It's not "lesser known". It's a very popular hunting caliber.
It's a combo round, meant to be used for varmint hunting as well as deer-sized game. Therefore, there are many different kinds of bullets available.
True varmint bullets are often made to explode, not just fragment, when they hit a target. Prairie dog hunters like that; it makes for a clean, instant kill and it's fun to watch. But don't go deer hunting with a V-Max bullet.
Big game bullets are generally made to expand but not fragment. Good ones in a .243 should do exactly that. You can even get solid-copper Barnes bullets that essentially guarantee no fragmentation, ever.
Now, cheap bullets can do all sorts of things they're not "supposed to". When hunting, spring for the good stuff.