.243 Win Opinions

Most likely you won’t have the twist to stabilize the heavier 100+ grain bullets. There are a couple stubby, short ogive bullets out there like the Interlock which will play in the slower twist of the 243win, but most of the 100+ grain 6mm pills are high BC, long Ogive missiles which won’t stabilize in a 1:9, 9.25, or 10” 243win.

But the 87-95grn pills, and the stubby 6mm’s like the 100grn Interlock have been smoking deer for a very long time.

I'd feel comfortable to 400 on deer, maybe more depends on the bullet. I've shoot a few over 325 and all but one was drt that one went 30 yards.

My go to loads for the .243 were 95gr ballistic tips at 3000ish, and 100gr interlock or pro-hunters at 2800. The longest shots I've taken were something over 300yds, but all were on goats.
The only time I had a failure with the .243 it was with the 100grs, at probably 100-125yds. I put three rounds into a decent size axis buck, but he dove over the edge of a valley I couldn't safely follow him into.

That particular .243 was a 1-9 some odd savage, and had issues with even 95gr VLDs, IF I remember correctly. With the 115s it tossed them everywhere. Id REALLY like to have a fast twist .243, and I might actually buy/build one.

It has been a long time ago for me but my best recall is I reloaded 100 gr for the .243 and the loading worked out well for deer. I have no argument with what has been said in the prior posts. I will only add that I was very fond of this cartridge. Light recoil ,accurate , and effective. You made a good choice.

Honestly any of the bullets that are supposed to do on deer sized game will do the trick. The wife used a 250 Savage for about 30 years and I Jumped on the band wagon about 10 years ago. Dad used the 257 Roberts for his last 14 or 15 deer. Between the 3 of us probably 50 or more deer. Used the the following bullets, Remington Factory cor lokt, Speer Hot Core and boat tails, Hornady interlock, Nosler partition, Sierra game king and pro hunter. All were 100 grain.The point of all this is that all were designed for deer sized game and all worked very well from about thirty feet to a couple of hundred yards. Don’t overthink it. Deer aren’t hard to put down.

Available in loaded ammo as well. It's get the job done.

https://www.natchezss.com/nosler-partition-bullets-6mm-243-95-gr-spt-50-ct.html

Good advise posted. I’d stay under the 100 grain mark.

ExAgoradzo said:

So, I believe I have found my next rifle (see thread on Win M 670 243 Win).

Questions on the 243 Win itself...

so, this is an opportunity buy. I don’t need it yet, but my daughter will never be very large (doc expects she will grow to 4’11”). So I’ve been thinking a 243, for her hunting rifle. Still a few years away.

My normal line of thought is to go to the heavier side of whatever cartridge I’m talking about (140gr for the 270 for example). Not extreme, but higher for the BC, but also because of my theory on hunting in general. I will never take a 600 yard shot. 300 yards is stretching enough for me. Now, I know that the 243 Win is fully capable to that distance (and beyond). But my question is, based on your experience to correct or affirm my theory..., is at what point is it too heavy for this round to kill a whitetail for example at <300 yards? The 95 gr Hornady SST looks good to me for example... I know the heaviest end is ≈115gr...

Any good thoughts appreciated.

BTW, FWIW: I may be moving to ID (Hallelujah!)

Greg

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Congratulations on ID!!! Soooo..... Depending on recoil tolerances, might start with an 80ish gr monometal (gmx maybe?) and some imr 4166. Winchester runs 1:10 barrels, so the 85-95 partition, 85 sgk, 95 sst, and 100 sierra prohunter would be where I'd start, the 95sst out of an 18" barrel with some imr4451 absolutely runs to 300yds no problem, it's one of my favorites due to the softer nature of the bullet, making the longerish shots just lethal as the gmx at closer distances. The 80-85 coppers should stabilize well too and depending on launch speed, should have no troubles@300 yds.
If you have the carbine 19" barrel I'm not sure what to tell you for 300+ yds, if you have the 22 or 24" barrel, the 95nbt, sierra prohunter, and 95sst would all work out to 500, with the nbt being my favorite for bucking the wind, outta my 20" tube, 500 yds is the 1800 threshold for the 100 ph. Keep us posted on how it performs for your kiddo!!!

Maybe not the most popular opinion since so many people regard the .243 as a great kid's rifle, but...

I bought a single shot CVA Hunter in .243 for my daughter when she was 11, and one for my nephew when he was the same age. Neither one of them liked shooting those guns because of the recoil. I was using 100 grain bullets. They both shot them, and my daughter made two perfect shots on two deer with hers, but they didn't enjoy shooting them.

Those rifles weigh right at 7 lbs scoped and have decent recoil pads on them.

If I were to do it over again, I would have gotten them a Ruger American in 7.62x39 or 6.5 Grendel. Then they might have enjoyed shooting them more.

No kid I know is going to be taking 300 yard shots at deer. I had a 150 yard limit for my daughter, and she was a pretty good shot (years of 4-H rifle experience). After seeing how effective a bolt-action 7.62x39 can be on deer with the 139 Hornady SST's, I wish I'd have gone that route for her now.

