Lets talk about hunting with the .243 winchester

rci2950

rci2950

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What are your experiences with this cartridge? What animals were you taking and what bullets were you using? Is it in your mind a good cartridge for white tail deer? Would you attempt to take a black bear with it? Are you using factory ammo or hand loads? Give me your experiences good and bad. Tell me the story. How far was the shot? Where did you hit it? How far did it run? What was the meat damage like?

I attached a few pics. The ammunition I picked up to try first are S&B 100 grain soft points. Rifle is a Merkel R15 from Nordic Marksman, The sale they have going on is pretty irresistible.

Lets talk about .243 winchester only. Don't tell me that .25-06 is better, that's not helpful. I only want to discuss the .243 winchester because that's what i have. Pics of rifles and animals are appreciated as well.

Thanks!!

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My late brother hunted with a 6mm in a model 600. The 6mm and the 243 are ballistically nearly identical. Both use the .243 bullet. He was physically handicapped and that's all the recoil he could take. He collected 8 moose and numerous deer here in AB . Never saw him shoot anything more than twice. As always it's about proper quality bullets and shot placement. He also kept his shots under 150 yards. We miss him on our annual hunts.

Nothing wrong with the 243.
 
I loved it with 55 grains for coyotes.

I wouldn't hesitate to drop a deer with an appropriate bullet.

For bears... Maybe an Ontario brown. Wouldn't want to try anything like a grizz just incase because they are angry!

Im sure people have even dropped moose with them.

It is a fantastic cartridge in my eyes.
 
3 of my hunting neighbors use the 243 for deer. One shoots a Remington Seven Synthetic, one shoots an H&R Single Shot & the other a Savage, not sure of model. They tag out every year with deer. 2 of them shoot the Winchester Power Point, no complaints from them, cheers
 
My kids all started with .243's for deer and they all were successful several times over with 95 grain Partitions... but they moved up quickly... I only shoot coyotes and wolves with .243 now, using H4350 and 75 grain V-Max. The kids are shooting 7X64, 6.5X55 and .358 now... and occasionally scooping one out of my cabinet... my No.1-A Whelen is in jeopardy of going to live with my son permanently.
 
Well thats good. This isn't my first .243 win but will be the first one purchased specifically to hunt with. It wasn't my first choice but due to availability when i made my purchase it is what i got. I really wanted this rifle so was more accepting of a different cartridge i am not that familiar with. My first .243 was a Savage Axis. The regular trigger one. Although the rifle is a tack driver, i only ever used it for target shooting no hunting... maximum 60 rounds down the pipe at that. I didn't like the feel of the rifle. It feels flimsy. A friend of mine on a tight budget has shown interest and i will be giving him a very good deal on the scoped axis. So this thread is also going to be helpful to him because we will be hunting together. Both using he same caliber.

This one i have now feels fantastic in the hand. Very well balanced and overall just a good comfortable rifle to carry and hold. Stock has a pleasing texture to it and it is very light but at the same time very solid. Previously i have done most of my hunting with .270 win. I have taken a few deer with other calibers as well but all .30 cal and up from there. In a previous thread i have mentioned selling off the bulk of my collection to narrow down to a few useful firearms. This one was purchased to be the working gun. The one that gets most of the woods time. After doing some reading the .243 seems like a good one to cover all bases for what i will be doing. mainly white tail deer. The occasional Coyote. Depending on the feedback i get from you guys i may or may not attempt to take a black bear. They are in my apple pile every year but i have never come face to face with one. Only seen their scat.

Now bullet weight and type are the main things i have to focus on. I have dies and some brass for this and if the 100 grain S&B don't seem like the best thing i may experiment with Barnes TTSX bullets or possibly Nosler partition. I would like to be able to hunt with copper bullets because I have bought on to the lead poisoned eagles thing. I would rather not contribute to that if have a choice, but i am not going to handicap my hunting ability to do so. I do have my limits... I have a lot to think about and am just starting with this caliber. I intend to make it work. So here i am asking for as much info as i can gather to make these decisions.
 
