.243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Just wanted so input from others as to which they think is best for whitetail deer. I have a 30-06 that I use for deer now but I want to go down to a smaller gun. All I hunt is whitetails. Thanks in advance

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Not really a lot of difference in a .270 and a .30-06. The .243 will definitely handle any deer in North America if you are wanting a smaller caliber.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Ditto...;)

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

In your 30-06 you have one of the best deer rifles going. Certainly far better than a 243. The 270 would also be much better for deer size game than the 243. However If you are looking for a good Coyote and varmit rifle THEN the 243 would be a good bet.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I am personally fond of a .270. I killed my first deer with it

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Both will work, my mom and her husband both hunt with the .243 and haven't had any trouble downing whitetail with them. Another of the guys who hunts our place uses the .270 WSM and dropped a nice buck with it this year. Use whichever you shoot better, they are close enough in performance that accuracy and shot placement are more important that caliber. My personal choice is the .30-30.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

As stated there is no reason to move from an 06 to a 270. They are basically the same.

I"ve had good luck with the 243 and proper bullets. Yet at home I can pick and choose shots and pass up shots. I"d always lean to more horsepower, especially in a trophy hunting situation. I can't see going wrong with what you have. Yet for whitetails I often hunt with a 300 mag and if I shoot a deer end to end, the bullet still won't always allow total penetration.

Kinda a take your pick situation here. Depends on exactly why you want a new round. FWIW I always feel that a 270 kicks worse than any 06 that I"ve shot too.

Jeff

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I've used a .243 since 1980...have killed over 130 deer with...most drop in their tracks...and I have never lost one...I have "converted" two buddies from a 30-06 to a .243..both are happy with the change...That being said...
I have two brothers, both have 17yr old sons...they use a .280, 7mm-08 and 2-.270s...they don't shoot as well as I do, and don't always hit the deer in lungs/shoulder....They "need" a larger caliber...I use my .243 all year...crows, groundhogs, foxes, coyotes...etc...I sight in my brothers/nephews guns....I feel like I shoot better..because I shoot more often, and the recoil in a .243 is minimal....I feel like my brothers/nephews would shoot "better" with a .243...but I don't try to "sell" them on this, because...if they lose one with a .243...I might get the blame...They lose more deer than I do...but they know they can't blame the size gun....

So....what I'm saying....if you are the type hunter that shoots a half a box of bullets a year with his deer rifle....maybe you shouldn't get a .243...
If you bow hunt/muzzleload hunt and do some off season varmit hunting...know how to take a rest when you hunt...don't take marginal shots...and can execute the shot when it becomes avaliable...in other words...IF you are a decent shot, and a careful hunter....Then you will enjoy the benefits of the low recoil and inherent accuracy of a .243....
Good Luck...nchawkeye

PS...If you are developing a flinch with the 30-06....and it takes a big man to admit this....definately get a .243...or even a 25-06....

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

nchawkeye
You hit the nail on the head I have a flinch with the 30-06 and no matter how much I shot I still can't get rid of it. I bought my son a 12year old that shots really well a .243 and he and I both like the way it shots and I feel like I don't flinch with it. What I have happen with the 30-06 is kind of like target panic when shoting a bow I try to get it on target but can't hold it well when I shoot and I punch the trigger close my eyes and flinch all at once. The 30-06 is also I very special gun it was my grandfathers that died when I was 8 and I just don't feel comfortable with it always worring if I will mess it up my father passed it on to me and I will pass it on to my son when he is at the right age and so know he will take care of it. Thanks for all the help I think I am going to go with a .243.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Both calibers would be good for any size Whitetail Deer. However, I prefer the .270 due to its slightly higher stopping power. The .243 is a flatter shooting rifle than the .270 but will not easly bust through brush or a limb on the way to your target. Hope this helps

