.243

Gene B.

Just scored a bolt action .243, never had one before. Anyone that has one, what's your preferred ammunition?

Gene B.

Will a .243 take down a elk ,moose or a caribou at say 150/200 yrds?

Gene B.

Would a .243 round be good for deer, and turkey? What other game is this round capable of, and at about what distance? What are your personal experiences with it?

daddo

Whitetail deer, bobcat, coyote, hog, (100 grain), varmits, (80 grain or less).
A little light for bigger game unless you can make a perfect KILL shot.

jastr

.243 is the perfect size deer round........unless you feel you need a .50 cal.......like some around here......I would stick too a shotgun for turkey though...

lets all be responsible! shoot a criminal! Remember 0% of firearms pull there own trigger!

William81

Enough for Whitetail hunting with minimal recoil. As for Turkey, if you want to eat it, I'd suggest a shotgun.

Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Liberals....

He Dog

In many, maybe most, states you cannot legally use a rifle on turkey. Check your state regulations before hitting the field. .243 is a fine white-tail rifle and will work on mulies if you get the bullet where it needs to be. I is not the best 300 yard mule deer rifle. Also a fine rifle for pronghorn.

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand

JustC

As usuall, I must sgree totaly with He Dog's statements. The 243 is a great bullet which receives less credit than it is due. Now, bullet placement is paramount with this caliber, but it is quite capable of whitetail harvests at 300yds and beyond. It is also a wicked varmit round as well. It is IMHO one of the best all around bullets one can own, not taking into consideration moose hunts and grizzly bears, it goes without saying one would not be wise to attemp such endeavors.

A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.

groundhog devastation

The 243 is great little varmint to deer cartridge! With the 55-80 grain bullets available today it is a formidable varmint round. I have klled countless groundhogs using 75gr Speer HP ahead of 36 grains of 3031! Not the fastest varmint round or load out there but very effective! On deer (and I don't know if they're still available) Speer 105 HOT-COR bullets do a number when sent through the boiler room. As far as turkeys go, I agree with previous posts about rifles for turkeys in your state. As far as accuracy goes if they are legal in your state for turkeys, you should be able to break his neck instead of shooting at the turkey out to 200 yards. Just my little humble opinion on the 243. GHD

Big Sky Redneck

A .243 is about the largest gun you will ever need for deer, anything larger is scary. Would you believe people have to use a .30 cal gun to kill a deer? I'm tellin ya it's freaking unreal what these guys shoot deer with! I saw a guy with a .300 win mag one day, asked him if he was hunting Cape Buffalo and he says "no, huntin deer", I was astonished I tell ya, A DANG .300WIN MAG FOR DEER!! jeez jumpin man, what ya wanna do, blow it apart?!?! That .243 is all you need bud, I use one when the .223 gets outranged.

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Real men use little bullets.

idsman75

7mm--What kind of ordnance are you using when you take deer with the .223?

Gene B.

So I should get a one shot kill with a 243? Also im paranoid like this....say a hellish war broke out and I needed to defend myself at about 400 or maybe even 500 yards. Would the .243 be a good center mass "man stopper" at that range?



Edited by - gene B. on 09/25/2002 09:35:32

BoltactionMan

Only if you hit him.

KC