Winchester 243 how good or bad for deer and range

[9jNYstarkOH]

7 hours ago, Lucky118 said:

Holy crap! Did the bullet explode on impact? I usually have to search for the hole my 270 makes with a 130 grain the hole is so small.

Same for me with a .270, core lokt were the worst. I switched to the rem accu tip and that is leaving a larger hole.

Edited October 31, 2022 by 9jNYstarkOH

[Lucky118]

22 minutes ago, 9jNYstarkOH said:

Same for me with a .270, core lokt were the worst. I switched to the rem accu tip and that is leaving a larger hole.

Hornady superformance here. Really like how they expand. Looks like almost no weight lost. You can pour the insides out and they drop like a rock lol

[Dinsdale]

12 hours 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...

That would be interesting to see if someone else takes that animal.

Handload? Reduced recoil? Curious.

Anything man made can fail at some point if you have enough samples. I have shot a fair amount of game and have had one honest bullet failure  (that i know of), and from a premium constructed brand. I'm still using bullets from the same lot with confidence, but was interesting to see  fragmenting in what is a tough bullet.

[TreeGuy]

Imo  Your losing margin for error as well as a decent chance for a bear if they are around..  had a guy shot a bear 5 x with 243 100 grain and bullet never penetrated vitals from 10 to 50 yard shots..  went thru hide and 4 inches of fat and stopped at ribs.  Found every bullet when we skun it out . 

I'll call BS unless pic proof is given. Cmon man

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[G-Man]

1 hour ago, TreeGuy said:

I'll call BS unless pic proof is given. Cmon man

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Story and picks on this site in bear section. 

[G-Man]

1 hour ago, Dinsdale said:

That would be interesting to see if someone else takes that animal.

Handload? Reduced recoil? Curious.

Anything man made can fail at some point if you have enough samples. I have shot a fair amount of game and have had one honest bullet failure  (that i know of), and from a premium constructed brand. I'm still using bullets from the same lot with confidence, but was interesting to see  fragmenting in what is a tough bullet.

As far as i know was factory ammo. Sorry its not my neighbor but friends.. i did have a friend here knock a good buck down only to have it get up and leave while he was getting out of tree to recover it.. never got deer no blood trail.tiny hole i guess. He stopped using 243 and went to a 270.  This guy is a top notch shot and made cover of shooting mag 2x for trap..  just not a fan . What should be good shots with no deer recovered.. 

[phade]

In rifle country, I hunt mostly with my 243s and 350Ls, even in places like Missouri. It's weird the chambering that put the 30-30 out of favor (in terms of volume sold/popularity) in America now gets the critique it does. I find the round to be fine and that the margin of error thought process to be a bit if a misnomer. I believe that personal pride ends up being the reason why BH, chambering or projectile choices are blamed rather than the faulty link. My hunting partner lost a mature buck last year in MO after a less than stellar shot using Federal Sierra Game King tipped out of a 30.06 at near bow distance. Did he blame the chambering? No. Cause he messed up and had to handle the situation.

The meat loss issue at short range w/ 243 is indeed something I have personally seen. Last year's buck took one to the shoulder hard quarter to at short range and I lost wayyyyy more meat than I thought. I usually use Barnes but my Weatherby loves the Federal Blue Box 100 gr and it's performed fine in a short run so far.

A 100 and in option? I don't see why anyone would really have a gripe to in turn say you need a .50 BMG. Pride, pride, pride....

[mowin]

4 hours ago, G-Man said:

Imo  Your losing margin for error as well as a decent chance for a bear if they are around..  had a guy shot a bear 5 x with 243 100 grain and bullet never penetrated vitals from 10 to 50 yard shots..  went thru hide and 4 inches of fat and stopped at ribs.  Found every bullet when we skun it out . 

Then how did it die?  

[biggamefish]

54 minutes ago, G-Man said:

Story and picks on this site in bear section. 

For a bear skin and some fat to stop a .243 round seem crazy. Neither is that tough. I wonder if they were dud ammo for some reason. Sounds like the cartridge didn't perform and wasn't the bullets fault.

[Grouse]

Black bear are not very hard to kill.  The problem with using a .243 on bear is the lack of a blood trail.  Bear are notorious for not leaving a blood trail when shot with a 12 ga slug, because the fat closes up the wound quickly.  A .243 will not leave a blood trail on a bear, but neither will most centerfire rifle rounds.

[G-Man]

1 hour ago, mowin said:

Then how did it die?  

45 70 and 12 ga and 7mm. Story in bear section from few years ago.

[G-Man]

55 minutes ago, biggamefish said:

For a bear skin and some fat to stop a .243 round seem crazy. Neither is that tough. I wonder if they were dud ammo for some reason. Sounds like the cartridge didn't perform and wasn't the bullets fault.

