Winchester 243 how good or bad for deer and range

[phantom]

Winchester 243 how good or bad for deer and Useful range .

[mowin]

It's on the lighter side, but lots of deer have been killed with a .243.  

Wouldn't hesitate taking a 200+ yard shot with the right bullet. 

 

[TreeGuy]

I run 95gr hornady out of a 6mm (.244) and it does great. Definitely recommend staying off the shoulder though.

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[n.y.grandpa]

I have been using a.243 for about 8 years now have taken 7 deer so far with it all but 1 dropped in sight. The 1 made it about 75 yards over the hill and dropped. Longest shot was 183 yards measured and it dropped in it's tracks. I use 100 grain Winchester power point.

[luberhill]

I’ve killed the last 5 or so with my .243

4 out of the 5 dropped almost i their track..

The 5th went about 125 yards

[SpacemanSpiff]

Great caliber. Use the proper bullet at the proper range= happy hunter. No recoil=fun at the range. 

[Nytracker]

Definitely stay off the shoulder !!!! Loaded for the wifes gun and used nosler partition.  Over kill for deer some say but I don't think they will grenade  as bad as some of the thinner jacketed bullets. Only one deer killed with this gun bullet combo to go on . Pretty  impressed with penetration on the nosler partitions  . Quartering away at 60 .Entered behind shoulder.  Acrossed the chest cavity out the neck hitting off side leg that was extended forward.  Shattered leg.Was not impressed with corlocks. 

[luberhill]

13 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

Definitely stay off the shoulder !!!! Loaded for the wifes gun and used nosler partition.  Over kill for deer some say but I don't think they will grenade  as bad as some of the thinner jacketed bullets. Only one deer killed with this gun bullet combo to go on . Pretty  impressed with penetration on the nosler partitions  . Quartering away at 60 .Entered behind shoulder.  Acrossed the chest cavity out the neck hitting off side leg that was extended forward.  Shattered leg.Was not impressed with corlocks. 

I can find those rounds anywhere

[Larry]

i've used my 6mm rem. and have killed every deer i've shot with it, little tracking needed

[G-Man]

95 + grain bullet works.. if you in an area where a bear is possible..its a little light.  Small hole needs proper shot placement

[Nytracker]

3 hours ago, luberhill said:

I can find those rounds anywhere

I reload them for the wife's gun. Think I bought just the bullets at sportsmans last year. Bought only two boxes they  had at the time . Decided to reload because I couldn't find factory ammo for 243 the previous fall. Wife likes to shoot her pretty pink and purple rifle. She will shoot a box or more in a single trip to the range.

Disregard never bought .243 nosler partitions from sportsmans. I ordered them on line from midsouth. I bought 308 partitions from sportsmans.

Edited October 30, 2022 by Nytracker

[G-Man]

Why im not fan of .243  this is from good friend  in southern tier ny.

My neighbors daughter shot this one during the youth hunt with a 243. 10 days later he's in one of my brassica plots eating. Sadly the cam was set for pics, but I believe the shoulder is broken, I think one of us will shoot him during the gun season, don't think he'll travel far. 

Proper bullet and proper placement are probably a factor  in this.  But  a slightly larger caliber  would give you a much better margin for error and penetration...

[phantom]

13 minutes ago, G-Man said:

Why im not fan of .243  this is from good friend  in southern tier ny.

My neighbors daughter shot this one during the youth hunt with a 243. 10 days later he's in one of my brassica plots eating. Sadly the cam was set for pics, but I believe the shoulder is broken, I think one of us will shoot him during the gun season, don't think he'll travel far. 

Proper bullet and proper placement are probably a factor  in this.  But  a slightly larger caliber  would give you a much better margin for error and penetration...

What was the  distance of that shot ?

[Lawdwaz]

19 minutes ago, G-Man said:

Why im not fan of .243  this is from good friend  in southern tier ny.

