Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

:eek: I have been using my .300 win mag for years hunting both deer and elk, im looking for a gun i can use just for deer. I have been thinking of a .243 which i would also use as my cyote gun as well. Any thoughts?

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

Yes, if you take only broadside shots into the ribs. A .243 won't hold together on bad angle shots. I use a 25-06 and it is awesome. As I said, if you are experienced and patient and willing to wait for the right shot the .243 will get the job done. Good luck.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

A .243 is fine for deer,antelope, and coyotes. I've used it for years.

Yes, you should pick your shot as you would with any caliber. Carrying a bone-crusher to the woods should not bea substitute for propershot placement.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

Depends on where your hunting. A .243 is pretty good if you want to practice tracking deer. .257 Roberts or a .260 will work to perfection.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

The .243 will be fine. If you compare ballistics between the .243, .260, .257 Roberts & the .25-06 you will see there is not much difference. I use a .25-06 and a .30-06 for deer but would not have a problem using a .243.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

You're joking, right? A .257 Roberts is "perfect", but a .243 is "pretty good if you want to practice tracking"? Really?

The .243, with a 100 grain bullet, at 100 yards has over 1600 ft. lbs. of energy. The Roberts, with a 117 grain bullet, at 100 yards has 1363 ft. lbs. The .243 has almost as much energy at 200 yards as the Roberts does at 100.

But.. Yeah... that extra 17 grains of weight and 14 thousandths of an inch of diameter turn the Roberts into the Hammer of Thor.[/sarcasm]

BigDawgWill: If anyone tells you that the .243 is no good for whitetails, it's because (a) they've never shot a deer with a .243, (b) they're a lousy shot or are so afflicted with ADHD that they don't want to wait for a good shot, or (c) they simply don't have a clue what they're talking about and are just making crap up as they go along. I used to hunt with a .30-06. I switched to a .243 a couple years ago, and the deer I've shot have actually gone less distance after the shot with my .243 than they did with the 06. Just pick your shot.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

My cousin is small framed and doesn't like to shoot high recoil rifles. He has used a .243 all of his life to shoot deer. He has killed dozens and almost never has to track one. His three daughters have all killed deer with a .243. In the past three weeks, literally dozens of kids in Louisiana (and everywhere else, I'm sure) have been using .243s to kill deer (in fact, judging from the pics on our local websites, they have been mowing them down). As with any rifle, shot placement is key.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I call BS on this as well.....

I own one centerfire rifle...A 1980 model Ruger .243...I have killed over 150 whitetails with this gun, from 3 steps to 300 yards...Never lost a one...If you want to drop a deer, just put the bullet in the shoulder blade...I have killed them from sharp quartering away and quartering towards, no problem....

If you want a bullet that exits, use the 100 gr Remington CoreLokts, 100 gr Federal Nosler Partition or the 100gr Hornaday Custom InterBond...If shots will be over 200 yards I have had good luck with the Federal Premium 85gr HPBT Sierra GameKing...The 100gr Federal Premium Sierra SPBT GameKing is also a good bullet, but didn't give consistant exit holes for me inside 50 yards...

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I have hunted with a .243 for nearly thirty years, I have lost a couple of deer but it was my fault not the caliber. This is an old, old argument and you will hear different opinions on both sides. Just remember a deer is easy to kill if you put the shot in the right place and the .243 is an inherently accurate round.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

Both my kids have used a .243 youth model to take 5 deer now. None traveled more than 50 yards after the shot, and the most recent was dropped in his tracks by my 10 yr old with a hard quartering to shot placed perfectly in front of the near shoulder. Bullet wiped out one lung, most of the second lung, cut most of the arteries holding the heart and thru the opposite ribs. The bullet was just under the skin and in near perfect mushroomed shape. I would not hesitate to hunt with that little gun myself if I gun hunted anymore.

My daughter has moved on to a nice 25-.06 that her g'pa gave her. It is a nice deer caliber as well, but certainly more kick and noise.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

That's the type of gun I've been hunting with. I'm really pleased with it. Just watch where you're aiming and the deer will drop. I've killed four with it.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I have used a .223 for several years and it works great as long as you pick your shots. I hunt from a box stand or my climber and that is not normally a big problem to me. Of the several deer I have killed with it, all have been pass throughs with good entry and exit holes and good blood trails, and none have run over 30 yards. You can't ask for much better performance than that!

The .243 is at least twice the cartridge my .223 is and over the long lifetime of the cartridge it has counted for hundreds of thousands of whitetails. Every good thing you could say for the .223 counts at least double for the .243!! If you want a accurate, light weight, long range, flat shooting, light kicking gun for use on deer size game, you will be hard pressed to find anything more appropriate.

As nchawkeye pointed out, there is a variety of bullet choices available to meet your needs.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

The .243 gets the job done well on deer-sized game! I shoot a .308 and 7MM RM, but my next deer gun will be a .243 or 6MM.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

You know, I used to be one of those poeple that thought the .243 was too small, but I also took some questionable shots and liked to have enough gun to punch through. Thousands of dead deer can't be wrong though. Just wait for a good shot, and it'll kill them just as dead as a .375!

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

.243 is an outstanding gun for whitetail, if you have to track a deer after the shot, don't blame it on the rifle, but rather the shooter him/herself.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I hunted with the .30-06 for years, and about 3 years ago I gave it up for a .243. My primary concern at that time was weight - I wanted a lighter rifle to carry around the woods. I was also concerned about the cartridge having enough punch to put the deer down, since my land borders a national park and that raises some tracking issues. I've shot six deer with it over the last three years, none has gone more than about 15 feet after being shot, and none have required more than one shot. So the round is plenty big enough, has plenty of energy, and will drop a deer with confidence.

