Thats the exact results I have seen with the 243 on deer. If forced to use one for deer I would load the nosler Partition as a first choice and the Ballistic tip as a second choice. I have had a lot of expierence with seeing the 243 used on deer while guiding. In the hands of a very good shot and a person who can pass up iffy shots, its ok. For beginers by whom it most often used, I feel its about the poorest choice out there. I have seen far to many deer run to far and seen to many people give up on them and they die later. And YES I have sometimes seen them drop on the spot. Just not often enough to suit me.

Were I to buy a new one, it would be a toss-up between the Savage accu-trigger and the Browning A-Bolt.