Fell in love with the 77rsi...

[EricInSD]

...But can't decide on caliber.

i intend to use the rifle to hunt in Maryland when I have a chance to head out east to see my brother. I do not foresee shooting deer past 150 yards therefore don't believe I need an artillery gun I have tossed around the idea of a .243, however the controversy over the round is a bit discouraging (I have read pages upon pages of .243 debate so lets not go there here )

So, the .270 has caught a bit of interest as well as other rounds (6.5x55 and 7mm08 but being lipseys they seem scarce)

I am safe going with a .243 or should I bump up to a .270? Is there any difference in accuracy as a function of the barrel length? I would assume not because it would not be Ruger's intention to sell a rifle in a caliber that would produce poor results.

I guess what I would like to know is if any of you guys have had a chance to shoot multiple calibers with the rsi and are able to compare the results.

Thanks guys

Eric

 

[Coogs]

If ya go to the '06, ya can pretty much put down about anything in North America. If you reload it will do ya better. If your choice is only going to be between the .270 and the .243, personally I'd go with the .270. Coogs.

 

[firecaptain]

How about a 308? Great all around caliber.

 

[valkrider8]

Had one in a 270 RSI, shot great. The 308 is also a fine choice as mentioned above.

 

[mattsbox99]

I wasn't aware that Maryland was big enough to shoot 150 yards in any direction, or that the deer there were big enough to warrant anything more than a .22 LR. In any case, the .243 is more than enough for deer, its one of the most popular calibers out here and shots can easily be a lot longer.

 

[aramp78]

I have always thought that the short action looks better in that short barrelled rifle. Hence the .308 might be the best choice.

 

[6mmsl]

EricinSD-sounds like the .308 meets your needs.

1.Still minimal recoil like a .270 a little more than the .243 that you will only notice at the range.
2.Good ammo selection/easy to find.
3.Good knock down power.
4.Usually pretty accurate in all types of rifles.


Between the choices you mentioned I would pick the .243

Good shooting-Steve

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 77RSI in 243 that I acquired this year to replace one in 250 savage that I foolishly traded years ago. Here is my take and experience:

I like the blued /walnut which eliminates the Lipsey's for me. If not for that I would have been all over a 257 roberts from Lipsey's a few years ago.

I think the 243 will do fine on deer with 100 gr bullets . I have shot only one with mine but it was bang /flop at about 200yds. I have a friend that has killed about 15 deer with his 243 and all have got dead quick.

The 308 would also be a good choice.

I don't like the 30-06 and 270 in such a short barrel as my buddy had one in 30-06 and the blast from the short barrel was deafening and the muzzle flash was visible on a sunny day and looked like a blow torch.

I do like them but remember if you want to regularly shoot 300yds. + they are short and light weight so ther are better tools for that kind of shooting.

 

[Old Judge Creek]

I had a similar problem: I found TWO old (tang safety) M77 RSIs in a local store.

In 30-06 and 308.

After studying it for a while, I realized that the short 18" barrel was the leveling ground.

An 18" barrel is TOO short to squeeze the extra energy in a 30-06 case because, with the exception of the fastest powders, the barrel is too short to get a complete burn. The result of that is fireball flash and extra report when the still burning is expelled from the muzzle. If you doubt that, chronograph both the 308 and 06 from a short barrel and see for yourself.

I already had one 30-06 in my battery (an 1895 Winchester) so this meant "another new caliber". However, since the facts were staring me in the face, I went with the 308 and the results have been happy enough that I've never had cause to second guess that decision (or, as it thurned out, to shoot my 30-06 since then).

Wunna these days, I sure would like to find an old M77 RSI in 243. Its not as versatile as the 308, but it sure is one of my favorite cartridges.

To me - considering the short 18" RSI barrel - this is a no brainer.

YMMV

 

[EricInSD]

Hey guys, I thank you for your help being my first forum post and all. You guys are definitely a helpful bunch!

