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

I think I killed my first deer in 1975,in any event I used a 30-06 with a 150 grain SGK and still use that bullet today. That bullet does tremendous damage to a whitetail. With heart/lung shots some of the deer dropped in their tracks but the vast majority took off like they weren't even hit. Of course they didn't run far.

I have been running 90 grain NBT's for many years. Bullet performance has always been outstanding. Youngsters and ladies appreciate the low recoil. I have filled many a doe tag with this load, and never had a problem recovering game.

Interesting question. Hadn't cogitated about it before, but I suppose one could argue that 100% of deer that are taken, are "DRT". Whether they drop on the spot or run 100yards, where ever they fall, they are: dead...right...there!

Yep, and unless they have wings, they die in their tracks!

There's DRT then there's DROT dead right over there, I like DRT the best. Rio7

You got me. I should add with The guidance and mentoring from a skilled and experienced mentor like yourself.

I should also add that for those first few years I set my young son up in places where 100 yds was the longest possible shot.

At 13 or 14 y o he moved on to the 270 W.

Jerry

He’s a lucky kid to have a dad putting him in the deer woods at that age. I grew up the same way.

The Fire is a wonderful place...

DF

I’ve killed a few deer with a 243. They have all been with either a 90grn VLD or 80TTSX. One ran about 40 yards with crazy damage and massive blood loss(VLD) and all the others have not taken a step. I hunt with my 243 more and more.

A 6.5 creed or 260 have about the same felt recoil...

Shot placement is paramount, as it is a small diameter bullet

size of the deer can make a difference on how far it runs after its shot too, mature Whitetail Bucks in Northern Minnesota are dang tuff and can go 100-150 yards sometimes and yes some don`t. years ago i shot a 205 lb. field dress 10 pt. with a 243 Win. at 125 yards this buck did the Lone Ranger front end leap in the air and ran into the swamp,no blood trail in the dead grass ,so i kept making bigger circles and finally found this buck 150 yards plus away. when field dressing this buck bullet hit right where i aimed the heart was in 4 pieces ,yes i got the buck,i knew i hit this buck but i was not happy with no blood trail . recoil does not bother me so i purchased a 7 mag then after a few years i felt the 257 Weather Mag. with my handloads work best for me, these bigger bucks don`t go far now,many of these bigger bucks drop on the spot too sometimes and always leave me a good blood trail using this faster nasty 257 Weatherby Mag. but for kids ,ladies and people with a recoil problem a 243 Win. is still a good choice. > i wanna mention this too, my daughter who is 5 ft. 5 inches maybe 110 lbs has shot deer with a beat up old 7 mag of her husband`s and i always ask my daughter " Dani" how was the recoil when you shot that deer and her answer has always been i never felt any.

Killed one of my largest whitetail bucks on the wall with a Remington 700 .243. Dropped like a rock and never moved @ 150 yards. Its all about bullet placement....

Good bullet and placement are key. We have taken a lot of game with 243 and 6xc.

Since I just finished re-scoping and working up a couple of deer loads for my current .243, a Howa Alpine, I slogged through this whole thread (a painful experience where the pissing matches occurred ). As I did, I thought a lot about the deer I've killed, including a couple with .243s. As JB said, almost all the chest-shot deer travelled a ways after the hit, from a few yards to well over 100. The shortest runs were made by deer that were either hit in the heart directly, had fragments strike the heart, or where the heart was essentially disconnected because the plumbing connecting it was cut. Those deer tended to stumble along a short way and just flop. None made the oft-reported mad dash of 100 yards or so before falling, 20 or 30 max is more like it. Both deer killed with a .243 did that. The difference between them is the one shot with a 100gr Partition left a good blood trail almost from the beginning because of the exit hole, while the other shot with a Sierra Pro Hunter of the same weight bled very little, even where she flopped and died maybe 20 yards from where she was hit. Deer shot with larger rifles generally followed the same pattern, the difference mainly being the amount of blood-shot meat created by fragments from the heavier bullets. My conclusion is that no matter what rifle I'm using, I want a bullet that will make two holes from any reasonable angle, and I also want to hit the heart if possible because not only does it cause an instant total loss of blood pressure and massive blood loss, but also because hits in the lower chest begin leaking blood almost at once if the bullet exits. I'd like to try the high-shoulder shot, but during our rifle season on public land, deer are seldom standing still when I shoot them.

The two loads I settled on are the 100gr NP over H4831SC and the 95gr NBT over H4350. I know the first one will work, and according to most reports here, so will the second. Not sure I'll even get this rifle out this year, unless I need to "change my luck" at some point.

I find it amazing these topics on equipment failure..not many mentions of operator failure.

CGPAUL, It takes 8 pages to get to there. It's all the .243's fault. Rio7

Operator error is harder with the light kickers. Have a 243 project in the works that involves shooting hogs on a golf course at night, HOA approved. Going to test the 100 gr. Speer BTSP. In this case hoping for no exit and short to no running off hogs. I will be shooting at necks, heads and maybe a high shoulder/ spine hit. Can't have these stinking hogs running off to be found in some rich guys backyard.

Gee, If one is worried about the 243 cartridge/bullet combo, don`t use it. Step up to the .25 cal. Not many mentions on the "Fire" of problems with the old 250-3000. It also has lite recoil.
I have owned and used the 243, also load 95 grn. Nosler BT for a friend for deer. He`s a cool and good game shot. I don`t know how many animals he has killed, cause he also shoots crop damage..but I keep getting his empties to refill. No problems I`m aware of.

From an ammo standpoint what will ruin your chances with a 243 on deer is not having any ammo in your gun. What also could go wrong is that you have a broken firingpin, your scope is solid but your barrel is bent at 45deg angle, or you left your cleaning rod in your barrel. Those could be contributing factors to a lack of success.