Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .243 WINCHESTER AND THE WHITETAIL DEER

My interests are leaning toward the .243 Winchester lately, as I have never owned one before. Seems that I read and hear a lot about it being great for "beginners," "youth," and "lady hunters"

I'm sure this is a formidable cartridge for "seasoned adult men" as well, I just know very little about this round.

I would love to hear more about this chambering from hunters who use this round on big game, particularly, whitetail. Tell me about the advantages/disadvantages of using it for whitetail hunting. Any favorite bullets that work better than others? , etc...

School me please, and thank you.

The 243 is my go to deer cartridge. Anyone who thinks its for trick shots or just for children needs to stop allowing themselves to be brainwashed and stop watching reality tv because it's making them dumber. A deer shot in the front half from a 243 isn't long for this world. Deer ain't hard to kill and a 95 nosler BT will kill in short order with excellent penetration.

i love the 243. just bought one actually. a remington 700. when i first started hunting i used my dads old browning blr 243 and took a pile of deer using the 80gr winchester powerpoints. i have 2 boxes of hornady interlocks 100gr ima try out this season

The 243 ONLY kills deer when fired by boys and women. It bounces off game when used by grown men.......

If you use a good bullet, thru vitals, you will dull your knife.

Otherwise, it's on you, not the round.

Any favorite bullet recommendations?

H4350 and 95 NBT does the body good.

95 Nosler BTip
85 Hornady Interbond
95 Nosler Partition
100 Hornady BTSP

Shot 4 deer with my 243...,they were all 1 shot kills, all whitetails, all seemed to be as dead as other whitetails I shot w/ a 30-30, 35Rem, 308 & 30-06

If you don't load, the fed fusions have done VERY well on deer for me, out past 250, and up close.

Was never interested until the runt's grandpa bought him one.

Last year he took a decent 8pt with it. Hornady Whitetail ammo. 100 gr Inter-something.

I'm reloading for it now - worked up a decent load of H4350 under a 105 Amax. Peach to shoot off the bench and pretty danged accurate. Enough that I'm giving serious thought to getting one myself.

I started hunting Whitetails with a .243 some 40 years ago, and still do from time to time. But mine mostly gets used by my nieces & nephews nowadays here on the Ranch.

I've litterally killed a truck load of does, bucks, and feral hogs with mine over the years. And with just about ever .243 bullet available. And no telling how many coyotes, too.
For factory ammo, it's really hard to beat the cheap Factory Reminton Corelock load with their 100 grain bullet. Or the Hornaday Whitetail Load with their 95gr SST.

It's still one of my favorite all around Calibers, and won't ever be without one. Great Antelope and varmit cartridge, also.

This is the straight stuff right here.

Chl, isn't the Hornady Whitetail the 100g BTSP Interlock?

Sorry, your right. I was thinking of their SuperPerformance loading I shoot in my 6mm. It is loaded with the 95 grain SST bullet.

Thanks for correcting me.

I've killed quite a few deer with one and seen even more taken with one. I love the cartridge. Never the first complaint. I might get another one just because....

If you're disappointed it won't be the cartridges fault.

now we need someone to say that they prefer cartridges with more "knockdown power."

105gr Speer Hot Core works very well as does the 100gr Nosler SB-if you can find any, that is.

Kids rifle? I don't think so. Good for old pharts too, who don't like to deal with much recoil.

I'm way past the kid stage. My beard has more salt than pepper, and a day's growth could probably knock slag off welds, but I like my 243.

Funny, I was just looking at a Montana on GB in.... Yep, .243. I'm going to loose my 7x57 here in a year to my boy, so I'm going to need to replace it with something. I'm thinking it will be a .243.

Well OKAY...

I prefer something with more Knock Down Power....

such as the 6mm/08 Winchester....

or the 6mm Remington...

The 6mm Remington, now you are talking a mans rifle. I get at least 35 fps more with that rifle than any 243!

I get 3400 fps with 80 gr ttsx out of my marlin 243, with .75 moa groups. I am fairly sure it will kill any deer I point it at to farther distances than I will be able to shoot on my place.

My 'first' gun was a Savage 99 in .243. Took a pile of deer with that rifle and still have it. It was 'replaced' by a Model 600 in 243 that continued stacking meat. The 600 will go to my Grandson as soon as he's old enough to handle it (he's 4.5 now).

Favorite load is with IMR 4064 and 95 NBT or CTBT. 5-shot group out of the 600 =

I have had several .243s, and have rarely been without one since the mid '70s. I finally settled on THE one about 25, or more,years ago. It has one flaw, which I choose to ignore. It is a Browning Safari on the small ring Mauser action (long action-the flaw) with the pencil barrel. It is accurate. Many years ago, I had a thin jacket bullet come apart. Back then the only real answer was Nosler Partition, so I went with the 100 grain near 3000 fps for deer and pigs. I went with a 70 grain at about 3450 for coyotes and such. I have never had reason to change.

