.243 Win as a deer rifle...

I have never considered a 243 a good deer hunting round and would never even consider using it for anything larger.

I've only shot one deer with my 243 because I always left it in the safe and grabbed a more appropriate rifle/cartridge combo ex 280 Rem/30-06 when I was heading out deer/black bear hunting.

I even rechambered it to 6mm-284 and still left it in the safe most of the time though I am considering buying a 28" barreled s/s T/C Encore in 243 and having it rechambered to 6mm-284.

I'm thinking it will be an awesome long range predator gun that could double for deer but it will still mostly stay in the safe when it is deer hunting season because I'll be using my 280 Rem or a 30 cal wildcat that equals 300 Savage velocities with 150gr bullets in my T/C Contender carbine.

Mind you a 90gr Swift Scirroco at top 6mm-284 velocities may change my mind and could make me feel like I have finally found a 6mm round that I would use on deer/bear...

If I had to make the choice I would go for the 7mm-08 as well...
 
Prokofievian said:
This is one thing that has been confusing me. No one ever disagrees with someone making the recommendation of a 30-30 for a beginner deer rifle, yet the .243 hits harder even within 150 yards. At least according to Remington:

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/comparative_ballistics_results.aspx?data=R243W3*R30302

Is there something that I'm missing in this argument?
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You are getting carried away with ballistic tables!
The old timers had a saying to the effect that a ballistic table never killed anything.
You want good hype on a 243? Go back to the articles when Winchester first brought it out! Every new cartridge the manufacturers bring out is the best.
Either a 30-30 or a 243 is very effective on deer. The 30-30 has had the advantage of being factory loaded with a near perfect bullet for it for many years. I refer to the standard 170 garain soft nose.
My experience with the 243 is that 100 grain, standard bullets I have loaded for it, which are whizzing along at top speed, tend to literally explode. A coyote shot in the lungs had a hole you could put both fists in, on the outer side. Another 100 grain one, I think it was a Speer, went only about half way through a doe.
Without doubt, I would load 100 grain premium bullets, for example a Nosler partition. That would kill deer on the spot and with it I wouldn't hesitate to take on moose, caribou, goats, black bear, etc.
 
After reading the posting by Camp Cook, I will add a bit more. When our youngest son was about 16 or17 I bought him a beautiful German Krico in 243. This was before gun laws were so strict, and unbeknown to us, he and a high school friend, who also had a 243, decided to skip school one nice fall day and go early morning moose hunting! He gave his friend some of my handloads for the friends 243, which I would not have approved of, but didn't know it. The handloads were loaded with Nosler partition.
Long story short, while walking through meadows along a creek, there was a bull moose. The son came home to tell us his friend had shot a moose. I asked if he (son) hadn't shot, also. Son said his friend had the moose down so fast that he never got a shot!

Edited to add that the son has taken several deer, each with one shot, since then.
 
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There have been some great responses to my original post, with a lot of information that I wouldn't have considered.

It's true that I'm going way too into ballistic charts, but right now it's really all I've got. I'll be the only one in the family with a gun come this summer, with the exception of my grandpa's walther p-38(with the luftwaffe stamp on it), and none of my friends are into the whole thing. So, numbers are just numbers yes...but they're still numbers hahaha.

Some pretty experienced posters have mentioned "premium ammo." I see things like core-lokt and nosler partition etc and I have no idea what you are talking about. Do you know of any good quick resources online(or otherwise) for this sort of stuff?

Again, all this information is greatly appreciated.
 
Camp Cook said:
I have never considered a 243 a good deer hunting round and would never even consider using it for anything larger.

I've only shot one deer with my 243 because I always left it in the safe and grabbed a more appropriate rifle/cartridge combo ex 280 Rem/30-06 when I was heading out deer/black bear hunting.
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H didn't say it wouldn't do the job said I wouldn't consider using it for anything larger than deer...


:D
 
I've shot around 25 deer with a 22-250 all were one shot kills doesn't mean that it should be used for deer or bigger animals though and I feel the same way about the 243.
 
Prokofievian said:
There have been some great responses to my original post, with a lot of information that I wouldn't have considered.

It's true that I'm going way too into ballistic charts, but right now it's really all I've got. I'll be the only one in the family with a gun come this summer, with the exception of my grandpa's walther p-38(with the luftwaffe stamp on it), and none of my friends are into the whole thing. So, numbers are just numbers yes...but they're still numbers hahaha.

Some pretty experienced posters have mentioned "premium ammo." I see things like core-lokt and nosler partition etc and I have no idea what you are talking about. Do you know of any good quick resources online(or otherwise) for this sort of stuff?

Again, all this information is greatly appreciated.
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Prokofievian,

The important point about 'premium' really is appropriate bullets. Traditional bullets are just some lead poured into a copper cup. This works great at reasonable velocities and with reasonable bullet diameters. At high velocities and/or with smaller diameter bullets, these bullets risk coming apart too quickly and therefore not penetrating adequately. The Nosler partition bullet that has been mentioned is, on the other hand, the granddaddy of the premium bullets. There are lots of different bullets out there with special features to control expansion and/or avoid excessive fragmentation.

