Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 243 Deer Rifle Recipes for Failure?

sounds like those who have had troubles need to spend more time at the range, self admittedly so. there is a very small margin of where caliber can trump shot placement, such as a diaphragm hit being called here as a "liver hit". I've killed probably close to 50 big game animals with a 243 ranging from turkeys to elk. (turkeys are considered big game here). mostly deer and antelope though. I have never lost one, and never had to chase one a great distance. in fact I can't remember any going more than 30 yards the vast majority dropped in their tracks. I used primarily the 95 NBT for the vast majority, including 4 deer just this year. all drt, although my sons mule deer doe ran 30-35 yards with a "liver hit" and was dead before we walked up to her 5 minutes later. learning anatomy and learning your rifle and practicing is the key. buying a 30-06 and being sloppy shouldn't be the goal, but if that's what your skill level requires to get a marginal edge then I say go for it, less wounded deer out there the better. just call it what it is and not blame the instrument. ymmv

The 243 works great, until it doesn't. Kind of like riding a bicycle no handed.

Many years ago, I shot a doe antelope the opening day of season.. It was the evening, and she was drinking at a small pond.. I shot her with a 100 gr. Rem. Factory load though both lungs.. At the shot, she took off over the prairie for at least 200 yards.. It was flat and it was easy to follow where she went.. Finally, she went end over end.. Checking the trail there was little blood for the first 50 yard or so.. Had she disappeared from sight, finding her could have presented a real problem. Years before that, I shot a yearling antelope through both lungs.. It was a winter hunt hunt and very cold.. I decided to sit in the vehicle and warm up.. The antelope were following a ridge just opposite my spot about 200 yards away.. Finally this little buck came trailing up the ridge.. When he was opposite me,, I got a solid rest and shot for the lungs... No reaction.. He started slowly walking up the ridge.. I couldn’t believe I missed, but he just walked off... I figured if I missed that shot why try again.. I watched him walk up the ridge for maybe 300 to 400 yards... He stood around, and finally lay down.. I noticed his head was drooping so I went over to the spot where I had shot him.. In a short distance there was blood..Getting up the hill to the buck, he was dead shot though both lungs.. He gave no indication that he had been hit.. I have had this happen with deer also.. Not many times, but a few.. I never lost a animal with the .243 or 6mm.. I have had excellent performance many times.. But it is the less than perfect performance that troubles me with this caliber.. For the record, I usually shoot between 1000 to 5000 varmints per year.. So “range” time is not the issue.. I cannot get over the number of people who say the game was drt. An instant kill is usually a spinal shot..

sounds like those who have had troubles need to spend more time at the range, self admittedly so. there is a very small margin of where caliber can trump shot placement, learning anatomy and learning your rifle and practicing is the key. buying a 30-06 and being sloppy shouldn't be the goal, but if that's what your skill level requires to get a marginal edge then I say go for it, less wounded deer out there the better. just call it what it is and not blame the instrument. ymmv

Beat me to it....


Except I'd say YMWV- your mileage WON'T vary ....

There is NO substitute for trigger time...lots of it, and from hunting positions, not from a bench.

THAT is how you avoid a recipe for failure..

Ammo is the cheapest part of ANY hunt these days, go spend some money on it and use it up.

Many years ago, I shot a doe antelope the opening day of season.. It was the evening, and she was drinking at a small pond.. I shot her with a 100 gr. Rem. Factory load though both lungs.. At the shot, she took off over the prairie for at least 200 yards.. It was flat and it was easy to follow where she went.. Finally, she went end over end.. Checking the trail there was little blood for the first 50 yard or so.. Had she disappeared from sight, finding her could have presented a real problem. Years before that, I shot a yearling antelope through both lungs.. It was a winter hunt hunt and very cold.. I decided to sit in the vehicle and warm up.. The antelope were following a ridge just opposite my spot about 200 yards away.. Finally this little buck came trailing up the ridge.. When he was opposite me,, I got a solid rest and shot for the lungs... No reaction.. He started slowly walking up the ridge.. I couldn’t believe I missed, but he just walked off... I figured if I missed that shot why try again.. I watched him walk up the ridge for maybe 300 to 400 yards... He stood around, and finally lay down.. I noticed his head was drooping so I went over to the spot where I had shot him.. In a short distance there was blood..Getting up the hill to the buck, he was dead shot though both lungs.. He gave no indication that he had been hit.. I have had this happen with deer also.. Not many times, but a few.. I never lost a animal with the .243 or 6mm.. I have had excellent performance many times.. But it is the less than perfect performance that troubles me with this caliber.. For the record, I usually shoot between 1000 to 5000 varmints per year.. So “range” time is not the issue.. I cannot get over the number of people who say the game was drt. An instant kill is usually a spinal shot..

the deer's dead and recovered so you can't really call it a failure.

My Grandfather had bought a Savage 99 .243. He shot a buck with it around 150 yards. The buck just stood there looking around. He couldn't believe he missed but he shot again. The buck took a step and started quivering and collapsed. The bullets were side by side behind the shoulder right where he was aiming. He said he never needed to shoot one twice with his '06 and said he would never use that 243 on deer again. And he never did.

LOL. The self proclaimed expert has pulled out his broad brush and begun to paint.....

He has experience with the cartridge on a variety of game and and further cites the bullet used for most of the hunts, while you only have a sample of one.

And on that one, you gut shot the animal, were disappointed that it kept traveling and wrote it off as a failure of the cartridge.

Your lack of marksmanship is the problem.

Bigger cartridges rarely make up for bad shooting and bad shooting is a recurring theme in your hunting stories.

I disagree with your disagreement, the design is to kill not look pretty for an after picture. Where did it fail to meet the design?

Your reading comprehension sucks. My bullet never touched the guts. It hit one lung and then liver. And I put it exactly where I wanted too. I didn't realize the deer was quartering. Thought it was broadside when I shot. So suck on that.