I'll be the odd man out and suggest you get it in .308 and you're covered from groundhogs to deer/bear/whatever.
Good to see things are shaping up for ya Dale!
And I am a huge fan. A good 308 Rem will serve you very well in many areas. My XR-100, 308 has.
I'm just saying a 243 out of a 26" barrel can really do some damage. I believe it is over looked by many as an all around effective cartridge..it may not "ring" a gong as loud as a .30cal but it's one of the most accurate factory loads there out, with a treasure of history and loading info you could want..... just like the 308 but a little bro. as I consider it.
I personally believe it complements a 308 very well in anyones safe.
-Aaron
From one Aaron to another, I'll be the 1st person to look for reasons/excuses to throw a few rifles in a few different calibers into the safe
I do it all the time and it's how I justify the purchases
I was trying to put myself into Dales shoes and not having extra cash as he mentioned. If I could only get one rifle, and of those 2 calibers he mentioned... well you know my answer. That way I could hunt the small critters up to the bigger ones. But what I hunt is different from what Dale may hunt. My year wouldn't be good one if I didn't go Bear hunting in PA so obviously for me, the .308 loaded with some 165gr Sciroccos or Accubonds is hands down my favorite caliber. And if you haven't shot a chuck with a 168gr Amax or HP..oh boy!
Ammo price shouldn't be a concern as they are all ridiculous but I assume .243 might be a tad easier to find than .308 right now(I could be way off in that assumption).
We can give opinion after opinion but it's Dale who has to get the cash together and go fill out the papers. If I did woodchuck and deer a lot and was very comfortable with the .243 as he is, I'd probably go with it again. Infact I want another SPS varmint in the coming months(I'll pop another HS stock on it but OD Green this time) and Yes it will be a .243