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I used to have an old acquaintance in Saskatchewan and the 243 was his only rifle for all the time that I knew him. He shot a lot of moose with that rifle and used nothing but factory ammo, I'm not sure he even used the same brand or bullet weight each time. The vast majority of his shots were probably under 100 yards and he didn't take anything but a nice broadside shot so he rarely had to shoot twice.
I've owned a 243 for a lot of years but I don't hunt with it as it has a heavy barrel and is a semi rare rifle so it doesn't see a lot of use. If I was hunting big game with that caliber I'd opt for 95 or 100 grain bullets, your choices of TTSX's or Partitions would be my prime pics as well. Nosler's #3 reloading manual has a 100 grain bullet/ IMR 7828 load pushing past 3200 fps second that I've played with, it's the load I'd be trying for hunting.
 
I still have the first 243 a Model 670 Winchester I bought is the late 70's that and 2 more rifles and have owned 5 in total a couple years ago.
I have no issue hunting Whitetails with it but as of yet I have not taken one. It seems that I have more luck with my 257 Roberts.
I know the time will come. Other than that with the right bullet and bullet placement I would not hesitate on a black bear.
I have a couple different go to loads, my original rifle gets a diet of Sierra 85 gr HPBT. It has been used on ground hogs, Fox, and Coyotes.
My deer rifle or at least the one that I have carried the last 3 years, a Ruger American Compact, currently is shooting Sierra 100gr semi pointed bullets really well. That is an old bullet not made any more, If I find them at a gun show I pick them up. I am also going to try some Hornady 100gr round nose that I found. Distances that we shoot at mostly can be measured in feet rather that yards.

The other 243 I have, a Model 70 Coyote has only taken unruly targets along with plastic and juice jugs, and lots of those.

I do like the 243 as much as the Roberts and if I had to chose between the two it would be a decision that would be tough.

The best you could do with your 243 would be to shoot it as much as you can and trust that you can put the bullet where you want it to go.

David
 
I got a deer a couple years ago with a .243. 90 yards, one shot broadside and straight down. Medium load with a 85gr partition. Made a bigger entry and exit hole than last years 6.5x55 120gr ttsx. Same effect inside. Juiced everything in it's path and came out the other side.
 
I’ve shot hundreds of coyotes with my 243s. From 43gr McCracken to assorted 100s. I prefer 75-85. On a broad side shot on a WT, my son hit it behind shoulder. Bullet deflected off a rib, through the armpit (shoulder pit?), and into the neck. It was a 100gr Nosler partition. Both boys, now adults, shoot 7x57s. I seen many well hit deer run a while when hit with 243. That said I’ve also seen very quick kills. A friend has killed moose and at least 1 elk with his. Not my choice of cartridges but will surely work. I don’t think black bear are any harder to kill than WT. A good bullet well placed.
 
homeboy1 said:
My late brother hunted with a 6mm in a model 600. The 6mm and the 243 are ballistically nearly identical. Both use the .243 bullet. He was physically handicapped and that's all the recoil he could take. He collected 8 moose and numerous deer here in AB . Never saw him shoot anything more than twice. As always it's about proper quality bullets and shot placement. He also kept his shots under 150 yards. We miss him on our annual hunts.

Nothing wrong with the 243.
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My first Moose and those of my 3 brothers were all with a 243. That rifle has 5 total, M77 tang. That was what we had.

In my opinion, it's better suited for smaller medium game such as my local Blacktail at close range. In golf most shots are inside 100 yards, perhaps it is a function of the terrain I hunt, but this has been true for hunting as well.

I currently have two, the tang above, and a Bar mk1. Hoping to graduate my newbie wife to the Bar.
 
