243 rifle

[Northland]

I have a 30-30 and a 300 mag. I am contemplating a 243 for northern minn deer hunting. The longest shot I have taken is 110yds. Any advice out there

[BGunn]

Just my opinion, I'd stay with the .30-30

[Magic]

Stay with the 300 Win Mag, get a 150-200 gr bullets, sight in 1 inch high at 100yds and shoot to 300 yds. Shoulder shot and dead is dead. Practice further and shoot further, lots further.

[MrStarnes1]

i shoot a .243 here in eastern SD.... most shots i take with it are over 200 yards. you could never buy my 243 from me but if i was shooting in heavy cover in short yardage situations, i wouldn't bring this gun to the field
if i was hunting in an area where my shots were 150 or less, and also in wooded areas, i would use a gun with a little extra kick behind it... 300 is a fun gun but too much kick for my 140 pound frame. my next choice would probably be a 30.06. my father in law and a few friends shoot them and they are fast and straight shooting.

[7mmWSM]

I have a 30-30 and a 300 mag. I am contemplating a 243 for northern minn deer hunting. The longest shot I have taken is 110yds. Any advice out there
The 243 will do just fine for what you describe. I admit that I use larger, more powerful cartridges, and yet when I hunted with the 243 I always brought home the venison. My theory is a person should shoot the most powerful cartridge THAT THEY CAN SHOOT WELL. It's more where you hit them than what you hit them with but a little insurance never hurts.:bigsmile:

[tds2180]

I would step it up to a 270

[T Mac]

110 yds is .30-30 territory.
.243 will work... but more popular as an open country (antelope/deer) gun.
But get one anyway...right?
;)

[stevefellegy]

i shoot a .243 here in eastern SD.... most shots i take with it are over 200 yards. you could never buy my 243 from me but if i was shooting in heavy cover in short yardage situations, i wouldn't bring this gun to the field
if i was hunting in an area where my shots were 150 or less, and also in wooded areas, i would use a gun with a little extra kick behind it... 300 is a fun gun but too much kick for my 140 pound frame. my next choice would probably be a 30.06. my father in law and a few friends shoot them and they are fast and straight shooting.

I agree---best all around Mn. deer caliber is the 30.06--180 grain. 1.5 inches high at 100 yds. at the range and you'll be good from 10 to 200 yds. without fail! That bullet will handle more brush than the .243 and will do a better job if you make a little off the mark shot. 30.06 all that way!

[GWC]

I use a 280 Remington Mountain Rifle with a 140 or 150 grain bullet for deer. I like to walk the ravines & brush then I like to use a Marlin 30-30 with steel sights. Both have worked well for me. If I were buying another rifle it would probably be a 30-06. It has a wide range of bullets weights and can be used for a broad range of game. A 7mm would be another good choice for larger game such as elk or moose.

[bfish]

I would step it up to a 270 same here

[Kyle Posterick]

7mm/08 and 308 would be better rounds, but a 243 will do what you want.

[rdbalmer]

I have taken many whitetails with the .243 and had no issues. Good shot placement is everything as it is with any rifle. I have also taken many whitetails with my 30-06, most with no issues but in all honesty I have lost a couple while using it. I blame it on a poor hit resulting in a poor blood trail and a lost deer. Nothing to be proud of but none the less the truth. The arguement over what caliber is the best has been going on forever and probably always will. Most all of the centerfire cartridges are capable of taking a whitetail deer provide you use a decent bullet designed for hunting big game and you hit the animal where you should. I agree that some of the flat shooting magnums are a better long range gun and some day I intend to own one but the bottom line is that the average guy that only shoots a dozen rounds a year simply isn't capable of decent accuracy much beyond 200 yards under hunting conditions. Maybe off of sand bags.... maybe. After you get the crap kicked out of you by one after fireing 15 or 20 shots you are probably going to be even less able to consistantly hit any thing. Like another post said ... Use the most rifle you can accurately and comfortably shoot. I have never had a deer go more than 75 yards after being hit with the 243. Granted all but two were hit through the lungs, the other two unfortunately were hit in the guts, but all fell dead very quickly. The choice is ultmately yours of course. Rob

[38bill]

I dont usually get involved in gun discussions because everybody has their own ideas of the perfect gun but here's my experience.

