Feelings on a .243 for deer hunting?

Originally Posted by counter dicktator

You counterdicted yourself at least 5 times in your statement above. Do you realize how much damage you've done by spouting these expert marksman expectations to those who are not of that calibur? Because of your actions, there will be a ton of misses and a double ton of wounded and never recovered game. It may work for you. But, it don't work for the average hunter.

Folks, keep your shots at distances that correspond to the flat shooting ballistics for your firearm. That means that if your bullet drops over 10 inches at any distance, don't take the shot. It also means that if you are shooting a bullet under 100 grains in more than a 10-15 mph wind, and beyond 150 yards, don't take the shot.

About the only thing I agree with is buying good optics.

You must hunt where there is no open areas because 150 yards is a chip shot out west. I have plenty of time to dial the scope after i hit a deer with the laser range finder. So you are saying that since the .308 drops 12.3 inches at 300 yards that is a bad shot hahaha. Becaue of my actions there are going to be a ton of missed how do you figure if some on takes the time to shoot and learn how to shoot i would say there will be twice as many hits. That is the problem with the average slob hunter who thinks it is ok to go and sight in the gun at 100yds the day before the season maybe getting out and shooting and practiceing shooting in hunting situations would help but guess if you are happy being the best of the worst and worst of the best that your problem not mine. Tell me this how are people shooting 1000 yds with the 95 grn bergers at MOA of better? Maybe get out of a tree stand and hunt a area bigger than 2 acres and a shot longer than 150 yds will happen. Well am going to go shoot some p-dogs and think i might start at about 500 and work out to 800 the pink mist looks great from that distance.

[Sportdog]

I've taken two whitetail bucks with my .243 and the results were two very dead deer. One was shot at 75 yards, quartering away and the other at 200 yards, face on. In both cases the bucks dropped on the spot. The deer shot quartering away dropped and never even kicked. I found the bullet on the off shoulder, just under the hide. The deer shot face on was hit dead center of the chest and I found the bullet lodged in his diaphram. Both were shot with Hornady 100 grain Spire Points and the bullets came apart. Almost like a hand grenade went off in their chest. I now use my .243 strictly for coyotes but if I were to hunt deer with it I would use a more controlled expansion bullet in case my aim was a little off. I now hunt deer with larger calibers but would not feel undergunned with the .243.

[T Mac]

LOL!
Now we are starting to sound like some of the shooting messageboards I check on periodically.

Oh.. on the .243.
It is a nice gun for deer and antelope.
But a guy needs plenty of guns...different ones for different things...
You can't have too many.
It is kind of like .....crankbaits.

[tds2180]

IMHO the 243 is not an acceptable whitetail gun(great predator gun though), but i hunt wisconsin and whitetails can get pretty big. I would recommend the 7mm-08. It's a fast, acurrate load with low recoil. The 7mm-08 carries much more energy behind the bullet then the .243. I agree with the 10" drop rule and wouldn't go beyond a 300 yard shot even though the caliber can handle it. I recommend 7mm-08 with a 140 grain accutip boatail

[RSR]

I think range estimation plays a big factor with such a light caliber. I have personally seen 2 bucks lost due to shoulder hits from a 243. Kinda like the guys near us that think they can kill deer at 400 yards because their 30-30 is a rifle.

[Phil T]

It's like hunting pheasant with a 28 gauge shotgun. The shooter needs to be good.

[cspierings]

I don't claim to know which is best but I can tell you what I have seen over the last few years using 4 calibers. The guns are a Ruger M77 MK11 in 243, a Remington Model 7 in 7mm08 and a Rem M700 in 300 win mag and a Rem M700 in 30-06.

