.243 deer hunting experiences?

[chains1240]

Thanks Sav. When I started looking at my own deer rifle the only thing I knew was that I DID NOT want a 30-06. Borrowed a Savage Model 110 Laminate and the rifle 1. Did not fit me and 2. The recoil pad was like a hard rubber brick. I shot 17 rounds out of it at the range and I got so pounded I could not bring myself to shoot the last three. Looking at recoil tables it appears the 7mm-08 in the same weight rifle recoils as much/little as a 200 grain .35. I can shoot my Grandfathers model 336 a ton with a plastic butt-plate without a problem. .243 sounds plenty for deer. Again, even with lots of practice my shots will all be under 300 yards, closer to 225.

 

[Eagle103]

I have a .243 and a 7mm-08. Both do what they're supposed to do. I say go with a .243 simply for the cost and availability of ammo. You won't be disappointed.
It's hard to get through to some people that a .243 is all you need when they've been using 30-06's or larger for years. My nephew, who uses a .243 on my advice, missed a nice buck this year. His dad's response was "maybe you need a bigger cannon". He's been talking about "upgrading" his current 06 up to a .300 Win Mag for some reason. No point in arguing with him.

 

[PT1911]

damn son, you missed.. I think you need a gun that will make you flinch more... or perhaps he only missed by a fraction of a centimeter and the added size of the bullet will result in a DEVASTATING GRAZE.

 

[chas08]

We own both. My wife prefers the .243 and several Deer and Hogs have met their maker as a result. I prefer the '08 for for no other reason than, "I just do". In my opinion recoil is comparable and not an issue. Ammo cost and availability goes to the .243. Either will do the job more than adequately if you do your part. Buy the one that appeals to you the most.

 

[shaggy430]

I've got a .243 that has taken anywhere between 30-40 deer. No problems.

 

[HB]

2 years ago I shot and hit a doe at about 85 yards. It was an offhand shot through some brush but I believe I picked a clean shooting lane. After waiting about 20 minutes, I went to recover the deer. There was fresh snow so blood and tracks were easily visible but after following the trail for about 100 yards, it just stopped. Along the way there were pie plate sized patches of blood as well as the typical dribble. After looking for the deer for three hours, we gave up as dark set in.
I still am not sure what happened but those are the facts. These are my conclusions...
1. Bullet hit a twig on the way there
2. I made a poor shot
3. Bullet preformed poorly

I still shoot a .243 for deer but have yet to get a deer with it so we will see next year. I am reasonably sure that I made a good shot because I shoot A LOT, and a lot is offhand (I shoot 3 Position Air and Smallbore)

HB

 

[Todd1700]

I have killed a lot of deer with a 243 including a very large 7 point that is now one of the mounts decorating my wall. If you can shoot, it will not let you down on deer sized game. If you can't shoot, then no increase in caliber size will help that fact.

The 243 gets a bad rep for a couple of undeserved reasons.

One is that due to it's mild recoil it is often the caliber that a lot of children first take to the deer woods. Children are often not the best shots and sometimes lose deer. The 243 is occasionally blamed for a childs lost deer when poor shot placement was actually the real culprit.

Second, is that the 243 is a duel purpose caliber used for both varmits and deer. That being the case there is factory ammo out there intended for both tasks. Light weight highly frangible 243 varmit rounds are not intended for deer sized game but unfortunately sometimes get used on deer. Poor penetration and a lost animal is very often the end result. Again the 243 gets the blame when ignorance was the actual culprit in that case.

Use a good 100 grain bullet intended for deer and a 243 will give you good service.

 

[surjimmy]

These two deer were both shot with a 243, ammo was Winchester Power Points 80gr. First weighed 177lbs shot by my nephew on his first hunt this year. The mounted one was shot by my 12 yr. old son last year on his first hunt it weighed 260lbs. Both weights are on the hoof. My nephew's dropped in his tracks, my sons ran only about 60 yards.