The bigger issue is accuracy, more so than bullet weight or caliber. What you need most of all is a rifle that you are confident in and that you believe you can drive tacks with. A well placed shot with just about any big game cartidge will do the job, just as a poorly placed shot won't.

So, make sure your chosen rifle is a legal caliber (the .223 mentioned above is a great round, but not legal for deer in my state) and practice, practice, practice.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I shot my frist deer with a 243 dropped on the spot.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I couldn't say it any better. I have used a .243 for 15 years, even though I also own a .270. The main reason is that I like the gun I use (an A-bolt Medallion), but, the caliber is absolutely leathal. I have never lost a deer, nor haveI had to track anything longer than 20-30 yards. There is a ton of energy in that round. The ballistics are superb, end the energy fantastic. Remember, energy is a function of both kinetic energy (spped) and mass. I even used it on elk one year( I would not recommend that, I just did not know better. Still, the shot was 80 yards and the Elk dropped right over).

One big advantage that the .243 has is that it will shred the vitals of the deer, but not do too much damage to the meat.

When it comes to ammo and cartridge selection, this is always a hot topic and everyone has its favorites. Still, the .243 is a FANTASTIC deer cartridge.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

It's a GREAT deer gun.
Although this post could have been about any one of 25 or so popular rounds and many others that are less commonand the answer would have been the same.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I shot a deer with a .243 last year. I shot it once and thought i had missed, and racked another one into it when it was walking away. The first shot did not miss and reduced both lungs to mush. The first shot just clipped the deer's back (he was trotting when i shot) and he only made it about 15 feetfrom the site of impact before dropping. .243 is a very good all around cartridge for deer size game and less...ground hogs, coyotes, deer, etc.it will get the job done on all of them just fine.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I used to own a Saiko .243 probably one of the most accurate guns made non custom.
Yes it can kill, but it just doesn't drop them. I am getting to old to want to track on purpose.
But it was a great gun! I have hit large whitetails in the spine at 100 yards and the bullet didn't
pass through the bone. As a matter of fact, here is a picture of a six I shot at 100 yards.
Notice i had the cartridge and the bullet.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I have been using the .243 for about 25 years now and havent had any problems, the .243 is a great deer cartridge. I have also noticed that it makes soup of internal organs. out of probably 100 kills I think I have had only 2 that didnt get an exit. My kids use my gun, its the only high powered rifle I own. I have seen them make some absolutley beautiful shots on deer. My 8 year old at the time put one on a spike at a tad over 200 yds, which dropped on the spot, my older boy 16 at the time put one through a doe at about a 190 yds, the doe was facing us head down feeding and he placed it right between the shoulder blades, the bullet exited the poop shoot. Wont be doing that again, I have takensome splendid shots with it as well, 200lb hogs at 250 yds, dropping them on the spot. The .243 aint no joke, she will put any deer down for the count, I am not one for hard angle shots, I dont care what caliber you use. I have seen a 7 mag be stopped by the gut of a deer. A deer with a full belly is like a sandbag and can stop just about any round, if you take a hard quartering away shot and dont retrieve your deer dont blame the caliber.
Just get the .243 you will be pleasantly surprised with it accuracy, low recoil, and efficient killing.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

For 10 years my boys and friends kid have use .243 with 100grain bullets and have not lost one yet. It will drop in there track even if you hit center of the south boundend of a north bound deer. Its messy but the smile on the face on a kid makes worth it. I cut off 4" of the stock and added a magnum butt pad. Kids love it.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

If you know how to shoot, the 243 is more than enough for deer. I'm taking my 243 WSSM loaded with 85-grain TSX bullets to go chase some deer on an island that has been known to take a few 10' brown bears on the occassion.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

It will be fine if all you're going for is deer. Kind of a weaker gun, but that doesn't mean that it isn't good.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

Wow I must of touched a nerve. So far I have ADHA, a bad shot and make crap up as I go along.

I know what I have used and know what has worked for me. Now I guess if I was down in texas shooting golden retriever sized deer a .243 would work out. But I am not. Ballistics don't tell the whole story.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

For whitetail deer,the .243 is plenty of gun. Like any caliber, it will do it's work...the important part is your doing.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

The 243 is a great round and will kill deer out a long ways, but it never hurts to have a insurance (larger caliber).

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

Those applied to folks who said it was "no good". You said "pretty good if you want practice tracking." So, they didn't apply to you. Unless... by "pretty good if you want practice tracking" you mean "no good."

I was quoting you to argue about the relative merits of the .257 Roberts vs. the .243 Win.

Our deer are a little bigger than Golden Retrievers... Closer to large German Shepherds.:D I'm not arguing that the .243 will do everything that a .25-06 will. But, factory loads for the .243 CLEARLY outclass factory loads for the .257 Roberts. By a wide margin. I suppose you may be correct that my opinion of the .243 is tainted by the fact that I hunt in a part of Texas where bucks average a little less than 200 lbs. And, I suppose if I was hunting 400 lb. corn-fed Iowa or Nebrask bucks, I might think about stepping it up a notch. But, I don't believe there is any circumstance under which I would consider a factory loaded Roberts to be a "step up" from the .243.

RE: Is a .243 a good deer gun?
 

I think the 243. would work great for small deer varments and cyotes to but i think the 270 would work even better for you could use it for deer elk even all the way down to varment by the way the tikka T3 will garantee 3 in a inch at a hundred


OZARK