243, three deer, two 1 shot kills the third a finishing shot on a deer hit by a Rem 7mm mag in the back. On the first one I used a nosler particiton 95 or 100 grains handloaded, shot just behind the shoulder, got both lungs and nicked a rib on the way out. The deer ran 50 yards some blood trail. Too thick to see it drop but did hear it. This year my 13 yo shot his first buck with that rifle hit the righ sholder ball and the left one going out messed up one lung (from looking at it during gutting). That deer went 60 yards, don't know how with two very messed up shoulders. Was a very old buck on the decline. No blood trail little hair. Tore up the meat in the front end pretty bad. The boy used factory load 100 grain remington core lokts. The finishing shot I referenced as the non-one shot kill in the head and it went in the top of the head and out the bottom range was 20 yards again with a core lokt. I'm not counting it as a one shot kill because the deer was already going to die from being hit by the 7mm mag. I just didn't want to see it suffer.

7mm08 - First year with the rifle this year. I took a deer with a single shot just behind the shoulders, 140 grain core lokt factory load. Looked like someone took a can of red paint and slopped it along the deer's trail. Deer went about 50 yards and dropped. The bottom of both lungs were pulp. Didn't think there would be much meat damage but the amount of blood shot between the rib cage and shoulders was quite a bit.

30-06 using 165 bullets handloaded to about 2800 FPS. Shot 5 deer over the last 10 or so years single shot kills in all cases at varying ranges only had one go more than about 40 yards and that was a 125 yard shot through both lungs. Impressive blood trails. Quite a bit of meat damage especially if major bones like those in the front shoulder were involved. Most deer dropped in place.

300 win mag - 165 Game Kings handloaded to about 3K FPS. I know this is a bit heavy, but like to shoot this rifle the best of any I have listed and was originally bought for elk. It is the most accurate rifle I own. 4 of the last 5 deer shot with it dropped in place out to about 180 yards. The one that didn't (nice 8 point)drop was an 80 yard shot through both lungs went about 75 yards and expired. My Dad was lining up a shot on it when it fell. Meat damage with this rifle/bullet is incredible if I hit anything more significant than a rib.

To me the 243 is plenty but I do think that shot placement is critical. I really like shooting a gun that puts them down where they stand. Having said that the 243 is the easiest one to shoot. The 7mm08 is on such a light gun I feel more recoil than the 300 win mag which has a 26" barrel. The 06 kicks like a mule compared to the others.

The 100 grain core lokts did just fine on some significant bone structure on my boy's buck this year and the bullet came out the other side. I am shocked that deer went that far with his front end all busted up. The shot was pretty close though, only about 30 yards. The only knock I have on the 243 is that on that ruger with its slim profile barrel you can't shoot it a ton at the range without it heating up. I am a big Remington fan but that little Ruger is pretty important to my son and I have to say it is awful handy in a blind.

Originally Posted by tds2180

IMHO the 243 is not an acceptable whitetail gun(great predator gun though), but i hunt wisconsin and whitetails can get pretty big. I would recommend the 7mm-08. It's a fast, acurrate load with low recoil. The 7mm-08 carries much more energy behind the bullet then the .243. I agree with the 10" drop rule and wouldn't go beyond a 300 yard shot even though the caliber can handle it. I recommend 7mm-08 with a 140 grain accutip boatail

Big whitetail is still a average muley and the 85grn tsx at 386 yrds swaro range finder punched through both front shoulders and it was a big buck drt. shoot the right bullet and cal is a moot point. I shoot more in a week than most people do in a year so i guess practice makes perfect. the 10 inch drop thing is retarded who gives a shat if it drops thirty inches if you need 18 moa dial hold check wind and dead. just went to a match this week and 2 guys were shooting there little .243 out to a 1000 with the 115 dtacs to moa.

[tds2180]

The average shooter does not have the obvious experience as you. If a person has to ask if the 243 is is even big enough i wouldn't assume they are an experienced shooter. I don't think an average shooter should shoot past 300 yards mainly because they don't spend enough time at the range to accurately compensate for a precise shot after all conditions have been applied. I have no problem shooting accurately at 500 yards at the range, but that doesn't mean in the field i'm going to attempt a 500 yard shot out of respect for the animal i am hunting.