.243 for whitetail.

sandwarrior

This is in response to a post that was locked before I could give my opinion to it.

I have personally shot nine deer with that caliber all using 85 gr. bullets and one 100 gr. bullet. It is an excellent deer cartridge out to 400 yds. because of it's flat trajectory and very low recoil. I too personally prefer the .257 Roberts but the case here is that you are getting a possibly great deal on a Rem 700 .243. TAKE IT! is my advice. Zero 3 inches high @ 100 yds. and enjoy shooting everything out to 300 without holding for anything. When you feel a little more confident in the caliber and rifle start stretching out your range and see how it hits at longer ranges. Nosler 90 gr. Bt's work extremely well, also. Just don't hit what you'll be cutting up for meat if you can help it. They do have a tendency to hydrochock the meat.

This discussion always leads me to think of the trials the military had in going to a smaller round. The old school was never going to get off the .30 cal wagon no matter what. There were a lot of rounds out there tested and no matter what...the opinion always came back that you need a .30 cal. Well, time and civilian competition has proven that .30 cal is actually not all it's cracked up to be. Meaning the farther you get out the better the 6mm's and 6.35's and 6.5mm's are. A lot of guys are going to the 7mm (.284) just to save barrels, but for equal ballistics to the 6.5's. If there's any question as to how effective the .243 is David Tubb used it to win a national championship a couple years ago. You don't see that with .308's and 30-06's much anymore. In short the .243 is a fine round for deer. In spite of my other preferences.

HeavyBarrel

It's halloween and I am going to dress up as a moderator,
now what is your specific question?[:D]

select-fire

All the naysayers of the .243 pay attention. The 6mm I shoot is just a tad hotter than a .243. Ballistically at 500yd a .308 150 grain and a 6mm in a 100 grainer are indentical on energy at 810 ft. pds.

Pdog

Well I have one and every deer i have shot has dropped instantly except one but it only went 20 yards. Aunt shot one with hers last year and when I was gutting it the heart was half gone but that deer ran for a bit. Not sure how far was on a different hill watching the other draw but was a rough drag up the hill. But have also seen them get up and run away, well happened once. But have seen a 25-06 do the same thing.

nards444

going to the military, they are looking for something a little bigger. I think something like a 6.5 or 6.8mm. Because the 223 has been known to be a little weak. The 243 is a little bigger, but if the military is looking for something bigger to kill people which are a little smaller than deer, than maybe those rounds are to small. I would debate the fact of going out to 400 yards. like most say 100 yards is the your best bet with this gun

nononsense

nards444,

"...like most say 100 yards is the your best bet with this gun"

First, most don't say that this a 100 yard gun or cartridge, that's a ridiculous statement. In point of fact it's just the opposite.

Second, a careful study of the cartridge and the ballistics associated with the various bullets suitable to deer hunting will tell the complete and accurate story, not just the suppositions of those that haven't taken the time to do their homework.

Third, the advent of new and better bullet designs has simply increased the advantage of a cartridge with the case capacity of the .243 Win. This cartridge is definitely NOT limited to the anemic 100 yard range that some folks would like us to believe.

Best.

DEG305

It makes me laugh at how some people seem to think that deer and like size game have mutated into all but imposible to bring down with any thing that don't have "MAGNUM" after the caliber designation! Having been raised on a farm in the northeast I've seen more deer on the table that was killed with a "punie".22lr than any other cal. Shot placement being the key to success. mind you I don't advocate hunting deer with a .22 but a .243 is plenty enough stopping power for whitetail out to 300yds. while most "hunters" are not capable of CONTROLLED SHOT PLACEMENT at that distant. and untill deer mutate a little more the .243 will keep "bringing home the meat"

tsavo303

Whatever. .243 killed all my 1st dozen deer all sizes and ranges. (with 12 bullets, most dropped, none ran more than 40 yds)
Stick w/ 90-105 gr premium bullets and you will be well served.
only deer i wounded was when i "upgraded" to 7 mag

richbug

Didn't you know, Deer are armor plated, and supplied with kevlar by PETA now. The minimum caliber to defeat this armor is a 50 BMG with AP projectiles...[:D]

Texas Hunter

Hunting in the 60's and 70's i was brain washed buy the "experts" that the 243 was a poor choice of a deer rifle.
Well i certainly know better now.
I have killed several deer and hogs with my 243 and 6mm.
I prefer the 6mm a little bit more simply because it is slightly more powerful.
Last year i shot and killed a 13 point buck that scored 151 B&C and field dressed 165 pounds.
The 100 grain Winchester Power Point went completely through him and the shot was 120 yards and he was quatering away from me.
The deer did run at least 100 yards even though the shot double lunged him.
Frankly as mature as that deer was i think he might have ran just as far if i had shot him with my 308.
So all i can say is that the 243/6mm is a great round and just use good ammo and try to pick broad side shots if possible.
Fwiw i was talking to a guy last week during jury duty that was appalled that i used such a puny gun for deer hunting.
His choice for Texas whitetails was a.....300 Weatherby Magnum.[xx(]

He was probably born with a small dork as well.

He Dog

The thing about a .300 mag is that even on German Shepard sized Edwards Plateau whitetails, if you shoot them in the hoof they don't die where you can find them.

Bullet placement is still the magic that gets the job done, and a .243 will do the job out to ranges that 95% of us have no business shooting game.

Calling it a 100 yard shooter is way beyond uninformed, it is revealing of a lack of knowledge and experiece.