243 winchester
 

I am thinking very hard about geting a new 243 for whitetale hunting and was wondering your opion on the caliber,and how does it perform on deer...thanx cj

RE: 243 winchester
 

my brother is 13, has had it since he was 8
hes killed 4 deer (3 dropped in tracks, and died instantly)
adn he has never lost one
but placement is everything, if you can handle a bigger caliber i would use a bigger gun just for the extra knockdown power

RE: 243 winchester
 

me and my dad use a 243win i have dropped about 4 deer in there tracks. we use ours for runing dogs and for steal hunting also. we have killed a couple of deer at 200 yards both steal/ runing dogs this year

RE: 243 winchester
 

With good 100 gr. bullets, the .243 will take any Whitetail on the planet! Knockdown is a myth, just like "brush busters." If a bullet actually knocked a deer down, the recoil would knock the shooter down and a 12 ga. slug will deflect just as a .22 will!

RE: 243 winchester
 

no, there is a such thing as knockdown power, way more shock enters that deers body with a bigger caliber, adn with a bigger bullet they should expand more, giving you more margin for error
but you still cant shoot through trees, using a bigger caliber you still have to shoot as if its a small one, youre right there is no "brush buster"

RE: 243 winchester
 

.243 is my favorite caliber, Ive killed tons of deer with it. Its fast, flat shooting, light recoiling, super accurate, and hits with authority.
There is no such thing as knock down power, and bigger bullets dont offer any more shock value, shock value or temporary wound cavity, or cavitation come from velocity. A bigger bullet traveling faster or even the same speed will definately cause more shock, but a bigger slower bullet will not.
Theres an article in one of our Texas magzines, the authors #1 wounding caliber he has seen here, is the 7 mag. I will try to find the article, he states bullet selection is much more important than caliber size. Put the wrong bullet in a big caliber and it will peirce a deer leaving a tiny hole, put a good controlled expanding bullet in a smaller caliber and it will lay the smack down on a deer leaving a big wound channel.

RE: 243 winchester
 

also what is the best load for deer...

RE: 243 winchester
 

well i meant like that with the faster bullet, with them having more grains of powder
i didnt mean like a bigger bullet size, such as a 30-30, big bullet, very slow

sorry i misspoke

RE: 243 winchester
 

I have been using a Browning .243 A-bolt Hunter for the past 3 years now and I haven't lost a Deer yet!Like most stated "Shot Placement" has a lot to do with it and it doesn't have near the recoil as say a .308 or 30-06 Rifle.I use the Hornady "Custom" 100 grain bullets ($25.00 a box) with a matte black Leupold 3 X 9 X 40mm Rifleman scope with Millet scope rings.The 8-Point Buck I shot this past season only ran about 35 yards and dropped over backwards...but I did shoot it broadside through the heart! ;)

It is also great for target practicing and I have shot a few coyotes with it also.My Daughter shot a nice Doe last year with her Rossi single shot .243 and the Remington shells only cost about $14.00 a box.

I have been shooting a Remington model 742 automatic 30-06 for the past 25 + years and I can't brag enough about my Browning .243,it is the plain wood stock but it is one beautiful looking Rifle!

RE: 243 winchester
 

With a 243, there is less margin for error than other guns....I always recommend 260 Rem to ladied and younger guys....the cool thing about a 260 is the 120 grain Vmax is awesome for yotes and chucks and the 140 grain bullets are deadly on deer....

RE: 243 winchester
 

As for "more margin for error," I think that that is a misleading term too!
Granted, with too small of a bullet, or the wrong type of bullet, your range and target area can be really limited. However, the "big bullet", "I can hit 'em anywhere and he'll drop" theory has been disproven by the fact that larger calibers loose more game! Easier to shoot calibers lead to better accuracy. Deer are not particularly hard to kill, they can be very hard to recover though!A well placed shot from a caliber that you can shoot accurately gives you a much better recovery ratio than any "woundamagnum, drop-em-or-loose-em" caliberwill give you!

RE: 243 winchester
 

My son shot this doe mid November with his .243 Handi Rifle. After seeing the .243 performance first hand, I'm considering a Model 700 .243 for my deer rifle and saving my .30-06 and .300 WSM for "Big Game". He was shooting 100gr Core Lokt

RE: 243 winchester
 

i never said hit him and hell drop
i dont mean shooting a deer like 5 inches from where your supposed to
i mean 2 or maybe 3
i think with a .243 you have maybe 1
i think a .260 would be a good choice for ladies or kids that cannot handle the recoil also

RE: 243 winchester
 

Well said!

When I speak of margin of error I really mean shot angle/penetration...Most 243 bullets need a good clean broadside shot to be 100% effective....if I have to run a bullet frombrisket to hip i like a heavier bullet with a higher SD...There is no such thing as a 100% bang flop gun out there IMO.

RE: 243 winchester
 

That is one of the best 243 bullets out there!;)

RE: 243 winchester
 

How much SD do you look for? A .243 100 gr. has an SD of 242, a .30 caliber 150 grhas .226.
and it has a better BC as well. I have put the .243 end to end on deer, no problems with penetration.
I personaly like the Hornady ammo, this bullet works damn good. Just the BTSP, nothing special.

RE: 243 winchester
 

NOT ! The vital area of a deer is around 12" X 8" Put any descent caliber is that zone and the deer has no choice but to die. Miss that zone and the deer will go a long long long way, no matter what caliber you use, short of a 50bmg

RE: 243 winchester
 

I like to use .250 as a baseline but as you mentioned a Nosler Partition 100 grain is .242 and any deer will die in short order from about any 150 grain 30 cal bullet....

