Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting deer with a .243 vs. 30-06

Any opinions on whether to use 85 gr, 100 gr, 105 gr.??

Sorry dude, guess these 2 Canadian deer, shot by my wife & son, expired within 15 - 20 yrds, just from the mighty muzzle blast !!

Savage model 11 - .243, using 100gr Federal (blue box). Shot distances approx 100yrds. Broadside double lung. BOTH DEAD !!



Thought that was your daughter. Good job on the deer kill.

Paul.

I can't help with a comparison, because a .243 is the only cartridge I've ever used to shoot deer, and my sample size may or may not need 2 hands to count. Though all were recovered, each of the deer ran further than I had wanted. As such, I determined that a .243 wasn't enough cartridge for deer hunting.

This, however, was > 25 years ago, back in my teens. I was shooting a Remington 788 carbine with the 18.5" barrel. I'm sure that it would have helped if I would have shot more than 8 or 9 rounds through it before the season. I would also wager that using hearing protection might have prevented me from becoming afraid of the copious muzzle blast, and developing the flinch I carried for years. Heck, shooting lots more rimfire than I did would likely have made me a much better shot. In short, I'm sure the fault was mine, and not the cartridge's.

To this day, though, I maintain a dislike for the .243. In fact, I don't care much for any of its -08 bretheren, either. It's totally illogical, and I'm well aware of that. I'm just thankful there are still many dozens of other cartridges out there for me to be smitten with.

This process probably has happened with all cartridges. I was the only fool in elk camp with enough gall to carry a .30-'06: everyone else knew that was far too impotent a cartridge for such tough, noble, & worthy creatures. But it sure worked like a charm on the elk that I shot. So now, with my sample size of 1, I shall henceforth go confidently into the field chasing elk with it, knowing that it worked for me.

The next time I do go deer hunting, I'll very likely be carrying my 7x57. I'm sure it won't kill the deer any deader, or any more quickly, than a solid shot from a .243, but I'll feel better about carrying it with me.

I hear folks talking about "finding their huckleberries". Though I'd never encountered the phrase before I came to this site, I'd surmise it applies pretty aptly to cartridge selection. And if your huckleberry differs from my own, that's OK.

FC

I put more importance on bullet placement than what caliber the bullet is. Even the 30-06 won't make up for sorry shooting!
(Based on what I have seen over the past 30 deer seasons.)
whelennut

The 280 is Almighty and better than both...cause it is in between.

Ingwe: It grieves me to do so, but I am compelled to agree...

My last two 270 bucks were only "merely dead"....they were NOT "most sincerely dead"........