.243 Winchester: What's your take?

[Rocket Surgery]

Well if shot placement is all that counts, we should just use .22lr's and aim for the eyes right? Why even bother with a .243 if I can prove I'm perfectly capable of hitting a deer in the ear?

That's cool that you borrowed a girl's rifle when you were a kid to shoot deer, the caliber is pretty suiting imo.

 

[Rocket Surgery]

So, she is a better shot than you too?

Haha you'd be surprised, she's not bad actually.

 

[rookie wildcat]

Real men used to fire 7.62x51nato fully auto with a steel stock plate, and people now use recoil pads?

toodles~~

I kind of have to agree with you on this. He!!, they are putting muzzle brakes on their SKS's in the Red rifles forum!!! If you can't handle it, don't shoot it.

 

[StoneHorse]

Originally Posted by Rocket Surgery
Real men used to fire 7.62x51nato fully auto with a steel stock plate, and people now use recoil pads?

toodles~~

You are wrong. Real men shoot magnums because magnums kick harder, kill game deader out to a thousand yards and make up for poor shot placement to boot.


Shoot whatever makes you happy. If a .308 Win does it for you, that is great. Posting disparaging remarks about people that find the .243 Win suits their needs is disrespectful. You can make your case against the .243 Win without the name calling.

 

[l1fel1ne]

Full auto 50bmg... now thats a mans caliber

 

[Kelly Timoffee]

I think that is being done because it is an optional accessory.

Dress it up as ugly as you can.

I kind of have to agree with you on this. He!!, they are putting muzzle brakes on their SKS's in the Red rifles forum!!! If you can't handle it, don't shoot it.

 

[Farva]

Some will say it's a fine varmint cartridge, sure, not better than 308win though. It's not better than 308 in price, weight, accuracy, knock down, availability, or even recoil if you use Remington ammo.

What about those places like say, parts of Southwestern Ontario where they have the .275 caliber restriction on small game? What of your .308 now? Lets keep in mind, I'm not slamming the .308 by any means, but there are time when it is NOT SUITABLE FOR EVERYTHING.

That's cool that you borrowed a girl's rifle when you were a kid to shoot deer, the caliber is pretty suiting imo.

It's for kids and women

Haha i make fun of you both. 243's are for girls and children and magnums are the mid-life crisis car of the hunting world. Making the biggest bang doesn't make you young again, and using a 243 makes you a bit of a fairy.

243's are for women and children.

you'd start to realize that this cartridge is for women and children.

I bet you no one would get 243 because it's simply a boutique cartridge, for women and children.

And you're starting to sound like a broken record. You think the .243 is for women and children. Fine. We get that. That's your opinion, and you are entitled to it. But please, shut your wordhole and stop from continuously trashing everyone who chooses to use one. Guess what: they're entitled to use what caliber they see fit.

Please, enough with the "women and children" comments.

 

[Otokiak]

WOW where'd this bloody troll come out of? JOG ON rocker surgery!

Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
CANADA

 

[fugawi]

WOW where'd this bloody troll come out of? JOG ON rocker surgery!

Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
CANADA

Agreed. Must have fallen out of the Black Rifle forum. It seem that's where most trolls hang out.

 

[RememberTheSomme]

243 is a great round - but sooner or later you may find yourself cussing when you lost a bruiser you hit well.....

To me it is all about the margin of effectiveness of the rifle and round you pick. Any bullet can kill a moose or elk for instance - it is a matter of hitting it exactly and waiting.

But if you try the wrong angle or wrong distance - you move outside your margin of effectiveness and you are in trouble.


I have seen a few monster Alberta whitetail drift into the darkest of bush never to be seen again after good, solid hits with a 243 by great hunters. Everything should have worked - but it failed for whatever variable reason.

I want to expand my margins and therefore pick something more robust for the larger critters.

Again, it will kill anything - I own a few- but I choose to arm myself with something that throws more weight.

Bravo!