Factory ammo id have to ask friends father in law what make type . They were " deer rounds"  he doenst use that gun for hunting anymore either as bear are becoming more plentiful.  

[G-Man]

42 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Black bear are not very hard to kill.  The problem with using a .243 on bear is the lack of a blood trail.  Bear are notorious for not leaving a blood trail when shot with a 12 ga slug, because the fat closes up the wound quickly.  A .243 will not leave a blood trail on a bear, but neither will most centerfire rifle rounds.

Yep its why bear guides recommend 12 ga and 30 cal and up.. 

[luberhill]

7 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

I def think it will kill a deer I guess the ask is - what is the advantage of buying a 243?

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Very flat shooting , soft recoil , light , doesn’t ruin meat

[Robhuntandfish]

Very flat shooting , soft recoil , light , doesn’t ruin meat

But a 7mm 08 does all that and better and no more recoil. No advantage for all those with a .243. It doesn't ruin meat cause your shooting 95 grains. And if you read above others state it ruins meat due to speed. Its very light for a whitetail in my opinion. Makes zero sense to me but to each their own. A .22 mag will also kill a deer but why would you buy one for that when there are superior options for the same price, weight, recoil as the .243.

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[Grouse]

A high velocity impact from a .243 at close range will ruin plenty of meat, especially if it's a shoulder hit.  I always opt for a neck shot with a .243 at close range.

[RangerClay]

I have Browning BLR in .243 that bought for my daughter.  To make it a deer rifle you have to buy ammo for whitetails.  Just because it says an 80-95 gr. bullet does not mean it suitable for deer.  Look carefully at the type of bullet in the cartridge.  Much of the ammo out there for the 243 is for varmints with ballistic tip ammo and it's not made for penetration.  The ballistic tips break up if it hits bone.  I bought Hornady American Whitetail 100 gr. ammo.  We have pulled the trigger 6 times and not one deer has gone more than 20 yards.  I see the trail cam picture of the wounded deer on page one of this thread and I would bet money that they used the wrong ammo.

Edited October 31, 2022 by RangerClay

[TreeGuy]

Story and picks on this site in bear section. 

Couldn't locate

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[phade]

Just now, TreeGuy said:

Couldn't locate

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Post must have been hit with a .243. Can't find it.

[Nomad]

I’ve no dog in this fight but found this interesting  , this is the is the guy who started leashed tracking dogs, in NYS. At the time he wrote this book, he had tracked nearly 1000 wounded deer . 

[RangerClay]

1 minute ago, Nomad said:

I’ve no dog in this fight but found this interesting  , this is the is the guy who started leashed tracking dogs, in NYS. At the time he wrote this book, he had tracked nearly 1000 wounded deer . 

Read the very next paragraph.  Exactly what I just typed an hour ago.  Use the proper bullet and it is a fine deer rifle.

[mowin]

2 hours ago, Grouse said:

A high velocity impact from a .243 at close range will ruin plenty of meat, especially if it's a shoulder hit.  I always opt for a neck shot with a .243 at close range.

And so will a 270, 06 ect, except it keeps going and ruins the opposite shoulder too. 

Either way you ruined a shoulder or two. 

[luberhill]

1 hour ago, RangerClay said:

I have Browning BLR in .243 that bought for my daughter.  To make it a deer rifle you have to buy ammo for whitetails.  Just because it says an 80-95 gr. bullet does not mean it suitable for deer.  Look carefully at the type of bullet in the cartridge.  Much of the ammo out there for the 243 is for varmints with ballistic tip ammo and it's not made for penetration.  The ballistic tips break up if it hits bone.  I bought Hornady American Whitetail 100 gr. ammo.  We have pulled the trigger 6 times and not one deer has gone more than 20 yards.  I see the trail cam picture of the wounded deer on page one of this thread and I would bet money that they used the wrong ammo.

I shoot Winchester power points 100 grain 

[phade]

22 minutes ago, Nomad said:

I’ve no dog in this fight but found this interesting  , this is the is the guy who started leashed tracking dogs, in NYS. At the time he wrote this book, he had tracked nearly 1000 wounded deer . 

Anecdote is all we have in either direction. He has alot of insights for sure but I am curious of the average hunting experience by caliber. As 243 is more often a starter caliber for alot of people, it may stand to reason that lesser experienced hunters are using it and more prone to poor shot placement, choice of projectile, etc. So many what ifs across the board but I don't think a .243 is as bad as people make it out to be.

[phantom]

42 minutes ago, Nomad said:

I’ve no dog in this fight but found this interesting  , this is the is the guy who started leashed tracking dogs, in NYS. At the time he wrote this book, he had tracked nearly 1000 wounded deer . 

Wow then what about 223? Which for some reason they love to hunt with up in alaska the natives . I guess its all about markmenship in the end, And the right bullet 

Edited October 31, 2022 by phantom