.243 deer hunting experiences?

[chains1240]

Of course I am still on the fence when it comes to picking a caliber. Looking at the .243 and the 7mm-08. I do not believe that recoil with the 7mm will be a factor so the only thing I can see as a negative is that the ammo costs more. If anyone out there is hunting deer with a .243 I would love to hear stories of the hunt/result and pictures if available. Yes, I did a search of the internet and have read thousands of posts over the last few days. Thank you all.

 

[Arkel23]

Never used a .243, but go with the 7mm-08.

 

[t george]

shot 3 deer this year with hornady 243 100gr bullets and only one made it farther then about 3 steps. all shots were broadside and shortes was about 60 yards longest about 180

i have been very happy with the preformance and the chicken fries

 

[rizbunk77]

If you are considering .243 why not add 100 fps and go with a 6mm Rem?.
Shot several deer with mine. All have been eaten.

 

[skiking]

Don't make me choose between the 7mm-08 and the .243. I have found that the .243 or 6mm Rem shooting 100 gr bullets are plain magic on whitetails. I have shot 9 deer with my .243 and have seen 7-8 more dropped with either the 6mm or .243 and all haven't run more than 30 yds. I have also seen several deer shot with the 7mm-08 and the results were about the same. Either way they are both great for deer.

 

[MJR007]

My 243 became a 7mm-08. You sound a little unsure of recoil. Get the 243 it is a great deer round.

Good luck.

 

[cougar1717]

There are lots of posts out there about this. These 243 vs 7-08 threads are very repetitive and similar to 308 vs 30-06, 30-06 vs 270, 300WM vs 300 WSM, etc. You will probably get a ton of advice one way or another, depending on how many people own what. I am kind of surprised that someone hasn't mentioned the 260 yet.
I have a aquaintence who is a rancher in South Dakota. His only rifle is a 243 Win. He has taken whitetail deer, mule deer, and antelope with it, without a problem. The reality is that shot placement is more important than the difference between .243 and .284 projectiles. Even Jack O'Connor went to Africa with 270. If there is a gun shop that will let you shoot a used gun in both calibers or you have friend who has a 243 or 7-08, please use these resources to make an informed decision. Either will work for your stated purpose.

 

[wyohome]

There really isn't enough difference between the 6mm and 243 to matter. Shoot a few and find one you like. Shoot it a lot. Be (as corny as it sounds) one with your rifle. Know that when you raise it to fire that it will be aimed where you want to hit, the safety nearly goes to 'fire' on its own and you don't make a conscious effort to pull the trigger. Once all of these things come naturally, the guys with the little fired magnums and new chamberings will either be envious or just think you are lucky.

 

[shootr]

+1 What Wyo said.

Shot placement and practice.

 

[lopezni]

I sold a guy a Weatherby Vanguard package in .243, he had neck and shoulder surgery and couldn't take heavy recoil. He came back two weeks later with two pictures of dead deer. One shot in the neck, dropped instantly, the other in the heart, ran 30ft then died. He used 95gr Sellier and Bellot PTS. Basically if you use quality ammo, you wont have a problem taking any deer out to 200yds.

 

[slicksleeve]

I have been hunting deer with the .243 for several years now. I started out with 90 grain ballistic tips, then started handloading 100 grain Sierra Pro-Hunters. All the deer shot generally ran about 50 yards before falling stone dead. My wife shoots a 7mm-08. (Kinda funny that she uses the larger caliber ain't it.) Her results have been very similar. I would not turn around for the difference between the two. They are both great deer calibers. A heart shot deer is a dead one even if does take him 50 yards to lose his go fluid.(blood). P.S. The only deer I ever had fall DRT was one I shot in the head with a .444 Marlin. I suspect the .243 would have done as well!

 

[dakotasin]

i'm not that big of a fan of 243 for deer. it seems the deer often run after sucking up a bullet. they don't tend to run far (50-100 yards or so), but they tend to run. the deer that i've dumped w/ the 7-08 have usually dropped at the shot, though some have run a little ways (20-30 yards).

if you aren't worried about having to track on occasion, there are far worse chamberings than 243 to use... but i submit there are also better for deer, and the 7-08 is one of them.

good luck!

