Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Anyone ever found the 243 lacking?

$1299. About $100 more than some on line but no risk and it was there.

I have heard that many times about the TSX. Even looked at the TSX at Cabelas today but they are 31 bucks for a 50 pack. . One thing about the .243 Win and deer, Some of the northern deer are huge but so many here still put them down with the .243 Win. I started hunting with the .243 Win this fall. I just can't but help feeliong under gunned if a big tough old 5 plus buck shows up.

I wouldn't be afraid to shoot any size deer with a 243 and good bullets. All bullets are better than they were years ago. Even a Federal Fusion would do the job no doubt.

I have both a 243 and a 6MM Remington presently. I have experienced no difference in killing power between these rifles and my 30-06 on deer. Feral hogs are a bit tougher to kill but I take neck, head and spine shots on them and they drop.

I believe him too.

We have been doing, exactly, this for the last 9 years. Have used 100gr Federal blue box, 95gr Federal Fusion, 95gr SST, 85gr TSX & 80gr TTSX. With any of these, patience & proper placement = dead deer. Friend of ours, who hunts with us, started using his .243 & Win PP this season & also took a nice buck & a doe.

Hey, congrats on the new rifle! It should serve well. I enjoy hunting with the light-kicking rifles. A husband/wife team I've hunted with use a .280 and a 7mm-08, both handloaded with the 120 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. They've got quite an impressive string of one-shot/DRT kills on mule deer, pronghorn, whitetail & wild hogs. The 7mm-08 was absolutely not a problem for her to master, even as a novice hunter & shooter.

Dad gave me a 6mm Rem (pretty much the same ballistics as the .243) about 40 years ago. My youngest son uses that rifle now. Mostly it's been a varmint rifle, but it's taken mule deer cleanly & quickly to nearly 300 yards, as well as whitetail at more modest ranges. Big fan of the 95 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. That is one mighty accurate, fast-killing bullet!

My son shot kind of a goofy looking buck last season, using the 95 gr B-Tip again. He was moving to the blind when he saw it facing him, dropped to a knee and put the Nosler right in that buck's chest. Instant drop & death! I asked him why that buck, and he replied "Dad, it just looked delicious!" I couldn't argue.

Guess the point is that there are a zillion cartridges avail that all kill deer very well, and nothing is lost by selecting a cartridge that kills well, shoots well, and doesn't beat up the shooter. Enjoy your new rifle!

Regards, Guy

R_H_Clark,

When you start loading for that Montana, try to find a copy of the 2009 Hodgdon manual. There's a good article on reduced loads for beginners featuring TSXs and that includes recoil numbers. Should help.

The other thing I would suggest is that you teach them to shoot their deer in the lower third of the chest. Deer hit higher than that tend to, in my experience go farther and leave less blood sign. Hunting from tree stands or other elevations compounds the problem, sometimes giving a one-lung hit or even a no-lung hit. Been through that with both my sons.

I think the moral of the story is that if you use quality bullets the .243 works just fine. Folks using Wal Mart bullets are crippling the cartridge though.

MMike,

What are the Wal Mart bullets you re referring to ?

Up here, Wal Mart sells the same, basic, ammunition as everybody else.

Federal Blue box, Remington Corelokts, Winchester power points, etc, etc.

All of these can, & do, kill our, large bodied, Canadian Whitetails.

We've had this discussion before, but........

Folks making bad shot/placement choices, & blaming the tool (projectile & caliber), are filling the internet with opinions, based on their poor experience.

IMHO, it is these "false or uneducated" opinions that are crippling this cartridge.

Now I say uneducated, not because they are dumb, but because they are not willing to admit their part in the failure & to learn from the bad experience, thus being educated moving forward into their next, possibly remarkable experience.

YMMV.

What I have found, in my case, is that better attention needs to be paid to the projectile.

I typically hunt heavy cover, so impact velocity will be high. And, I like an exit. Those two parameters mean that a typical C&C usually "fails" in that I don't get an exit...but I do get a dead deer.

I simply have moved to a bullet that is more able to withstand the higher impact speed. And, the furthest I may get to shoot at a deer is about 300 yards.

The longest, so far, where I hunt has been 250 yards and was done with a .243, boom-plop. More typical is 40 of so yards.

Bullets I have tried so far are the Hornady 100 grain flatbase Spirepoint, Sierra 100 grain Pro-Hunter, Barnes 85 grain TSX, and the Barnes 80 grain TTSX. I have some 95 grain Partitions, but haven't shot enough yet to come to any kind of a conclusion.

The Hornady--Very accurate, but no full penetration at short range.
The Sierra--Not quite as accurate at the Hornady, on average, but close. Still, no two-holers at close range.
The TSX--Two holes all the time, kills are not quite as dramatic, but dead nonetheless. Decent accuracy.
The TTSX--No game harvested yet, but as accurate at the Hornady. This bullet put the Partition testing on a temporary hold. I will get around to it, but I'm liking the TTSX and have to wait until November to field test.

Vic
I would love to hear of any results you get with the 80 grn. TTSX. I bought some for my Sako 243.

I'll be sure and let you know come November. Looking at where you're from, you'll probably be able to tell me first. (grin)

Hearing from the guys that have used both, it should expand a little more abruptly, and possibly have a slightly heavier blood trail. All this AND two holes.

They are noticeably more accurate than the TSXs in my rifle, not that the TSXs weren't shooting *good*, it's just that the TTSXs shoot *damn good*.

I didn't read the whole thread. Short answer - no. I've never shot a deer with a .243 Win that I wished I had shot with a larger or more powerful caliber or cartridge. Bullet selection (Partition, 95 gr. BT, TSX) then Placement placement placement.

Lot of opinions/experiences on the 243 in this thread. I always find it amusing when folks think that a 243 is marginal or lacking for that matter when used on deer sized game. No you don't have to be an experienced or professional shooter to take deer with a 243. That is just silly. Just shoot the damn things in the front half with a bullet appropriate for the job. Deer ain't hard to kill boys.

If you must take shots at game up the arse then perhaps a larger offering is for you.

Seems some deer are real hard to kill, or at least they run off 100 yds in 5 seconds in low light in brush so thick ya can't see 50 ft. Iv'e seen big deer run 100 yds. with my gay .270 Win.

I was under the impression that was pretty much a bear-hunting tactic.

That's a product of shot placement rather than head stamp. If conditions dictate a bang flop then perhaps a CNS shot is in order.

I have shot deer with a 243 wssm and 85 grain xlc bullets, 2 deer dead, just as dead as with any other caliber I own. I shot one on the run at 100 yards, bullet went threw the spine, and shoulders, then exited. I was very impressed to say the least, my 300 win mag would have had the same results.