Just something to think about.

I have been using a 243 on white tails for over 20 years, and I have killed more deer with it than any other rifle. I would be OK taking mine out to 300 yards. Mine shoots good with the cheap(er) 100 grain Winchester power points that I used to buy at wally world back when ammo was commonly available there. I never had any issues recovering deer I shot with that round. Every deer I have shot with that 243 has either been DRT or not made it far, and left a blood trail Ray Charles could follow. Unless we are talking about the size/weight of the rifle itself, LOP, etc. I have never understood why people say a 243 (or any other caliber) is for "kids or ladies". The round is more than just capable on deer, and the kids and ladies that are using them are hunting the same exact deer in the same woods that the "he-men" are hunting. Unless there is some phenomenon that I am unaware of, that causes "adult size deer" to avoid the stands and blinds occupied by the ladies and kids.

Lots of folks here in the Deep South swear by the 243. Hard to argue with that track record, and the majority of shooters are recoil averse anyway, so it’s a marriage made for gun store sales. Limiting shots to within 200 yards or less, I doubt the deer knows the difference, and shot placement is king, so again, it’s a decent platform for the (deer) job at hand.

The 243 with 80-95 gr bullets will do just fine on white tail deer. You can change the bullet construction. Forget the 30 cal mentality, the diameter to weight, bullet length or sectional density, replaces bullet weight for penetration.

It is very important to build the rifle to her needs, length, weight, etc. The 243 has little to no real recoil so you can make her a light weight, short rifle.

While you are thinking, take a look at the 6.8 SPC. The 243 is designed around larger guns (308 family), the 6.8 and its 6mm cats are designed around smaller framed guns (223 family) to start with.

When my oldest Grandson got his first deer permit he came over and ask if I had a deer rifle he could use. I gave him a Savage 99 in .243 loaded with a Hornady 87 grain bullet over 40 grains IMR 4350. The first two years he took two of the nicest mule deer bucks he has ever shot, one shot each. As he got into high school the boys gather and exchange their wisdom and suddenly the .243 isn't big enough so he got a 30-06.......he hasn't killed a big deer since.
And it wasn't due to the caliber either way.

100 gr Serria SP BT, or Hornadays offering out of my .243s has worked for decades on every game animal short of moose and Mt sheep in Wyoming.
Propelling these at 3000 fps isnt real difficult, around 40+ gr of IMR 4350. I have never had anything walk away from it with ranges at 25' to 500 yds. Its a great choice in my opinion, and not only for smaller stature folks either.

I have taken over a dozen whitetails with the 243. Most of them taken with the 95gr Ballistic SilverTip over IMR-4350. I played with several bullets and powders and have a 3 shot group that is 3/8" at 100 yards. It was with the "unstable" 100gr Speer HotCor. If memory serves, it was powered by R-17. To be honest, though, I doubt if I have taken a deer over 100 yards with this caliber.

“Not for nothin’,” as they say, but as @Newtosavage pointed out above, in 2021 and beyond, there are more players in the “light recoil, capable hunting cartridges” game than there were ~20yrs ago.

I loved the 243win for a long time, burning over a dozen barrels in 243win and AI since I built my first 243win in college. But I do honestly think there are other options on hand with distinct advantages: the 6 creed handles heavier bullets in factory form, the 6.5 Grendel has less recoil without significantly sacrificing downrange capability, the 6 ARC will push the same bullet only a couple hundred feet slower but with only 3/4 the powder charge - and all of these are available as factory ammo and factory rifles (with better barrel life than 243win). The 243win is still a “right answer,” but these options and a handful of others may also be a valid choice.

If reloading is a reality in your paradigm, a 6 Dasher or GT (I believe GT will be on the “factory list” above within a year or so), 6x45mm, 25-45 Sharps, 6BR, or others in this class are great options for low powder use, long barrel life, low recoil cartridges.

As far as performance on deer goes... Personally, I’ve come to adopt the opinion (largely because of my use of the 243win) that if I feel I need more than 30-40grn of powder behind anything more than a ~100grn bullet to kill a deer, I’m probably doing something I shouldn’t be doing.

My kids who hunt all started out with a Remington Model 7 in .243 Win (one of my daughters owns it now). They all shot 100 grain Remington Core-Lokt factory loads with success. Anything in the 85-100 grain range should work effectively.

ExAgoradzo said:

So, I believe I have found my next rifle (see thread on Win M 670 243 Win).

Questions on the 243 Win itself...

so, this is an opportunity buy. I don’t need it yet, but my daughter will never be very large (doc expects she will grow to 4’11”). So I’ve been thinking a 243, for her hunting rifle. Still a few years away.

My normal line of thought is to go to the heavier side of whatever cartridge I’m talking about (140gr for the 270 for example). Not extreme, but higher for the BC, but also because of my theory on hunting in general. I will never take a 600 yard shot. 300 yards is stretching enough for me. Now, I know that the 243 Win is fully capable to that distance (and beyond). But my question is, based on your experience to correct or affirm my theory..., is at what point is it too heavy for this round to kill a whitetail for example at <300 yards? The 95 gr Hornady SST looks good to me for example... I know the heaviest end is ≈115gr...