I have shot and killed a lot of deer with the 6mm Remington [243 + 100 fps/100 grain]
I have also shot moose and black bear with this chambering.
All game has died quickly, shots ranging from 35 yards to 375 yards.
My bullets of choice are the 95 and 100 grain Partition. Deadly and dependable.
Enjoy your 243, shoot it lots. It will do the job just fine. Dave.
 
I've seen two deer fall faster to a .243 firing 85gr TSX over 4831 than from my .308. Absolute thumper of a cartridge when applied correctly.
 
rci2950 said:
Well thats good. This isn't my first .243 win but will be the first one purchased specifically to hunt with. It wasn't my first choice but due to availability when i made my purchase it is what i got. I really wanted this rifle so was more accepting of a different cartridge i am not that familiar with. My first .243 was a Savage Axis. The regular trigger one. Although the rifle is a tack driver, i only ever used it for target shooting no hunting... maximum 60 rounds down the pipe at that. I didn't like the feel of the rifle. It feels flimsy. A friend of mine on a tight budget has shown interest and i will be giving him a very good deal on the scoped axis. So this thread is also going to be helpful to him because we will be hunting together. Both using he same caliber.

This one i have now feels fantastic in the hand. Very well balanced and overall just a good comfortable rifle to carry and hold. Stock has a pleasing texture to it and it is very light but at the same time very solid. Previously i have done most of my hunting with .270 win. I have taken a few deer with other calibers as well but all .30 cal and up from there. In a previous thread i have mentioned selling off the bulk of my collection to narrow down to a few useful firearms. This one was purchased to be the working gun. The one that gets most of the woods time. After doing some reading the .243 seems like a good one to cover all bases for what i will be doing. mainly white tail deer. The occasional Coyote. Depending on the feedback i get from you guys i may or may not attempt to take a black bear. They are in my apple pile every year but i have never come face to face with one. Only seen their scat.

Now bullet weight and type are the main things i have to focus on. I have dies and some brass for this and if the 100 grain S&B don't seem like the best thing i may experiment with Barnes TTSX bullets or possibly Nosler partition. I would like to be able to hunt with copper bullets because I have bought on to the lead poisoned eagles thing. I would rather not contribute to that if have a choice, but i am not going to handicap my hunting ability to do so. I do have my limits... I have a lot to think about and am just starting with this caliber. I intend to make it work. So here i am asking for as much info as i can gather to make these decisions.
Click to expand...
I do the same now, the rifle to me is more important than the cartridge, 2 of my uncles each have a savage 99 in 243 and they have shot countless deer, bear and moose, from distances of 20yds to 300yds, nothing has walked away from it and using plan jane Winchester 100 power points
 
My First-Gen Weatherby Vanguard is in .243, an absolute tack driver- 3-shot groups at 100 yards with 95-grain Fusions or Hornady Superformance makes one ragged hole. First deer I dropped with it was a Mule buck at 75 yards- it ran 30 feet and fell over, recovered the bullet (95-grain Fusion) just under the hide on the other side, very little meat damage, the bullet after cleaning still weighed 92 grains. My 12-year old daughter will be using it this fall for (hopefully) her first deer.
 
My .243 Winchester is a remington model 7 CDL. It shoots incredibly well with 100 grain corelockts and 95 grain Fusions. I successfully used it on a whitetail doe at 100ish yards. She made one bound, tumbled and never moved again, very similar performance to a lot of cartridges when placed similarly on calm game.If I could carry the .243 without it being a big game season and having an unused tag in my home province I might feel more favorable towards it. If it didn't shoot so good I would have already swapped the barrel for a cartridge that excites me more.
 
what bullets would you all recommend for close, medium and long range hunting shots?

from reading, Nosler Partition for close and Barnes TTSX for long range...how about moderate ranges? between 100 - 250 yards?

also what other bullets that retain most of their weight will open/expand properly at close range with an extremely high velocity?

I'm thinking about options in the 100g weight range.
 
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