[ArmyAviator]

Greetings from south Alabama. 45 years old; hunter since I can remember. Harvested lotsa deer in LA, TX, GA, and AL; shotgun slugs, .30-30, .270, and .30-06. Bought out of a pawn shop, a mint WIN Model Seven in .243.

What say you all about this caliber on AL whitetail? The deer here are moderate size, an avg buck 130-150 lb on the hoof. Planning on the 95 gr bullet; the ballistics seem sound.

Please advise.

Best,

--Bryant

[stownsend]

You will be fine. I have a 243 and have used those same bullets on South Dakota whitetails with great success. Enjoy your new gun and have fun!

[Art Eatman]

That rig and ammo oughta do just fine.

I've killed around twenty-some bucks with my .243, mostly some 20 to 30 pounds lighter, field-dressed, than your general variety. I load the Sierra 85-grain HPBT, but most of my shots have been neck shots. A very few 90-degree cross-body heart/lung shots. I wouldn't take an angling or running shot with that bullet, and generally I stay inside 200 yards. But, everything I've shot has been pretty much DRT.

My little Sako Forester carbine is a sorta slow twist, and doesn't stabilize the longer bullets for tight groups. 55 to 85 grains, it's a great little tack-driver.

[ArmyAviator]

Thank you, Fellas....for your substantial replies.

--Bryant

[Shawnee]

High-5 to the Remington Model 7 and the Hornady 95-gr. ammo! :)

You couldn't get a better deer-getter for any amount of money.

Good Luck !

:cool:

[swampshooter]

My only problem with the .243 is that it rarely produces a blood trail, frequently convincing hunters that they missed when in fact they didn't. Alabama has some awfully thick woods and I for one would like a good blood trail. I like to search for my deer before I shoot them.

[stork]

I totally concur with Art's post. I've used the Sierra 85 gr HPBT on ND whitetails up to 511 yds. It expands well and I've never lost a deer to this bullet.

I've deer hunted with the 243 off & on for over 20 yrs and find it to be an excellent caliber.

PS: I took this shot (511 yds) because I use this rifle for long range prairie dog shooting and know where my bullets strike.

Do I recommend the 243 for 500 yd shots? No, under normal circumstances for that range I would have used my 300 or 7-08 AI. But it was what I had with me on that day.

FWIW
Stork

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

So is your rifle made by Winchester or Remington?

Regardless, excellent caliber and as mentioned, it will work great (contrary to many rural legends).

[ArmyAviator]

Premium....it's a Winchester; very short rifle; sorta looks like a youth gun until you shoulder it. It fits sweetly.

[matrem]

A Winchester Model Seven ??

[HM2PAC]

What does the Winchester Model 7 look like?

[matrem]

Army Avaitor: If your rifle is a model seven,the Win that you're reading is after the caliber ".243",which Winchester owns the rights to.Somewhere else on your barrel will say "Remington Arms".
Great rifle too.

[cliffy]

Generally Model Sevens are made by Remington, which is a fine deer rifle in .243 Winchester caliber. If one handloads, the 100 grain Speer Grand Slam bullet leaves nothing to be desired against the biggest, toughest whitetails going. No 95 grain .243 bullet compares, although the 95 grain Nosler Partition is a close second to the 100 grain Nosler Partition. .243 Winchester with 100 grain fare are generally premium bullets with a ton of muzzle moxy per each. The only lighter bullet of note would be the 90 grain Swift Scirocco II bullet, but those are best for 300 yard Pronghorn Antelope shots. Due to the extreme popularity of the fabulous .243 Winchester, the little engine that could, I expect to see more 100 grain fare appearing soon! cliffy

[ArmyAviator]

Inadvertent errors bestow rookie status or sheer ignorance even amid an avid hunter and collector. Sorry, Fellas....the rifle is a Remington Model 7....and I knew that from the start of the post herein; got caught up in the substantial responses and didn't realize my error. I know all too well the association of various calibers to manufacturer.......243 WIN, .223 REM, .300 Weatherby, .454 BS Obama...:what:.... 410 Bore Biden:D

Regrets. Have a FINE Army Day!! Gonna go fly @ sunrise!

Best,

--Bryant

[Art Eatman]

SE Alabam? Sounds like Wiregrass country. I've VFRed a 172 along the 'BamaFla state line several times, "commuting" between Thomasville, GA, and Terlingua. :)

[mitw44]

I have killed a number of oklahoma whitetails with a remington model 700 .243, using core-lokt 100 gr. bullets. More often than not, they either expired on the spot or ran less than 40 yards and dropped within sight. I always aim for the traditional heart/lung area. I think the "bigger is better" caliber craze of late is just that, a craze. Look at the best selling caliber lists, and you will find 270, 30-06, 30-30, and 243 consistently at the top, for good reason. They are good all-around hunting calibers. The 243 combines a decent bullet weight, flat trajectory, and light recoil, making it a pleasure to target practice and hunt with.

Good hunting.:neener:

[farscott]

My deer rifle is a Browning 1885 in .243 Win topped with a Leupold 3-9X Compact scope. I tend to use the 95-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip with the rifle zeroed at 200 yards. That allows me to hold dead on at pretty much any range from 50 yards to 200 yards. Since most of the shots are much closer to the former distance than the latter, it works well.

[koja48]

.243 ought to do you proud.

[Sunray]

"...a FINE Army Day..." That involves a tank. Tanks don't fly. They don't crash and burn when they stop working either. Snicker. It doesn't matter what you say. It's what you mean that counts.
Speer 105 grain SP's work well with IMR4350. However, 85 grains and up are usually deer bullets as opposed to varmint bullets. There are several match grade bullets available now too. Thanks to the Benchrest shooters. Varmints and targets only with them though.

[cliffy]

I couldn't even spell Army Aveator till I became one. SP/5 Army Aviation, Cliff, at your service. Fort Rucker seemed my second home for several years of in/and out with higher degrees till I finally reached flight status as a Flying Crewchief. In Korea, I was a LineChief/Flying Crewchief over a hundred years ago or so it seems. "Above the Best" emblems rested on my shoulders, along with a 1st Cav patch on my right shoulder and Sterling Wings on my chest. I still actually remember the crazy crap I encountered even after my 66th birthday with my fading memories. No, I wasn't a pilot, merely in charge and protector of everyone aboard. No one died on my watch, and of that I'm quite proud. I was a bit crazy during those times; don't even get me started because I want to forget. cliffy

[Jason_G]

It'll be fine. I have killed deer with 6mm Rem, which is a pretty similar cartridge, with no problem. My brother has killed many white tails with .243. You'll be fine with it.

Jason

[ranger335v]

"What say you all about this caliber on AL whitetail?"

Excellant choice. Mine has never failed.

I always take heart/lung shots, big target and easy to hit. Using 100 gr. Remington or Hornady bullets, common non-premium bullets, I always get a golf ball size exit wound that bleeds quite well. They WILL run but pass out on their feet within maybe 3-5 seconds, after covering maybe 40 yards. My 30-06 and .35 Rem. won't do any better with the same shot, nor will my son's 7 mag.

[john917v]

I fired a .243 for the first time the other day, and I liked it. It'll be more than fine for deer, you could even take down moose with it (although you could use something bigger for an animal that size) But it's great!