Any good thoughts appreciated.

BTW, FWIW: I may be moving to ID (Hallelujah!)

Greg

Click to expand...

Nice choice of rifle, the m670 is basically a budget m 70, I bought one in 3006 a few years ago at the same time I bought a savage m111 in 243 win. Due to injury I couldn't use the m670, but I found that the stock was less refined and bulkier than an m 70 hence the budget pricing, had an excellent trigger that adjusted for pull weight, and 3 position wing saftey. I gifted it to my SIL, his first center fire rifle, he loves it. Best thing to do is make sure that the stock fits her, an aftermarket, boyds, made for her will mitigate any recoil issues.

For the cartridge I've taken a number of whitetails with it most at 80 yds or less. I typically shoot 100 gr bullets from Sierra, hornandy or nosler, not that the 95 gr sst won't perform, but at close range they have been explosive, those are better at longer distances when some velocity has bled off. The twist rate will, as has been mentioned, will determine the best bullet weight, length, for your particular rifle. Mine does well with the prohunter, gameking, interlocks, both flat base and btsp with either imr 4350, h 4350 or ramshot hunter.

Did a search for bc of the hornandy 95 gr sst and interlock spbt, the 95 gr lists .355 bc while the 100 gr spbt lists at .405 bc. If your rifle will stabilize it it seems like a real good option for longrr range deer hunting than the sst, better velocity retention, energy trajectory and less wind drift.

Armorer 101 said:

The 243 with 80-95 gr bullets will do just fine on white tail deer. You can change the bullet construction.

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ExAgoradzo said:

Questions on the 243 Win itself...
so, this is an opportunity buy. I don’t need it yet, but my daughter will never be very large (doc expects she will grow to 4’11”). So I’ve been thinking a 243, for her hunting rifle. Still a few years away.

Click to expand...

ExAgoradzo said:

BTW, FWIW: I may be moving to ID (Hallelujah!)

Click to expand...

You're most likely talking mule deer, not white tails in Idaho. There's getting to be more white tails here, but not many areas are open for hunting them yet, and I think they might require a different tag.
Regardless ExAgoradzo, out to 300 yards if you or your daughter does your, or her part of the job, a regular old 100gr Remington CoreLokt pushed out of a .243 at around 2,900fps will cleanly take down any mule deer in the state.
That's what my wife (who is only 5'1" herself) used for mule deer for a lot of years. She stepped up to a 7mm-08 when it was first commercialized, but she still holds the record for largest mule deer (a huge 6X7 buck) anyone in our family has ever killed, and she killed it with her .243 Winchester. She was shooting a little Remington 660 at the time.
I think your going to like it here in Idaho, ExAgoradzo. Although, if you're expecting mule deer hunting to be easy because there's a lot of them here, you might be disappointed. I've said it before - only 1 in 3 Idaho deer hunters even gets a deer, and that's in a good year. Nevertheless, if you're moving to this part of Idaho (the south-eastern part) get in touch with me. My family has hunted mule deer in this part of the state since before I can remember, and we know the best places.
BTW, my lovely wife (of 50 years come June) was born and raised in San Diego. She followed me home to Idaho 49 years ago, and she's never looked back.

10 yrs ago I would have said .243 for your daughter any day. But now that I finally gave in and own some 6.5cm's, I'd choose it over .243. The recoil is equal or even less in the same platform, but the versatility just can't be matched by the .243

Hugger-4641 said:

10 yrs ago I would have said .243 for your daughter any day. But now that I finally gave in and own some 6.5cm's, I'd choose it over .243.

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That's a thought too, IMO. Our son-in-law showed up out here at the house a while back with a brand new 6.5 Creedmoor (a Tikka?? I think) and I was really impressed. He and I took it down to gravel pit and ran a few rounds through it. The recoil was very mild, and it seemed accurate and flat shooting. As much as I've resisted even considering a 6.5 Creedmoor, mostly due to all the hype (including some right here on THR), I had to admit our son-in-law probably bought himself a mighty-fine deer rifle.

I shot the 6mm Remington for years and it was my daily ranch rifle. My standard load with a Sierra 100 Grain (1560) and a max load H4831SC. I shot a lot of deer, pigs, coyotes, and other varmints with that load. I would say any southern sized deer or varmint inside of 300 yards was pretty much dead on the spot. Later on I moved to a Speer 85 grain SP and it seemed to work equally as well. I took my best hog with this bullet and the extra FPS over the 100 grain bullets put a bit more zing into the initial impact. Honestly I think there is a ton of good bullets for the .243 out there, so I would find one that shoots the best and enjoy hunting with your daughter!

The last 243 I had I was really liking the honrady interbond 85. It was shooting flat and hitting hard, being 85gr I was getting some speed out of it and it's still almost a .400 bc which isn't bad for a 85. Also seen the best blood trail I've ever seen from one doe I shot up close that turned as I shoot, but liver and lung. Looked like two garden houses where sorting each side of her.