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The 243 or 6mm is all any man needs for Whitetail Deer if you can shoot, if you can't shoot then bigger won't help you . I have killed more deer with the 6mm Rem than any other cal.

.25-06 and .270 seem to put things down with as much authority as anything else I've ever used.

I'm with Pat on this. as I get older I find with the improvement in bullets and equipment in general we tend to use rifles that are too big and fishing tackle that is way too heavy.

My perspective is a bit tainted as I have never shot a deer with a .243 and calibres less that .243 are illegal for big game in Alberta.

The reason for choosing a larger calibre can be based upon the size of the deer one hopes to encounter and the nature of ones hunting. When the possibility of shooting a large deer at close range, with less than perfect presentation, possibly whilst it is running would justify a larger calibre and a heavier bullet.

Just my 2 cents and YMMV.

An early happy independence day to y'all in the great United States. GRF

Cross canyon shot,

Ranged at 304 yds. IIRC

Rem 700 Sendero, 338 RUM, 200gr. Nosler Ballistic Silvertip

dropped and rolled downhill.

Unbelievably no 6mm was required.

Works for me.

JAPPFT,

GWB

Stunt shooter!

I have used the 6mm Remington Mag on deer never used a 243

Doesn't count if a golf cart was not used to retrieve game

Nah,

not a white-tail but a 125 lb. Aoudad ewe, Ranged at +/- 300 yds. when spotted heading uphill,



Sako varmint, 7 mag, 160 gr. Nosler Partiton, 300 yds. plus.


Nice thing about a bullet of sufficient diameter and weight, event if you don't hit them, but come close, it puts their lights out. LOL


JAPPFT,

GWB

Because with a safe full of rifles you STILL don't have (or need or want) a .243?

Government intervention. Besides, I own Swedes.

Because .30/30s are easy to carry and fun to shoot?

Actually, I switched to .270s a long time ago, because my .243 experiences weren't good (maybe bad bullets?), but this spring I picked up a .30/30 to mess with, and plan on using it this fall.

Congrats on getting a truly fun gun. Next thing you'll find yourself wanting a levergun in .45-70.

Didn't you once ask the same question, of the .25-06?

The 2nd deer I ever shot was broadside 200 yards away, and I hit her perfectly behind the shoulder. She ran about a 100 yards, zigging through the bush. I only ever found one little spot of blood, the ground was hard, and it was mostly luck that I found her. .25-06, so thereafter I stuck to the .270 & up. Years later, when I got a chrono, I discovered I was under-loading the rounds - and the bullets were actually "varmint" bullets.

I killed a spike last year with a .223, and the deer went only about 30 yards. And I killed one with Dad's old .25-06, too. It went about the same distance.

I'm thinking of using my .25-20 on deer, this year...

Funny. I did the same thing. After years of killing an embarassingly huge amount of deer with anything from .223 to 300 Mags, I decided to play with a 30-30 for the first time ever.

The Op's question has a key word: "need". No, don't really "need" more than a .243. As said on here so many times before, bullets mean more than headstamps. .02" of bore also means a heck of a lot less than construction of the protjectile(.22 vs .24 for example), accompanied by velocity.

Bullets matter. Far more than the amount of powder the case holds, or the diameter of the bore. I think a 243 is plenty with the right bullets and the right shooter on game bigger than any Whitetail, and on shots longer than most would dare try. To each their own.

Why? Why?

Because this is the land of the free!! And besides that, one cartridge is just boring...

Though the 300 Savage has impressed the heck out of me the last 10 years. Trying to figure out why anybody would want a 243 when they could use a 300.

We have shot several large bucks with the .243 and 95 Gr. BTBT and had them travel quite a distance in thick brush.. The bullet went though both lungs and did exit on the buck I remember best..

I just like a bit more bore dia. and bullet wt. I ran into the same issues with the 6mm and various .25's from the .250 through the .257 Wea.. The bullets exited but the game was still able to travel over more ground than I think it should have.. This coupled with the fact that many shots are really fine bucks come just at dusk, makes me want a large dia. bullet and more wt.. So this fall I have a 700 barreled up for .300 Savage..

Well, I will give the 243 this,



It is practically perfect when nestled in a pleasing platform,to be used for petting and/or perforating pint-sized porkers that are pert-near close in proximity...........

but for folks in a hurry,



a pill out of a 240 Wby will get there quicker.

JAPPFT,

GWB

PS: NO GOLF CARTS WERE HARMED.....



during the perusal of this thread.

PS: Chas05 used a 325 WSM, 200 gr Accubonds to perforate these porkers.

Ever hooked a 10lb bass on a bream hook?

The .308 in it's metric guise has saved my bacon... deserves and gets my respect.