Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .243 at extended ranges

Last September I picked an old Remington 700 Varmint Special chambered in .243. The previous owner claimed that it would "shoot dimes" at 100 yards. It turns out that he didn't exaggerate. It is a remarkably accurate rifle. Now I'm thinking about using it as a deer rifle in the big fields on my father-in-law's farm. My experience with deer hunting is entirely with the .270 and .30-06. I'm completely new to the .243.

So for those of you with first hand experience with the .243, how far out do you trust it to be completely reliable as a cartridge for deer hunting supposing good bullets, properly placed on a big bodied deer?

You are likely to get all kinds of answers on this, but something like the 103 ELD-X or Hornday 105 HPBT will still be clocking around 2,250-2,300fps at 400yds when started at a 3,000fps velocity. That would likely leave a mark.

In Montana it is used on deer and antelope on a regular basis 200+ yards and out to 300 & 350 by more experienced hunters.

Shooting Prairie dogs some use 243 and 6MM 400 and beyond.

Whatever other answer might come along, I do appreciate your input.

You can kill big deer to 5 or 600 if you are capable. I shoot a 243 almost exclusively for everything, but am using an 8 twist barrel to stabilize long 105 bullets. Most factory 243 barrels are 9 or 10 twist barrels,so stabilizing long bullets is iffy. Having. said that, the 95 gr nosler ballistic tip is a great bullet and will stabilize in factory barrels.It is a tough, accurate bullet, and would be a great choice. My boy killed a coyote at 465yds this winter with this bullet in his 243 and it had a nice sized exit hole. It also has a pretty good bc and will be a good bullet at these distances. If you ever do rebarrel, get a 7 or 8 twist barrel and shoot the longer heavier bullets. They are pretty amazing in the wind.

The same distance as your other rifles.

It's a girls cartridge....<grin>

400 yards and maybe more if you can shoot that well.

I killed a very heavy mule deer buck this year with a 105 hpbt with a 1-8 twist .243. I also killed the heaviest bodied antelope I've ever killed and a small whitetail buck with the same rifle.

Most of the antelope, deer (whitetail and mulie), and hogs I've killed over the past several years have been with a .243.

I have zero qualms about using it on most North American big game, much less deer.

I have shot somewhere around 200+ deer with the 243 Winchester and I always will have a couple of them. My comfort factor starts to get thin at about 350 yards and for me with my limited abilities I draw the line at somewhere around 350-400 yards although if everything is just right which it seldom is I would go to 500 maximum.

I am just putting together a 6mm AI 1 in 8 twist that I think will extend the range slightly but it is always the nut behind the barrel that determines the effective range. I go by the pie plate theory, how far can you hit a pie plate at unknown ranges and in awkward positions with the first shot out of a cold barrel? To me that determines max range. On paper as far as the bullet maintains 1800 plus fps you are still good depending on which bullet.

It is like the old saw how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice and more practice. Once you are 100% at 300 then you can stretch the range a bit. Me I am still practicing.

That 700 probably has a 1-9" twist, so the newer long bullets might not spin for you. That still leaves a lot of good ones available. Use a ballistics app or chart to see how far out the bullet you choose will still be going fast enough to expand and you have your answer, for that bullet and assuming you can hit where it counts. Most makers list the velocity window for their slugs.

Longest w/243AI/105 A-max @ 732 shooting over water most of the way giving me an excellent read on what little wind there was.

W/Std 243Win in Kimber MT and Win 70 Fwt, quite a few from 200-400 w/80gn Blue box Federal ammo or 85gn Barnes TSX handloads.

Horse1 I have the same rifle in.243 and here at sea level it shoots the 105 gr. Scenar shoot very well and it also likes the 95 BT both of these bullets work well for me on deer and pigs, don't worry about how far if you can make
a good shot you will kill your critter.
Exit wound shown.




this Fallow was taken at 360 yrds with a 105 gr Scenar Fallow bucks are a bit tougher and heavier than a white tail as a rule. Rio7

I'm new to.the 243 too. Right now I'm loading some 90 grain Bowler Accubonds and some 85 grain TSX for mine. I've killed one whitetail with my 243. I used a Federal factory load a 95 grain Fusion. It worked great complete pass through and he ran about 50 yards. Shot distance was about 120 yards. I was worried the 243 would be too light but it worked perfectly and he was a big bodied deer. It made .me a believer in the 243

The recommendation from this guy ( Blue) is about ALL you need to know about it...

on his property, he sees hundreds of animals taken season after season....

if Blue tells ya something, you can take it to the bank.....

I have a 10 twist 243AI, Deer/coyote gun. It shoots the 85/87 gr bullets great and dropped everything I put it on.

95 partition. lapua brass. re-26. 210M .030 off .