My neighbors daughter shot this one during the youth hunt with a 243. 10 days later he's in one of my brassica plots eating. Sadly the cam was set for pics, but I believe the shoulder is broken, I think one of us will shoot him during the gun season, don't think he'll travel far. 

Proper bullet and proper placement are probably a factor  in this.  But  a slightly larger caliber  would give you a much better margin for error and penetration...

What bullet?

[Daveboone]

experienced hunter who can pick his shots...ok. If the firearm might be used for anything bigger than white tail...much better choices. It doesnt have mass for heavy penetration or bone breaking. 

[G-Man]

What i was told. 80 yd shot 95 grains

[Lawdwaz]

53 minutes ago, G-Man said:

Why im not fan of .243  this is from good friend  in southern tier ny.

My neighbors daughter shot this one during the youth hunt with a 243. 10 days later he's in one of my brassica plots eating. Sadly the cam was set for pics, but I believe the shoulder is broken, I think one of us will shoot him during the gun season, don't think he'll travel far. 

Proper bullet and proper placement are probably a factor  in this.  But  a slightly larger caliber  would give you a much better margin for error and penetration...

If you think it's that (left/drivers side) shoulder, and it was broadside, nothing there would break the shoulder IMO. 

[Lawdwaz]

2 minutes ago, G-Man said:

What i was told. 80 yd shot 95 grains

That's not much help......

[G-Man]

4 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

That's not much help......

Again  im sure bullet type is a factor..  point is  an experienced person kniws bullets and grains  vs the average hunter grabbing a box off the shelf..  imo there are better choice calibers that allow for margin of error..  just like the guy that wants to land a 40 lbs fish on 2 lb test and a guy that uses 40 lbs test line for a 40 lab target fish  both work but  the 2 lbs is for a much better experiance angler to have any high level of success  of landing 40lbs constistantly... 

[Lawdwaz]

1 minute ago, G-Man said:

Again  im sure bullet type is a factor..  point is  an experienced person kniws bullets and grains  vs the average hunter grabbing a box off the shelf..  imo there are better choice calibers that allow for margin of error..  just like the guy that wants to land a 40 lbs fish on 2 lb test and a guy that uses 40 lbs test line for a 40 lab target fish  both work but  the 2 lbs is for a much better experiance angler to have any high level of success  of landing 40lbs constistantly... 

That's a poor analogy.

[Pygmy]

A Nosler  Partition or a good monolithic such as Barnes X type would certainly have resulted in a kill with that shot placement...   I  am somewhat surprised that the bullet was 95 grains and did not perform better than that... Most 6MM bullets of 90 + grain are designed for deer sized game, unlike the lighter ones that are designed for varmints...  I wonder if a varmint  round was  inadvertantly loaded, rather than a deer round...??

[wolc123]

10 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

That's a poor analogy.

We both know a woman who killed a moose with one.  As long as the .243 bullet hits between ribs, and the animal is broadside, no problem.  A heavier caliber reduces the need for such precise shot placement. 

[Robhuntandfish]

If a .243 is all you got use it. But can't see a reason to buy one for deer hunting. Even recoil sensitive people could still shoot a .308, 7mm, 30/30 etc without much issue and would do a better job. To buy one specific for deer hunting is a poor choice imo. It's better left for varmints and such.

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[G-Man]

More info : quartering to shot. Hopefully it just skipped off shoulderblade and it doenst get to infected.. 

If i was buying a gun for deer id want a " margin of error" a 7mm 08 is about same recoil but is much more forgiving for a less experianced hunter. Bonus  its big enough for a bear as well  if opportunity presents itself. 

[G-Man]

18 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

We both know a woman who killed a moose with one.  As long as the .243 bullet hits between ribs, and the animal is broadside, no problem.  A heavier caliber reduces the need for such precise shot placement. 

Heck a .22 caliber can kill a polar bear.. again  id prefer and would reccomend a caliber that gives you a margin of error for less than optimal placement or bullet selection