My rifle, zeroed at 100 with the 70 grain, throws the 100 exactly three inches higher and on the same vertical plane. I zero 100s and hold under for the lightweights, so I don't screw with the turrets. a LRD or B&C reticle would be ideal. I'm cheap and have not needed a new scope lately. Seems like coyote, fox, and bobcats are more targets of opportunity while loaded with 100s, so I do not use many 70S.

In the years since my "bad bullet" there have been lots of improvements in bullet technology and there are lots of good strong bullets out there now. Even the 100 NP is more streamlined than it once was.

I'm too old to climb mountains anymore. Mule deer, whitetails, pigs and varmints of opportunity are likely the menu. My .243 returns to the top of my bolt gun list this year. BTW, if you run into a nice 99F Savage (the lightweight model) they are known to be good shooters.

Best wishes,

jack

I can vouch for that factory offering as well. I will say I've yet to shoot a deer with a .243 past 150 yrds. generally most have been right at 100 yrds with a couple a lot closer and a couple near the 150 mark. it works and I have had complete pass through on all of them.

I've killed 3 with a 243 all pretty much dead within 5-10 yds of impact. Longest shot was right at 200 yds from my 77RSI. It is the only bullet I have ever recovered, a rem. 100gr corelokt thru both shoulders & a perfect mushroom under the hide on the off side. It looked just like the magazine ads. I believe it weighed right at 80 gr + or -.

At one point in time I was reloading for five or six .243 bolt rifles in the family. 95gr Nosler Partition over a middling load of Varget gave good accuracy (MOA +/-) in all of the rifles. Between myself, daughter, son, son-in-law, grand kids, killed several dozen KY White Tails with the .243. Didn't a single one bounce off. Don't recall that we ever caught one.

Killed dozens of deer with a .243 in the old days. Fave bullet was the Hornady 100 grainer ( flat base) Nowadays the campfire guys have talked me into the 95 NBT, so I'll be giving it a try this fall, and next spring on Axis.

I don't think Hornady makes that flat base bullet anymore. What made it better than the BTSP?

I have a sako a7 being ai punched as we speak and will be loading 95gr classic bergers for deer. It's my wife's gun but I sure enjoy carrying the light little package.

.243 and Whitetail deer are like biscuits and gravy� made for each other� not to mention the fact that the .243 has enabled a lot of the same over the years..

I like flat base bullets as I really don't have a lot of opportunities at extended ranges where the boat tail might offer advantage and it seems to me that boat tails tend to shed their jackets more than the flat bases.

Never really considered the ass having much to do with jacket shedding, but the either works fine to 300, in the .243. Heck, good bullets turn a .223 into good deer medicine. They turn a .243 into a 30-06, with the POS bullets often used 30 years ago...and nobody complained.

Lots of good advice - had kills from 70 TNT varmint bullets thru 100 Partitions. My #1 fave is 95 ballistic tip. Second is 80/85 Barnes.

All work but best w bullets that expand controlled n retain weight n hold together.
That ensures max wound channel THRU vitals.

Bullets like a TNT can splatter or say a 105 Amax ESP at close range and/or heavy bone.
Careful shot placement on head/neck or lungs will result in quick death. Botched placement can wound.

Not used yet but a 90 Swift Scirocco should be a great all around slug too.

243s have light recoil n blast, and tend to be very accurate n flat - maximizing shot placement.

Bad experiences tend to come from a poor bullet choice and/or sloppy shooting.

Here in the deep south, deer can't stand the .243..

I just started using the 243 this deer season which started a month ago here in S.C. Have taken four deer so far with the 95bt. Two dropped on the spot, one ran 20 yards and one ran 45. The one that ran the furthest I had to shoot left handed and shot him mid ribs. It's a fun gun to shoot. I've not seen any blood on the runners so far and that worries me but I'll keep using it to see if it becomes a problem in the very thick areas I hunt. I think it kills as well as any caliber but might not leave as much blood.

I worried about that, at first. However, the .243 has caused some of the most gruesome bleedouts I've ever seen, also. Fact is, higher than midline, from a low/flat angle, and I've seen sparse blood with everything you can think of, even supermags and 45-70s. High angles, below the midline, and pass throughs bleed, no matter what.

My old "Veteran" Uncles from both sides have been killing deer and pigs with the 243 Winchester and 6MM Remington since I was a pup, and exclusively using the 100 gr Partitions at 2900 fps for the last 25+ years.

Not one single complaint I've heard.

what bullet were u using when u say there wasnt much blood. i had great blood trails with the 80gr powerpoints. deer never went out of sight but i remember there was a good bit of blood

I was using the 95bt from Nosler; it kills well. I just did not see a bloodtrails on the two that ran. One bullet did not exit, the rest did. Hope to have some more results this weekend.

i used the 130gr nbt in my 270 2 seasons ago. killed 3 bucks that year and no blood trails at all. i always get blood trails with the soft points tho

I am not a big fan myself. Kills them dead but always had to track them.. Used the 06 before and had always dumped them where the stand.. Had better results with the 257 Roberts than the 243. But with the bullets they make today may preform better..

