Always just a matter of time before someone will chime in that the .243 is for people who "can't handle" or "can't tolerate" recoil.
There are two very distinct camps when it comes to the lowly .243. Those who fill their freezers with it, and those who don't.
Which is more sad, the guy who hunts elk with a .243 because it's all he has? Or the guy with the .243 who wishes he were elk hunting but instead is wandering the aisles of the sporting goods store during elk season wishing he had a bigger rifle so that people on some internet forum wouldn't judge him as being "recoil sensitive?" As far as it being a "womens" or "girls" gun, if your wife or daughter is using one to hunt deer and you need something bigger, .....
We need fewer assumptions and less judging around here and more hunting.