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

According to the Nosler manual. When comparing the 243 to the 270, the 270 at 500 yards shoots about 2 inches flatter with their best deer bullets. 130 grain for the 270 and 100 grain for the 243. Ay all yardages listed the 270 is a bit flatter. Not by enough to make any real difference though. Both start out a bit over 3100 fps but the 270 bullet has a higher BC.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I think that nchawkeye also hit the nail on the head when he said that if you aren't somewhat of an experience shooter and can't put the bullet where you "need" to....smaller calibers probably aren't the best of choice. You need the larger calibers to do more damage when you aren't making the best shots. Bullet choice is always important no matter what caliber your using though too. You need something that is going to fragment upon impact and not a bullet that just is going to fly right through. Just my thoughts. Good luck.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I was kind of wondering about the 25/06. Since it is basicly a necked down 30/06, I was thinking the recoil would be very similar. Is there a noticable difference?

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Interesting theory. I've always liked bullets that mushroom\expand but retain their weight. I agree that bullets that just pass through are not good but bullets that fragment have not been a good thing in my experience. Bullets that fragment tend to do "ugly" things when they hit bone. Usually make hamburger and don't penetrate much and can lead to a long tracking job.

If you got the 06 I'd stay with that as it's the best out of the 3 in my opinion. If you must switch go with the 270 over the 243. If you have problems with flinching there is a lot of equipment and techniques out there that can get rid of it. Just like anything else it just takes knowledge and work to fix.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Get the new 243 WSSM, 25 WSSM, or the 270 WSM. They beat all those cartridges.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I am certianly no authority on guns but I live in alabama and shoot a 7mm08 ... I have taken several good bucks wuth this cal. and 3 Canada WT that weighed around 300lbs ... the last one I had to shoot in the right rear hip and with a 140 grain Balistic tip and at 165 yards ...the bullet busted the deer up inside and it ran about 150 yards before going down but it had massive damage inside... the 7mm08 is my choice for WT deer ...

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I would recomend The 270wsm, it is faster, more powerful, and more acurate. A box of wsm (winchester short magnum) is only about $3 moe than 270win. But i gotta admit, they look kinda weird. lol good luck

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I'm going to give you guys something else to "chew on"...About 4 years ago I had a guy at a gun shop suggest that I try the Federal Premium 85gr Sierra BTHP....He said his customers had good luck with those bullets....as their "bean field load"....I told him "thats a groundhog load"...well...he said just try them....Well that evening I did...sitting over one of our soybean fields...had 3 does come out at 100 yards....I popped one in the shoulder...and she dissappered...just dropped right there....the 2 other does just stood there and looked at her "bedding down" right there...that was a mistake...I popped a second doe...took her tight behind her shoulder....with a Remington Premium 100gr BTSP....she ran out of the field...went about 100yards and fell over....Now that Remington load had mighty "hard" bullets it drilled all the way through and only left a hole about the size of a nickle...I killed 5-6 deer with the Remington bullet...they would drop when hit in the shoulder....but run 75-125 yards when hit in the lungs...When you make shoulder shots with the Federal Premium 85gr...the bullet will go through both shoulder blades...hit them in the lungs...full penetration and an inch and a half hole out the other side...they don't go but about 25-50 yards....The HP will fragment...but it evidently retains enough weight to give adequate penetration.....And at 3320 fps...it beats the 130 gr .270 in how "flat" it shoots...Since that first doe...my buddies and I have killed about 30 deer with that load....

I used plain old Corelokts for about 15 years...killed about 75 deer with ...
other loads that I like within 200 yards...the Hornady 100 grain loading...and the Federal Premium 100 gr in both the Sierra 100gr SPBT
and the Nosler Partition ....Within 200 yards any of these bullets work well...but in longer ranges...the 85gr beats them all....it has more velocity at 300 yards than the 100gr bullets at 200.....

I don't like the .243 WSSM....Heck only 2 deer loads...and one of them in PowerPoint....I didn't like the penetration of the Winchester Supreme loading in .243 100gr PowerPoint....the 85gr load penetrates much better than the PowerPoint loading...if you push it faster (with .243 WSSM) it will expand faster....and should penetrate less....Instead of a WSSM...go with the 95gr Hornady light mag at 3100fps or the Federal Premium 85gr at 3320fps....Hornady and Federal don't offer any loads for the .243 WSSM...
Wonder why??? Hornady offers 4 deer loads for a .243...Federal offers at least 5....and Winchester and Remington even more...

