243 ??

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In the right hands and with the right bullet but not the best choice for neewbi hunters IMO
 
A .243 is very accurate, fast and flat shoot'n but dont have a lotta knock down punch, because of the lack of knock down your shots have to be on the money.
will a .243 kill deer? sure they will but honestly I had rather have somethin with a little more punch to it because I dont like have'n to go find my deer after I shoot it.

This be'n said I have a .243 and realy like it and bought it for deer and coyote but before next deer season I'll have another 30-06 for my dedicated deer gun.
 
The 243 is a good choice for deer. Every deer I've killed with it has gone down and never took another step. Ammo is readily available and not expensive at all.
 
If your a good shot and can put the bullet where it's supposed to be, then .243 is plenty enough. If not then you might want to get a larger caliber or one of the big magnums. :D
 
Tiny said:
In the right hands and with the right bullet but not the best choice for neewbi hunters IMO
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Appalachia said:
A .243 is very accurate, fast and flat shoot'n but dont have a lotta knock down punch, because of the lack of knock down your shots have to be on the money.
will a .243 kill deer? sure they will but honestly I had rather have somethin with a little more punch to it because I dont like have'n to go find my deer after I shoot it.

This be'n said I have a .243 and realy like it and bought it for deer and coyote but before next deer season I'll have another 30-06 for my dedicated deer gun.
Click to expand...

Your going to hear the arguement for or against, personally..........I think it is on the light end of the scale for being considered a deer caliber. Is it capable, sure........as stated above (In the hands of the right person & with the right ammo) Just not enough smack down for me on deer sized game.

There are literally dozens of better calibers avail. to pick from.

FDXX75
 
Bang flop. No lack of knockdown power that I've ever seen in the past 21 years. Vast majority of deer literally dropped dead in their tracks. ZERO is the number of deer I've had to go looking for after they were hit with a .243.
 
243 is plenty for deer if you know how to shoot. Every deer I have shot with a 243 was dropped where it stood.
 
I helped a guy look for a buck he gut shot with a 300 magnum, that sucker ran nearly a mile..... it took us hours to find it. Shot placement is key, not the gun. I have dropped deer with a .223 more than once.....but everyone knows you can't kill a deer with a .223.
 
Use a good bullet, place it where it needs to be, and things fall over dead. I dropped a doe this season with a handloaded 100 gr Partition, it was as impressive at the shot as anything I have shot deer with. DRT.
 
I've shot deer with many different calibers from 243 on the small side to 300 weatherby mag on the large size and the 243 was at least as deadly as any of them if not more. Almost all of the deer I shot dropped in their tracks either stone dead or just kinda quivered. I shot the plain jane ol' 100 grain soft points from Winchester or Federal. I just checked my records and I killed 26 deer with a 243 which was my only deer rifle for about 9 years before for some unknown reason I decided I needed something else.

If for some reason the 243 was the only rifle I could have to hunt with for the rest of my life I wouldn't be worried about performance or disappointed by any means. I would recommend to shoot the heavier grain bullets from 90 - 100 grain. If your worried about penetration, exit wound size and so on with a smaller caliber shoot the Federal Nosler Partitions, Federal Fusion or Barnes TSX and you will have no issues.

My 6 year old son started hunting this year using a Savage model 11 in 223 shooting 60 grain Nosler Partitions and took 3 deer ( 1 being a larged body 16" wide 8 pt ) with 3 shots and none went over 50 yards. That was with a 223 so I doubt you will have any worries with a 243.
 
My brother in law kills deer with his 243..He claims every deer he's shot at with it,he has killed.
 
it wouldnt be my first choice but a 243 is a great round. my brother used to have one and he shot hornady sst's and it was just as deadly as a 300
 
I bought one last October and my family has killed 4 deer and a coyote with it. The 2 deer shot with 100 grain Winchester Super X factory ammo were quick kills with exit holes, but shots were broadside without hitting major bones. The 2 shot with mild-loaded 95 gr SST bullets killed the deer quickly, but both were quartering shots with no exit. Only 1 of these four dropped on the spot; the others ran 20-80 yards.

I would certainly pick a 243 before a 30-30, but I'd use the best bullets I could to maximize exit holes. Expect a below-average blood trail even with exits.

It's a hoot to shoot, love it for coyotes, and I hope to always own one.
 

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