Are you shooting paper or hunting big game?
It really comes down to what impact velocity you want at a certain range for the bullet to be effective on game.
Some say 2000 fps, some say 1,800 fps is needed.
243's are nice for shooting paper but I personally wouldn't use one for large mule deer or elk. It starts at 6.5 for me.
(No doubt some nimrod here will show up with a bombast opinion of how great the 243 is on bull elk at long range.)
