I've hunted with deer with a .30 cal my whole life. During the past few years, my now 9 & 12 year old boys have been using a single shot H&R .243 to hunt deer. I love shooting their rifle and after seeing it perform on medium size does I decided to purchase a .243 bolt action for myself.

Here is my dilema. I've spotted a 130 class 11pt on our lease. This is the largest deer I've every seen on our lease and would be the largest deer I've ever shot. I began to question whether or not the .243 will take a deer this size or I'm I taking a risk. Should I just use my .300 WSM? I really want to use the .243 but logic tells me if I'm questioning its ability, I shouldn't be using it.

What would you do? Has anyone experienced sucess or failure shooting a large buck with the .243?

The only thing that could cause failure would be poor shot placement. I just bought a .243 this year. I have always shot a .270 before, but I have total confidence in either gun. Just put the bullet in the kill zone, and you'll be all right.

I think that the .243 is a great deer gun and I have taken many of deer with it but at the same time it some times doesn't get the job done I would take the bigger rifle just to be on the safe side.

243 will defenitely do the trick....you could take him down with one shot out of a 22 ( and i know people that have done it) ....but its all about bullet placement.

Which are you more comfortable with?

You answering that question, should answer yours.

A deer is a deer. The difference between the doe (125 lbs) and that buck (200 lbs) given the same shot distance (less than 200 yds) is the same. Put the bullet where it belongs and it's dead. The .243 is a nasty little gun with 100 grains.

with a 243 on a big rutting buck i have noticed there is not a lot of blood and the adreneline makes that deer travel far, with a big buck i would use the 300



BUT, my brother shot a 143 inch buck last year with a .243 and took out the heart and both lungs, there was absolutely not a speck of blood anywhere............i happened to follow a trail and the buck was laying there stone cold dead about 150 yards from the hit

i wouldn't question it... i've never had any blood trail problems, as long as the shot placement is good he is dead!

The biggest rack buck Ive shot was also the smallest body buck Ive shot. The size of a deers antlers will not determine how hard he will be to kill but may determine the margin of error you are willing to have.

To put it in perspective a buddy who also happens to be a taxidermist, kills big bucks consistantly every year and his gun of choice is a 22hornet h&R. single shot but he rarely shoots more than 40 yds and doesnt get very rattled when he get a big buck in his scope.

Im not endorsing 22s for deer but a 100gr 243 and up is a legit 80 to 300lb deer load IMO if it goes in the right spot.

choose what you are comfortable with....