Premium ammo will typically be loaded with bullets that are appropriate for the cartridge and game intended. It would be worth while to research any bullet though before using it. For example, my understanding is that the basic Remington core-lokt bullet isn't too far removed (although their catalog lists core-lokt ultra and I'm not sure what that is) from traditional bullets, and so might not be best on deer (that said my cousin killed a deer with a core-lokt from a 243 a couple of years ago, and it worked ok). You'd have more confidence with a tougher bullet like a partition. Remember though that bullet construction interacts with velocity and bullet size, and so this same bullet design might be a great choice for deer in, say a 7mm-08, another great flat-shooting but light recoiling and widely available cartridge that would be a great starting point if any sort of medium game is on your horizon.

RG

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243 will work just fine on deer coyotes and smaller varmints. i have a winchester mod 70 243.its light to carry very accurate and very little recoil.its a favorite rifle of mine.i have owned 270 and 338 but dont feel the need for them hence they were sold.
 
With premium bullets the 243 will kill both deer and elk but, and this is a big "but" , it is far from optimal. In the good steady hands of a hunter with the patience to wait for the perfect shot it is OK , for a beginner it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

I would suggest you give a hard look at the .270 Winchester, the 308 Winchester and the good old 30-06. Ammo for these is reasonably priced so the the new hunter can practice often without taking out a bank loan. Recoil on all these in a rifle like the Vanguard is very manageable for a beginner.
 
'Boo said:
With premium bullets the 243 will kill both deer and elk but, and this is a big "but" , it is far from optimal. In the good steady hands of a hunter with the patience to wait for the perfect shot it is OK , for a beginner it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

I would suggest you give a hard look at the .270 Winchester, the 308 Winchester and the good old 30-06. Ammo for these is reasonably priced so the the new hunter can practice often without taking out a bank loan. Recoil on all these in a rifle like the Vanguard is very manageable for a beginner.
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I've been told the .270 Win is a good flat-shooting round. I'll have to check it out, as it definitely has the power. It definitely has a greater variety of loads than the 7mm-08 that's for sure.

I think I have some shooting to do. :D
 
Ruffed Grouse said:
Prokofievian,

The important point about 'premium' really is appropriate bullets. Traditional bullets are just some lead poured into a copper cup. This works great at reasonable velocities and with reasonable bullet diameters. At high velocities and/or with smaller diameter bullets, these bullets risk coming apart too quickly and therefore not penetrating adequately. The Nosler partition bullet that has been mentioned is, on the other hand, the granddaddy of the premium bullets. There are lots of different bullets out there with special features to control expansion and/or avoid excessive fragmentation.

Premium ammo will typically be loaded with bullets that are appropriate for the cartridge and game intended. It would be worth while to research any bullet though before using it. For example, my understanding is that the basic Remington core-lokt bullet isn't too far removed (although their catalog lists core-lokt ultra and I'm not sure what that is) from traditional bullets, and so might not be best on deer (that said my cousin killed a deer with a core-lokt from a 243 a couple of years ago, and it worked ok). You'd have more confidence with a tougher bullet like a partition. Remember though that bullet construction interacts with velocity and bullet size, and so this same bullet design might be a great choice for deer in, say a 7mm-08, another great flat-shooting but light recoiling and widely available cartridge that would be a great starting point if any sort of medium game is on your horizon.

RG

<><
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Thanks for the detailed response, it was pretty helpful.
 
Get some of these Federal ammo loaded with 85gr TSX they carry more energy then the 100gr Partitions http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/rifle.aspx?id=589

learn the ballistics of your rifle find the max distance your comfortable shooting and stay inside that range. With a .243 your limited to about 200yds give or take depending on conditions, shot angle and yardage.

I will be using 100gr TSX's out of my .257wby SS Weatherby Vanguard for white tail this year. If you reloaded I would say check this cartridge out but factory ammo is pricey. But if you reload or know some one who can do it for you cost isn't too bad costs me about $100 for 50rnds and factory Weatherby ammo with the same bullet is $100 for 20rnds. Actually reloading the .257wby is cheaper then buying the factory Federal 85gr TSX's for the .243 too at $45/box 40rnds is over $100 with tax.....plus you extend your effective range to about 500yds although shooting that far is not advised for a beginner but as you get better and more confident the .257wby will grow with you where as the .243 is quite limiting....

Why not look at the .25-06 its a fantastical cartridge as well!
 
with good ammo it is certainly capable of killing elk, and for deer its a fine choice unless you're planning on shooting past 300 yards which you probably arent, being a new shooter.

People love to hate the 243, look at some of the replies on this thread
 
I shot my first deer 21 yrs ago with a 243 in a winchester m70. It was a mature buck and went about 70 yds before his final resting place. No second shot required. I have used the 243 since and can't recall ever having to use a second shot to finish a deer off. It did require 2 shots to finish a moose once or twice though. And the odd black bear. I love the 243 and will continue to use it for my main deer rifle.
 
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