 4000 FPS, which is super flat shooting and equally devastating on critters. Same cartridge loaded with a 100 gr soft point or GMX expanding bullet will work great on deer. I have shot many deer over the years with my 6mm and have never needed a follow up shot, or had to track more than 75 yds. I would stay away from a 22 cal rifle if you plan on hunting deer, some states allow it, but shot placement becomes a huge factor with such a small bullet. I was told by an old sportsman/reloader/hunter that a .244 and .257 caliber bullets is plenty for any game in North America except large/dangerous game. But alas, in the end, it is your choice.

 

Mine also. I've taken a lot of big game with my .17. It's all in shot placement. I even took out a free roaming ram at 102 yards,crosswind,lung shot. Ran about 60 yards before he dropped. Anything smaller,it explodes.

 

I bought my Savage 25-06 as a varmint gun that I could also hunt deer with a heavier load. I like the ballistics on this caliber and the Savage seems to be a solid shooting platform.

 

You honestly shot a sheep with a 17HMR? Do you know how little energy that 17 gr bullet even carries at 100 yds? even the 20 gr. I have a 17 HMR and it is reserved for squirrels and chucks. Even on Chucks, headshots only. Body shots all to often result in the chuck running off.

 

Excellent cartridge. My cousin and I were shooting 10" balloons at 708 yds this summer. He was shooting a 25-06 and I had my 6mm. Only difference was my hold over was about 26" and his was about 36".

 

I know what that rifle can do. That's why I took the shot. I'll use my .17 whenever possible. I have my 30-30 but I love the shot placement of the .17

You're not the first to question me,and not the last. I have several gold medal axis on the wall to prove it. And the ram took first place after I minted it myself.