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After you've been here for a while, you learn to "weed out the chaff".
When the "chaff" hunts the thick stuff, he'd rather have a boomerang trajectory boomenheimer, to leave big, leaky holes, rather than a laser beam, for bisecting those brushy holes & killing shyte !
It's a deer, if you can't kill it with a .243, or can't sign track an animal for 50 yards, kick it to death with your steel toed, brier bustin boots. πππ
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Joined: Jan 2020
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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One weekends work with a .243, all DRT 1 did go about 10 yards backwards, I've posted this picture before, I've never had any trouble killing deer with a .243, I am not a fan of blood trails. Rio7 Jack rabbits ? LOL. I don't see many lung shots there. When you hunt them afoot in the woods like I do, you often don't get to put your bullet where you might choose and from the angle you'd prefer but rather you put it in the spot that is clear of obstruction from the angle that's offered. That and a 40 yard death dash into a tangled hell of underbrush 25 minutes after sunset can make for a deer that's nigh impossible to find. I'd put my money on RIO even though Blackheart "hunts them afoot." I took my .30-30 out over the weekend and put a couple groups on paper from 50 yards. The first 3 shot group measured 1 1/4", the second 7/8". Nothing spectacular from a rest but I was shooting off hand. Some people could no doubt do better. Most can't. That's excellent shooting Blackheart. I have 10+ hunters every year and maybe 1 or 2 will hit a milk jug freehand at 100yds using a scoped rifles. I like to see everyone shoot before I let them hunt, easier to put them in the right spots for success.
Life is good live it while you can.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,231
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,231 |
After you've been here for a while, you learn to "weed out the chaff".
When the "chaff" hunts the thick stuff, he'd rather have a boomerang trajectory boomenheimer, to leave big, leaky holes, rather than a laser beam, for bisecting those brushy holes & killing shyte !
It's a deer, if you can't kill it with a .243, or can't sign track an animal for 50 yards, kick it to death with your steel toed, brier bustin boots. A blood trail can be handy in sorting out which track to follow in places with lots of recent deer activity and hence lots of fresh tracks. Not often needed but sometimes helpful and more likely to be better with a larger caliber. Blood can also tell you the location of a hit and hence whether you should follow up right away or give it time. Particularly valuable information if you weren't there and are helping someone perhaps less experienced find their deer.
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 27,896
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 27,896 |
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 27,896
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 27,896 |
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,027
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
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The 80 TTSX hammers deer and pigs in grandkids rifles. They donβt go far at all.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,231
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,231 |
One weekends work with a .243, all DRT 1 did go about 10 yards backwards, I've posted this picture before, I've never had any trouble killing deer with a .243, I am not a fan of blood trails. Rio7 Jack rabbits ? LOL. I don't see many lung shots there. When you hunt them afoot in the woods like I do, you often don't get to put your bullet where you might choose and from the angle you'd prefer but rather you put it in the spot that is clear of obstruction from the angle that's offered. That and a 40 yard death dash into a tangled hell of underbrush 25 minutes after sunset can make for a deer that's nigh impossible to find. I'd put my money on RIO even though Blackheart "hunts them afoot." I took my .30-30 out over the weekend and put a couple groups on paper from 50 yards. The first 3 shot group measured 1 1/4", the second 7/8". Nothing spectacular from a rest but I was shooting off hand. Some people could no doubt do better. Most can't. That's excellent shooting Blackheart. I have 10+ hunters every year and maybe 1 or 2 will hit a milk jug freehand at 100yds using a scoped rifles. I like to see everyone shoot before I let them hunt, easier to put them in the right spots for success. I practice my off hand shooting all summer, 3 - 4,000 rds of .22 LR because that's how I shoot most of my deer. I had the highest off hand average in the league when I competed in 4 position small bore. I also shot the highest off hand score at the state championship match the third year I went. Like I said. Some people could no doubt do better. Most can't.
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Joined: Dec 2010
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,231 |
My bet is I'll kill more deer this season than alwaysadork, just like I have every season since before the goofy lookin little inbred troll was born. I killed my share with small bores, .222, .223, .22-250 and .243 long ago. I know what they do and what they don't do as well. It was fun and enlightening to see just how well they can work but if you can shoot something bigger just as well {and I can} they offer no advantage over something bigger. It's been about six seasons now since the last time I killed a deer with my .223 and the last one with my .243 was in 2013. They still get used for varmints but the .30-30, .30-06 and for the last 3 seasons the 6.5 Creedmoor are what go deer hunting.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 2,937
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Posts: 2,937 |
9 pages. In summary. The 243 Win. Some swear by it. Some swear at it.
God is pursuing you America ---turn around!
