I've shot a lot of deer with a 243. I use it as my primary hunting rifle and I absolutely love it. I've tried to switch to larger calibers a few times over the years, but I always end up back with my trusty old 243. Part of it is the gun just fits me so well and is one of the most accurate rifles that I own.
I shoot 95 grain Hornady SST's over 40.3 grains of IMR 4831 and the load is both amazingly accurate in my rifle and very deadly on deer. They shoot submoa out of my rifle.
I'm not sure why there is so much hate for these bullets online. I'm not sure if people are trying to push them too fast or what. I will say that they do a lot of damage, and they do ruin most of the meat around the front shoulder. However, more often than not, the deer drops in its tracks when shot. When I haven't gotten a DRT, I've never had a deer go more than 100 yards or so, and it's usually much less with a pretty good blood trail. I also almost always get a pass through with a fairly large exit wound. Even when I've hit bone in the shoulder. The only times I can remember not getting a pass through have been when I've shot a deer quartering away and hit it a bit far back only to have the bullet stop right before exiting the hide in the front.
I absolutely love this setup, and I'll likely continue to use it in the future.
