My son shoots one and everything he shoots at dies. no problems obviously less blood

Does it work well for thousands of hunters every year....yes
Do I like or recommend a 243.... no, but that's my personal opinion.

Agreed. If a .243 is the rifle you have, then use it. If one was purchasing a new rifle, then there are numerous cartridges that would be a better all around choice.

I shoot 100gr Sierra Game Kings in my .243.....and it is plenty for deer!

The 243 is more than enough to take deer with. This is even more true these days with all the great bullet designs available to hunters. The 243 is not a brush gun and is better suited to open ground hunting and this is where it really excels at.

For deer the one thing I truly know to be true is a well placed shot is much more important than the size bullet you are using. Shooting is a skill that must be practiced.

This confirms it also;




http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.243winchester.html




http://www.reloadbench.com/cartridges/243.html

Is it big enough....sure.

Do I have personal experience with it......yes.

Would I hunt with it.....no.

Would I recommend hunting with it.....no.

I dropped my first and second deer in their tracks with a .243. Since then i upgraded to a .270 and now i flip them on their sides. Literally. haha

I disagree with that statement. A 243 is less likely to hit brush than a 30 cal, and MUCH less likely to hit brush than a 45 cal. Bigger bullets busting through brush without a change in direction is aboslute B.S.

I'm not advocating shooting through brush under any circumstances, but if you were going to take a chance, a 243 would hit the target where you intended alot more often than a 45/70, 35 rem, or 44 mag.

I would certainly upgrade from the cartridge that drops them in their tracks