 

[Texas Gun Person]

I have killed 4 deer with .243
2 of them dropped where they stood. 1 went about 10ft, and the 4th went about 20ft.


I'm a firm believer in the .243 for taking out deer.

 

[TIMC]

I've taken a few deer over the years with my little .243. The rifle does a great job with the right bullet and there is nothing wrong with using it for deer hunting. Shot placement is what counts the most.
This is the last deer I took with my Ruger 77 in .243 about 3-4 years ago.

 

[Mr_Pale_Horse]

I have a friend who is very recoil averse, and will only hunt with a 243, a Ruger 44 mag carbine, or a bow. He has taken several 170-185 bucks with no problem.

 

[mrjohnston]

I hunt deer with a .243 with 70 gr nosler ballistic tips. It puts 'em down as well as my .300 WM, and it's lighter to carry, shorter to manuver and doesn't kick. The I've shot my farthest at 214 yards with the .243 and he did a piroutte and dropped. The .300 would be my go to past 400 yards, but under that I'm happy with my lil gun.

 

[scythefwd]

do a search on shawnee here. He wouldn't quit about how nobody needs a rifle larger than a .243 to hunt deer with.

 

[doctorxring]

243 vs 7mm08

.

Which ever one you think you will like and have
the most confidence in, buy that one.

Both will kill a whitetail with equal proficiency.
Both have plenty of power, trajectory, and range.

It is still the shot placement that counts.

Buy the rifle that you think you will perform best with.

.

 

[mptrimshop]

every deer i have seen shot with a .243 has gone down in less than 5 steps

 

[Strongbad]

My first centerfire was a .243, specifically a model 788. I used to kill all kinds of deer with it as a kid, then after I got older it went to the back of the safe. Back in 2004 I decided to take it out of mothballs and find a good load for it, specifically I found a load with 95 gr. Hornady SST's and H-4350 that shoots dime sized groups, repeatedly, at 100 yards. Since 2004 that gun has accounted for more whitetail kills than anything else in my arsenal of 35+ guns, including a couple of 300 H&H's, a 338/378, etc. The way it kills deer with the SST's is absolutely unbelievable. I don't think I've had one go more than a few steps, on shots ranging from 50 yards to 200 yards. "Bang, flop." as they say. The 7mm/08 would do just as well, but don't think for a second that the 243 wont get it done. It'll get it done and then some.

 

[USMC+rugby+HUNT=life]

.243 Whitetail in Wisco

I have used a Winchester .243 for many years and love its light weight and surprising knockdown power. When it comes to whitetail, it is my bread and butter.

Picture is from my first hunt back from the war in 2005. Biggest one is mine, one shot, one kill.

 

[Bliggida]

Humorous story

Just fine, unless its shot out of a bent barrel.

Family-friends' teen of my buddy (on my buddy's ranch) shot at a white-tail doe from a tripod stand 50 yards away from the feeder with a scoped .243

We searched for over an hour. All we found was a tuft of hair with some meat on it, very little blood.
I thought to my self, "why you suck-@$$!"
The joke was made, "boy, we need to straighten out that barrel, that's yer problem!"

 

[wankerjake]

They'll both work, but you won't be undergunned for deer with the .243. I shot my coues whitetail at 228 yards this year and he didn't even twitch. Stone dead. Just practice and you'll kill deer with a .243. Recoil is non-existent.

 

[chains1240]

Thank you everyone for the personal stories about your use of the .243. I appreciate it.

 

[Sav .250]

Everybody has an opinion about this or that plus some valid points.
Again, in their opinion. If your experiences with any cal are good, then your opinions indicate that. I`m not knocking anybody for anything just stating my opinion. That being said, My Sav 110 in .243 cal has taken more than a few deer over the last 40+ years and I never once thought I needed to buy something else due to "problems" as mentioned by others. I guess I never had any.
I`ve seen a lot of questions like this and there are a lot of different takes on the .243 vs what ever other cal the poster injects. Always gets a lot of attention...................Opinions. Hey, that`s what forums are for.

For me it boils down to you either like it or not.