.243

[Brampton Mike]

Anyone here use a .243 for deer hunting? Brampton Mike

[gunney_m]

No I dont man but, Welcome to G&G.

[lefty o]

i dont personally, but with 95-100-105gr bullets they've killed lots of deer.

[blaster]

a life long hunting buddy of mine has been using one since he was about 14 and has killed hundreds of deer with his .243

[nathangdad]

The .243 is a superior deer round for two reasons. First, the lack of recoil and muzzle blast promotes the time practicing that leads to excellent bullet placement. Second, in the 100 grain weight it is not a destroyer of meat. Far too many people go into the woods overgunned. They lack accuracy thus frequently miss the target, when they do hit too much meat is damaged, and when they fire at close range the bullet often goes through the deer without expanding thus losing its purpose.

[zlr101]

243 is a great deer gun my uncle kills atleast one a year with his. The whole over gunned and destory meat idea i dont see correct usually the 243 fragments. 243 or 6mm very nice gun

[two-70]

i used my thompson center encore this year in 243, it is a tack triver but i was unable to use it on deer, usually use my 270 win, but felt very comfy with the 100 grain core loks in the 243

[Brampton Mike]

Thanks for the responses..Brampton Mike

[WMBIGS]

I bought a 243 for my boys to get into hunting. Someone mentioned practice and bullet placement, that is the key to any hunting. My 13 year old boy got a nice 27" muley last year, 2pt the year before. 243 is a great beginner deer gun because of the low recoil. Still has plenty of power for a one shot, clean, hamane kill.

[nathangdad]

This is an excellent deer cartridge as you can practice enough to get good with your gun, the cartridge does not destroy meat as to larger cartridges, and it will seldom shoot through a deer thereby imparting all its energy to the task (many people are overgunned and their bullets go through a deer without any really desired effect)

[samuel]

Originally Posted by nathangdad

This is an excellent deer cartridge as you can practice enough to get good with your gun, the cartridge does not destroy meat as to larger cartridges, and it will seldom shoot through a deer thereby imparting all its energy to the task (many people are overgunned and their bullets go through a deer without any really desired effect)

How many deer or antelope have you ever shot with a .243? The ones I have seen (at least 50 whitetail,muley,and speedgoats)There was great destruction to meat,up to, both rib cages being bloodclots the full length of both rib cages on both sides.Bigger,more solid,less frangible bullets that dont have the high velocity and dont expand rapidly tend to do less damage to meat in my experience.What makes the .243 sucessful (indeed any high velocity bullet)is the incredible damage they can do.Bigger tougher bullets cause less meat damage and less pelt damage on fur. (Its called hydrostatic shock I think.) sam.

[two-70]

Bullet placement is key

[lefty o]

correct, place in the heart or the head and you'll waste no meat. people that shoot for the shoulders are the ones that ruin meat, regardless of caliber. in the last 2 years ive shot 6 deer with my 270WSM, and have lost zero meat due to bullet damage.

[Seanik]

I have a Savage model 10 that shoots .243 Winchesterand it's a great lightweight deer rifle. I am trying Winchester supreme ammo with the poly tip for the first time this year. It's supposed to go through the brush better than the standard stuff.

[onehorse]

I've beem hunting for about 45 years and have killed a lot of animals and seen lots killed. My most dramatic drop-dead shots (and favorite) is what I call the "high lung" shot - just behind (not through) the shoulder and in the upper third part of the side. Here's why I like it: you take out both lungs and shock the spinal cord which usually drops the animal, and lose NO meat. I once took this shot at a quartering antelope at over 300 yards, and when I field dressed him, I discovered that I had hit his lungs, spine and liver. It was very dead before it hit the ground. If you hit a little high, you break the spine, again dropping the animal. If you hit a little forward you break the shoulder, or a little low and you take out the heart which also results in a very dead animal. Sure, the head and neck shots are just as deadly, but there's more chance of wounding. I'd rather take a shot that may lose some meat and result in a dead animal than a shot that may just wound (and lose) an animal. This applies to whatever caliber you use. The .243 is a great gun for deer.

[earltash]

Yeppa....243 perfect deer gun......
Low recoil......
Cheap to shoot.....
Good for deer to 300 yards....
I zero mine at 2 inches high at 100 yars.....
Ballistics Charts

[Shootester]

I've been wondering about this question for a few days now. What is the biggest animal you would go after with a .223?

[Midas]

My wife uses a .243 for deer hunting, and with 100 grain bullets, it is an excellent choice. It's a very popular cartridge in this area for younger shooters and women.

[rasterman77]

Nathangdad and Samuel are both right, you do seldom get pass through (depends a bit on the round) and because of that the energy is passed on to the animal. Destruction of meat depends on where you hit the animal but if you hit meat the .243 does a fair bit of "hydrostatic shock". Accuracy being, as always, paramount the .243 is a great rifle for practice.... practice makes perfect.

[nathangdad]

Sorry to hear your experience with the .243 has not been the same as mine. About six deer and four antelope without the problems you describe.
I do not have any way to further discuss or debate the point as, obviously, we cannot relive our experiences and compare results. Historically, the .243 was originally called the .243 Western in Winchester marketing introductions with emphasis on the antelope and deer living on the plains as a specialization of the round. Perhaps distance is a factor in our different results. Mine were at distance which may account for the energy imparted to the game.

Originally Posted by samuel

How many deer or antelope have you ever shot with a .243? The ones I have seen (at least 50 whitetail,muley,and speedgoats)There was great destruction to meat,up to, both rib cages being bloodclots the full length of both rib cages on both sides.Bigger,more solid,less frangible bullets that dont have the high velocity and dont expand rapidly tend to do less damage to meat in my experience.What makes the .243 sucessful (indeed any high velocity bullet)is the incredible damage they can do.Bigger tougher bullets cause less meat damage and less pelt damage on fur. (Its called hydrostatic shock I think.) sam.