A 243 will definitely kill deer cleanly out to 250 yards. Some will tell you that it is on the light end of the spectrum for deer but I have killed a lot of deer with one including my best buck ever last year. The thing about a 243 is that its sort of a dual purpose gun depending on the type of bullet you are using. There are bullets out there for the 243 in low grain weights that are intented for varmit hunting. Unfortunately every year people who don' t know any better shoot deer with these light weight bullets and often get poor results and lost deer. Stick with at least 100 grain bullets in a corelock or some other controlled expansion type round like a nosler partition and a 243 will shoot smooth through any whitetail in America. As for how far a deer will go after the shot? Well that depends on where you hit it. I' ve dropped them in their tracks and I' ve had them run 50 yards or more on occasion. However I have had exactly the same results with my 30-06. Some dropped on the spot and some ran a ways. I have seen deer shot through the heart and lungs with a 300 magnum run a hundred yards before. There is no guarantee of always anchoring one on the spot with any gun (despite what some will tell you) but if you put the bullet where you should with any of the calibers mentioned here a deer won' t go far enough for it to matter.
I own a 243 , 30-06 and a 7mm mag. The older I get the more I lean back towards my 243. I just think that all these big magnums are overkill for most whitetail hunters.
I have been using one for deer and antelope and they have always worked fine . They are just like any other gun if you hit them right they are going down ,if you don' t even the magnums won' t make up for lousy shooting .
The 243 Win is nothing to sneeze at. Bullet placement is of course always importnant, but when you are using a smaller bullet one would think it would be that much more important. The good thing about the 243 is that with its mild recoil it will allow you to spend many hours at the range honing your shooting skills. Be sure to use a quality bullet of at least 95 grains for deer.
The .243 win is a classic round, has killed piles of deer and will continue to do so. Low recoil, mild report, ammo is available everywhere and at a decent cost. For deer and othe smaller big game you can' t go wrong if you keep the range around 300 yards and of course hit where you aim.
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Aim Straight,
NBH
" If guns cause crime......mine are defective" ----Ted
Nugent
" Fast is fine......accurate is final "
NRA Life Member
have taken a lot of deer with a 243 up to 300 yds,shot a buck years ago in the throat at 287 yds,using a hornady 87 gr bullet.Lucky----maybe??
Don' t use it or my 06 much any more because I have a lot of other calibers,I usually carry a different gun every time I go,because I like them all.Have a new 280 and 270 wsm to try this comming year till I take one with them.To me a 243 will make them just as dead as anything else.
With any caliber you need to practice more than the day before season opens.
Good luck whatever you choose.
I used a 243 for years and still use one occasionally. With so little recoil, it really allows you to focus on your shooting skills. If they were under 200 yards, I' d neck shoot them and drop em in there tracks. todd was right about the bullets and I don' t suggest using any ballistic tips in the .243. My biggest deer was also taken with a .243.
243..good for deer?