A 243 can be a good gun but they can really vary. My hunting buddy has a long, bull barreled, 243 that shoots like a 30-06. The 243 I owned punched pencil sized holes right through and the deer hardly noticed while my buddies gun tipped them right over. We were using the same custom loaded ammo, go figure.

PS: I sold my 243 and switched to a 308 Rem Model 6 and I love it. Its small and light weight and has a short action like the 243. Its great in a tree stand and the ballistics are really good too. FYI:My son also dumped his 243 after he used my 308.

[oh really]

With info like that i can see why you would not enter into gun conversatoins. Really the only difference between a bull barell and a sporter is how fast it heats up. BBl length may make a few fps difference. Explain to me the really good ballistics on the .308. I am a .308 pimp but there are much better options if you are looking at ballistics only perspective. If some one cant kill a deer with a .243 they need to hang up the gun and call it quits. The main problem is people dont practice and shoot deer in the guts and blame the gun. It goes shot placement, bullet constucttion and head stamp as the least important

[rdbalmer]

with info like that i can see why you would not enter into gun conversatoins. Really the only difference between a bull barell and a sporter is how fast it heats up. Bbl length may make a few fps difference. Explain to me the really good ballistics on the .308. I am a .308 pimp but there are much better options if you are looking at ballistics only perspective. If some one cant kill a deer with a .243 they need to hang up the gun and call it quits. The main problem is people dont practice and shoot deer in the guts and blame the gun. It goes shot placement, bullet constucttion and head stamp as the least important
amen brother!

[Orion]

This is a great campfire topic. I shoot the same calibres as the OP. I'm up in Alberta and this is what I use them for.

300 win mag - If I have an elk or moose tag this is my go to. I wouldn't use anything else even though I have others that would do the job nicely. ( 30-06 as an example )

30-30 win ..... It comes out when I feel like using a short range firearm in heavy cover for deer. This one is tough to explain. Sometimes I just like the challenge of a 30-30. It's a great cartridge if you accept the range limitations. I love my Marlin!

243 win...I use this for coyotes! With a 58gr Vmax, I like the job it does just a bit better than a 22-250. Have used the 243 for deer but would only shoot at broadside targets with it. I wouldn't even consider a shot "up the chute" on a deer with a 243.

For deer I use a 270 Win. When on a "deer only" hunt, the guys in my camp all use 270 or something of similar power like 280 rem, 7mm-08, 308 etc.

You might disagree, but it's what works for me.

Orion

[why]

Why would one consider a "shot up the chute" with any rifle? And if worse came to worse the 85grn tsx out of a .243 would smash through and exit the front. SHOT PLACMENT, bullet construction and last is head stamp each and every time

[rdbalmer]

Why would one consider a "shot up the chute" with any rifle? And if worse came to worse the 85grn tsx out of a .243 would smash through and exit the front. SHOT PLACMENT, bullet construction and last is head stamp each and every time
I was wondering about the "up the chute" shot myself. I can't believe any one would deliberately do that.

[Buck Snort]

Any advice out there

Get one.

What's not to like? Low recoil, ammo at every gas station/sporting goods store, LOTS of different bullets for reloading, easy to load for, knocks the snot out of deer, bear, coyotes, coons, rabbits, and whatever else you want to shoot.

[Buck Snort]

I agree---best all around Mn. deer caliber is the 30.06--180 grain. 1.5 inches high at 100 yds. at the range and you'll be good from 10 to 200 yds. without fail! That bullet will handle more brush than the .243 and will do a better job if you make a little off the mark shot. 30.06 all that way!

No bullet "handles the brush"

Hit the deer in the right spot and a .22lr will kill it quickly. Deer are easy to kill if you do your part.

[Buck Snort]

I dont usually get involved in gun discussions because everybody has their own ideas of the perfect gun but here's my experience.

A 243 can be a good gun but they can really vary. My hunting buddy has a long, bull barreled, 243 that shoots like a 30-06. The 243 I owned punched pencil sized holes right through and the deer hardly noticed while my buddies gun tipped them right over. We were using the same custom loaded ammo, go figure.

PS: I sold my 243 and switched to a 308 Rem Model 6 and I love it. Its small and light weight and has a short action like the 243. Its great in a tree stand and the ballistics are really good too. FYI:My son also dumped his 243 after he used my 308.