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

the only deer rifle I have ever owned is 243.I have taken 200 to 250 deer and way more hogs than that with my Rem. mohawk 243 carbine.
I have always use Winchester PSP 80 grain.only lost one deer ; don't know what happened to that one.[&:].

I have only took lung or neck shots (neck at close range).took one deer in the chest one time.he went about 40 yards. the fartherest I have ever had one run is 75 yards.I would never shoot a deer in the rear with any gun,just me.

the wife has shot the 243 you about 20 years with the same luck as I have.she has taken more hogs than I have.we take hogs up to 350lbs. I did take one that pegged the 350lb. scales; so he was 400 lbs. or better.

243 for me and the wife only.nothing else will do for us.in the right hands thats all it takes.some people will disagree with me on this ; but they are wrong[:o][8D]:D

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

If your reason for switching from the 30-06 is recoil induced flinching then by all means go with the 243. I have shot 270's and 30-06's. I don't think there is enough difference in recoil between a 270 and a 30-06 to drastically improve your problem.

A 243 despite being the smallest caliber I would use for deer will give you good service and has a very tame recoil. I have killed many deer with one and still have a S&W bolt action 243 with a 6 power Leupold that I take with me on occasion. Me personally, I like to stick with at least a 100 grain bullet in a 243. I've seen bad things happen with the smaller, faster more easily frangible 243 bullets.

Another round to consider as Doctordeath stated is the 7mm-08. Same hull as a 243 but necked to a 7mm bullet. Very mild recoil yet gives you the ability to shoot a 140 grain bullet. I have one in a Browning A-bolt and it is one of my favorites for Alabama whitetails.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

or my new favorite the 260 rem.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Well this morning I went and bought a remingtion 700 series .243. I plan on shoting either the 100gr core locks or the 95gr bollistic tips. I would never thing of doing this but I have a freind that shoots a rem. 700 .243 and he swars by using 55gr bollistic tips he says he has never lost a deer alot of that is problaly good shot placement I am sure. He went to AL. for a deer hunt this year and he said after tracking about every deer shot by someone in his camp 30-06 .270 300mag I beleive those are the guns he told me. He had a couple of guides with him that were his freinds and by the weeks end the were shoting 55gr ballistic tips also. You could take two deer a day and he took alot of deer that week and only had to track one over 75 yrds most he said dropped in there tracks. He told me this after I already purchased my gun and I hadn't told him about the purchase until after the hunting stories. His brother shots a 22-250 and he says it drops them in there tracks every time. He uses the smallest bollistic tips he can find for his gun. What do you people think of the bollistic tips?

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I love the Ballistic tips but in the 243 I wouldn't use less than the 95 grain. I sure would not use the 45 grain ballistic tips in the 22-250 for deer. They are meant to blow uo in varmits.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

way to go, i think you'll be happy with a 700 and your choice in the .243, i think most people would agree one of the things that makes the .243 shoot so well is the very mild recoil, i'm not sure on you bullets selection but i would stay with the heavier bullets, in either choice bt's or core-lok

best of luck, let us know how it does;)

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Not a personal favorite for me but many people love them. They will produce some of the quickest dropped in their tracks kills you have ever seen BUT they rarely exit a deer in a caliber as small as a 243. Meaning? If the deer does run you will have only a tiny 24 caliber entrance hole to produce a blood trail. Also ballistic tips (which are basically just a hollow point with a plastic insert in the tip) expand violently on impact. Meaning? They really hit hard but at the expense of consistent penetration.

