Thinking of getting another bolt gun.Looking at a smaller calibre.
How do the two compare for actual shooting\killing.
Lets hear your preferences for those that shoot both.

what are you going to with it?

223 will shoot a 50 grain bullet about 3200 fps.

243 will shoot a hundred grain bullet about 3200 fps

either one will kill anything you shoot in the head or heart

223 does less damage to fur bearers

This question.....

If I only had to choose 1 it would be the .243 There are so many load offerings Now from 55gr https://choiceammunition.com/product/243-winchester-55-grain-nosler-ballistic-tip/ for Varmints up to the 100 gr. For Deer sized Game.

Much of the same could be said for the little .223 but going with 1 Iwould choose the .243

I have both Boco. I have come to favor the .243 For the extra power it offers. It stretches out just fine when needed. With heavier rounds it has done great on some very nice bears with well placed shots. Plenty of factory ammo choices.
For wolf size game the bullet will stay in where it belongs, no exit. You have nothing in your country it won’t finish with one shot, a moose hit in the neck will drop.
My .223 and .220 and other light calibers are fun but sometimes you develope that terrific feeling of confidence with a round and for me it’s the .243. I have 6 different makes and all are true. Were I in your country I would look for one of the older Husqvarna rifles, there were some beauties imported up there where fewer came to the US.

Osky

Both, The 223 ammo is a lot cheaper but the 243 is my favorite.
223- coyotes
243- deer

I agree with Osky. I think the .243 would be more versatile in your area Bob.

Chris

I am glad I own both, and use both. I have uses for both calibers and find a spot in the safe for both.

I have both also. For deer I prefer the .243. Anything smaller I will use the .223. I know a lot of people shoot deer with the .223 but I just like a bit bigger bullet.

That's great info,thanks a lot guys.
I would be shooting bear maybe the odd wolf and of course beaver.

You need both then

3-4 years ago I was hunting deer with my daughters son. We were on his grandad on his fathers side property. Found a big red heifer that he hadn't been able to catch. She weighed 750-800 pounds. Wild as a deer. He was at work when I called to tell him we found her. I am confident me and my grandson could have roped her but he told me not to mess with her just shoot her. Here in Kansas if somebody hits any livestock on a public road the owner of the animal is liable for any damage. He was worried she would get away and somebody was going to hit her out on a road someplace. So I shot her, in the heart, with a 243. She collapsed in about 10 seconds or so. Called again and said she was dead but he couldn't get away yet and was 45 minutes away on top of it. So it was a good opportunity for me to teach my grandson how to field dress a large animal on the ground. Keys to his front end loader were locked in the house. Anyway at about 125 yards or so that 243 did a fine job putting that large of an animal down. Even as tough as a beaver is though, if you want to save the plew, I would not use a 243 on one.

I got one of each and like them the same, the 223 is easy on the fur. But i find myself keeping them both handy with wolfs around.

Good info Danny,thanks.I mostly only shoot beaver in nuisance situations.

.243 for bears? And if I had a wolf at 200 yards or more I'd sure want something other than a .243.

Of course you can kill anything with a good shot, but you also didn't tell us what bigger rifles you already have.

I'd rather shoot a bear or a wolf with my 220 Swift than a .243 as long as I had a good bullet.

Tell us what caliber you are trying to get below.

Just my two cents.

Pete

I'd take the .223 if I only needed 1 gun to use for everything lots of bullet weights and configurations out there plus it's a NATO round so the amount of ammo is out there and will be for a long time. You would need to pick your shots more so then with a 243 but a guy should be doing that anyway!

That was one thing I took into consideration,Lawdog.
It is one reason why I like the 7.62-tons of cheap ammo out there for blasting away.

nosler says their 100 grain 243 partition bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3200 fps will have a velocity of 2043 at 500 yards. BC of .384 I am confused. That wouldn't reliably kill a 150 pound wolf? I would think it would go in and out again.

926 foot pounds of energy. about the same as 158 grain bullet out of a 357 magnum if you put the barrel against the animal. fwiw I have killed 2 deer with my 357, one shot each at 40-50 yards. I didn't weigh them but I bet they weighed close to 150.