This could be one of the funniest posts I've read in a long time. I hope it made up.

[Buck Snort]

Why would one consider a "shot up the chute" with any rifle? And if worse came to worse the 85grn tsx out of a .243 would smash through and exit the front. SHOT PLACMENT, bullet construction and last is head stamp each and every time

yes....this.

[High Ball]

I personally don't believe in the .243 for deer that go over 150 pounds! My wife used hers for hunting during the 2 year period of breast cancer but she perfers her .270 Winchester and 140 grn bullet. I myself use a 6.5/06 and 140 grn bullet. Also the bullets we shoot our game with are premium type like the Nosler Partition, Trophy Bonded Bear Claws or the Swift A Frames, especially on the larger game species.

[bad shot]

I believe that most do not shoot enough to be good shots and use big calibers as a cruch. I know of more than a many mule deer that have met their end due to a well placed 6mm pill. Speaking of premium bullets give me the 85 tsx ocer any thing the .270 has to offer for deer.

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

I believe that most do not shoot enough to be good shots and use big calibers as a cruch.

DING DING DING. We have a winner.

Most hunters are happy if they can hit a 9" pie plate. There are few of us comparatively that aren't happy with a sub MOA group. Let alone a sub sub MOA group.

Me personally, I would feel confident with the .243 out to 400 yards (100 grain SPBT produces 1058 ft lbs at 400 yards). That's more than enough umph to take down mid-sized game. Of course a person needs to be able to shoot that far which takes a lot of practice.

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

Why would one consider a "shot up the chute" with any rifle?

Well, if a person paid 10k for a once in a lifetime Elk hunt and a 400" bull is walking away from them and about to disappear over the edge of a ridge never to be seen again. I'd shove a 250 grain Swift A Frame "up the chute". I'd even have confidence it would be a fatal shot and I'd be holding my trophy within the hour.

[dog2]

I have been following this for the last year and have to add my thoughts;I have been shooting a 6mm rem model 700 since 1964 [yeah in age im gettin to be a old fart] but in all those years ive only had to shoot one deer more than once, most go down when hit .Shots have been 25 yds to 450yds. I'm not a crack shot just put the time in to know what the rifle can do. Bullet choice 100grain hornadys, and off the shelf Remington. For vermin 85 or 90 grain hollow points hand loaded. :phatyo:

[cspierings]

I have the following and used them all on whitetails and all in heavier cover. 243, 30-30, 7mm08, 7mm Mag, 30-06, 300 win.

I started all my kids on whitetails using the 243 with a 100 grain nosler partition. The furthest any of those deer went was about 40 yards. The longest shot was about 80 yards. The kids have all had Dad in the stand talking them through the first shots on the deer and have gone on to shoot more than a few using the 243 on their own once I thought they were ready to go it alone. My oldest girl shoots the 7mm08 better in terms of accuracy and she has taken some nice deer. I think she considers it hers. My boy likes the 06 and the twin girls have stuck with the 243 so far.

Last season the twins each took one shot and each put a nice deer in the freezer.

The 243 will be just fine as long as you are proficient enough to put the bullet where you want it to go.

All this business about one bullet or the other resisting deflection from brush is something that I just can't get my head around. You can quote all sorts of physcial laws but when you apply them to all the variables that real hunting situations bring to bear on the theory it seems like its nice campfire fodder. I have had bullets go through saplings, hit branches and I have had all them deflected by some pretty minor stuff so from a personal experience point I can't say I seen much in the way of real world examples that back up slow and round nose versus fast and pointy as being better in the brush.

My Dad pushed 140 grain slug out the 7mm mag I now own through a 3" oak and into a deer. When we found the deer it had a shotgun slug size entry hole. No exit on the other side. THe bullet went in and travleded down the Chest/guts exited in the belly area and hung up on the inside of the near leg with the jacket just sticking in the skin. Weird stuff and a bit messy when it came time to gut.

The 243 with the right bullet call it 90+ grains will do just fine on whitetail and it is a lot more pleasant to shoot than a lot of other guns when it comes to recoil. Personally I would pull it out of the cabinet before the 30-30... why? I know I can put the bullet exactly where I want it every time with the 243. The 30-30 is a lever gun and it is no where near as accurate as any of the other guns I listed above.