 

[sdhunter]

I have killed deer with a .223,.243,25-06,.270, and a 7mm Remington mag. i have a sweet spot for the 25-06 personally, but also am a firm believer in shot placement. i have seen deer get away after a bad hit with a .338 and have also seen deer drop like a rock with a vital hit delivered by a .223. i guess it all comes down to personal preference. just another ford vs. chevy kinda deal

 

[chains1240]

Congratulations to your family on those fine looking deer. I appreciate the accounts and pictures.

 

[sleepyone]

.243 works fine

my daughter's first ever deer this season from about 80 yards with her M70 FW .243 using Federal Powershok 100 gr. soft point. Hit him behind the shoulder just like I taught her. He dropped instantly.

 

[pat86323]

Dont let all these "dropped in their tracks" reports let you think that it is a guarantee though. I saw my dad put a 150 grain 7mm mag bullet directly through a 5pt muleys heart and the deer ran about a quarter mile before he laid down. I also witnessed a decent cow elk drop deader then dead from a young boy shooting a 243. Shot placement counts but doesnt guarantee anything.

 

[natman]

Rick Jamison (Shooting Times) has a oft repeated story about a big buck he nailed twice with a 243 that went on to be shot and claimed by other hunters. Page 59 "Rifleman's Handbook":

"I couldn't help feeling that a cartridge with more punch would have anchored the buck sooner."

Jamison is a big fan of the 243 *for varmints*, in fact he considers it the ultimate coyote cartridge.

Finn Aargard (NRA Field Editor)

Aargard wrote an excellent article called "The 243 for Big Game".
Page 101 "Hunting Rifles and Cartridges.

"[If you need a varmint / deer rifle] ..trying to make a varmint cartridge work on big game is going at it the wrong way around. It would be far better to choose a cartridge for the largest game he intended to hunt with it, the develop a load for it that would work on varmints."

"...the 6mms are essentially varmint cartridges. With the right bullets and careful shooting, they can be made to perform fairly satisfactorily on big game up to perhaps 200 lbs liveweight. But why choose a cartridge that is only 'fairly satisfactory' when other cartriges are readily available in rifles that are just as light and have no more kick than those for the 243?"

A 243 can work well for deer, sometimes spectacularly so. But the odds of having a hardware failure with it are greater than with similar cartridges with larger and heavier bullets. So if I were buying a deer rifle I would certainly choose a 7mm-08 over a 243.

 

[chains1240]

Yeah, I understand that some will DRT and some won't. I shot my first deer this year. 100 yards 200 Grain .35 I aimed behind the shoulder but I hit her in the shoulder. In one side, through both lungs, and out the other. The doe died about 50 yards away in a patch of small trees. I shot two more during private land antlerless with a 30-06 using 150 grain bullets. Those ones took off too. I need more practice. The light recoil and lower cost of the .243 ammo compared to the 7mm-08 would be a factor of how much practice I can afford/handle.

 

[chains1240]

Sleepyone, nice deer and nice rifle. Winchester model 70 extreme weather ss was one that I was looking at, but at $900, ouch can't do it.

 

[SuperMidget]

For a lot of years, I shot a 6mm Rem for whitetail, muleys, and antelope ranging from a 90 lb yearling to a muley buck that went 250lbs dressed. It worked, and worked well on everything from a whitetail at 3 feet to a mule deer at 450 yards. I saw everything from a DRT to the 100 yards heart-shot death sprint.

It was no better and no worse than any other rifle used in our group, which included calibers ranging from the .22-250 to the 7mm Rem Mag.

I also know of two individuals who have taken elk in Colorado with a .243 Win; one cow at 250 yards or so, and one bull at 100ish.

Now, is it the ideal caliber? No, I believe that goes to the .270 WCF, but it is far better than most folks will give it credit for.

 

[surjimmy]

chains1240, you might check out the Tikka T3 right at $500 made by Sako. I have one in a 300wsm dead on accurate and very smooth action, it has become my favorite hunting rifle.

 

[chains1240]

The Tikka T3 has come up more than once in my research. Checking now.

