Roskoe

The .243 seems to be one of those calibers that kills a lot better than it should. Two things that are necessary to make it work: good shot placement and the right bullet. Some bullets I have had success with over the years include: 85 gr. Sierra HPBT, Hornady 87 gr. Spirepoint, 95 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip, 100 gr. Speer Grand Slam, 100 gr. Sierra Pro Hunter, and the 105 gr. Hornady A-max (1:9 twist minimum).

stubblejumper

My experience does not agree at all.I spend many days at the range each year and I see hundreds of different shooters.Yes there are people that are scared of the recoil of their magnum rifles,and that shoot poorly as a result.But there are also people that are just as scared of their lightweight 270s and 30-06s that shoot just as badly or worse.However there arepeople that show up at the range and shoot a shot or two at an 8" gong at 100 yards and if they hit it they don't fire another shot.Then there are those that fire a shot or two then adjust the scope and leave without firing another shot to verify the adjustment.Just as bad are those people that show up at the range and sight in with the cheapest loads possible because theyare saving their good loads for hunting.They have no idea where the gun shoots with their hunting load.Then there are those people that pick up whatever ammo is cheapest on their way out hunting.There are those people that sight in at 25 yards yet attempt 300 yard shots based solely on trajectory tables or calculations.Or those people that borrow a rifle but don't even check the zero.Then there are those people that miss several deer and still don't bother to shoot at a target to check the zero because it would be a waste of ammo.
There are many reasons for those deer running around missing a leg but only a small percentage of them are due to magnum rifles.

vital shooter

I say if your into antler hunting and on public ground,use the largest caliber you can handle to bring the beast down.Or blow it's shoulder out.If you can't drop them in their tracks from a well placed vital shot with a smaller caliber, your trophy could end up with someone elses tag on it on the other side of the hill. I have honestly seen 4 deers hit in the vitals from 7-08 and 243 and they still ran about 50yrds .And I have seen them hit in the shoulders and dropped in their tracks with the same calibers. I think you have to look at deer like hunting grizzly when it comes to smaller calibers. Shoot them in the shoulder and break that bone so they drop in their tracks and can't go more than 5 yrds.Stop their motivation.

James B

I guess I might agree or disagree depending on what you call a smaller caliber when it comes to putting deer down quick. I had a couple 300 Win Mags that I hunted with quite a bit. I could never say that I could put them down faster with the 300 Mag than I can with my 270. I think you reach a point with a given animal when you have enough power to drop the animal and more power will make little or no difference. Shot placement being much more important. I don't use the shoulder shot on deer UNLESS for some reason I want to anchor the animal in its tracks. The vitals hit with the 270 will end things pretty much right mow. Although I use many different calibers, I consider the 270-280 to be about the perfect medicine for big mule deer.

Doe Dumper

James you beat me by 1 this year...I was 7 of 8 but you guessed it..the one miss was the biggest buck I have shot at to date..lol. Trouble with a caliber for me would absolutely be the 243. At the risk of invoking the wrath of zrex I just havent had good experiences with it. As far as bullets go...there wont be anymore ballistic tips tried for deer. Dunno if it was a bad batch or what..but back in 96 I had a box of Fed prems with 165 gr b tips in a 30-06 and knocked 2 deer down and never found either. I see other folks having great success with them..so is the bullet a waste? Not at all...but I just had bad experience with it. Maybe one of these days I'll load some b tips in the 243 and go bust both jinx's


Im still shaking my head and laughin at Stubbles post....just because I see the exact same things he mentions at the range here allllll the time

James B

Thats the way Ballistic tip reports go. Love/Hate. I still have two tags left but have until Jan 10th. Time is getting crowded though. We are taking the Grandkids for 6 days between Xmas and New Years and I have two doctors appointments mixed in there. Plus helping my Daughter move some stuff from one house to another. Hope I will sneak in the time for a few more days of hunting.

I would like to see the Fusion bullets sold to reloaders but it probably won't happen. Its a bonded core bullet but with a few differences (according to Federal) I was impressed buy the way they worked. Good exit wounds but not much excess damage.

Doe Dumper

James I know a hillbilly who would love to help ya get rid of some of those pesky mulies

James B

That could probably be arranged. My freezer is full right now but my Daughter wants some steak and Burger if I can get it down to her place. One good thing, In ND I need not worry about keeping it frozen. We are getting below zero most nights.

I will be anxious to try the 270 WSM next season. It is not really a lot hoter than the regular 270. The Sierra Manual only shows 100 fps difference between the two. However their data for the 270 Winchester is developed with a Savage 26 inch barrel while the 270 WSM's data is from a 24 inch barrel. I don't have much data for the WSM yet. Most of my Manuals are to old. The Sierra has it and I think the Barnes manual has it. I guess the Lyman manual shows it too.

Rammer

I've got all the new Nosler info for the 270WSM if you would like any of that info just let me know!

James B

Yes. If you have it handy. I was thinking of trying the 140 gr Ballistic tip and the 130 Partition.