[Orion]

I was wondering about the "up the chute" shot myself. I can't believe any one would deliberately do that.


First, I’ve got to say that shooting an animal in the butt isn’t my preferred shot. Obviously, you’ll lose more meat than usual and cleaning the animal will definitely be memorable. But, have no doubt about it; with the right bullet in the right caliber, it’s a lethal shot.

So, why would someone take this shot? Wade B. gave one reason. Here’s another. Not every animal falls to a single shot. Sometimes, that second shot comes immediately and sometimes it comes after tracking the animal for quite a distance. For me and the guys that I hunt with, pursuing a wounded animal changes everything. You hope that when you find the animal, it’s dead or that it’s presenting an easy, broadside shot. But, what’s a person going to do if you find the animal standing and looking back at you at a less than ideal angle? Do you turn down the shot because you only like to shoot at broadside animals? Do you turn down the shot because you don’t want to ruin the meat? I would never assume that I’m going to get a 3rd chance, so I take the shot that I’m given. The bullet/cartridge combination I’ve chosen needs to perform under the worst conditions, not just the best. It needs to get to the vitals and bring the animal down, no matter what the angle is. Turning down this, or any shot on a wounded animal would be unconscionable.

[antlers & eyes]

I agree---best all around Mn. deer caliber is the 30.06--180 grain. 1.5 inches high at 100 yds. at the range and you'll be good from 10 to 200 yds. without fail! That bullet will handle more brush than the .243 and will do a better job if you make a little off the mark shot. 30.06 all that way!


I disagree, maybe the most common, but not the best. there is no best. there are a lot of people that don't really know much about bullets and calibers. today compared to 50 years ago, we have so many choices of bullets that are designated to each caliber. bullet construction is far more important than the size of the cartridge. a 243 is a great gun. if you want a caliber that has minimal kick and great balistic charactoristics, you may want to look at a 7mm-08. there are so many choices out there today as far as good calibers, it is hard to go wrong as long as you use the correct bullet.

[Phil T]

Ah, the best deer rifle is chambered for 257 Roberts, 6.5X55mm "Swede", or a300 Savage(but only if the Savage is a model 99 rifle).

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

I disagree, maybe the most common, but not the best. there is no best. there are a lot of people that don't really know much about bullets and calibers. today compared to 50 years ago, we have so many choices of bullets that are designated to each caliber. bullet construction is far more important than the size of the cartridge. a 243 is a great gun. if you want a caliber that has minimal kick and great balistic charactoristics, you may want to look at a 7mm-08. there are so many choices out there today as far as good calibers, it is hard to go wrong as long as you use the correct bullet.

Well said. I recommend the 7mm-08 to all my friends who want to get their kids into deer hunting.

[cjbrown]

Remington .308. I use it for everything, love that caliber....:cool:

[hommer23]

270 or 308 for me. When I hunt the woods the 308 works better for me with a 165 grain bullet. the 270 is a flat long range IMHO

[38bill]

With info like that i can see why you would not enter into gun conversatoins. Really the only difference between a bull barell and a sporter is how fast it heats up. BBl length may make a few fps difference. Explain to me the really good ballistics on the .308. I am a .308 pimp but there are much better options if you are looking at ballistics only perspective. If some one cant kill a deer with a .243 they need to hang up the gun and call it quits. The main problem is people dont practice and shoot deer in the guts and blame the gun. It goes shot placement, bullet constucttion and head stamp as the least important

This kind of response is exactly why I don't normally get involved with gun conversation. All I did was share my experience with a .243. When you put 2 shots of a .243 right through both lungs of a whitetail standing broadside at 75 yards and the deer just stands there wondering what the noise is all about its time to hang up the .243. For the third shot I took him in the head. Even my son only hunted with his .243 one year as he had the same kind of experience.

PS: I have never crippled or lost a deer in 44 years of gun hunting.
Oh and did I mention that I really, really like my .308.

[jigstop]

This kind of response is exactly why I don't normally get involved with gun conversation. All I did was share my experience with a .243. When you put 2 shots of a .243 right through both lungs of a whitetail standing broadside at 75 yards and the deer just stands there wondering what the noise is all about its time to hang up the .243. For the third shot I took him in the head. Even my son only hunted with his .243 one year as he had the same kind of experience.

