Big Game 243 Win. Hunters...chime in here.

canadaman30

canadaman30

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Not another 243 vs ??? Just would like to hear what guys here hunt with them (big-game) and how are your results, good or bad. I have one and it's a blast to shoot. Thinking of taking it out for a hunt instead of 30cal this year. Can I be convinced?
 
Using the right bullet (85 gr TSX or 100 gr Partition ), It is good for everything up to deer and black bear. I even killed a mountain goat ,which are notoriously tough to anchor, with mine. as with all cartridges, shot placement is everything.
 
last year I spoke to a wildlife officer about hunting coyote with a 243 here on the island, in our conversation he told me that he knows of people that use it for hunting moose (I wouldn't but others do)
 
No amount of calibre or powder behind it will make up for outdated bullet design and bad marksmanship.

Give it a week or two and the same topic will come up about the .270. :rolleyes:
 
Calum said:
No amount of calibre or powder behind it will make up for outdated bullet design and bad marksmanship.

I bought a Stevens200 in .243 when they first came out. I used to hunt with my 40yr old Rem700 in .06. The .243 has shot eight deer ranging from 60yds to just over 300yds, all one shot kills using a 90gr bullet. I am extremely happy with it. I have also shot several yotes and have lost count of the gophers that have fallen to it.
As for moose, and I can`t prove this to anyone on here and don`t want to argue about it, but I know for a fact that my brother has shot(one shot kills also) over a dozen moose over the years in northern B.C. using his PH in .243,some at over 200yds.
So yes to your question about .243s being used for big game.

DF:D
Click to expand...
 
I shot my first moose ever with a .243 Win. Couldn't tell you what kind of ammo I was shooting as I was 10 years old at the time. Was a huge bull in the Cypress Hills area and it sure knocked him dead! Haven't used anything smaller than that on them since but wouldn't hesitate to make a shot with one if I didn't have anything else on hand.
 
I have shot a lot of game with .243 and never lost an animal. Shot many deer, including my biggest ever with one and worked well. Preferred moose gun for some of my family members and it has always worked fine.
 
Priorities;

#1... Shot placement
#2... Bullet weight & design

If you get those right, you will have no problem.
 
I have limited myself to deer and nothing bigger when carrying a .243. It is an adequate deer cartridge, no hesitation there. But I have seen 150 gr. .30 cal bullets fail to penetrate the shoulder of a moose and an elk. That's why I prefer a bit bigger bullet for the big stuff than anything the .243 can deliver. Of course a .243 bullet of pretty much any type slipped between the ribs of an elk = dead elk, but I wouldn't want to be limited to broadside lung shots.
A .243 is well suited for deer, pronghorn, and wolf, and OK for most Caribou, Black bear and sheep hunting. I would consider it light for Mt. goats, Elk, Moose and big bears.
 
I have shot deer with the .243 for years, from Muntjac to Red stags, whitetail and mule deer, from 10 yards to 400+ yards. It is, and always will be, my no 1 deer calibre. I would'nt go looking for moose or elk with it, but with the right bullets it can(and does) take those animals too.
Poor bullet choice is the .243's downfall. It needs a sturdy bullet to make up for what it lacks in mass.
 
I forgot to add my hunting rig is an H&R handy rifle in .243, fed with Barnes TSX. The positive results at the range the last year have me very eager to try it on deer this season. :)
 
I was shooting red stags in Scotland with 100gr soft points. At about 150yds, shot behind the front leg, they would run 100yds or so before they went down.
I bought a heavy barrelled .308 and loaded 150 gr soft points. I shot a stag at 100yds, behind the front leg, and he ran 100yds or so before he fell.
That's when I went back to the .243.
 
Two buddies, and their wives plus two boys killed 6 cow elk last year with 243 shooting BT ammo, a total of 6 shots were fired.
 
Maybe better to use a gun that you are used to,and confident in,than one that your not.I used a BLR 243 for years,but have been using larger cals for the last number of years.
 
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