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,813
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,813 |
If I'm able to get to the lease this weekend I'll take my 243. I have 95 grain Partitions loaded with a top charge of IMR 4451. They'll do.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,499
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,499 |
I would say if all the bullets used so far are from the same batch try another bullet. 6mm is plenty to put down a whitetail with good placement and proper bullet. My kids started with 223's and bonded bullets. When hit in the vitals those deer died quickly and with good blood trails, 243 carries at least twice the knockdown power. Load up some different bullets and see what they do, experimenting with loads is fun for me at least( not so much for the deer)
MM
Tell me the odds of putting grease on the same pancake? I Know they are there, well ice and house slippers. -Kawi
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,905
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,905 |
Iβm going with bad luck! memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
βIβd like to be a good riflemanβ¦..but, I prefer to be a good hunterβ! memtb 2024
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,788
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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"Is the .243 adequate for deer?" Wow! Talk about a retro argument!
Mathew 22: 37-39
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Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,366
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Oldquailhunter, I admit that I haven't read all the pages of your thread, but having rambled around deer hunters in three states here in the Midwest, the most "the one that got away" stories that I've heard involved the .243 Winchester. A lot of guys outfit their young hunters with that cartridge, so it might be operator error in placement or a poor varmint bullet choice. That said, I've been on a soap box for a lot of years about the poor blood trails that I've experienced on deer and elk with a NP from a 7mm-08, .308, 7mm RM and .300WM. There was always a dead animal at the end of the trail, but I had too many anxious moments finding one in fading light with a sparse blood trail. The front end of a Partition is "soft" and yes, it blows the lungs into mush, but that front end folds back and what leaves you a blood trail is that smaller diameter folded back rear section going out the back side of the animal. I've gone to the Interlock, SST or Ballistic Tip after what I've seem with Partitions and TSX's and have experienced much better blood trails and faster kills.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11,719
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2010
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Although discontinued, the 100 grain round nose from hornady will drop a deer right where it stands. I handload this bullet for my daughter and they drop deer like a lightening strike!
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,393
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2002
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I was the main deer finder when one didn't go down in sight on a lease out near Guthrie TX. The main "shrub" there was called Shinnery which is a bush version of an Oak tree. Deer didn't have to go far to be hard to recover. By far most of the deer I went looking for were shot with a 243. What made hunting down deer less than a pleasure was the Prairie rattler. When I used a 243 out there I shot in front of the shoulder not behind it. There is much truth to both sides of the argument. I used the 85 grain Partion a good bit and it penetrated well but made narrow wound channels. Didn't matter much to me and I never lost any deer or hog shot with it.
Dog I rescued in January
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Campfire Tracker
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I havenβt killed the numbers yβall talk about with a 243 But in the eight or so I have killed with one they were all dead within seeing distance On the other hand , Iβve shot perfect heart and lung shots with 30-06 , 308 , 30-30 , 300win , 20 gauge accutip , 444 , and various ML bullets And have seen plenty run out of sight Some bled like stuck hogs , some I simply found by zig zagging and spotting it Meaning no blood trail There has been no magic bullet for me or caliber Some times a deers heart and lungs can be mush and when you gut it you wonder how the hell did he run like that One comes to mind in NOVA was an eight that walked up over a ridge with in 15yds of me and froze I was able to shoulder the rifle and pop him in the shoulder quartered to me , big timber , no obstructions He took a ducking hard right turn and bolted like a bat out of hell With out even a kick I thought WTH ? Walked over there and looked and not a drop of blood 30-06 175gr VLD setting on 59 gr H 4350 if I remember right Not absolutely sure about powder weight Any way looked and looked , no blood I knew it could be no way I missed Started zig zagging in the direction I saw him run in About 150ydz out I was about to go into a cedar thicket Pulled my cell to call step son to come up and help me as it started ringing I raised my head and saw the outline of the tail about another 50 yds in front of me . Walked over with rifle shouldered , got next to him looking all around still not a drop , Only thing was a trickle from the nose Then I noticed a dark spot under the hide , a one little blood drop in it Kneeled down and poked a finger in it and you could hear bone crunch and was mushed Skinned him out at home and was a massive entry wound You could stick your fist in Heart and lungs were complete jelly no exit wound whatsoever Thought the bullet had to have hit something Checked shooting area next day , nope Only reason I can figure it didnβt bleed from entry is something clogged it Have had tremendous damage from all the other calibers mentioned and have had many that went in excess of 150 yds Depending on animal Depending fact that bullets do not always preform the same tells me there is no magic caliber Kenneth
Last edited by Kenneth66; 11/16/22.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Shoot thru that shoulder and disable the pump. Game over. Pretty much. Pic has aiming point higher than I would want for a heart/lung shot but you get the point. Like I said, if they are within 100 yards and behaving I would be about 2" higher and to the right for an instant kill.
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Campfire Tracker
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I've shot truckloads of whitetails and mule deer with a .243 loaded with 100 gr. Partitions. It's the gun I started with and still in the lineup for rifle hunting deer, though I've fallen in love with the .260 Remington as well.
Selmer "Daddy, can you sometime maybe please go shoot a water buffalo so we can have that for supper? Please? And can I come along? Does it taste like deer?" - my 3-year old daughter
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