PS: I have never crippled or lost a deer in 44 years of gun hunting.
Oh and did I mention that I really, really like my .308.

You're trying to tell us that the difference in the thickness of the barrel makes a difference on the ballistic performance when the bullet hits the animal? IF so you have no clue about ballistics and bullet performance. Maybe you should look at the actual bullets you were shooting instead of the caliber of them. Or maybe look at your shooting because a well made 243 bullet (designed for deer) will kill any whitetail that ever walked if put through it's lungs. There are of course always that odd shot that doesn't kill as quick as you would think but that can happen with any caliber, sometime stuff just happens! I shot a little buck right through the lungs with a 375 H&H and it ran 100yds and the next deer I shot with it (within about 3" of the same spot) dropped on the spot. Using one example is not a very good statistic.

[JETSTER]

This kind of response is exactly why I don't normally get involved with gun conversation. All I did was share my experience with a .243. When you put 2 shots of a .243 right through both lungs of a whitetail standing broadside at 75 yards and the deer just stands there wondering what the noise is all about its time to hang up the .243. For the third shot I took him in the head. Even my son only hunted with his .243 one year as he had the same kind of experience.

PS: I have never crippled or lost a deer in 44 years of gun hunting.
Oh and did I mention that I really, really like my .308.


Yep seen a buck shot square in the front shoulder wit a 243 and deer just ran away never to be seen again....Now if that was 30-06 it would of blown off both front shoulders and the deer would be trying to run with just 2 feet!!!!

[suntracker]

if you were shooting a 85 tsx and hit the deer in the front shoulder it would be dead where it stood. Not using proper bullets and placeing them correctly is not the guns fault. I have seen a deer shot in the lungs with a .375 ultra mag run off and found 500 plus yards away. it is 2012 not 1956 any more if people would use properly constucted projectiles and shoot more than 10 times a year they would not see such issues. I have shot pdogs with my 308 that have crawled back in their hole i must be under guned. placement,construction, headstamp is how it goes for some i would just stick to fishing the way it sounds here.

[Weak Daze]

Could it be that the .243 was fast enough and had a small enough (bullet) projectile, that when the deer was
hit in the lungs, that the bullets passed clean through without expanding ?

[JETSTER]

if you were shooting a 85 tsx and hit the deer in the front shoulder it would be dead where it stood. Not using proper bullets and placeing them correctly is not the guns fault. I have seen a deer shot in the lungs with a .375 ultra mag run off and found 500 plus yards away. it is 2012 not 1956 any more if people would use properly constucted projectiles and shoot more than 10 times a year they would not see such issues. I have shot pdogs with my 308 that have crawled back in their hole i must be under guned. placement,construction, headstamp is how it goes for some i would just stick to fishing the way it sounds here.


Maybe you just blew a leg off the prarie dog!!!!!Did you stick your head in the hole to find out?????

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

Could it be that the .243 was fast enough and had a small enough (bullet) projectile, that when the deer was
hit in the lungs, that the bullets passed clean through without expanding ?

Chances are that was the case. The proper bullet in the proper location should be the goal for every shooter. Just buying a box off the shelf isn't really sufficient.

[suntracker]

Maybe you just blew a leg off the prarie dog!!!!!Did you stick your head in the hole to find out?????

No maybe saw its guts hanging out as it drug it self back in the whole. Holes in lungs kill stuff. I have shot deer with a multitude of boolits from smk,amax,scenars to nbt,acubonds and tsx with others in the mix. Shot with any thing from the fast 6mm to the .375 and one thing is proven agin and agin hit in the correct spot stuff dies plain and simple. It is nice living in gods country go catch limit of walleyes in morning and then go to dog town and between them and steel but a couple hundred rounds down range. This year shot dogs all winter along with yotes. The problem is more with the shooer than the gun being shot as most take the gun out nov 1 and sight in and but it back in the safe end of november then when they miss they blame every thing except their crappy shooting ability. give me some one who shoots a small cal acurate over some one who shoots a big one to just hit a pie plate every day and i will show you dead critters. give me a fast twist 6mm pushing the 105 amax or 115 dtac and under a 1000 lazer beam is what comes to mind