 

[JimKirk]

My son has killed many many deer with a .243 using 95 gr Nosler BT and Hornady 100 gr SP. To me the Hornady shoot better out of his gun and are more consistent in the expansion dept. My brother has a 6mm Remington and has killed semi truck load of deer & hogs with it. It like the Hornady 100 round nose.
Funny thing about a 6mm Rem, after someone suggested it as a better round(which it is), I did a search and as far as I can find nobody chambers it in a common factory rifle anymore, not even Remington. Kinda odd!

Jimmy K

 

[chains1240]

I really wish the LGS had guns I could shoot to see how I like the calibers I have in mind. For some reason, even though I know a .243 will kill just as good, kick less, and ammo cost less, the 7mm-08 keeps telling me "Buy me...buy me...and please call me a .284"

 

[lev83]

I have shot several deer in the past two years with .243 and none of them traveled more than 10 feet after the shot. A great round for whitetail deer here in Arkansas IMO

 

[eastbank]

i shot this buck in brush so thick i thought it was a doe(i had a buck and doe tag), the bullet hit two small twigs before hitting the deer and did not go threw the deer. i use a 3006 rem pump 165gr bullet. i,m not sure i would have gotten this buck with a 243 diamiter bullet. that is how the deer was laying with his horns tangled in the small trees when i got up to him, i thought he was still alive and shot him thru the neck but he was already dead. eastbank.

 

[heeler]

Chains,I have hunted deer for over forty five years and have probably killed 75-80 Texas Whitetail bucks in that time.
I have used a 30-06,308,243,6mm,and 30-30.
Of those deer i can count on one hand the deer that "dropped in their tracks".
So I can tell you that is not a caliber of cartridge issue.
It's a wild high strung deer issue that has a strong will of survival.
The 243 is fine with good shot placement just as a 300 Win mag is fine with good shot placement.
Well made bullets help immensely as has been already noted.
In fact I own two .243's,an old Remington 600 and a 70's era Ithaca(Tikka really) LSA-55.
I also own a 6mm and i honestly cant tell that much difference between it and my 243's.
The 7mm-08 is fine but after owning one,which i sold, I much prefer the 308 to it as ammo is just like the 243 in the fact that you can find it at Wally World or Ned's Bait n Beer at Hog Wallow Junction in nowheresville USA.
As my years go forward I find myself gravitating far more to my 243's than the bigger 30 caliber bruisers in the safe.
Just my two cents here.

 

[chains1240]

Heeler, all good things to consider. I have access to 7mm-08 remington core-lokt at the local Dunhams for $30. I think I can get an array of them online also. .308, .243. .270 etc is only $20 a box. My wife's grandfather and Uncle both have reloading benches, all I would need to supply is the dies and components. Perhaps reloading in any caliber would be a good thing, find something the rifle really likes?

 

[Todd1700]

the 6mms are essentially varmint cartridges. With the right bullets and careful shooting, they can be made to perform fairly satisfactorily on big game up to perhaps 200 lbs liveweight. But why choose a cartridge that is only 'fairly satisfactory' when other cartriges are readily available in rifles that are just as light and have no more kick than those for the 243?"

Well as for the excerpts from hunting or gun mags all I can say is that I have so little respect for anything they say these days that I haven't even read one in years. I don't mean that maliciously but gun/hunting mags and the people who write for them have deteriorated into a pretty sad state of affairs. They are basically nothing now but advertising pamphlets for hunting industry sponsors. And sadly one of the common themes in them is recommending too much gun for new hunters. Magnumitis rules supreme in the gun rag world these days. Usually they suggest one of the new whiz bang calibers being touted by their sponsors. I'd sooner trust the word of a kleptomaniac crack HO than a gun writer these days. And sadly she would probably know as much about guns as the average guy writing for these magazines. Getting to write an opinion in a magazine, which is just as prone to being biased, flawed, inconsistent or flat out wrong as the next guys doesn't make you a gun expert. Luck far more than merit is the reason most of these guys have the jobs they do.

And I'd put far more stock in the personal accounts of people in forums like this. At the very least most of them have no agenda or reason to lie to you.