I've hunted with a lot of guys through the years that used .243's. It never struck me that their guns were as effective as my .30-06 all other comparisons being equal. I've never killed anything with the cartridge myself but felt I saw enough to form an opinion.
In what way was the 243 not as effective as the '06?
I recall a number of times during deer drives where the .243 guy wasn't sure if he hit or missed. We'd find blood (or not if he missed) and work out the trail usually finding the deer. I can't remember ever wondering if I hit a deer or not with my '06. I'd now whether it was DRT or ran off that I connected.
Not that it's at all relevant to the OP, or any of the discussions here, other than this; but I can not fathom why anyone would push deer, to posters, offering a very low %, moving or running shot ?
Just my .02 !
Because in some places, deer go nocturnal during hunting season, hiding in extremely thick cover during the day. They do not have to leave this cover to drink or even eat, in many cases. I'm talking about cover where you couldn't see a deer if it were 10 yards in front of you. Dogs or men driving deer into a more open area is about the best option, short of baiting and spotlights.
