243 in the "big woods" for deer - feedback needed

Some stories....
Out 20 posts and 100 or so deer killed nobody lost even one....yeah right.
Some of you are full of it, how many were shot at 400, 500, 600yards and even further distance, injured the deer, lost and newer mentioned it here?
I newer killed deer past 275yds b/c my self imposed limit is 300yds. Still I lost three or four of them in the span of 25 years of hunting and I am considered crack shot.
 
gunrunner8 said:
Some stories....
Out 20 posts and 100 or so deer killed nobody lost even one....yeah right.
Some of you are full of it, how many were shot at 400, 500, 600yards and even further distance, injured the deer, lost and newer mentioned it here?
I newer killed deer past 275yds b/c my self imposed limit is 300yds. Still I lost three or four of them in the span of 25 years of hunting and I am considered crack shot.
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Deer lost probably says more about you, than the cartridge. Just sayin'.

My first 30 or 40 deer and first 10(?) black bears were killed with a 6mm remington. Pretttttty much identical to a 243. Shots ranged from 10-ish yards to 450+ yards. No losses, starting at 6 years old.

My last buck and last wolf were killed with a 243AI, wuff was on a dead run hard quartering away at 30 or so yards, hip to shoulder with a 105 amax. Muley was a couple weeks later on the last day of the season at a lasered 476 yards (IIRC, might have been 482....), quartering hard away at a trot.

Buddy say's "Hurry up, he's gonna get...YOU ROLLED HIM! YOU F'N ROLLED HIM!!!"
Buck hit the ground in a cloud of snow dust... Although, he did manage to get his feet back under him, and stand there wobbly legged. And because the shooting is the fun part, I laced him again, to hear "YOU F'N ROLLED HIM AGAIN!!!". Completely hammered off of his feet, back legs kicking in the air.
Both shoulders smashed, with a 2" long piece of leg bone laying on the ground beside him when we walked up.

The most interesting part of it, was watching bullet trace to impact, and hearing the loudest WHOP's I can remember. Likely due to it being -25* at the time.

Most interesting part of the day though, was the conversation with my life long hunting buddy asked out to what range I'd be comfortable using that particular rifle (Faux Ti remington 700) on a big buck. Response was "well, the range dope has only been verified out to 750 yards, so that's about where my comfort level is."

After watching the performance, and doing the necropsy during the deboning of the buck, his only comment was "I need one of these. Time for a build". This coming from a lifelong magnum user.

Too many folks get hung up on cartridge names, and give no thought to bullet performance or terminal ballistics.

It's ALL about the bullet, and where you put it. Bullets, not headstamps, kill animals.
 
So far my experience with using the .243 have been at the range only.

I'm quite happy with its performance actually and found it to be quite accurate as well as fun to shoot.

I have a brand new .243 handy rifle and a few boxes of Barnes TSX waiting for this deer season.
 
saskcop said:
I regularly use a .243 on deer in northern Sask. Big deer and big country. .243 knocks 'em dead and I really like my 100 grain Partition loads.
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Same here 100 grain Partitions and they don't go out of sight. 2 of 4 I shot with the 243 were bang flops

Funny part is I only ever lost one deer in 45 or so years and it was with a 3006 180g .Found it a week later rabbit hunting and looked like I was right in the boiler room but it went a long long way with almost zero blood and hid under some old tree roots on me
 
Never shot anything with a 243, but have taken about 15 deer, a moose, and 3 Black Bear with the 6mm Remington.

My bullet of choice has been the 95 or 100 Partition. [whichever shot best in the rifle I had at the time]

Never had to track a deer far, maybe 50-60 yards a couple of times. Most were dead, and on the ground within 15 yards.

Partition almost always exits on broadside shots, so a blood trail would be there, if needed.

With the smaller diameter bullets, shot placement becomes increasingly critical, and that is the Key to using the 243/6mm pair.

While I would not recommend the 243/6mm as a moose cartridge, it will do the job on a double lung shot..mine was about 125 yards, and DRT.

Practice plenty, don't take "iffy" shots, and the 243 or 6mm will do just fine.

Regards, Dave.
 
I also hunt whitetails in big woods.Although my favourite caliber is still .270, I have shot at seven whitetails with a .243. All went in the freezer. Five dropped immediately and two went a short distance then dropped dead.Probably a typical average performance with any "medium" class center fire. Practice, pick your shots, shoot a good 90 to 100 grain bullet and the .243 is fine.Best is to have respect for the game hunted and only take for sure kill shots. Avoid running shots ......sometimes that leads to troubles with any caliber of rifle or shooter.
 
A 243 is an excellent deer caliber with propper shot placement. The range depends entirely on your comfort level and familiarity with your 243. Piles of practice is a definet asset for long range shots.
 
