243 as a Legitimate and Humane Deer Gun?

In my opinion, if you have to thread the needle in terms of shot placement, you've chosen the wrong bullet, and problems can occur with any cartridge if the bullet chosen is inappropriate to the density of the target. The .243 cartridge is a reasonably versatile game cartridge, provided you keep in mind that its at its best on 200 pound game. I think its a dandy wolf, seal, and barren ground caribou cartridge, and when loaded with game bullets from 85-100 grs, it will cleanly take game in this category, with either broadside or raking shots. Is it possible to kill moose, elk, bison, or African buffalo with a .243? Sure, the .243 can be a giant killer when attention is paid to bullet selection, and precision shot placement; I think we can agree though that the minimalist approach to cartridge selection benefits neither game or hunter.
 
yakoun said:
Picked up a .243 Tikka T3x hunter and a Vortex Diamondback scope on sale at a sporting goods store that is going out of business here in Kamloops. Don’t have the scope mounted yet, but took the rifle out to shoot at a stump anyhow. Shooting 70 grain federal v-shock cartridges (all they had left), the difference was unsurprisingly incredible when compared to the 30-06 and bigger rounds. Actually, it was a bit surprising because the difference really was night and day. I don’t have any intention of using those cartridges for hunting deer, but it certainly seemed adequate for stumps. The stump didn’t take another step after it was hit... Seriously, I found that I was really able to focus on where the shot was going and keep my eyes on the target after shooting. My buddy had a 300 MAG that I shot - forgot to ask what ammo. Big, big difference. Really can’t wait to get to the range.
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crazyjackrabbit said:
If your shot placement is good then the 70gr pill is fine. When I had my 243 I used federal factory ammo. Had a 85gr sierra bthp for projectile. Was an awesome round, used it for groundhogs yotes and deer.
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I believe the “V” in “V-Shok” stands for “Varmint”. Federal uses descriptions like “explosive expansion”... Not something you want in a deer bullet. While a 70gr pill may be fine, “that” 70gr pill is not. I think that the op will find boring old 100gr soft points fit his requirements nicely.
 
Ballistically, the .243 Win is just fine for deer, albeit on the bottom end of the list. What is really important is shot placement. You've made a wise observation, that you don't want too much rifle and want to work on accuracy. Put a .243 bullet in the right place and you will have meat. Have I used one myself? Frankly, no. On the other hand, I've been sitting beside my hunting partner when he used his .243 to take a very nice whitetail doe at about 125 yards, one shot, instant karma time for Bambi. The round works.

Personally and all other things being equal, I don't think that there's much difference in recoil between the .30-06, the .308 Win or the .270 Win. They're all in about the same class. However, none of them are real shoulder-crunchers.

Now, if I may suggest, as I understand it, you are worried about developing a flinch on the range which would hurt your ability to shoot properly. Valid concern (and I am a true recoil wimp myself). However, before you drop big money on a new rifle, you might want to consider something like a Past recoil pad. They're maybe $40, are worn over your shoulder (kind of like a vest) and do a great job reducing felt recoil. They don't require modifications to your existing rifle, of course. Wear it on the range and shoot as much as you want without fear; when you shoot while out hunting, you probably be too focused on the event that you won't even notice the recoil without the pad. Moreover, being able to shoot lots more on the range will, even with the pad, build up your tolerances so that eventually you will not need the pad even on the range.

Good luck.
 
kodiakjack said:
I believe the “V” in “V-Shok” stands for “Varmint”. Federal uses descriptions like “explosive expansion”... Not something you want in a deer bullet. While a 70gr pill may be fine, “that” 70gr pill is not. I think that the op will find boring old 100gr soft points fit his requirements nicely.
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This. I don't think they make big game bullets under 80gr for the 243. Either way, more weight is better with a cartridge like the 243, so 90 to 100gr is a good weight range. Luckily all the major manufacturers make cheap 100gr ammo. I have a few boxes of 100gr rem corelokt for mine.
 
kodiakjack said:
I believe the “V” in “V-Shok” stands for “Varmint”. Federal uses descriptions like “explosive expansion”... Not something you want in a deer bullet. While a 70gr pill may be fine, “that” 70gr pill is not. I think that the op will find boring old 100gr soft points fit his requirements nicely.
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My bad. Was thinking of the vital-shock line, which is meant for larger game. Been a while since looking at hunting rounds
 
migrant hunter said:
I'm as big a fan of the .243 as you can find, but I was dissapointed in 80 gr bullets. I'm in love with the 100 gr interlocs again after using them on 4 deer this year.
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The sectional density on the 80gr is too low for my liking. Plus they go faster than the 100gr, and velocity is not the friend of any cheap bullet.

80gr 243 sd=.194 (just lower than a 130gr 30cal [.196])
100gr SD =. 242 (just a bit lower than 165gr 30cal[.248])

The one exception I could see would be the mono metal bullets like tsx and GMX where penetration is very high for a given sectional density due to almost 100% weight retention.
 
Bigger is better, i have no doubt - but where do you draw the line? In Alberta the 243 is legal for big game, and that's good enough for me. The .243 is a competent deer rifle if the shooter is. Make sure it's loaded with appropriate bullets and place that bullet properly and it will kill deer well.
 
Its all about bullet selection and shot placement, sorry to tell all you 243 haters. I have seen deer shot with a 300 win mag run further than with the 243. Heavy bullets that don't get a chance to expand to their full potential in smaller sized game are no match compared to a lighter bullet that expands faster and to its true potential.

That being said, the wrong bullet or shot placement in either case is an amateur mistake. The people slamming the 243 are the ones who have never used it successfully, or the ones who want to just bang shots off without thought, and hope the game dies.

