What does a run of the mill Mizzou buck weigh?
A lung shot deer is going to run a bit,the ones that I shoot with a 300 magnum run if I don't hit bone. I was not a fan of the 243 until I saw a friend having good results with his 243 with 95 grain Hornady SST bullets. I saw him kill a big wild boar with that bullet and it went through the chest and exited. Made me a believer with that bullet in the 243.
Our oldest bucks weigh 240-250 pounds,our hogs can be a lot bigger,a 243 works with good bullets and good shot placement,I don't think critters in Missouri are bigger or tougher than ours in the Alabama Blackbelt.
I will say that just about any 150 grain bullet from a 308 or 30-06 will be fine,in the 243 it pays to pick your bullet carefully.Since the 30 caliber bullets have 50% more mass and momentum as well as a larger frontal area when expanded,they tend to create larger wound channels.Bigger wound channels may lead to lung shot deer traveling shorter distances.
But a good bullet with proper shot placement from a 243 will kill quicker than a bigger bullet with less than optimal bullet placement from a bigger cartridge.
