Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 243 for Dear Hunting?

Nice shot on a nice buck.


It wouldn’t do any good to relay the picture or story. He’s seen me fold them up with a 243 for years and he still can’t wrap his mind around it because years ago someone lost one.

80 TTSX or if your Weatherby is somehow twisted 1:8, the 95 LRX is a dandy - I can vouch for that one.
I shoot the TTSX in several rifles and much prefer putting that bullet in the running gear vs the boiler room (unless you don't mind the runners).

Don't know if I am mistaken or not, never tried em due to everyone claiming they are "tough". Good to know that they open quick fast and in a hurry.

I do however have a bunch of 90 grain BT loaded in my 6mm. Give em a whirl on deer and hogs this fall.

I have also seen the 70 grain Ballistic Tip work pretty damn slick on these Missouri whitetails. So much for a "varmint" bullet not being suitable.😛

My ruger M77 in .243 is one of my favorite deer rifles. In fact I plan to use it this fall to put a deer in the freezer. I have only ever used the federal blue box 100 grain bullets and never found a reason to change it up.

Dammit, now I’m not sure…

Yeah, I'm a smartass, and noticed that too.

Fellows,
i don't recall the gentleman's name that was a .243 lover.
He worked for Nosler, and they gave him a free hand to develop the 90 & 95 grain Ballistic Tips,
He shot lots and lots of big game. Both mule and white tail deer, elk and black bear. All with the 90 & 95 BT.
I'm sure someone will come up with his name and the story behind the bullet's development.
Have a nice weekend
Soup

I believe that was Gail Root. I could hunt the rest of my days in SC with a 243 but that would mean I would have to give up my 25’s and that won’t happen.

GreggH

😜

Back in the 1990's US Army used Fish & Wildlife Officers to cull deer on military installations. Majority of the shooting was performed at dusk using .243 rifles. Countless deer were killed and processed for local food banks. Yes, the .243 cartridge is a reliable deer killer. As a side note, now the culling is performed by licensed hunters using archery gear or shotguns. The hunting can be quite good depending upon the Army Base. - Sherwood

“ As for shoulder shooting deer and them running off. How in the fugg does anybody know where they hit the deer if it ran off? “

Exactly….

Nothing against the .243, but I’ve got my .243, 6mm CM, and 6.5 Whatchamacallit all rolled into one… the .257 Roberts. LOL!

Only women and kids kill deer with a 243. Men need something better, like maybe the fantastic-performing wildcat 6mm-08.



Bruce

Not trying to be a smartazz, (maybe a little) but is dear hunting the same as deer hunting? I’m not gonna shoot my DEAR with any caliber.

This season I'll be shooting a 70gr Hammer 243 and a 356gr 5mm (it's a really long 5mm 😁)

Yessir
Never understood loading anything "down "
I read of that a lot on the various websites.
Way before I was born there were different
rounds and firearms developed for every
hunting need from hummingbirds to
ella-fants. Just pick the one for your purpose

Most would be surprised to see what a 243 with a 100 gr partition at 3080 can accomplish.

You just need to pick a good, broadside, shot.
Hard core fans will extoll its virtues all day.
The biggest advantage is the light recoil. Lots of folks here can't handle more recoil.
I have a Ruger No 1 in 45-70 that I load with 300 JHP bullets at 2060 fps. A true deer thumper, but no fun to shoot much from the bench.
Pick your poison..

I've got 95 grain Partitions loaded. A quartering shot won't bother me a bit.