I could post multiple pictures of one shot kills on deer and black bear, but would that change minds at this point? Probably not. Use what works for you, but don't sit there and say a proven round is not enough when it is.

North
 
For half the deer I've ever taken, I was using .223 ballistic points. I've never had a deer move more than 5 steps after being shot, most just stagger and drop. If you haven't seen the carnage that ballistic tip rounds do to game, then you really can't say they're ineffective. I'm taking liquefied lungs, and chunks out of the heart that look like a bite taken out of an oversize apple.
 
I used a .243 for whitetail for a couple seasons. It worked okay. I switched to a 7mm/08 and never looked back. Much greater margin of error.
Is it a legitimate deer cartridge? Not when you compare it to many other superior options
 
Suther said:
I love how it has to be compared to something else. Whether a cartridge is capable for the game in question should have nothing to do with what other cartridges are capable... Either its good, or its not. Is the 7mm08 better? Perhaps, unless you're recoil shy (you know, like the whole reason this thread was started?) at which point the 243 is still the better option for deer. "It WAS good, but now I shoot something else so its no longer good enough" lol
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I gave up on the .243 after I had a deer that i hit but was unable to recover. I definitely hit the deer (a wad of fur was found where I shot it). I am fairly confident that the shot went into the front quarter but must not have made contact with anything important.

I have had success with the .243. My first deer was whacked at ~250 yards and was dead as could be. Bullet destroyed the heart and exited the other side. The .243 definitely can kill the crap out of a deer. Shot another which and hit it in the spine so it dropped like a bag of hammers.

So yeah the .243 works. If that is your metric then I guess the question is answered.
 
Being a long time CGN member, I'm aware that one can get by with a .50BMG for white tail but really, a 20mm is the optimal round.

However, a friend of mine claims she's downed a few deer with single well placed shots from her little pink .243. Very little recoil and she loves it. She gave up on a .30-06 Remington.
 
.243 is definitely good for deer. As for recoil, I feel like my 6.5x55 Swede recoils less. I also feel my 8x57 recoils less. The big difference being the .243 weighs 7.5 lbs and both the metric guns weigh closer to 9. They also shoot lower pressure rounds which makes a difference on recoil velocity. Less of a sharp punch, more like a shove to the shoulder.
 
Shoot the heaviest bullet that will stabilize and it will work better than a 7.62x39 or a 6.5 Grendel. Or any of the 223-based necked-up cartridges. All of which are effective on deer. Even 223 Rem works on smaller-bodied deer when running a 1:7 twist and heavy bullets. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer with either a 90gr Partition or 80gr TTSX. The Barnes will have higher retained weight than the Nosler even though it starts out with less. I just wish 243's came with 1:8 twist like most 6.5mm cartridges. Then that 0.5mm diameter difference wouldn't mean as much. Partition-style, bonded core, or mono-metal bullets turn the 243 Win into a legitimate deer cartridge. That's my final opinion and I won't change it. Fragile varmint bullets turn it into a great coyote cartridge.

That said, I shoot whitetails and mulies with a 300WM shooting 200gr and hope to tag one someday with my 9.3x62 286gr. My petite wife uses a 6.5x55 with reduced loads and my sisters have used a 243 Win. Deer are not hard to kill.
 
To add to what already is a thoroughly done to death discussion, I have two comments:

1) 243 is fine for deer. Buy a quality ammunition meant for deer and it will be fine. You will have problems if you use low quality (budget/varmint) ammo. Varmint/budget ammo just won't perform on animals with heavier skin, thicker muscle, and bigger bones. I appreciate your wanting a "buy anywhere caliber", that makes sense. That said, since you're new, don't assume everything's going to shoot the same out of your gun. In practice, this means you're going to have to try a couple different brands to see what shoots well in your gun, then buy enough of your chosen brand/loading that you can A) get comfortable shooting at different distances and reliably make those shots and B) have enough spare that you have some for hunting, as well as some backup ammo to resight your gun if you bump the scope or something else happens to require you to sight in again. It's nice to have a buy-anywhere caliber, but in practice you'll end up wanting "your" load-out. It is nice if your gun shoots a very commonly stocked load-out well.... just don't rely on it always being available :p

2) Take some more time to really read up on the common calibers that're out there and understand the pros and cons of each. In my mind the 243 is great, but I prefer one step up in 7mm-08. Just like the 243, the 7mm-08 is based on the 308 case and necked down to its specific bullet size. I find the 7mm-08 is in a sweet spot of ballistic coefficient, available bullet weights, common reloading materials, available commercial ammo, and efficiency and capability for hunting a variety of game. Since you already have a 3006 you're probably ok with the 243, just my 2c.
 
243 is an entirely capable and humane cartridge to hunt deer with. Flat shooting lesser recoiling round makes a great choice.
As pointed out, deer are not hard to kill. They have been cleanly dropped for hundreds of years by comparatively anemic black powder cartridges...with proper shot placement and within sensible range.
Like any other cartridge...appropriate bullet weight and design are important.

And shot placement..well do we really even have to discuss this?

Reference bow hunting to illustrate that point.... :)
 
I dont get why this is 20 pages long. Yes the 243 will kill any deer in North America if you do your part within reasonable range. There may be better guns but the 243 has been killing deer from 1955 onward.
 
My father uses a 243 for deer and black bear. Last bear he shot behind the shoulder, quarter inch entrance, three quarter inch exit, ran less than 10ft. If you can't cleanly kill a WT deer with a 243, maybe you should take up a new sport....
 
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