Thanks for the kind words all. I will be certain to share them with the huntress.
10dogs- As for the 7mm-08 compared to the .243, no comparison in my books but I haven't honestly looked at them side-by-side.
A few things I know about the little '08:
- It kills deer dead.
- It has very little recoil yet packs a big punch. (I shoot 165 grain Hornadys through my .30-'06, and once you get past 200 yards, the little '08 shooting 139 grain bullets has less drop and more energy from that point on)
- My kids have taken a combined 8 deer with their youth tags (five whitetail does, the two muley bucks, and this whitetail buck) and they all fell to a single shot of the 7-08.
- Whenever my wife fails to draw a deer tag or fills before I do, I take her 7-08
- Did I mention I like this little rifle? ;-)