Another level headed Rifleman steps up to be counted, and not sit in silence while the Less Is More crowd, turn the laws of Physics inside out, and try to thrust us back into the Dark ages of " hit 'em and look fer 'em".

Hope they bring lots of baccy to chew, waiting while the poor things hides and succumbs to his mortal wounds.

 

[migrant hunter]

Guess I've just been lucky a few hundred times in a row! And professional stalkers in the UK and Europe don't know what they're talking about.

 

[Applefarmer]

Skill and knowledge seem to be lost on some. Rather than learn, it's easier to buy big than put a little effort into it.

I think the .243 is a decent round to hunt deer with. Actually I believe the .223 is enough if YOU know your limitations and the cartridges limitations. Poachers have proved the .22mag is the choice for deer. Mind you poachers probably have more skill than the person trying to kill a deer with a 300 H&H.

I know, the .243 beats my 30-30 on paper. I don't care, I still know how to hunt with what I have.

 

[RememberTheSomme]

Guess I've just been lucky a few hundred times in a row! And professional stalkers in the UK and Europe don't know what they're talking about.

You have killed several hundred Big game with a .243Win? That's probaly the most I have heard of with one caliber, in all my years of hunting.
You have a good cross section of the real world performance of it on game. What percent would require tracking for a considerable distance(not 20-30yds, a small deer could run from a magnum hit so not this) that may have been a forfeit by an inexperienced hunter/tracker, and were any lost to you with it on solid hits?

 

[migrant hunter]

I have been very fortunate, in that I have lost 2 deer that I know I hit in about 15 years. One was a muntjac shot in poor (last) light from a stand in England. I think I hit it low in the chest on a broadside shot.
I would'nt have taken the shot without a dog for backup. I had been assured that my guide(on a cull) had a dog with him. His dog turned out to be useless and the deer was never found. That cull group said they expected a 1 in 10 loss rate, which I found totally unacceptable.
The 2nd was a Sika stag, where I'm pretty sure I hit a branch first as the hit sounded like a "pop" rather than a good "thud". Lots of hair and a couple of drops of blood, and my dog could'nt find anything.
If you hit a deer in the lungs, through and through, IT WILL DIE. It does'nt matter what you hit it with, although I would'nt reccomend going much smaller than 6mm. I shot a bunch or Roe in Scotland with a .22-250 before I even had my .243, and the meat damage was frightening with a 50 grain soft point!
I have seen deer hit and lost all kinds of calibres and bullets and I'm conviced that with a WELL CONSTRUCTED BULLET in a .243 you can shoot any deer AT THE RANGES THEY ARE COMMONLY SHOT AT.
My best load in the UK was with Speer Grand Slam 100 gr bullets.
I had a bad experience in my 1st season in Alberta with my .243 as I made the mistake of using an 80grain hollow point(I should have known better, but my rifle shot differently when I had to take the suppressor off to bring it here, and it likes lighter bullets without the suppressor).
I shot a WT buck quartering away at 220 yds and the bullet came apart without reaching the vitals.. Luckily I was able to watch him walk off and bed, where I headshot him.
Calibre choice is fought over and held like religion, with about as much chance of converting your "unbeliever".
It is more important that folks learn to shoot, and when to shoot. If you have'nt got shot(known range, animal presenting a good angle, supported shooting position depending on distance and conditions, and the ability to know that you can do it like your life depended on it) then just let the animal walk. It scares me to see threads on shooting running game.
And it's OK if you don't like .243, just like some people don't like skinny chicks.

 

[fugawi]

Bravo!

Another level headed Rifleman steps up to be counted, and not sit in silence while the Less Is More crowd, turn the laws of Physics inside out, and try to thrust us back into the Dark ages of " hit 'em and look fer 'em".

Hope they bring lots of baccy to chew, waiting while the poor things hides and succumbs to his mortal wounds.

I guess I'm part of the less is more crowd because I like my Savage 99 in .243.

Lets see last year 4x4 Buck, crossed behind me, 40 yard shot, ran 40 to 50 yards into a thicket, found dead in a clearing after we followed the blood trail.

