.243 Win as a deer rifle...

My buddy Jimmy from Inuvik used to kill polars bears with a .243 no problem. Now he guides and laughs at some of the calibres guy bring up north for polar bear/caribou/muskox hunts.... sooooo much overkill.

But who am I to talk .....I hunt antelope with a .338 Lapua magnum:eek:.
 
A .243 with a good load of H1000 under a 100 grain Nosler Partition will kill any deer that walks. Anyone who says otherwise is commenting on their level of marksmanship.
 
My coworkers son has taken 2 deer every season with his Win 70 in .243 for the last 7 years. All one shot pop and drops except this years Muley buck, which he shot twice to eliminate the chance of him dashing off into a large gulley. The second shot was not needed. These shots have been from 50-300 yards. I will mention that all were boiler-room shots. The kid can shoot. He uses factory 100 grain Winchester, not sure about the bullet, but it is the Wal-Mart variety........
He uses a 7mm Rem Mag for moose and bear........
 
The calibers you have been discussing basically fall into 2 "families" :yingyang: all of which are based on 2 parent calibers. These being the the .308 winchester and the 30-06 springfield. both were primarily military calibers. Many other calibers have come from these two which include: from the .308 the .243, 7-08, .338fed and .358. The 30-06 begot the 25-06, 270, 280, 338-06, and 35 Whelen. The .308 family is considered a "short Action" caliber making for slightly lighter rifles and the 30-06 family being "long action" with a slightly larger cartridge giving slightly more velocity. The 308 family has a excellent reputation for accuracy, not saying that 30-06 family is inaccurate but not (and arguably so) as accurate as the 308 family. This is why you see a fair few competetion guns chambered in .308. I personally favour the 30-06 family for their stopping power as well as the versatility and availabilty of ammo, though .308 is pretty easy to find as well. I have, in the past hunted deer with a 30-06 but this year I'm trying 25-06 because it has a little more reaching power yet won't destroy a deer up close. Premium bullets are fine to use and are definitly recommended but are, in factory rounds extremely exspensive, in the $40-$60 range for 20 rounds. If you decide to take up reloading then premium bullets become somewhat economical. Lesser ammo, like Federals Power Shok is quite capable of doing the job but does suffer from a lack of accuracy. For a beginner the 270 is an excellent choice which is quite capable of taking bigger game. The reason I don't have one is because I selected the 30-06 which has, IMHO, more versatilty than the 270, besides which the 30-06 has killed more deer than any other caliber out there. But if you do favour 25-06.... I bought 2 this year and the wife says one has to go so I've got a nice new in the box Stevens 25-06 with bases & rings, just add scope. ;)
 
ivo said:
My buddy Jimmy from Inuvik used to kill polars bears with a .243 no problem. Now he guides and laughs at some of the calibres guy bring up north for polar bear/caribou/muskox hunts.... sooooo much overkill.

But who am I to talk .....I hunt antelope with a .338 Lapua magnum:eek:.
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Ever heard of a wounded polar bear wandering off to get away in the woods?
 
Yeti said:
.... I bought 2 this year and the wife says one has to go so I've got a nice new in the box Stevens 25-06 with bases & rings, just add scope. ;)
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So, she didn't buy the story "...but one is for the kids honey".:p

As for the 243, I plan on taking my recently acquired Ruger MKII out this fall. Still fine tuning a load for deer (100gr), but I've got a great 55gr coyote load ready to go.:cool: Should be fun.

James
 
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