.243 Questions

[COYOTE102076]

I LOVE to hear people bash the .243. I then know from that point that they 1) have never accualy shot game with one 2) are lacking in marksmanship skills to put the bullet where it belongs 3) are suffering from the "mine is bigger than yours" syndrome, or 4) are recoil junky's ( not that that is bad! )
Dont get me wrong. I have a Browning 30'06, a Win. mod 70 in .270, a Marlin .444, and am piecing together a 5.75 lb 308 (scope & all). I think rifles that kick are fun. But I have to admit, I also love the non-recoiling .243! I dropped a 190 lb 8-point at 265yds ( +/- 5 yrds. ). He fell like he was hit by lightning! I had 3 other deer shot with that same .243, and ony 1 ran off on me. That one fell after running 50 or so yards. Upon examination, I had pulled the shot up & to the left, making it a lung only shot. Oh well, he still went into the freezer! -------------------kj

 

[rangerruck]

It sounds like you don't know how to use a scope. Put your scope on the rifle, and make sure it is all tightened down very good, adjusting the scope back in the rings, so it is about 3 inches from your face. Make sure the crosshairs are perfectly verticle and horizontal as you look through it.
Pick a target of some type, rock, stick, paper, etc., NOT METAL, on the side of a hill, burm, something with a backstop, that won't riccochet. Then start shooting, make sure the target is smallish, 2 or 3 inches diameter , at max.
Now what I like to do , is aim at something behind my primary target, on the burm of dirt that is behind it. a rock, some trash, a hole in the dirt, something. I aim at that through the scope, then I keep the rifle real still, and lift my head up, so that i am not lookiing through the scope at all, but with both eyes open, looking directly at the target I am shooting at, that is on the burm. I slowly squeeze the trigger, and watch where the bullet impacts the dirt. From this point, I can see if i am close, or very far , from where I impacted the dirt on the burm, and my target on the burm. I can now make big adjustments if I need to.
The elevation knob on top, makes the crosshairs in the scope go up or down, the windage makes them go left or right. You will also see something say ' 1/8 at 100yds, or 1/4 at 100 yds', on both of the knobs. This means that each click you make, will move the strike of the round 1/8 or 1/4 of an inch at 100 yds. So If on that first shot, at you makeshift target on the burm, you are 10 inches high, and 15 inches left, and your markings say 1/4 inch at 100, your first correction should be 40 clicks down, and 60 clicks to the right, on the elevation knob first, then the windage. These will double if you knobs say 1/8 inch. This should get you close.
then repeat sighting in the first steps, and firing again. If you are now within a couple of inches of your secondary target on the burm, you can now switch to your primary target, and do ALL YOUR LOOKING and sighting, especially looking for the holes, through the scope, making your adjustments accordingly, but now, all through looking through the scope.

 

[Art Eatman]

Not disagreeing with rangerruck; just offering another idea:

If it's convenient, set up at a kitchen or dining table where you can see out a window. Remove the bolt. Look through the barrel, at something off in the distance outdoors. The window of a neighbor's house across the street, for instance. You can use books to level the rifle, and washrags to sorta pad and hold it in place.

Adjust the scope so the crosshairs and the object that's centered in the bore are aligned, as best you can.

Now it's range time. I start at 25 yards, and adjust the scope to dead-on. I know that I'll be on the paper at 100 yards, and maybe two or three inches high.

I shoot three-shot groups for sight-in, moving the imaginary center of the triangle to the desired point of aim. For a .243, two inches high at 100 yards is plenty good.

Art

 

[Shawnee]

Hi Coyote...

Gotta agree with you about people who underestimate and/or thumb their nose at the .243 Winchester (and 6mm Rem.). Most I've met have simply never shot more than a few shots with one - IF they've shot one at all.

Of course that usually doesn't stop them from regurgitating all the misinformation about the .243 they have been reading in the Gun-zines and hearing from big-bore users for years.

Oh well. The people who really know the .243 know it's twice the cartridge most people think it is. The others can just slog along with their big bores and have all the fun they want.

 

[rangerruck]

I agree with Art, if you can boresight it first, say 25 to 50 yds away at something, that should get you decentl close, before you actually go to a range , and shoot it on paper.

 

[Firepower!]

Can 243 bring down a buffalo? I am not sure what would be the name for this type of buffalo in English, but there is hunting season open for it in Pakistan. I am trying to make it there by 23rd March, if not then next year. However, I was wondering if 243 would take it down or perhaps I should take 308 HK91semi- which by the way I dont feel good about in terms of hunting. I like old fashion way (bolt action) for hunting. In case 243 is not enough then I am in market for a 30-06 or 7mm Rem Mag!

 

[Hokkmike]

Burris scope good for it?

A Burris scope is good for any gun! .243 is a great smaller caliber.

 

[Firepower!]

I still need my buffalo question answered by someone who has hunted extensively with 243.