A buddy of mine shot a buck last week with a 140 grain ballistic tip out of a 7mm-08. Shot distance was 45 yards from a rested position in a shooting house. The deer hit the ground like a sack of wet cement at the shot. My buddy gathered up his stuff and climbed out of the shooting house and was stunned to find the deer....GONE! Didn't see which way it ran and it left no blood trail. He and his brothers spent all that day looking and he NEVER found that deer. He threw the ballistic tips away. Unfortunately this is not a isolated case with my friends. Another lost the biggest buck he ever saw after a broadside bullet in the shoulder with a 150 grain 30-06 ballistic tip failed to put him down and left no blood trail. I know there are people who will post on here that claim 100's of kills with BT bullets without a hint of a problem. They will also tell you that anyone that does have a problem with them just can't put a bullet in the proper place. Well I can't speak for their personal kill record but I can assure you that most of the people I know no longer use them due to well hit deer that were never recovered. And these people can definately shoot.

Whatever you choose however I would stick to the heavier 243 bullets like James B and m.t.hands advised. Those 50 or 55 grain 243 bullets were designed for groundhogs not deer.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Todd funny you mentioned that. i got the bright idea i was gonna use ballistic tips one year in my 30-06...well bought a nice box of Fed Premium 165 gr BT's...yes 165's. I shot a buck at bout 30 yards with it...hardest I have ever seen a deer hit the ground. Well it was down and not moving..so I lower my gun and stand up..bout this time it starts kicking gets to its feet and may still be running for all I know..I never seen a drop of blood anywhere. I could actually see the hole in the upper part of its shoulder as it got up. I kow the deer died..as there were chunks of bone and muscle laying where it fell but no blood....and it was gone. Weird but true story. That made for a longggg trip home.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

GeeeeeZ Doe Dumper, look at the clock. Don't you ever sleep?:D

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I knew when I saw this thread what it would do LOL. Yes it is true any of the above mentioned guns will take deer. I have owned and used nearly all the standards 30-06 270 243 30-30. Several years ago my wife surprized me with a 25-06 and I havent looked back I love it. Less kick then the 270 and more knockdown power then the 243. You can use it for varmits and deer without any problem at all.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

In our club there has been a lot more bad results with the ballistic tip bullets than good ones. You couldn't give me a box of them.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

I have decided not to use the bollistic tips. What to you people think is the best bullet choice as far as brand I know I will shot 100gr and I know the result of different brand shell effect each gun differently. I have to boxes of rem. core lock 100gr right know. Is that a good shell choice for the .243?

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

In the 243 I would highly recommend the 95 grain or 100 grain NOSLER PARTITIONS. They have worked the best for me for a long time. The corlokt will work but not as well. I think the 95 grain Ballistic tip would work well but I have never used them yet.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

another vote for partitions, i have always had my best results with them, i agree with what everyone else is saying about the bt's, i have only limited experience with them and i always go back to partitions, imo they stay together and mushroom like a bullet is suposed to and retain most of the weight.

best of luck

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

bigcountry...assuming you are going to be taking most shot at 200yards or less...The best factory loads that I have seen (depending on how they group in your gun) are: 100 gr CoreLokts, 100 gr Hornadys, 100gr Federal Premium in both the Nosler Partition and the Sierra SPBT...All but the Sierra almost always give you an exit wound on lung shots....but...even though the Sierra SPBT don't always exit...I never had a deer go more than 50 yards when hit with a center lung shot with them.....I'm going to play devils advicate on the "it must always have an exit hole theory to give a blood trail"...The deer that I have shot, with the bullet ending up under the hide on the opposite side...usually go less than the bullets that always pass completely through...and you DO have a blood trail when a bullet stays inside the deer...they bleed out of the mouth and nose....Frankly if I don't want a blood trail...I put the bullet through the shoulder blade, in the neck or use a high lung shot...these deer drop at the shot...but if a deer goes less than 100 yards after the shot...I will find them....a hunter in this situation just needs to KNOW absolutely sure that he killed that deer and look until you retrieve them...we had a couple of bucks that ran 100-125 yards this year, with no blood trail...both were shot with muzzleloaders....I knew both were hit, because in both cases I was also hunting on the same farm and I heard the bullet hit...we found both...it took about an hour for each...but we found them...both were center lung shot hits...

