How much drop?
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425

Depends on the gun and bullet...If shooting out to 300 yards you don't want to sight dead on at 100 yards anyway...
I sight mine in 2 1/2 inches high at 100 yards and I'm hitting about 6 inches low at 300...She is 2 inches high at 200 and dead on at 250...This is with standard 100gr CoreLokts...
If you want another good, long range bullet, try the Federal Premium 85gr Sierra GameKing HPBT...Sight in 2 1/2 high at 100 yards and you should be about 3 inches low at 300...
I can't stress enough that this needs to be verified in your own personal rifle...Through the years, I've killed deer with around a dozen different factory .243 loadings...I've seen some, when sighted in 2 1/2 high at 100 yards be as much as 6 inches low at 250...
I sight mine in 2 1/2 inches high at 100 yards and I'm hitting about 6 inches low at 300...She is 2 inches high at 200 and dead on at 250...This is with standard 100gr CoreLokts...
If you want another good, long range bullet, try the Federal Premium 85gr Sierra GameKing HPBT...Sight in 2 1/2 high at 100 yards and you should be about 3 inches low at 300...
I can't stress enough that this needs to be verified in your own personal rifle...Through the years, I've killed deer with around a dozen different factory .243 loadings...I've seen some, when sighted in 2 1/2 high at 100 yards be as much as 6 inches low at 250...
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Western Nebraska
Posts: 3,393

from 200 to 300, roughly 7 inches
However there's a lot of issues to consider.....such as what distance was it sighted in for.
There in the Chippewa Falls area (I usually hunt there every year) you'll do very well with that .243 and 100 grain bullets. Darn thing really works....
One of my finest whitetails came from the Chippewa county forest.....I used a .375 H&H and it was all the talk all over the county back in 1977!
Last edited by Vapodog; 10-05-2010 at 05:18 PM.
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,476

I can't see well enough to shoot at 300 yrds anymore. 
I'd recommend seeing at what distance you can keep an acceptable group, then set your sight-in to include that furthest distance in a Point Blank Range calculation. BUT, then go the range and make positive sure what your rifle is doing.
My best deer ever fell to a .243 100 gr handload with a pretty vanilla bullet by today's standards. It was a 100 gr bullet with a "Winchester" name I bought from Midway. It was a very modest charge of IMR4064 and modest FPS but bullet placement was the key. In '95 when I shot the brute my ability to shoot distance was limited to about 250 yards ... fortunately the deer trotted broadside only 80 yrds away.
Rather than get too technical go to the range and have some fun.
If you don't have access to shooting more than 100 yrds then try to extrapolate the info by using some of the good ballistics charts available free online.
Good luck. I love the .243. Chances are that you will get most shot opportunities under 175 yards easy, unless you are shooting some bean fields or open western country.

I'd recommend seeing at what distance you can keep an acceptable group, then set your sight-in to include that furthest distance in a Point Blank Range calculation. BUT, then go the range and make positive sure what your rifle is doing.
My best deer ever fell to a .243 100 gr handload with a pretty vanilla bullet by today's standards. It was a 100 gr bullet with a "Winchester" name I bought from Midway. It was a very modest charge of IMR4064 and modest FPS but bullet placement was the key. In '95 when I shot the brute my ability to shoot distance was limited to about 250 yards ... fortunately the deer trotted broadside only 80 yrds away.
Rather than get too technical go to the range and have some fun.
If you don't have access to shooting more than 100 yrds then try to extrapolate the info by using some of the good ballistics charts available free online.
Good luck. I love the .243. Chances are that you will get most shot opportunities under 175 yards easy, unless you are shooting some bean fields or open western country.
#7
Banned
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 220

I would look at the charts for the ammo you are shooting, but my guess is that the .243 does not carry enough down range power to shoot a whitetail deer 300 yards anyways.
The bullet is too light and the distance is too far.
You want to keep at least 1500 ft lbs of force at the point of impact and a 30-30 Winchester barely has that at the barrel.
Bullet drift in a stiff wind might be as much as 20 inches.
The bullet is too light and the distance is too far.
You want to keep at least 1500 ft lbs of force at the point of impact and a 30-30 Winchester barely has that at the barrel.
Bullet drift in a stiff wind might be as much as 20 inches.
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Western Nebraska
Posts: 3,393

I would look at the charts for the ammo you are shooting, but my guess is that the .243 does not carry enough down range power to shoot a whitetail deer 300 yards anyways.
The bullet is too light and the distance is too far.
You want to keep at least 1500 ft lbs of force at the point of impact and a 30-30 Winchester barely has that at the barrel.
Bullet drift in a stiff wind might be as much as 20 inches.
The bullet is too light and the distance is too far.
You want to keep at least 1500 ft lbs of force at the point of impact and a 30-30 Winchester barely has that at the barrel.
Bullet drift in a stiff wind might be as much as 20 inches.
#10