Use enough bullet.

First elk for the boy, the tenth elk for the 243 and 100gr NPt's.
Since then he's killed another elk--both of them at 300+ yds.

15 Tennessee whitetails have fallen to my 243s. I prefer Hornady 100 gr interlock flat base bullets over a charge just under max. Powders preferred in my rifles would be IMR 4350 and Varget. The flat base bullets are slightly more accurate in my rifles. All have been 1 shot kills and 7 dropped in tracks. None traveled more than 50 yards. Shot placement is most important with 243. Meat loss is minimal and that is important since venison is our primary meat for the year. I am after the tender 2 year old, not the tough 7 yr old that you will seldom see in Tennessee.
None of the deer were shot at over 200 yards. I self impose a 250 yard limit on shooting deer with 243. There is considerable energy drop off after 200 yds and I will only fire when I am confident of fatal heart cavity hits. The caliber is capable of long range accuracy but not with the energy of larger calibers.
A wounded deer traveling hundreds of yards might be on private land where there is no permission to hunt.

For 48 years; Rams, deer, pronghorns, and a big bunch of predators fell victim without incident. I'll never badmouth a 6mm.

IME my .243 kills quicker than my 7mm-08 & 30-06. My son and I both have a .243 and load 100gr Corelokts. We never had a reason to change. All of my shots have been under 100 yards. My son shot a doe in NC at a longer distance and his buddies asked what he was using after looking at the damage. He told them "my dad's load" (100gr Corelokt, 46gr H450, and a Win primer) and they told him to tell me to back it off some. The damage to my deer were "eat up to the holes".

Back to factory ammo. For the last many years, I have had exceptional success with accuracy and terminal performance with the cheapest (blue box, these days) version of Federal ammo. This is especially so in my .308. Half to five eights groups of three are the norm. Reports from others about different calibers, makes me want to try them.

Jack

Dave,

I had a buddy that swears by the 100 Core-lokt (and another that swears by the 100 grain Pro Hunter). I will have to try both before the season goes out.

Dave,

Forgot to add that my buddy that shoots the Core-lokts said he believed his 243 with Core-Lokts killed deer faster than any other rifle he had ever used except a 300 Win Mag with 150 grain Core-Lokts. Interesting that you think yours kills them faster than other larger calibers too.

Ha! I got ya!!! I'm getting 3415 fps out of my 243 with the 80 gr TTSX and 46.8 grs of Hunter.

Pretty much my experience, too. I've had more bang-flops with a 243 than with a 223, 30-30, 270, 7-08 and 44 mag. I can't explain it, but it just works. Most of my dozen or so 243 kills have been with a 100 gr. Partition or a 100 gr Sierra Game King.

After using a 243 for 20 years with so much success I have to wonder why I ever spent the money on a 7-08.

Mine likes Barnes 85s. Very effective on deer.

243 winchester = death and destruction

You guyre killin me, geting the 7mm-08 ready to go and now all this 243 talk. Have a bunch of Hornady and Speer RN's at 100 and 105 grains that I bet would do the trick

Funny how the .243 got badmouthed 30 yrs ago. First time I heard of a guy useing it on deer I thought the old man was nuts. Went on to say he has about 20 bucks in northern Wis and none went anywhere. Used a Hornady 87 gr bullet . Even got a 300 lb bear with it. Might be in the bullets these days but it was a 30-06 for deer cause a 30-30 was just on the small side. My only experience with a .243 was 5 yrs ago when my son, Chas used one on a youth hunt . I was nervous it wasn't enough gun but it was all he could handle. A big doe broadside at 60 yds . He shoots it farther forward than the front shoulder and it went 50 ft. I was very imporessed. We used a Speer 100 gr boattail.

80 GMX and 80 TTSX from my 243 for deer and so far it's been great.

The 100 grain Partition in the 243 and the 115 grain Partition in the Roberts have both given me similarly outstanding results. I have more experience with the Roberts, but when I have been able to take out at least one shoulder it's DRT with either. That's very important to me in the thick dark woods and fading light conditions I normally hunt in.

Over the years I have used 30/30 30-06 7mmRM 280 Rem 7-08 Rem 8mm Mauser 303 British and the 243 Win on whitetail. I have had deer run off with no blood trail on everyone of those calibers at one time or another and in every case it was because I hit high. My longest run on a deer I shot was with a 30-06 at about 70 yards and I took the heart out. The dang thing ran a full 100 yards on a dead run. Now days I don't care what I shoot anymore, I just use the round within it's capabilities and put it in the proper location.

Last year i took my 1st deer with a 243. i had zero doubt in the rifle that evening when I went out for the hunt. My 243 is a Sako LH bolt action and the rifle/load combo shoots 1/2 moa. It did a wonderful job on a 3x3 white tail buck. I couldn't be happier. Normally I am a 270/7mm Mag/300 RUM user. This year I'm leaving the big gear home and will be hunting with either my 243 Sako or my 6mm Ruger #1.
i would love to take a nice mulely with the #1.
good hunting to all this fall,