.243 for Deer

[k burke]

Yeah - I want to stay away from the hard to find calibers. I'm not a reloader - maybe sometime down the road - but right now I barely have time to hunt.

So Lawdwaz - I stand corrected and appreciate the response, but you're talking over my head!

[Fantail]

I've taken 4 deer with the .243 100gr Sierra GameKing.

Good broadside shots. Longest run was a 7pnt. in `09 35-40 yards.

Anyone who tells you the .243 isn't enough gun is full of it. Just like the clowns who say the 30-30 isn't good enough.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Fantail

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Just a thought. I actually prefer a .30-06. If you are new and don't know where this hunting will take you down the road it would be a good gun for any North American big game animal (except probably Grizz). You can load up and load down depending on the quarry. I have shot some of the reduce recoil rounds and they are pussycats to shoot. I would imagine would even be nicer out of an outo loader. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the cartriges based on the .30-06 or .308 they are all proven rounds for whitetail.

I would look at cost and ammo availability since you don't reload.

[ants]

go for the 7mm-08. recoil is moderate, at best, and it lays deer out. The 243 will kill them dead, but you have a way better edge with the 7mm-08. Bigger bullet with the same (or maybe just a little more) recoil than the 243. Great deer round.

[Lawdwaz]

Yeah - I want to stay away from the hard to find calibers. I'm not a reloader - maybe sometime down the road - but right now I barely have time to hunt.

So Lawdwaz - I stand corrected and appreciate the response, but you're talking over my head!

Not trying to talk over ya! I was just pointing it out, heck I haven't heard of all of them either!!

Don't EVER feel under gunned by the .243 Winchester. Remember, it's the quality of the bullet and the placement that beats all.

I have a very good friend who has killed a trailer load of deer in Pennsylvanina with the little 'ol .243. His mother has killed elk & moose with it. Absolutley nothing wrong with the .243 for deer.

Reasonable ammo prices, low recoil and plenty of guns to choose from. What's not to like about it?

[phade]

I do like the 7-08, but I think the ammo cost edge goes to the .243.

I'll be honest, I wouldn't have a problem shooting a .243 for deer anywhere in NY (where legal).

[ihman856]

.243 is a great deer gun. ive got one in an H&R handi rifle and ive shot deer at 400 yards and they generally pile up. the .30-30 is a good deer gun to alittle over 100 yards. after that it starts 2 nose dive. the .30-06 is one of the best deer rifles ever. if u can handle the recoil the .30-06 is the better choice, more knockdown power and further range. with the right bullet selection the .243 is no slouch. 100gr remington cor-loks and 95gr winchester supreme balistic silver tips work great

[ants]

Actually the 7mm-08 ammo price is'nt that bad if you stick with the Rem green box or Win. power points. I paid aroound $25. The primium stuff is like $40 but the plain factory ammo works fine. The deer don't know the differance

[Larry]

I took a deer with a 6BR Rem. in a xp-100 at a 150 yards a few years back with 1 shot. it went about 5 feet. so a 243 would work just fine

[Grouse]

I used to use a .243, but moved up to the 7mm-08. Same recoil IMHO, but much better for dropping deer, im my experience. The .243, using 100 grain soft points would do lots of meat damage if the shot was close and wasn't a broad side shot. It also would tend to not penetrate as well, often exploding inside the deer's shoulder or internal organs. Most often there was very little blood trail at all. The deer always died, but I wasn't happy with the performance.

[ants]

I had the same problems. a 243 will work ( all the deer I shot with it died) but the 7mm-08 works way better

[bubba]

I had the same problems. a 243 will work ( all the deer I shot with it died) but the 7mm-08 works way better

So if all the deer you shot with a 243 were dead how is a 7-08 better? Does it kill them deader? I just had to ask. I use a 7-08 and a 25-06 which I like better and less recoil than a 7-08. But I am very happy with both.

[Lawdwaz]

Now wait a minute guys, I thought this was the FINAL word in the matter:

I took a deer with a 6BR Rem. in a xp-100 at a 150 yards a few years back with 1 shot. it went about 5 feet. so a 243 would work just fine

[phade]

I used to use a .243, but moved up to the 7mm-08. Same recoil IMHO, but much better for dropping deer, im my experience. The .243, using 100 grain soft points would do lots of meat damage if the shot was close and wasn't a broad side shot. It also would tend to not penetrate as well, often exploding inside the deer's shoulder or internal organs. Most often there was very little blood trail at all. The deer always died, but I wasn't happy with the performance.

I think your experience has more to do with the bullet choice than the caliber.

[Grouse]

The trouble I found with the .243 for deer IMHO is, bullets that work well at long range, don't seem to work well at close range. And bullets that work well at close range, tend to punch through a deer without expanding much, or leaving a good blood trail, at long range. A light, small caliber bullet, moving at a high velocity, is being asked to do a lot when used for deer.

On a broadside shot, putting it in the heart, lung area will do fine, at any range. But if it is a quartering away shot angle, or towards the shooter shot angle, especially at close range, the .243 may not provide the desired penetration, no matter what bullet you are using.

I tried lots of different bullets, and many got expensive. After lots of experimenting, I found a 7mm-08 performs much better, with inexpensive loads, at all ranges. That's what I believe makes it a better round for deer hunting.

[steve863]

Yes, a .243 will kill a deer. So could a .22LR in the right hands and situation. In my opinion a .270, 7mm, or most .30 caliber cartridges will do a better job than a .243. More room for error with the less than perfect shot with the larger bores. Many push .243's on young shooters, although it's a cartridge more suited for the expert shooter, and not the inexperienced one. With the many fine recoil pads available out there I find it a lame excuse that someone can't handle more recoil than a .243. Just not a hell of a lot noticeable difference between a .308 and .243(both based on the same case), and the .308 is no doubt the better choice to get the job done in all the different situations one might come across.

[Robinson446]

I have a 30-30 marlin and wont ever use another rifle. Absolutly love it.

[BizCT]

.270 Weatherby Magnum or 7MM Weatherby Magnum.

[eagle rider]

As with anything else shot placement is key. Hit them in the boiler room and teh 243 wil do you right.

[Gthphtm]

It's all about shot placement,some people jack deer with a 22.

[ants]

^{Bubba- All I mean is that the 7mm-08 puts them down way faster and leaves a good blood trail. The 243 left almost no blood every time, small hole in small hole out. I hit a couple deer at only slight angles and I did not like the results. They both ran 70-80 yrds and left no blood. From my stand I could see were they went down and was able to walk right to them.(one was still alive) I f I had to track them I'd still be out there. If recoil is the same, why not go with the bigger round?? IMHO}

[bubba]

oh ok thanks

[Pygmy]

I just like a bullet that I am confident will EXIT...Often well hit deer run 100 yards or so before expiring, and as far as blood trails go, two holes are better than one.

That can make the difference between recovering a deer or losing one, especially in the dense cover that I hunt, unless you have the luxury of snow, of which there is no guarantee..

[eagle rider]

243's exit, a good bullet will exit no problem. A kid in our deer camp uses one. Makes them leak out of both sides and they don't go far at all. I believe he uses a Sirocco bonded bullet, 100 gr.