 

[rugerlovah]

are you a reloader? I'm like you, I don't shoot deer past 150 yds or so. I reload the .270 down to about 2700 fps with a 130 g. hornady spirepoint using H4895 powder. it's extremely accurate out of my m77, and very pleasant to shoot. killed a 140 lb 8 point with it last year. distance of about 100 yds. complete pass through breaking the far side shoulder.

i have a .243 that i still have yet to shoot a deer with. with a well placed shot within that yardage, i wouldnt be worried about the killing power. it is very pleasant to shoot from the bench.

i agree with the other posters here, full bore .270 out of an 18" barrel is going to be a bit of a waste and the blast (more so than the recoil) would be unpleasant to me. but if you download it or use the managed recoil rounds, it might work very well out of that carbine.

 

[gt52842]

EricinSD-sounds like the .308 meets your needs.

1.Still minimal recoil like a .270 a little more than the .243 that you will only notice at the range.
2.Good ammo selection/easy to find.
3.Good knock down power.
4.Usually pretty accurate in all types of rifles.


Between the choices you mentioned I would pick the .243

Good shooting-Steve

+1 on the 308cal. I have 2 RSI's in 308, and love how they handle, Gary.

 

[mcknight77]

My vote goes to the .308Win.

Mine is very accurate, and there's never any question of its ability as a deer cartridge.

 

[EricInSD]

Unfortunately, while I have friends that reload, I have yet to start. I do not shoot nearly enough at this point but further down the road it is something to consider. After the responses I have received along with a bit more Google searches I a, leaning toward the .308.

While I still like the idea of the .243, I would have no problem going with the .308 and will leave the .270 to my brother and his Remington.

 

[bnewberry]

These are great feeling guns. My preference would be the short action, it just makes a nicer package.

I have a .308 but wouldn't say no to a .243 for deer out to 200 yards.

 

[EricInSD]

While the muzzle blast is quite significant in the .270, in regards to the .308 is it far less noticeable? I was reading one of chuck hawks reviews and he had stated something along the lines of the .308 cartridge being to much for the 18 inch barrel.

However from the things I am hearing from you guys on the board there is no reason to support that statement. In any case, I was just curious about his comment.

Lastly, I am sorry for all the questions! I am just very thorough and way to much time on my hands to research things before I purchase them.

 

[mcknight77]

Both the .270 and the .308 are high pressure cartridges so there won't be any significant difference in muzzle blast.

Of the two, the .270 will better meet it's full potential in the longer barrels. It's bore to case capacity ratio is higher. Although both will benefit from longer barrels, the .270 will benefit more.

I love the .270Win. It's the perfect deer cartridge, IMHO. However, it's best with a 24" barrel. Or, at least a 22" barrel. It's also a very good antelope cartridge and a reasonable walk-around varmint cartridge.

The .308 will be in a short action, therefore the overall rifle length will be about a half inch shorter. The .308 with heavier bullets is a very good timber elk cartridge.

The RSI in .308 is a very nice package, but so is the RSI in .270Win. Take a look at both, and choose the one you like the best. The deer won't be able to tell the difference.

 

[Anonymous]

"While the muzzle blast is quite significant in the .270, in regards to the .308 is it far less noticeable? "


To answer your question it will be noticeable but both will be quite loud. More so than a 22'-24" barrel in either chambering. My 243 rsi is as loud or louder than my 270 remington 700 which sports a 22" barrel and it's louder than my 308 w a 22" barrel or at least as perceived by me. I do still love my little rsi so don't take this as criticism . If you like the 270 by all means go for it. It will be a great rifle in a terrific chambering. In my mind a mannlicher carbine is a small light rifle for short to medium range hunting applications and has traditionally been chambered for smaller medium intensity cartridges ie It is if you will the the european equivalent of America's lever action carbine. I got mine in .243 as it was as close to these traditional parameters as it comes. Like I said the .250 savage which was chambered for a short time is a perfect match as would the 7mm-08 or the 260 remington alas ruger has not chosen to make those available all however including the 243 are high intensity cartridges and thus are going t be somewhat loud . On the other hand the deer won't give any of this it near the analysis that we have shown here.

 

[Bigboreshooter]

I LOVE RSI's, both in No. 1's and M77's.

I was torn between the 308 and 30-06 in the M77RSI, so I got both. Then after spending some time with them, I liked the 308 so well that I sold the '06.

I think the 308 is just about PERFECT in the RSI configuration.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I've always thought an RSI in 6.5 x 55 would be nice. Granted, it's no .30-06, but still . . .