Random thoughts: To tell the truth if my particular 94 in .30-30 was more accurate and was a little more flat shooting I'd be happy. My current coyote gun is my .22-250 and while great for coyotes it's not legal here for deer. If I lived/hunted in a less populated area I'd buy a 7mm-08 and never look back. If it wasn't for wanting a gun for possible bear or elk I'd get a .243 and never look back.
The .243 is still high up on the list though I've had em and don't really care for em. Blow the hell outta coyotes (with light weight varmint bullets), a little light for deer and too small for bear/elk. It does have some things going for it. Namely good bullet selection. While not keeping with my "one load idea" I can buy Nosler BT's and Partitions in the same weigths, same for hornady V vs. A-max, and maybe Remington bullets. While not garenteed to have the same POI when switching bullets, using the same bullet weights should keep me close enough for government work.
.250 Savage is still high up on my list but to be honest I know so little about the .25's I can't make the call. I'm sure it has many of the same advantages/disadvantages of the .243 but is harder to find on a budget. I've seriously though about ordering an 18" - .250 barrel for my .22-250 but I still need a lot of help on a load that will fill my needs. Would it be alright for bear/elk using heavy loads?
Next step up would be a .260 or a 6.5 Swede. Like the .250 I don't know much about 6.5 bullets and again it's hard to find on a budget. From everything I can tell bullet selection is either geared 100% towards varmints OR 100% towards big game OR 100% towards target shooting. There doesn't seem to be much crossover in bullet selection and weights. Even the lighter bullets in the 100 grain range might be too well constructed for using in semi-populated farm country on a regular basis (due to ricochet factor).
To sum it up: Want a 300 yard gun using a load in a medium weight bullet (85-100gr) to use for varmints to deer. I also want it to be big enough for possible elk/bear using a different load with a heavy for caliber bullets. A new barrel for my Savage is definetly a possiblity.
Don't ask for much do I? Ideas? Help?
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
LK