Can 243 bring down a buffalo? I am not sure what would be the name for this type of buffalo in English, but there is hunting season open for it in Pakistan. I am trying to make it there by 23rd March, if not then next year. However, I was wondering if 243 would take it down or perhaps I should take 308 HK91semi- which by the way I dont feel good about in terms of hunting. I like old fashion way (bolt action) for hunting. In case 243 is not enough then I am in market for a 30-06 or 7mm Rem Mag!

 

[ranger335v]

Is the .243 underrated by some uses, such as the man who is dissatisfied with its performance on hogs? Yes. But, are they being reasonable? Maybe not.

The brother of one of my sons-in-law was dissatisfied with the performance of a .308 on deer, lung shot deer would run 40-50 yards before collapsing, so he got a new 7mmRem. Not satisfied with it either, his lung shot deer run 40-50 yards before collapsing!

Moral, some folks want the "bang-flop" effect they read about in magazines and are dissappointed with real world performance. I wonder if they will ever be happy with with anything less than a grenade launcher.

I deer hunt with a .243, .30-06 and .35 Rem. and bow. Given a heart-lung shot, the effects are pretty much the same; 90% of the deer will run 40-50 yards and pass out on their feet while running full bore.

Norma ammo is of excellant quality, much better than the common U.S. makers.

 

[Shawnee]

Hi Firepower...

You asked... "Can 243 bring down a buffalo?"

If you can hit the buffalo's spine/neck vertebrae, the .243 will drop it.

 

[41magsnub]

As far as the buffalo goes is this a "canned hunt" where the buffalo stands there and looks at you giving you all the opportunity in the world to get a perfect shot from a rest? If so then it would be fine, if it is wild buffalo where things are not so certain a larger caliber would be a good idea.

This is of course assuming the buffalo you are referring is the large cow'ish sized critters we see in North America.

 

[Firepower!]

So in nutshell the shot to bring down buffalo will have to be very well placed in case I want to use 243 on it.

 

[Dobe]

I am assuming by "buffalo", you do not mean the American Bison, but the buffalo type you may see in Africa, or the size you may see in Asia.

Let's be realistic folks. I'm a .243 lover too. My next bolt gun will be a T/C Icon in .243. But reality is what it is. The .243 is outclassed on game this size.

 

[UnTainted]

So in nutshell the shot to bring down buffalo will have to be very well placed in case I want to use 243 on it.

In the ultimate nutshell, your shot with any caliber will need to be extremely well placed, not just with the 243.

Neck/spine shots are extremely effective as are head shots (a little harder to achieve). Of all the deer my sister has taken, 4 deer with her 243 have been head shots.

Hit the range, practice different shooting scenarios and positions until you know your gun and the caliber's characteristics quite well, and then take it hunting with confidence. Post some pics too, we're quite interested!

 

[Sunray]

"...not popular because nimrods of the day did not know what they were buying..." The 1 in 12 rifling twist Remington started with wouldn't stabilize heavy bullets well. In any case, Winchester won the marketing battle.
If you're speaking of wild Asian Water Buffalo(that are endangered and the size of a Cape Buffalo), the .243 is too light, with any bullet weight. Don't use it for Eurasian Brown Bears either.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've killed over twenty bucks with my .243. I wouldn't select it for very large animals, though. I wouldn't use it on elk or any sort of buffalo. I'd be really dubious about adequate penetration.

I'm not saying that a patient volunteer at close range that made a head shot easy wouldn't get a 100-grain pill, but I wouldn't call that the usual hunt.

 

[homers]

As a hunter, we owe it to the animal to use a proper gun and skills. While a gun "might" do the job with a head shot, it is not ethical. It is ethical to select the proper caliber and bullet and to shoot only when appropriate. IMHO, the 243 is not a proper choice when shooting an animal of this size.

 

[Firepower!]

Well I am talking about what is known as Blue Bull. Its rare, but protected and yearly permit is given to hunt just one in the mid south of the country (Pakistan).

UnTainted: thank you for the first advise to me on THR.

 

[homers]

I googled Blue Bull Pakistan and got this link

http://www.iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-wild-animals/neel-gai/index.html

which has a picture and stats. Says the animal is actually an antelope but looks more like an ox and weighs about 120 to 240 kg (about 264lbs - 528lbs). I'm guessing it's a heavy boned, maybe thicked skin and if so, the 243 is probably too light. Maybe the minimun would be a 270, 7mm, with 30 cal preferred.

Also known as a Nilgai, was introduced in Texas in 1920's. Maybe somebody in Texas knows more about them.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The .243 enjoys an advantage that much older cartridges have -- because it was designed for both deer and varmits, it has a very fast twist in order to stablize heavier bullets. As in the old metric cartridges (7X57, 6.5X55 and so on), long, heavy bullets give it a punch well above it's class.