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Darn 243's and Magnums

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Darn 243's and Magnums

Old 12-17-2005, 09:28 PM
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Default Darn 243's and Magnums

Got your attention? This year at the deer camp since none of us had grown any younger, The talk got back to hunts of yesterday and the hunters now gone from the bunch. Talk about deer rifles and bullets and all that stuff brought me to realize that just a few things from the past can start a pattern, at least in a guys mind. I have had very little trouble getting deer to go down in a pretty good hurry. However most of the times that I remember having trouble, involved the 243 and less than spectacular results. Many of the group has had a little trouble with Ballistic tip bullets and in their mind the ballistic tip is just not a deer bullet. Same for the Corlokt. Many swear by it and a few swear at it. A few or even very few things like this starts to form a pattern. The old "Magnums blow up way to much meat" always enters the arguement even though its obvious that poor shot placement is the cause regardless of caliber. The worst I ever blew a deer up was with a 145 grain Speer hotcore from a 280. One fellow has killed his deer every year since befor I was born with his Model 94 Winchester. Well he is patient and never gets in a hurry and knows the land and deer habits better than the deer do. To him the 30-30 is the best deer gun ever made.

I got down on the 243 and maybe I always will be. However every year thousands of hunters get their deer with the 243. Anyone else develope any patterns like this or is it just me?
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Old 12-17-2005, 09:50 PM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

The only real way to take a deer is with bow an arrow so you don't wreck any meat

I guess I don't get too worked up over the calibers people use to shoot deer with. I get pissed when I see 2 legged/3 legged deer running around. Its the people that shoot these big magnums, but are too scared to leave their eyes open when they "yank" on the trigger that are causing this I believe. I have a buddy that shoots a 300WSM and is going to trade it off for a 300 Ultra Mag, because it just can't kill deer. Then when I watch him shoot, I know when he is going to pull the trigger because the rifle jerks, his head is pulled and BANG, followed by a few choice words, then BANG, then a few more choice words, then BANG again, and Yaaa that slowed him down a little as a leg is flopping.

So I guess I get upset when people are "Magnum Crazy" and they have to have a hand cannon in order to kill a deer.

Personally, I love shooting deer with my lil 243, 95gr CT BTs work wonders on deer (all dropped dead in their tracks last fall) and this year I shot 100gr Sierra BT SP, and the one deer I shot with it (so far) dropped right in her tracks.
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Old 12-17-2005, 11:14 PM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

Thats what I mean. You have had success with the 243. Of all the rifles I have used and thats a lot, My least successful has been the 243. This includeds the 223. Just the way it worked out I guess. I have shot quite a few deer with the 243 that were good kills as well. However the confidence just is not there.
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Old 12-17-2005, 11:17 PM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

To tell ya the truth I have shot many deer with my 223's as well, but would I trust it for my main deer rifle, nope, I just don't have the confidence in it to do what I want.

My 243 gets put aside if the wind is blowing anything over 20mph and my 7mag is back in my hands, and with that gun I have all the confidence in the world to take anything on this continent with and other continents for that matter.
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Old 12-18-2005, 02:29 AM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

rammer, you can't place all the blame on large caliber rifles. every animal i have ever taken with my wby. .300 mag. has dropped in their tracks or ran less than 50 yards. i have taken game that, when i field dressed, i have found 4 to 6 inches of aluminum arrow in...with broadheads. it all come down to shot placement. people are either not prepared by not practicing enough with their weapon or flat out taking bad shots. it all comes down to shot placement, truth be known...more deer have probally been taken with a .22 lr than any other weapon, by means of poaching.
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Old 12-18-2005, 07:07 AM
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Old 12-18-2005, 07:49 AM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

I mucked up a bow shot on a big bull elk this year. I practiced all spring and summer everyday. **** happens. Along with thiss you will muck up a rifle shot from time to time. If a person is totally patient it rarely happens at all. I guide hunters and all of them show up with super super magnums. One out of five guys can consitiently hit a 6 inch bullseye at a 100yds. In my opinion that is awful. If you can't handle that much gun then you are better off with the smaller cartrigde in my opinion. Anyone who starts their kid off hunting with a magnum needs their head examined. With the right shot placement I ask you this how dead is dead?
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Old 12-18-2005, 07:57 AM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

James, I know where you are coming from with this post. It seems like certain circles of friends get on a kick where the whole groups seems to follow. For example, alot of my friends (including me) a few years back got kinda bored with the 30-06. So we all went out and bought 7 rem mags, 300 winny's etc. But after the load development was over and the newness wore off I found myself going back to the 06. I try to get to a point where during gun season, I carry all of my deer rifles at least one day. (thank godness for a 2 week season ) But when it all is said and done, the 06 gets out the most. I love my 06 (760) and like the ability of taking running shots with it. It shoulders and swings better than any of my bolts, and I just plain like it. None of my other friends have went back to the 06 though.
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Old 12-18-2005, 08:21 AM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

Good post James. I guess that's why there are as many cartridges out there as opinions. I killed a ton of deer with my .243 over the years and a lot with my 270. None of these deer knew the difference. My current chambering for deer is the 7mm-08.
I have no problem with guys using mags. as long as they can handle them. Shot placement is the key to sucessfully harvesting an animal.
I too have a cartridge that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and that's the .308 Win. Yeah I know a lot of guys swear by it but, at least in my experience, did not perform up to its reputation. I had 2 rifles in this chambering and both were accurate but performance on game left something to be desired. Using the 243 and the 270 I was used to seeing my deer fall were they stood but not with the 308. I got these deer but they always ran off. I also lost a big black bear using this cartridge. I saw my 4 rounds of 180 gr 308s hit the running bear in the chest because he was water soaked from a night of pouring rain. I undoubtly would have recovered this bear but unfortunately he went about 150 yds into another hunter. Since then I have killed bear with 30-06, 300 Win Mag and 45-70. The farthest any have gone was a big boar hit with the 45-70 and he only went 30 yds.
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Old 12-18-2005, 09:54 AM
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Default RE: Darn 243's and Magnums

The 308 over the years had provided more dead in their tracks game animals than most any other cartridge. This is what got me thinking about all this. Why has the 308 out performed my other even more powerfull cartridges? Well I think its because I used that 308 for steel silhouette shooting thus shooting hundreds of rounds practicing and shooting matches with it. I never altered the load, I shot the 190 grain Hornady BTHP with 40 grains of 4064. I was so familiar with that gun and what it would do at all different ranges that it was like sleep walking..

Same with the Ballistic tip bullets which have a love/hate relationship with hunters. I have used the BT's in almost every caliber and have just had perfect performance from them while other hunters hate them.

Mossy sounds like me. WHAT use the same gun two days in a row??? Heaven forbid.Although I did break that rule this year when I did 7 for 7 with the 270. A GREAT ELK CARTRIDGE.Not 7 elk though, just mule deer.

I shot a lot of Magnum rifles as well. They didn't bother me when I used them every day. However the shoulder went bad and when they started bothering the shoulder, I got rid of them. I can do everything in NA without a Magnum of any kind. In some cases they may do the job under more different conditions but the pain isn't worth it.
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