243 and deer
 

I was given a remington 243 in a will. I already have a nice 270, but i want to set this gun up for deer hunting also. The gun has been shot 6 times and dropped one doe on the spot. Is this gun effective on deer. I don't do head shots, i like behind the shoulder. What factory ammo has the most knock down power. How does this gun compare to the 270, and my old trusty 30-30. Shots range from 35-60 yards give or take.

RE: 243 and deer
 

You have those who love...and those who hate the .243 as a deer cartridge. According to the "gunshop guy" here in Kentucky where I go to school the .243, 270 and 30-06 are far and away the most popular for deer. I'd say get a premium bullet for those close shots and have at it.

RE: 243 and deer
 

Look whatzrexpilotsondid with .243/ Fed 100gr Sierra Game King@ 200yds!
This is the exit side!

RE: 243 and deer
 

If you do your job with shot placement, the .243 will do its job. Most of the people I know that use the .243 use Hornady 100 grainBTSP bullets. Hit behind the shoulder the deer will be just as dead as a .270 hit. (I usea .270)

RE: 243 and deer
 

I know a many deer that had wished they were not shot with a .243, I think its a great round and at your distance should work exceptionally well,

RE: 243 and deer
 

You are a lucky guy...Its good that someone thought enough of you to give you a gun after they had departed....

How much do you want to hear about a .243??? I have used one for deer since 1980 and I can tell you, it makes an excellent deer rifle...I have already killed 4 with mine this year, in fact, I've gone to my flintlock because 4 is about all that my family will eat this year...I have killed at least 140 or so deer with this gun....Inside of 200 yards the factory Hornady 100 gr Interlock, the Federal Premium 100 gr Nosler Partition and the Remington 100 gr CoreLokt will all give good exit wounds and consistant blood trails...I have killed deer myself with all 3 of these loadings...Frankly I have killed 75 or so deer with plain old 100 grain CoreLokts...I used this bullet from 1980 until 1995, when I decided to try some other factory loadings and see the difference in wound channels...Good Luck...

RE: 243 and deer
 

I think the .243 is a great caliber for deer. I shoot a .270 which I've had for over 30 years, but if I lost that gun today, I would probably replace it with a .243. The main reason would be for less recoil during target practice.

RE: 243 and deer
 

I bought my son a Model 7 .243 when he decided he wanted to start hunting. I really liked it a lot when I was sighting it in for him. I'd been shooting an '06, but I'm a bit recoil averse, so I didn't really LIKE shooting the '06. Anyway, karma kicked in and a couple days after getting his sighted in, Bass Pro Shops ran a sale on Remington 700 ADL's for $249. I figured that was a sign from God, so, I ran out and bought one. We used them last year, and took four deer with four shots.

We use the cheap-o Remington Express 100 gr. Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt's. My 700 will group three inside a dime at 100 yards. Currently on sale for $12.99 a box, with a $5.00 mail in rebate. I don't see any reason to spend the money on premium ammo for this gun. It's too fun to shoot a lot,the cheap stuff works quite well, and deer are thin skinned, so penetration isn't really an issue.

RE: 243 and deer
 

I hunt with a .243 and I've dropped two deer with it. One at a 100 yards and the other at around 50. I love that gun.

RE: 243 and deer
 

Some people swear by Sierra 85 grain HPBT bullets in .243. Without disputing whether this is or is not an effective deer round,a Federalloading using this bullet provides a muzzle velocity of 3310 feet per second. Sighted 2" high at 100 yards it is dead-on at 240 yards and only3.7" low at 300 yards. If you look at 100 grain commercial loads my guess is you are looking at 3100 feet per second and just slightly poorer trajectory. The .243 is a great cartridge for deer and pronghorn antelope out to 300 yards, probably a little farther.

I have taken one deer and one pronghorn antelope with my .243 using Winchester 100 grain power point loads. I intend to use the 85 grainSierraHPBTFederal load described above on smallish Oklahoma deer in a couple of weeks. This Federal load sure shoots well in my rifle.