The .243 is a legal caliber for deer in EVERY state that allows the use of rifles for deer hunting. .22 caliber centerfire rifles are legal in 38 of the 43 states that allow rifle hunting for deer! There are a few states that set .24 as the minimum. FOR ELK... Obviously, the .243 can't be used in shotgun/muzzleloader/pistol cartridge only states. I've used the .30-06, the .243 and 7mm Rem Mag (with MR rounds) for deer hunting. In my limited experience, the .243 has dropped the deer just as efficiently and just as effectively as the other two. Just pick your spots. Behind the shoulder, through the lungs = dead whitetail.

A little hint for anyone seeking deer hunting rifle advice... If someone recommends the .30-30, and disses the .25-06, RUN. That person doesn't have a clue. The .30-30 is obviously a good deer cartridge. It's harvested millions of deer. The .25-06 is better in EVERY possible measure of a "good deer cartridge" (as is the .243...).

Hehehehe !

One friend owns the weatherby in .243 and it drives tacks with anything you put in it, even the 55 gr.

Check this out, one friend has used a .243 for about 13 years now, he bought a 7-08 2 seasons ago and has taken about 5 deer with it so far. The other night we were talking and he said his .243 leaves bigger holes than the 7-08. Not my words those are his.

If you would look at the beginning of the thread, it talks about a caliber for a young femalehunter. Yes, the 25-06 is a good deer caliber, but I would not use it for a young, new hunter. The thread was about low recoil guns for a youth not a deer caliber in general, and IMOthe 25-06 is a not a low recoil gun to a new, young hunter. Please do us all a favor and make sure YOU know what you are talkingabout before you slam another person on the forum.

I have handloaded 25-06 for people for deer hunting, and it hasperformed very well. Every shot providedaone shot kill. One thing about a 25-06 is you will lose quite a bit of meat, especially if the shot is within 100 to 125 yards.

As I stated, there were a couple of states that HAD banned the 243 (can't remember which ones), but I don't know if they were still banned (go back to original post). There was a newspaperarticle how ND and MN (I am from that area) were doing their own research to see if they would be removing the 243 as an approved caliber for deer. Inital research showed that a higher number of deer were lost when a 243 was used.

As far as having to use a second shot on a deer when using a 270 or 30-06, some people don'tunderstand how critical bullet selection is. A load make for elk will not perform as well on deer. You want the second shock wave to hit just as it hits the vitals, not on the way out of the vitals. High power firearms quite often kill by shock. The shock wave of a 270 or 30-06 will outperform the shock wave of the 243.

The Vanguard is a real nice for the money.The only thing I didn't like is the wieght,it's a bit on the heavy side.
I just bought the Remington 700 in .243

Look at the discussion on this website about the Fusion ammo in 270. Bigger holes does not mean it did a better job in the vitals. I agree that the 243 will make bigger holes in the meat as it is a varmint caliber that can take deer with the correct bullet. You want the big shock wave to occur in the vitals and not the muscles/meat.

And as we've stated, we can't find any truth to your statement. While a number of states (mine included) do not permit big game hunting with anything less than a .243, the simple fact that you "don't know if they were still banned" casts a very black cloud over your entire argument.

As well, I can't seem to find any references anywhere on the net or proofof your allegednewspaper article's existence. On the other hand, it does appear that BOTH North Dakota and Minnesota not only allow the .243, but the .22 centerfires as well.

http://gf.nd.gov/hunting/faq/deerhunting.html

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/regulations/hunting/legalcartridges.html

So, unless you can provide some kind of substantiation to your proposed argument against the .243, you'll forgive me if I choose to categorize it as fabricated or imagined. "Can't remember" isn't a very good defense.

Sorry, but, I know exactly what I'm talking about, unless you can provide some similar explanation as to why you said not to "ignore the .308 and the .30-30", but not the .25-06. I can understand your recoil argument as relates to the .30-30, as it has a little less than the .25-06. Not so for the .308, which has quite a bit more... But, while the gentleman in the initial post talked about either a .243 or a 7mm-08 for a young girl, recoil is not something HE mentioned.

Interesting that you make this recoil argument, yet recommend in another post that the gentleman get her a 7mm-08. The .25-06 with a 120 gr. bullet actually has slightly less recoil than the 7mm-08 with a 140 gr. bullet. To quote you... " Please do us all a favor and make sure YOU know what you are talkingabout before you slam another person on the forum."

heheheheh

I didnt know big holes dont kill deer, its the second shock wave. Oh ok what guns are good for second shock waves.

20mm..............................they hit the ground in pre-cut steaks,chops +rsts...........................Harold

I have a 6.5x55 in a Ruger and this is accurate and hardly any recoil to speak of. I think this would be fine for a young female. As mentioned above, this round has many applications.

Ed