Just like OnOneWheel said..
.
"What is the best golf club to use at your nearest golf course?"If a lot of your shooting is under spotlight at titchy tom cats, frightened foxes & wary wabbits, i personally think the 243 is too much..
Its very loud, so when turning ferals into fertiliser under light in regularly shot areas, its likely you'll be needing to cover some decent territory between shots.
Along with the type of pests most often encountered, & the proximity to cities (referring to average block sizes), the terrain you'll mostly encounter may also be a big deciding factor...
For example if most territory you cover is open wooded rolling hills filled with wandering foxes, deer, & the odd population of bunny's accros average 400-1000 acre lots...then assuming you can shoot, you'd get away with anything like a 204, 223, 22-250...and buy a specific larger game rifle for pigs like a 308...
WHen you start reloading, the first 3 cartridges i mentioned can be loaded down quite easily & still be very effecitve on all the game in more built up areas listed with the exception of pigs at a distance...
Its Xmas time & the big "C" up north always have Xmas specials on Howa's...so you could buy a 204 / 223 / 22-250,
AND a 308, for the price of a more spec'd up Tikka or the like...
But if its just a generalised answer you want, as is the quarterly asked, & most commonly asked gun question of all time, yes i think a 243 is a good allrounder as a single rifle...
But youre in veic, so dont get caught shooting anything bigger than a fallow with it...!!
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...