243 for brush hunting?

I'm not a fan of the .243 since I think the .260 is far superior , but like most cartridges, it works fine if properly applied. A buddy of mine uses a .243 with 80gr TTSX in thick timber for deer. Most of his kills with the .243 have been Bang Flops, so it's hard to argue the .243 won't work. :)
 
KodiakHntr said:
Hoyt, your preference is to pop lungs then? Not a high shoulder or cns shooter?
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Yep... in the flat country around these parts, it doesn't matter much if they run 50-100 yards... and if they are pointing in the right direction it can save you some work... on a pass through lung shot there is no fear of loosing the animal, the demise is quick and painless, and there is very little damaged meat.

Having said that... there are definitely circumstances where you might want to anchor an animal in it tracks... a goat on a ledge or a bull standing on the shore of a fast moving river, for example. But for the most part, I would prefer a clean lung shot and let them run... greatest margin of error in achieving a clean, one-shot kill... a "bang flop" is not always desireable... even though it is always used in a suggested positive context...

JMO... I don't feel strongly about other choices.
 
hoytcanon said:
Yep... in the flat country around these parts, it doesn't matter much if they run 50-100 yards... and if they are pointing in the right direction it can save you some work... on a pass through lung shot there is no fear of loosing the animal, the demise is quick and painless, and there is very little damaged meat.

Having said that... there are definitely circumstances where you might want to anchor an animal in it tracks... a goat on a ledge or a bull standing on the shore of a fast moving river, for example. But for the most part, I would prefer a clean lung shot and let them run... greatest margin of error in achieving a clean, one-shot kill... a "bang flop" is not always desireable... even though it is always used in a suggested positive context...

JMO... I don't feel strongly about other choices.
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I get a sick felling in the pit of my stomic wen I see them run Evan 50 yards wich is typical maybe it's just regret but it don't last long lol
 
carverk said:
I get a sick felling in the pit of my stomic wen I see them run Evan 50 yards wich is typical maybe it's just regret but it don't last long lol
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The running is only because they don't know they are dead yet.

I have become accustomed to animals fleeing after the shot, by forty years of bowhunting... arrows do not kill in the same manner as bullets... the hemorrhage they cause takes a few seconds to kick in.
 
hoytcanon said:
The running is only because they don't know they are dead yet.

I have become accustomed to animals fleeing after the shot, by forty years of bowhunting... arrows do not kill in the same manner as bullets... the hemorrhage they cause takes a few seconds to kick in.
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We got thick Salal and deep Mountain Canyon planting them fast is helpfull in my case I know situations change quite a bit as you had east into the prairies
 
Applefarmer said:
Kinda weird, I always found a scope in the bush to be more of a pain. Dot point, not bad, but open sights rule from my experience more than calibre in the bush.
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I agree, I cant get the crosshairs on a running deer quick enough. I have found that a red dot works excellent for me, even faster than open sights
 
mike t said:
I agree, I cant get the crosshairs on a running deer quick enough. I have found that a red dot works excellent for me, even faster than open sights
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I used a red dot for hunting for the first time this year, on my Tavor. Very fast and bbullet went right where I wanted it. Only bout 50 yards though. :)
 
I've tried to like red dots, but burst capillaries in my right eye make them look like this. Frustrating.


Nova-explosion-model-400x400.jpg
 
hoytcanon said:
The running is only because they don't know they are dead yet.

I have become accustomed to animals fleeing after the shot, by forty years of bowhunting... arrows do not kill in the same manner as bullets... the hemorrhage they cause takes a few seconds to kick in.
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I shot most of my deer with buckshot and was used to seeing them flop over like a bag of potatos. The non-immediate kill was the worst thing about switching to archery for deer.
 
TheCoachZed said:
I shot most of my deer with buckshot and was used to seeing them flop over like a bag of potatos. The non-immediate kill was the worst thing about switching to archery for deer.
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The kill is painless and rapid... on a broadside lung shot, they have 5-10 seconds before their body shuts down, due to lack of oxygen in the bloodstream. Expiration ensues immediately after... I have watched the whole sequence dozens of times, a broadhead tipped arrow is an amazingly efficient tool. Also, I am convinced that they actuall "feel" very little right up to the moment of death... on a few occasions I have seen mortally lung-shot animals go back to feeding until they tipped over seconds later. This year one of the whitetail bucks I took made a rather impressive "death charge" covering more than 100 yards in a few seconds and died in mid-leap cartwheeling tail over nose and sliding 20 feet, and didn’t flinch again after coming to a stop.

All that to say, no bowhunter needs to "feel bad" about the death sequence.
 
Im going to play around with the straight stalked 308 and see if I can be a scomfortable as I am with the pistol grip 243. Whi knows U make like the straight stalk after I get some range time with it, worse that happens is I stick with the 243 which is not a bad thing at all.
 
mike t said:
Im going to play around with the straight stalked 308 and see if I can be a scomfortable as I am with the pistol grip 243. Whi knows U make like the straight stalk after I get some range time with it, worse that happens is I stick with the 243 which is not a bad thing at all.
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I find the straight stalk uncomfortable with a scope if you have low rings
 
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