RE: 243 winchester
 

i used to use a 243 winchester but i needed something with more power! i killed a deer about 2 years ago with my cousins 243 we could hardly find any blood it was a ok shot its a good lil fella gun mighty small though....i moved on to a 308 wood model love that gun! i was 10 when i shot my first deer now im 12 and i have a 308 i like my 308 more but you know i wouldnt switch again but its a good lil gun it just doesnt leave much blood but it kicks cause it has a short barrel depends what you like.........my opion.......no......but thats my opion u like 243 u buy it! ;)

RE: 243 winchester
 

when i used to shoot deer with my old .243 i found hardly any blood also
then when i turned 13 i got a .308
much bigger hole= much bigger blood trail

heres my bros
 

my brother shot this buck in missouri with a .243
10 points (scores 128" without deductions)
on the hoof weighed around 210 pounds
dropped him one shot stone dead

RE: 243 winchester
 

it is a great caliber! I bought my daughter one for Christmas last year. It has plenty of energy and velocity for whitetail deer at ranges most folks wont shoot. Shot placement is important as with any caliber. My daughter took her first buck this season with her .243 80grain bullet at 300 yards, however it was a perfect high shoulder shot. The buck ran about 20 feet and fell. I would recommend this caliberor the 6mm Remington to anyone! Its the perfect caliber for deer and smaller game.

RE: 243 winchester
 

.243 is good for deer if you watch your shot placements...I have always used 100gr Sierra "Game King" and have had no problems killing deer.

RE: 243 winchester
 

I wouldn't call the0.064" difference between the two"much bigger".

RE: 243 winchester
 

my dad shoots a .308, i do also now but i used to use a .243
i ALWAYS compared the bullets
put them side by side
on paper it may not sound like much
but just look at them

RE: 243 winchester
 

I have looked at them. On paper it doesn't sound like much, and in person it doesn't look like much.

RE: 243 winchester
 

whatever man
and if you dont think it looks like much
go shoot one of each through a 2by4
and see the difference

RE: 243 winchester
 

I never once said that the 243 was more powerful than a 308. I was merely pointing out that I would notcall the difference "much bigger" in terms of caliber. The 243 is commonly loaded with a 100 gr bullet, while the 308 is commonly loaded with a 150gr bullet. The308 bullet is 50% heavier than the 243,and you will get more ft-lbs of energy and better penetration.

Bottom line is this. You put either slug into the kill zone at reasonable ranges, and you will have a very dead deer.

RE: 243 winchester
 

right
as long as you get that bullet in the vitals
that deer shouldnt go any farther than 100 yards

RE: 243 winchester
 

so if its all about shot placement can u use a .223. and i am all for the .243, me my buddy and his son all got deer with a .243 this year

RE: 243 winchester
 

you could kill a deer with a .223
i dont think it would be very ethical
but you could

RE: 243 winchester
 

I killed about 10 axis deer with a .222, half were body shot, half were neck shot, didnt lose one and they didnt go far. My buddy shot one this year with the .223, he didnt have a blood trail, no exitbut the axis only went 40 yds, body shot also. I have killed about 6 deer and 2 hogs with my .22 hornet, all dropped in there tracks, the deer were neck shot and the hogs were head shot, so of course they dropped.

The .243 is quit a jump over the .22 centerfires, the .243 will usually always exit, and I have had excellent blood trails on most. I have had excellent blood trails and some not so good, using all kinds of calibers and arrows, same shot placement same broadhead. Dont know why some bleed a lot and some dont.

RE: 243 winchester
 

I have thought about it for a kids gun, maybe a 243 for the daughter and a 260 for the son....Would be more fun for me that way..

RE: 243 winchester
 

Great caliber, a potent weapon with 100 grain Remington Core-Lokt's coming down the pipe!

RE: 243 winchester
 

I used to shoot a 30-30 (30 years ago), then I went to a 30-06 with a heavy bullet for about 20 years. Now, for the last 5 years, I've been shooting the 243. It's lightweight, accurate, and dependable. I have extreme confidence in my shots and, so far, have never had a deer go more than about 10 yards after I shoot.

Bottom line, while it's a great cartridge, you have to shoot something that you are confident with and you are accurate with. The 243 generally weighs less (the rifle, not the bullet), has less recoil, and therefore inspires more confidence. There are other great cartridges and rifles out there, but the 243 wouldn't be a bad choice.

A lot of folks say that it is a youth or ladies cartridge. Okay, fine. I'm 46, 6'3", 220 pounds, spent 20 years in the Marine Corps infantry, and it's my favorite deer rifle. So, line me up with the ladies and kids.

RE: 243 winchester
 

What bullet do you use???

RE: 243 winchester
 

This exit was from a 100gr federal sierra gameking at 200 yds. What more do you want LOL !

RE: 243 winchester
 

thats true
alls you need is a gun that you are confident with and gets the job done

RE: 243 winchester
 

Thats one helluva hole in that deer ZrexPilot [&:][:@] my Daughter shot a nice Doe last year a little high and it put a nice size hole in it too! ;)

I shot a big 8-Point Buck this year with my Browning .243 right threw the heart and he only went about 35 yards and drop over backwards!Last year I shot another 8-Point Buck as he was 1/4 ing away and he made it about 100 yards...now he's hanging on my wall! :D

RE: 243 winchester
 

The .243 Win. works great on whitetails. Here's proof: