The 243 has limits but within these limits it is a great deer cartridge when bullets of proper construction are used. Personally I think a 25/06 would pair up better with the 30/06. Also if you load your own the same case can be used if you're careful with head stamps. The tikka uses a long action why not use it?
.243 Qestions...*Follow Up, Post #26*
- Thread starter Slug870
- Start date
my roomates deer gun is a .243 and she loves it, lighter recoil than the 30 06 her bf uses and she has yet to have a problem killing what she shoots at, that said she only uses it on deer and yotes (she hasnt actually gotten a yote with it yet hopefully this year) any larger game were going after and there is a 30 06 a 300 win mag and a 7mm rem mag to choose from
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
I've always thought of the 243 as a little too big for varmints and a little too small for big game. While it's a good caliber, it seems to fall into a gap. I'd say it's best suited for pronghorn, wolf,etc., something in the 100-200 lb max class.
I've shot a few deer with it, in fact the first whitetail buck I ever shot was with a Win Model 88 in 243 and 100 grain Partitions. It wasn't a large buck though. While it may be fine for does and younger bucks, I'd be leery of using it on a mature whitetail buck that can approach or exceed 300 lbs. The 30-06 is a far better deer caliber in my experience, but if you must use a 243 on deer I'd choose a heavy, premium bullet.
Have you thought about the 6.5x55 in the T3? A much better caliber for your intended purpose.
I've shot a few deer with it, in fact the first whitetail buck I ever shot was with a Win Model 88 in 243 and 100 grain Partitions. It wasn't a large buck though. While it may be fine for does and younger bucks, I'd be leery of using it on a mature whitetail buck that can approach or exceed 300 lbs. The 30-06 is a far better deer caliber in my experience, but if you must use a 243 on deer I'd choose a heavy, premium bullet.
Have you thought about the 6.5x55 in the T3? A much better caliber for your intended purpose.
A good choice as a lighter calibre than the 30-06. Bought mine for coyotes in which I use 70gr. Nosler BT over Varget. For deer, 95gr. Nosler partitions over 44gr. of 4831. The last deer I shot with it the 95gr partition passed through taking out both lungs with a lot of blood damaged meat. The one before that was standing in amongst a bunch of maple gads at about 30yds., bullet never reached him. He took out of there head and tail high ran about 50yds. and then looked back to see what all the fuss was about.
Moral of the story is the .243 will kill deer with the heavier bullets placed properly very well but make sure there is nothing but empty air between the end of the barrel and the deer. I don't use it for deer where I hunt for that very reason anymore as there is not much empty air for the majority of the shots I get. So I either take the 30-06 or 44mag. Sill the .243 is one of my favorite rifles in M-70. Devastating on coyotes and other undesirables around the chicken coup.
Moral of the story is the .243 will kill deer with the heavier bullets placed properly very well but make sure there is nothing but empty air between the end of the barrel and the deer. I don't use it for deer where I hunt for that very reason anymore as there is not much empty air for the majority of the shots I get. So I either take the 30-06 or 44mag. Sill the .243 is one of my favorite rifles in M-70. Devastating on coyotes and other undesirables around the chicken coup.
So I have gone ahead and bought myself a Tikka T3 Hunter in .243!
Now I just have to decide on a bullet choice for deer hunting... I almost made a serious mistake and bought 500 105gr Berger VLD Hunting bullets, only to realize after some research that the T3 with a 1-10 twist will not stabilize them! From what I am reading, it would seem that the rifle will only stabilize up to a 100gr, non-vld bullet... (please correct me if I am mistaken)
So, it would seem that in the deer hunting role, the bullet of choice would be the Nosler Partition 95gr. For the 1-10 twist, folks say it stabilizes quite well and has good knock down power. Now just to find a source for them...
If any .243 owners have another bullet suggestion, please feel free to post here. I want to be as well informed as possible prior to deciding on a bullet and ordering 500-1000 of them.
Thank you!
P.S. I also ordered a set of Redding dies and 100 Lapua brass, so needless to say I am chomping at the bit to find "the" bullet I need!
Now I just have to decide on a bullet choice for deer hunting... I almost made a serious mistake and bought 500 105gr Berger VLD Hunting bullets, only to realize after some research that the T3 with a 1-10 twist will not stabilize them! From what I am reading, it would seem that the rifle will only stabilize up to a 100gr, non-vld bullet... (please correct me if I am mistaken)
So, it would seem that in the deer hunting role, the bullet of choice would be the Nosler Partition 95gr. For the 1-10 twist, folks say it stabilizes quite well and has good knock down power. Now just to find a source for them...
If any .243 owners have another bullet suggestion, please feel free to post here. I want to be as well informed as possible prior to deciding on a bullet and ordering 500-1000 of them.
Thank you!
P.S. I also ordered a set of Redding dies and 100 Lapua brass, so needless to say I am chomping at the bit to find "the" bullet I need!
Dude, stop with all the reading. Your rifle will inform you as to what it likes and dislikes. The good news is that you are planning to reload. For instance, my 243 loves the Nosler 70 grain and is not so happy with a 75 gr V-Max. The statistics say that it should love them both. You have to try some loads and take it from there. Starting with the lands in the chamber. Properly gauge the seating depth of the bullet, then make sure all cases are trimmed uniformly. Try different powders (I like H335 and 4064). Try different primers (I like the CCI - period). I use magnum primers with H335. Again, that's my rifle, yours may be totally opposite.
It's a fine deer round, just shoot good bullets. Deer are basically a giant lung wrapped in a relatively thin skin. I have no problem killing them with an arrow at less than 300fps. I'm sure that a 100 grain Partition or X bullet would penetrate completely through, and leave a wound cavity far greater than my 1" broadhead does.
Like always, shot placement is everything. A gunshot deer will run away be it from a .223, or a .338.
Like always, shot placement is everything. A gunshot deer will run away be it from a .223, or a .338.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
The advantage of the Barnes TSX/TTSX is that they are dimensionally equal to heavier bullets, but their lighter weight means they can be driven faster. Typically they penetrate very well, which undoubtedly is a result of their high retained weight. The Partition tries to be all things to all people, and does perform admirably in that the frontal core goes to pieces, leaving a massive wound channel, while the rear core punches through, albeit unexpanded, and light for caliber. As far as I'm concerned when a marginal high velocity cartridge is the question, the monometals are the answer. That said, from a fast twist barrel, the Matrix 120gr should make the .243 suitable for game up to 500 pounds. My experience with Matrix bullets to date has been very favorable, and those 120s have me considering a new 1:7 barrel for my .243; but with so many other projects on the go . . . .
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Methinks a T3 in .243 would be a lot of fun and work well, congrats, enjoy.
So far my .243 has seen only range time but the results on paper have impressed me enough that I have a new .243 handi rifle and box of TSX waiting for the start of this hunting season.
Btw here is a interesting site on all sorts of cartridges...
http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Kno...270 Winchester.html&__utmv=-&__utmk=246804484
Indeed, I suspect a grain of salt is needed with some of it and one begins to wonder if the author likes any cartridge, lol. But he does seem to copy paste in some interesting history from time to time.
I get the distinct impression that he has never shot the vast majority of the cartridges he talks about.
colonel3006
Regular
- Location
- Ayton,ontario
Mine also likes the 87 great really well.
Try the 80 or 85 gn Barnes TTSX (can't remember which weight it is), You should get excellent velocities and a great game bullet if you rifle likes 'em. Remember that the homogenous bullets prefer a significant jump to the lands unlike other lead cored bullets. I have shot more 243 that all my other calibers combined and have actually "shot out" 3 different rifles in this caliber. I also own four right now so shooting one out probably won't happen again. I found most of my 243s liked the 90 gn Speer flat base which is also a descent hunting bullet, as well as any bullet from about 70 gns to 100 gns. I have never ventured out after big game with this caliber except pronghorn and wolves, I did kill a very large black bear with one, with 90 gn Speers, but wasn't hunting them at the time. He just showed up at the wrong place at the wrong time so he got one in the spine from about 90 mtrs. I hope you come to love the 243 as much as I have.
