RE: 243 winchester
 

I missed having my 243 this year. I lent it to friend who was having his 12 year old son hunt for the first time this season. He couldn't afford to get him a gun so I told him he could have mine for the year.

Prior to giving it up i had comitted to making it my primary deer gun this year. Don't get me wrong the 30-30 and 7 mag did great but i really like shooting that 243 and enjoy putting in a lot of range time with it

RE: 243 winchester
 

A .243 is a good starter gun IMO. I used one for many years(my younger years). The deer always seemed to run a little further than I cared for(hunting in heavy thick timber). I bought a .270 and the difference is huge. Most hits will drop the deer in their tracks, which the .243 seldom did and if a situation arises where you have to make a followup shot, the blood trails are huge. Yeah, a .243 will kill a deer but there are calibers that definately will out shine a .243 in almost all circumstances. If your gonna buy a gun specifically for deer I'd go with a higher caliber IMO.

RE: 243 winchester
 

IMO I do not consider the .243 a "starter gun!" While some may go even lighter, IDO, consider the .243 as a "minimum caliber" for deer. However, I consider it a "GREAT" minimum caliber! As in it gets the job done WELL! At most normal hunting ranges, a hit with the .243 (in the same spot)will produce the same results! Either a dead deer or a good blood trail leading to a dead deer! As i said, the .243 is a GREAT minimum for deer! Anyone that can't handle a .243,should not be shooting at deer any way!

RE: 243 winchester
 

I have been shooting the same 243 since I was 13. All the deer I killed with it were just as dead as the ones killed with other larger calibers. I have never had a deer move more than 10 steps from where they stood when I pulled the trigger. Anybody that says a 243 is not enought gun for whitetail or is marginal just doesn't get it. You don't have to have a elephant gun to kill a deer.. Because it is not an elephant.. If your looking for a good bullet for the 243 try the 85 grain BTHP from Federal.

RE: 243 winchester
 

.243 is a GREAT cal. Its all about shot placement and bullet performance with ANY caliber.....I don't care what anyone says. I know guysthat shoot .300 mags, and wound more deer than my 10yr old son does with his .243. I use a .280 for the last 20yrs and love it but wouldn't hesitate to buy a .243 for my everyday rifle. Ammo is readily available, there is basically no recoil, and they are usually nice light guns to hunt with. Plus, if you do any varmint hunting....a .243 is a great choice for that too.

RE: 243 winchester
 

Nice to see so many who have used the cartridge and singing its praises, and so few suggesting it's just a "starter gun" or it's a "not for beginners gun cuz there's no margin for error" or it's just a good "varmint gun", or yada yada yada... Put a .243 slug through the lungs and that deer will be just as dead as any deer shot through the lungs with some new Super Short Ultra Whiz Bang Magnum, and it'll be deader than a deer shot by someone with a new Super Short Ultra Whiz Bang Magnum who gutshot it because he shoots with his eyes closed because he can't handle the recoil...

RE: 243 winchester
 

Ipscshooter, AMEN Bro!

RE: 243 winchester
 

Your missing the point .Within range limits 200-250 yards and proper bullet selection [Eastern WT 's] the .243 or my .250 Sav Rem.700 Classic will kill deer just fine.I had occasion to finish a WT buck at 300 yards and poked him broadside in the lungs with a 100gr handload from the .250 and you could hear the bullet hit and he just sucked it up and strolled in a semi-circle 20 yards and laid down.With a .270 he'd have been flattened.Although there was a foot of bullet penetration the deer was unimpressed.Foot pounds is bullet energy hence knockdown power.It's like comparing a .22 Hornet to a.338 sure the end result is a dead deer but how far did it travel after the shot.The big bodied mule buckbelow took two chest hits running through the poplars and pogoed on 50 yards unfazed. Then he stopped and looked back at me over his shoulder offering no target except his neck.One offhand shot an inch below his ear relaxed him right now.This was a rutted deer over 300lbs live weight 100gr .250 Sav @ 3000fps I love my .250 and am very picky [surgical]about my shots.New hunters and the buckfever crowd arn't experienced enough to pass shots that are questionable and will wound and lose animals.People tend to remember only the sucessful outcomes.I'm not condemning the caliber just the possible outcome for users that are unwilling to pass on questionable shots. Harold

RE: 243 winchester
 

RE: 243 winchester
 

Exactly my thoughts..