Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your Experience With The 243?

For those of you with the 243. What are your experiences with it on whitetail?

DRT.... multiple times...

Don't work, need .300 magnum minimum.

Put the bullet in the ribs and get your knife out you got work to do. Makes a pretty good varmint gun as well. Plus easy on the shoulder.

[quote=Seafire]DRT.... multiple times... ]




+1

We (myself and immediate and extended family) have killed a ton ( as in multiple hundreds)of whitetail with the .243 and its cousin the 6mm Remington in all kinds of terrain and ranges from handshaking distance to well over 500 yards.


Bullets used have been mostly 75 and 80 HP bullets and for the last several years the 95 grain Nosler BT.

The .243 has never failed to produce good results but like with anything else good shooting and bullet placement play a major role in that equation.

The .243 is a family favorite and when I put together another mainly deer hunting rig it will be a 8 twist .243 or .243AI of some description.

Works great for me

It kills them really dead. Lots of them. Even the big ones.

I had one bad experience with a .243. Bullet came apart on impact and it was a piece of bone that went in and killed the deer. It really had nothing to do with the cartridge, just a poor hunting bullet. It was about 40 years ago and there weren't as many good bullets available as today.

Got my first one a couple years ago. Killed a spike using 100gr NPs just as dead as if it had been with a .270 or '06. My son used it this year and was amazed at the damage it did. I don't see the need for anything larger for Eastern whitetails as long as good bullets are used.

No whitetail experience with it, but it works well on mule deer. Shot my first buck with an old Parker Hale .243 Win and Federal ammunition loaded with 105 grain Speer bullets. A really good bullet that I wish Speer still made.

With the right bullet not a problem. I use the 90 accubond

My son's first rifle was a 243 and after two of his DRT's I bought one. All of my kills have been DRT's. Our load uses 100gr Corelokts.

Have had great results with Sierra 85 HPBT and Hornady 100 Spire Point.

I've killed several deer with one, and at the start of this deer season had two rifles in that chambering. One did become a .308, but I still have the M700 ADL.

Most of the shots I get are close to very close, so bullet integrity can be challenged, and I've found three very good ones that seem to hold together well enough to punch through. Those are the TSX, the TTSX, and the Nosler 95 grain Ballistic tip.

I've tried the Hornady and Sierra offerings, and while very accurate, didn't punch through at close range. But the deer made it to the freezer, so who's to complain?

Generally accurate, easy on the shoulder, plenty of good factory ammo. With good bullets it goes in one side and out the other, often piling 'em up on the spot. Can break shoulder bone to get to vitals if needed.

I agree with Ingwe.

But the 270Win is more manly.

For KY WT's, a .243 loaded with 95gr NPT's, and a sharp knife are all you'll ever need. Can't imagine that PA WT's are any different.

Great round. Puts deer right down. I've carried one multiple times for Black Bear if that gives you any indication of my confidence in the round.

all my friends hate the 243. not enough gun they say. hunted with an old BLR 243 when i first started hunting. took a few deer with it before i was given a 270. with 80gr cheap powerpoints deer either DRT or went maybe 20-30 yds. lotta blood. picked up a cheap ADL 700 .243 last year and this year using 95gr BT but havent shot a deer with it yet.