That being said...the bullet that I now use is the Federal Premium 85gr BTHP....I have killed deer from 35 to 235 with this bullet...it actually gives pass throughs more often than the Federal Premuim 100gr SPBT, the Federal 100 gr Classic load and both Winchester PowerPoints loads...But where I hunt in eastern NC...I could have a shot out to 300 yards, thats where this bullet really shines, if your shots are within 200 yards, any of the loads I mentioned in the first paragraph will work....Good Luck...

PS...Before you shoot your new rifle...clean the barrel...I have found all kinds of "junk" inside new barrels....I would also adjust the trigger down to 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds, depending on your preference...most of the 700s that I have setup in recent years have been about 5 1/2 pounds from the factory....it pretty east to adjust yourself....

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

nchawkeye
Most of my shots will come in under the 200yrd mark easily because the area I hunt is all woods and they are fairly thick. There is only one place I can think of that I might have a 200yrd shot but I never hunt there. I would say most of my shots will be under 100 yrds. How do you adjust the trigger and know what the pounds of pressure it takes to pull them after you adjust it?

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Yeah James I think we got netitis or something..lmao. I get wired at work and it takes a while to chill out...:D

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

bigcountry...sent you an email on that...Good Luck...

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Almost identical scenario for my buddy with the 150 gr BT out of his 30-06. Shoulder shot at close range, Deer dropped hard, got back up and ran. All he found was chunks of bone and hide. No blood. Weird but true indeed. According to him the buck he lost was a monster too. It's still a sore subject with him even though it happened 2 years ago and you can still piss him off just by talking about BT bullets. :D

Back to the 243. Nosler partitions are an excellent bullet for the 243. Although some don't care for Cor-Lokts I have also used 100 grain cor-lokts, usually got a complete pass through, and never lost a deer I shot with them.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

A 100 gr 243 bullet and a 130 gr 270 bullet have the same sectional density and nearly the same velocity.

I doubt you'd be able to tell very much difference at all in terms of performance on deer sized game inside of 250 yds with identical bullet type in both callibers.

I personally believe that all high power rifles, from 243 to 300 Win perform about the same on deer under most conditions. Some make a little larger hole, but really don't kill any faster. Shot placement is by far most important on deer.

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Stupid question!!!!!!

just buy one of each like me and flip a coin as to which one your hunting with today!:D

And start reloading you can custom YOUR stuff to your gun not every gun!

And i stopped using BT's soon after the first time i used them. a soft point boat tail will work just fine. as a matter of fact i use speer 130 grain soft points in 270 cause my 270 loves them. cheapest bullet you can just about buy and folks they WORK!!

RE: .243 or .270 which is best for deer
 

Man a .243 thread and I wasnt invited. LOL You guys know I,m a .243 fan, been one most my life. I have used other guns but always liked the .243 the best. .243's are usually very accurate guns right out of the box, very little recoil too. I shoot a Rem .243 VLS with bull barrel. I can see the deer drop through the scope after I shoot, it has no recoil cause of the weight of the gun, it's pretty heavy because of the bull barrell. The bullets I recomend are federal 100 gr sierra gameking, the federal 85 gr.howlow points and the hornady 100 gr. .243's will usually group better with the 85 gr. I sure wish federal would load their 107 gr. hpbt matchkings and put them on the shelf, with a SD of .259 and a coefficiency of .527 that is an awsome round for the .243.
I think you made the right choice in getting the .243. Not saying the .270 is no good, by far it's an awsome caliber as well but it's too much like what you have now. As far as .25-06, it is nice gun but it's just not that efficient of a burning cartridge, Its what they call an overbore, which gives it a much louder report and more recoil, and unburnt gasses (powder) usually equates to inconsistency, the .243 makes just as much power with a lot less powder. Its a very efficient burning cartridge which gives it its inherent accuracy. I would try the federal 85gr. HPBT's, they put a lot of bigger guns to shame. Did you know the .243 is a case necked down .308