I honestly thought this was a joke...With all the discusssions about a .243 on here lately...You put a 100 grain CoreLokt or Hornady through the shoulder blade of a 150-200 pound whitetail and they will drop right there.

No need for anything larger.

There seem to be two schools of thought on the 243: those who like it because it is probably the best varmint/deer caliber out there. And those who think it is poor excuse for a good varmint caliber (like the .22-250) and is also a poor excuse for areal deer gun (like a .260, 270, or 7MM-08).

My experiences with the 243 havent been good..but of course I cant shoot for s**t....this is what they tell me when I say my experiences are bad..lol. Since there is already a sense of doubt in your mind go ahead and bump up to the 260/270/7-08. Those calibers are all made in the cdl also I think with the exception of probably the 260.

IMO and of course Im gonna get blasted for this which I always do but I think the 243 is a little too big to shoot varmints all day and a little too small for a #1 deer gun. Not really sure what its intended use is. Let the bashing begin....but dont worry I wont be responding to any of them


With that being said...if it works for you and you like it...more power to you.

Doe Dumper,
You are not going to get any bashing from me on this one!
I have defended the .243/6MM as a "good minimum" for deer, and I really think that it is!
When I defend the .243, I think of others who detest it as a minimum, as much as I detest the .22 CF's!
The "tattle-tale" for the .22 shooters is they are mostly head/neck shooters! They KNOW that the .22's are NOT reliable for shots to the "REAL" vitals! On the other hand, the .243/6MM, with 100 gr. bullets will do the job all day long up to 250 yards or so!
I will say, step up from the .243 if possible! But, the .243 does give you a "room for error" that the .22's do not!
You are right, a little heavy for vermin, a little light for deer, but a good combo-gun minimum for deer!

I second that.

Sorry, I can't agree with anyone as ornery as Doe Dumper.

Never seen a deer hit in the shoulder with the 243, but I did see my son take one with a beutiful lung shot at a 100yds. Small entry large exit, dont see a problem.

If I hunted heavily hunted areas where I had to put deer down right now to avoid losing them then I would use a .308 win or a .35 whelen.

Funny that this is brought up yetagain. Maybe I shouldn't speak my thoughts since I just got in from tracking yet another deer shot with a dadgum .243. A friend of mine shot him at 3:00 this afternoon and we finally found him at 9:45(Didn't start looking til 5:45...got the dog about 8:00 after the blood dissapated to less than the pin drops we had perviously been finding).I don't know that we went a mile but it was close. This is the 4th deer I've helped him track in the last 2 years. He only ask me to help on the bucks.I don't knowhow many does he hasn't found.He has killed a few bucks and found them on his own but I'm betting that I've helped him track the other half that were shot with this gun. I think he is convinced that this is the last deer he will shoot with it. Deer was shot 50yds qtring away. Bullet went in about 3-4 ribs up and came out just a 4-5" rt of center on chest. Maybe a hair back but not much. I didn't hang around to help him clean it but I would say he weighed in the 170lb range. 100gr nospart. Exit hole was barely bigger than the entry hole. I am conviced and he was to that had he used his .280 (which was in his truck...he just chose the .243) that the deer wouldn't have made off the plot. He went in to shoot a doe and a nice buck walked out.

IMO the .243 is a at very best a very marginal deer gun. It will kill a deer. I won't deny that but there are better calibers with similar recoil that will do a much better job. I have to ask what you are planning on using the gun for? Strictly deer? Something else also? If its just a deer save yourself the headache and get a 7-08 or 308. More knock down and a much bigger entry and exit hole. The 243 just doesn't allow enough room for error. I know there are a bunch of people on here that are perfect shots every time. Thats great for them. I personally get buck fever every now and then and I want something I can miss a little with but still get the job done. From what you are saying you take the shot you get not the shot you want. Get something that you don't have to question. 308, 270, 260
Good luck.

This is not an argument, it is simply a statement of fact. If it is such a marginal caliber for deer, then why is it put into the hands of loads of kids every year to deer hunt with. Of course, the answer is because of the low recoil. But they are still successful, because of bullet choice and placement. And, it will bust through a shoulder at quartering to.

I also have a new .243 on the way, to be here Tuesday.

Also, if you are worried about it, shoot the Hornady Light Mag 100 gr. in it and it will slove any questions you might still have about the .243's ability.

God Bless