I agree with all of the points of the .243. Own a little beauty built on a Mauser 98. It is a shooter and extolls all that you have said. Still, on my largest deer to date (which only went 16 yards after being struck by the 100 grain handload!) the bullet killed the deer but blew up completely. I know that the bullet selection was a little suspect, but for that reason I developed a hesitation when targeting really large animals. When I have a bubba on my plan (not too often I might add)I usually carry my 6.5 X 55 with 140 gr pills or my 30/06 with 165 pills.
I know the 243 only lags behind a little bit, and is better on trajectory, but my shots are generally under 100 yards, so that part is a moot point.