ZREX, if you're saying im spewing about stuff i dont know about, then you're WRONG! im having a hard time expressing my anger at this statement without using something that would get me banned. i take offense to this. It's COMMON SENSE! a 100 grain bullet will drift more than a 150 grain bullet. take a piece of paper and a pencil. drop them off a height where there is some wind. i think the pencil should fall pretty much straight down while the piece of paper, crumpled or not, will shift. I've poured hours of research into this specific topic. i know what i'm talking about. the .243 also has a lack of Kinetic Energy compared the the .30's and the .270's and 7mm's..lighter bullets hit with less kinetic energy when moving at the same speed as a heavier bullet. Sure, the .243 may shoot out to 400 or 500 yards. it can do this. But the wind WILL blow it around, and it WILL NOT hit with anywhere near as close of energy as a .270, .30 cal gun, or 7mm gun. at 400 yards, the .243 loaded with a 100 grain bullet hits with 880 ft lbs of energy. a .30-06 witha 180 grain bullet hits with 1360 ft lbs of muzzle energy. thats darn near a 500 ft lb difference in Kinetic Energy!!!! The generally accepted number for minimum energy at impact point is 900 foot lbs. the .243 just doesnt deliver this at 400 yards.

Also Zrex, VELOCITY IS NOT EVERYTHING, if you havent already learned that. Roy Weatherby thought that way. Sure, you can get you bullet going 3400 FPS, but that doenst mean jack squat when compared to Kinetic energy. I guaruntee that a heavy dangerous game caliber like a .458 Win or a .416 Rigby traveling at a slower speed than your average deer gun caliber will kill a deer faster because of MORE KINETIC ENERGY. Velocity isnt anything when you compare it to KE.

Browning, thanks for a great table that is TRUTHFUL. No way in heck coulda .243 ever have more energy than a 130 grain bullet out of a .270 Win.

when it all boils down, from personal experience, the best deer gun is a Remington 700 MTN or a Model 700 BDL SS DM. The Mountain Rifle has an awesome combination of rock solid accuracy, light weight, and a nice looking gun over all. the BDL SS is all of that and weatherproof. the Detachable Magazines are very handy. no fumbling with loose shells. just put the magazine in and you're good to go.

slayer