Boomer said:
As with any cartridge having a potential impact velocity of 3000+ fps, next to bullet placement, bullet choice is the primary consideration. A bullet that goes to pieces upon impact can produce quick kills, or it can produce a large nasty flesh wound that is not immediately fatal. What that looks like is a fist sized cavity flecked with tiny particles of bullet metal and bone, perhaps 2" deep. The bullet that holds together, expands just enough to maximize it's frontal area while leaving enough shank intact so it's linear stability is not lost, will penetrate straight and deep, and kills nearly as well as it's more explosive brothers, but does so every time. Mono-metal bullets, partition style bullets, and bonded bullets are pretty much the gold standard when it comes to the use of high velocity small bores on big game.
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As usual, Mr. Boomer gives the best advice in the thread thus far.
 
Boomer said:
As with any cartridge having a potential impact velocity of 3000+ fps, next to bullet placement, bullet choice is the primary consideration. A bullet that goes to pieces upon impact can produce quick kills, or it can produce a large nasty flesh wound that is not immediately fatal. What that looks like is a fist sized cavity flecked with tiny particles of bullet metal and bone, perhaps 2" deep. The bullet that holds together, expands just enough to maximize it's frontal area while leaving enough shank intact so it's linear stability is not lost, will penetrate straight and deep, and kills nearly as well as it's more explosive brothers, but does so every time. Mono-metal bullets, partition style bullets, and bonded bullets are pretty much the gold standard when it comes to the use of high velocity small bores on big game.
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I endorse this quote as well. Don't use frangible bullets of any weight on game with these smaller offerings.

Dave.
 
gunrunner8 said:
Some stories....
Out 20 posts and 100 or so deer killed nobody lost even one....yeah right.
Some of you are full of it, how many were shot at 400, 500, 600yards and even further distance, injured the deer, lost and newer mentioned it here?
I newer killed deer past 275yds b/c my self imposed limit is 300yds. Still I lost three or four of them in the span of 25 years of hunting and I am considered crack shot.
Click to expand...

Can't say I've ever seen a deer in the big timber at 600 yards. Best I can see is about 100 yards:

When I find myself hunting more open country I prefer to stalk to within 200 yards before contemplating a shot. There was a moose up along the cut line of this picture, I preferred to stalk up to within 70 yards of it before passing on it:

Both hunts I found myself carrying the 7mm.
 
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I shot 6 deer with the 6mm ranging anywhere from 15yds to 230 yds and never had a problem. They never went any farther than 60-70 yds before folding. The one at 15yds was facing me and I hit him right square in the chest and it actually blew some of the guts right out the back end.
 
My buddy shoots a .243, with 100 grain bullets, and has had very good success on whitetails. 90% have been shot thru the ribs and lungs and or heart, and haven't gone any further than those shot by his dad with a .308. However, one morning, he took an approx 250 yard shot at a buck, in an open cow pasture, on a high hill overlooking the ocean. A few hours later, we trailed that deer for approx 1.25 miles and when the blood stopped, we lost it's tracks in a church yard. He's a great shot, but clearly the bullet didn't get in the boiler room. This is one rare occasion, in Nova Scotia, where I would say wind drift could have been a factor (or he shot beyond his skills). The next spring, the home owner that lived across from the church, found the dead buck in a brushy, little swampy spot on his property. My buddy denied that it was his buck (ego), but his dad and I believed that it was. Regarding purposely aiming for the shoulder blade, I wouldn't do that. Shoot for the heart and lungs, and rely on good blood trailing skills. If you aren't an experienced blood trailer, find a bowhunter friend and they'll help you. The .243 will serve you just fine, with a well placed shot, using a quality projectile. All the best:)
 
colonel3006 said:
I shot 6 deer with the 6mm ranging anywhere from 15yds to 230 yds and never had a problem. They never went any farther than 60-70 yds before folding. The one at 15yds was facing me and I hit him right square in the chest and it actually blew some of the guts right out the back end.
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My wife shot a large doe once. She came in to a grunt. Got about 75yds but stood face on. We were on a ground blind so basically same level as her chest. Wife squeezed off a round, took that doe right square in the chest, somersaulted her backward and left her lying right there. That 100gn .243 Bullet went all the way through.
 
gunrunner8 said:
Some stories....
Out 20 posts and 100 or so deer killed nobody lost even one....yeah right.
Some of you are full of it, how many were shot at 400, 500, 600yards and even further distance, injured the deer, lost and newer mentioned it here?
I newer killed deer past 275yds b/c my self imposed limit is 300yds. Still I lost three or four of them in the span of 25 years of hunting and I am considered crack shot.
Click to expand...
Yep, I have lost deer, but never with the .243. Lost them when using a .303 and an '06. I tracked a bull elk for 4 hours one night only to give up when we pushed out of his bed at midnight. Took it up again in the morning and tracked another 4hours. Finally finding him still alive at noon. My buddy had thrown 2rounds at him from a .300WM and his father had hit that bull with a .30-06 round (both were 180gn rounds) from a distance of 265yds. The only round tha scored was the '06 round that broke the on side shoulder, "touched" the lung, and exited through the brisket. The first .300 round passed between the back and the spine and the second took hide off between the antlers. My buddy had never fired his rifle at ranged targets, despite my counsel. He had shooting sticks at his feet, but chose to stand up and shoot offhand. This was his father's first time hunting and he had practiced but didn't know that he had the aim further back on quartering shots.

