Most of the guys who tell you that the .243 won't do it right on a deer are lifelong .30-06 shooters, like myself, so take what they tell ya with a grain of salt. It has a lot less energy than some rounds, so it can't be worth anything, but truth be told, it's really worth a lot. Here in Kansas, I'd say it's a better all around gun than my .30-06, better accuracy and less damage for small game, and only big game is whitey's and muley's. It'll do the job at practically any range you would ethically take a shot at, it's just that it doesn't give you the 300+ yrd shot that larger rounds give you (which shouldn't be taken by 99% of us anyway). There isn't such a thing as too dead, so it's better for us that do to ensure that we pack enough to drop them stepless.

Mostly it's about personal preference and ability, I've shot a couple good sized Kansas deer with a .243 at ranges out to just under 200yrds, not one argued about dying (and I don't shoot unless I can get a shoulder shot). I've never noticed that they've ran any farther than when hit by my .30-06 bullets, all of them dropping within 50 yrds. I've known a lot of guys that will only hunt with .243, after giving up bigger rounds, because when you hunt ranges of only 200 yrds, you don't need that extra punch. Cousin of mine took a 280# whitetail buck last year running at 75yrds with a .243 (handloads of course, forget what bullet), I watched it fall, looked more like a duck hit by shot than a deer, running then flopped...skidded and never moved.

It ain't an ample round like a .30-06 or 7mm mag, but it's still enough to knock them in the mud.

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!