Year before, doe, shot after stopping on the trail, 30 yards, ran 10 more yards, laid down and died. After we cut her open saw that the .243 took the top of her heart off.

Year before that, doe, surprised along trail as I was walking, quick shot, hit in rear haunches, cut across trail, 2nd shot broadside took her down, .270WSM in a bolt action Tikka T3.

So whats the difference? I switched to the .243 because it suited me better for the type of hunting (spot and stalk) I was doing in the area that I hunt (short sight lanes). Your mileage may vary.

 

[RememberTheSomme]

I guess I'm part of the less is more crowd because I like my Savage 99 in .243.

Lets see last year 4x4 Buck, crossed behind me, 40 yard shot, ran 40 to 50 yards into a thicket, found dead in a clearing after we followed the blood trail.

Year before, doe, shot after stopping on the trail, 30 yards, ran 10 more yards, laid down and died. After we cut her open saw that the .243 took the top of her heart off.

Year before that, doe, surprised along trail as I was walking, quick shot, hit in rear haunches, cut across trail, 2nd shot broadside took her down, .270WSM in a bolt action Tikka T3.

So whats the difference? I switched to the .243 because it suited me better for the type of hunting (spot and stalk) I was doing in the area that I hunt (short sight lanes). Your mileage may vary.

All points should to be addressed in these forums, I'm sure you agree, if all who read are to benefit regarding choices or merely for entertainment, such as my case.
What I usually try to do is inject a little balance into anything I read and feel is turning into a biased "love in " for lack of a better description, so as to make sure all merits are addressed.
When expert marksman, with excellent rigs who have learned their game well ,decide on using marginal calibers for personal reasons,then I'd say its your money spend it how you like.
How many hunters that read these posts fit into neither of these catergories. Here is where we need a balance to give the hunter and the game the best chance at a conclusion acceptable to all.
If there is no balancing force ,your seesaw will stay on the ground on your side and no one gets any fulfillment out of that.

 

[fugawi]

Yes I agree. I think the selection of any hunting rifle depends upon personal choice (Ford?Chevy-Winchester/Marlin; you get the picture), the style of hunting, terrain you hunt on and what your hunting. And the last three determine the of caliber with some personal preference thrown in. (.243, .270, .270WSM, 7mm, 7.08, .303, .308, .30/06...)

My 3-10x scoped .270WSM Tikka was bought because I used to hunt deer in more open spaces so its suitable for sitting, waiting for that deer to step out from the trees across that open field.

My 1-5x scoped .243 Savage 99 was bought because I found myself hunting in heavier forested areas with cut tracks and trails - most shot lanes are 30 to 75 yards and I moved slowly down these trails or sit for a while.

What I' personally would like is a Savage 99/BLR '81 in .300 Savage or .308 just to give me more options in case I need to range out. If I know I'm hunting long distances then out comes the .270WSM.

And for moose which I tried last year, it was the .270WSM and a .303.

Problem on this thread is that it deteriorated in disparaging remarks made by a few if one didn't share the same opinion. And difference of opinion doesn't mean one caliber inherently marginal or inherently better than the other. Some are better suited given certain parameters involved. I think the 6.5mm Swede is just fine for deer but wouldn't use it for moose yet in the Scandinavian countries its a moose round too.

 

[pharaoh2]

Less Is More crowd

Hmmm, I see. What's the difference between a deer shot in the heart with a 6mm bullet and one shot in the heart with a .416 bullet?

 

[rembolt]

Non Dead is Dead .

 

[Boomer]

Hmmm, I see. What's the difference between a deer shot in the heart with a 6mm bullet and one shot in the heart with a .416 bullet?

OK, I'll play. If the deer is shot in a heavy woods situation, where the hunter has only a momentary view of the back end of the departing deer, the .416 bullet penetrates full length through the heart and exits in front of the shoulder, while the .243 bullets stays in the rump. I'll bet the majority of deer shot in thick woods are killed while attempting to get somewhere else.