My father was an excitable man and suffered from buck fever most of his life, he often shot at noises when hunting (I didn't hunt away from him as I got older). Most of his first shots missed, but his second shots were always in the boiler room. Shooting an iron-sighted Win94 .30-30 until his 50s when his eyes needed a scope, he counted for animals very year. I don't remember having to track far or often. Instead of a scope, he opted for a permanent bait stand and basically stopped hunting the last 20yrs simply shooting the biggest buck that presented itself 50yds away.

Misses require work. I don't like work, therefore I choose my shots, placement, circumstances to minimize that work. I haven't lost an animal I have shot in 12 years and I haven't had to track one beyond 75 yds until this past season and I still can't figure that one out. I trailed him 1/2 a mile over 4hours, bumping him out of his bed, returning to the truck and waiting, repeating it over and over again, and when I found him he was still alive. When I opened him up, the round had destroyed one lung and half of the other. Blew out his off side shoulder (and I mean BLEW it out) and shrapnel and bones chips blew through the brisket. I have never seen that kind of blood shot meat! And that was with a .30-06 165gn Corelockt at a ranged 364 yds.

There, that better?
 
gunrunner8 said:
Some stories....
Out 20 posts and 100 or so deer killed nobody lost even one....yeah right.
Some of you are full of it, how many were shot at 400, 500, 600yards and even further distance, injured the deer, lost and newer mentioned it here?
I newer killed deer past 275yds b/c my self imposed limit is 300yds. Still I lost three or four of them in the span of 25 years of hunting and I am considered crack shot.
Click to expand...

The only deer ive ever had to track when shot with a rifle was this past one in 2013. 100 yard broadside shot out of an ol Remington 7600 pump 270 win. He ran almost 400 yards, the shot was good placement, everything should have worked. The only reason it didnt is because of the bullet. It didnt do its job, never expanded hardly. We found the deer dead the next day, bullet only 4.5 inches inside, barley even peeled back. Not saying what bullet, however they were handloads, with a big name bullet (130 gr) that didnt do its job. Plain and simple.
 
Yes rookie, I can belive that. Honesty pays back everytime.
My most memorable last deer that has been lost is a mule forkhorn (8 years ago) late October, 1-2" of fresh snow on the ground, perfect. I was still sitting on a stump early in the morning and after an hour or so a nice forkhorn did aproach me slowly while eating some grass, twigs and buds. All calm heading straight at me and at 75 yds or so with slight wind in my favour I shot handloaded 150gr Nosler BT from my 308Win rem mod 788 square into his chest. I am sure that I shot him where aimed. Any way the buck dropped "dead right there" so I started to aproach him, at 30 yards that buck stood up and quickly run a 100yds dash or so and folded again. I radioed my hunting buddy only 1/2K away and we decided to leave the dear alone for a while and have a coffee break. After half an hour we found couple of oz of blood at the first deer drop then on the aproach to the second deer drop a couple of blood drops every 10-15 yds or so then another couple of oz of blood at he second deer drop and no deer! F%^&!
We followed that deer for 3K with no more blood visible until his tracks mixed so much with other deer tracks that we could follow him no more. Then we started to circle that area for another 2 hours with no success what so ever. That incident was eating me away for a quite long time. Since then I switched to Barness mono metal bullets, "harvested" a doz of deer, 1/2 doz black bears, and a moose since with no problems what so ever.
 
hunter-4-life said:
The only deer ive ever had to track when shot with a rifle was this past one in 2013. 100 yard broadside shot out of an ol Remington 7600 pump 270 win. He ran almost 400 yards, the shot was good placement, everything should have worked. The only reason it didnt is because of the bullet. It didnt do its job, never expanded hardly. We found the deer dead the next day, bullet only 4.5 inches inside, barley even peeled back. Not saying what bullet, however they were handloads, with a big name bullet (130 gr) that didnt do its job. Plain and simple.
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If the .270 bullet "hardly expanded", it should have continued on and exited the deer. I'm guessing that the round may not have been properly loaded, and was, therefore, lacking speed.
 
Nic thing about a 243 is that is usually does less damage to the meat, and little recoil. And, they can reach out. Longest kill for me was about 400 yards. Deer got off about 35 yards and dropped.
 
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