Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting The @#$&* 243 Winchester

Blackheart, I find it interesting that the under .30 calibers work in the open fields open woods, but not in heavy cover, dead is dead no matter where it is,or you just telling us you not a very good shot in heavy cover?? Rio7

Boy are you thick headed or what ? The small calibers kill about as quickly as the bigger ones as far as I can tell. What they don't do is put exit holes as big or as dependably and consequently as much blood on the ground as consistently as the bigger ones. That blood can be a big help in quickly/easily locating your deer in thick cover. Anybody who says different either hasn't shot many deer with many different calibers, is unobservant as hell or just plain dishonest. The buck I killed last Saturday with my .30-06 dropped at the shot but if he had run it's been my experience that the golf ball sized exit hole in his chest would likely have provided me with an easily followed blood trail. More so than the typical little dime sized or non existent exit from a .22 or .24 would.

14 pages and here is what I've learned...

1. You guys can argue over anything.

2. Some of you make up really good words.

3. blood trails are funny things. (this I already knew being an archery guy)

4. I need to shoot better.

5. Learn to track, sooner or later #3 will bite you in the ass and you will need it.

And if you hunt in a zoo, always shoot from a rest and have tracking dogs you don't need to worry about trailing.

As far as #3 some of my heaviest trails have been with a broadhead.

My hardest to track came from a 30-30 with a frontal shot. Guts plugged about a 3" exit.

The .224 bullets can leave a lighter trail but I have never had issues with anything from a .243 bullet but that may stem from me preferring lighter bullets or soft if anything over 85 grains.

Had a friend that thinned the herd on Federal prison grounds, he used a 243 with sierra 85gr hpbt, he had 7 different picture on his wall with a dodge pickup with deer stacked even with the roof, he said a 243 with the 85gr sierra was a deer nightmare

It's a good bullet. The Sierra 100 gr GK is a good one also as my one buddy is proving. I'll have to ask him how many he's killed in different states with that now. He says he's never had one get out of sight in the woods. Slightly heavy for caliber and soft or somewhat brittle, I'm not sure which, but it does a number on them according to him without blowing them up.

I had a deer run 80 yards after taking one of those through the lungs. Quartering shot into the far shouder. No exit. Very little blood. Shot one through the lungs with a .22-250 and 55 gr sp. no exit and it ran 50 yards leaking no blood. Lungs poured out of both like so much grape jelly. Don't tell me soft/varmint bullets always drop them now because they don't and often there will be no exit and very little to no blood. Use them enough in thick cover sooner or later it'll burn your ass. It's just a matter of time.

I'm not telling you anything. What I am saying as a fact is that I load the Sierra 100 gr GK's for a buddy who hunts a couple different states every yr and is a deer killing machine. There can always be anomalies, but he loves the results with that bullet, so far. That's all I know. He's killed a bunch, he really likes it.

Back SE Texas, in the late 60's to '70's, the 6mm Remington/100gr Corlokt in a mod 742 was the "ne plus ultra" Deer Rifle. Several older men had them ( we young ones didn't have any money to speak of) made do with 30-30s and military surplus 8mms, 6.5 Eyetalians and 30-06s. ha Funny, I only saw one 243 in years down there. I left that part of the country in '87. I now live in Utah. I have seen 243s in abundance out here, but this is "Barnes Country", and from 75gr to 100gr X and XLC were preferred. Now the 80 TTSX seems to cover it all.

Back in 2000, a neck surgery recovery had me shooting a little 6x47 (222 Magnum necked up to 6mm) Wildcat. I used the then 85 XBT, going a tad over 2700fps ( think short barrel 243 speed) Took it to Texas (Exotics) and killed an axis doe first ( outfitter was nervous about it) then I shot a very nice Axis Buck. And last, I traded The Rancher my custom 220 Swift and 100rds of Federal factory 55grTB and some money for a Scimitar Horned Oryx. Wind was swirling, but we got to within 184yds, from kneeling/supported I shot him at the neck/shoulder junction, which broke his neck and exited, he dropped, kicked once. The "insurance shot" at 75ish yards, he was on his side, I shot him at bottom of brisket, it broke his back and was just hanging out of the skin. It later weighed around 83gr (if memory serves) So....a 243 (or similar) needs (a) a good bullet (b) someone who knows how to shoot well Or keep shots close for youngsters, etc. In my humble opinion...:)

If you're hunting from a stand/fixed position and don't mind waiting for the right presentation and passing up the less than perfect/hard angle shots the soft little bullets will do fine.

The 95 BT, 95 PT and 100 PT always put blood on the ground pretty reliably.

I don’t disagree with BH but with a bit stronger bullets tracking them isn’t such a pain in the butt.

The Partition works well because that front end is very soft.

Get a stout bullet that doesn't have a soft front end and let the rodeo begin.

Agreed 10gauge, I love fast and rapid expansion. The PT and 95 BT do both well in the 6mm instance.

What bullets would those be exactly in .243" ? I've killed deer with 100 gr. interlocks, 100 gr. core-lokts, 100 gr. power shoks, 95 gr. SST's, 85 gr. Sierra HPBT and didn't find any to be overly "stout". In fact I've recovered examples of all those bullets from deer and all were anywhere from "well and fully mushroomed" with significant weight loss to "well and truly fragmented" in bits and pieces.

Now that I got everyone arguing , I must say I used Remington core-loc 100 gr. flat base bullets that I bought about 10 yrs. ago for $10/100. I wish I bought more. That said, I think it is a very good bullet. I am amazed that this deer went down ad didnt go anywhere . I shot it 16? back and the cavity was nothing but blood. I am not sure if it is the bullet . We are arguing over the .243 Win. but it might be the bullet. Our first deer was my son with a Speer 100 gr. (#1220) The doe was not shot in a very good spot, way high and forward, almost a neck shot. it ran 40'. Next up , a 100 gr. Hornady interlock, doe went 50' . Next up a buck with a Remington 100 gr. a shoulder shot, went 50', this one I shot Tues. didnt go anywhere. It could be the bullets . Sometimes I swear a bullet explodes in the cavity and it is shock that does it.

I understand where BH is coming from about deer in heavy cover. Smaller bullets deflect very easy when hitting an unseen twig, but its the patiently waiting ( as those old pharts and their 6mm Rem/Mod 742) did for the good shot, and they liked the easy recoil/fast follow up shots if he ran. Its not a bad method, not one I cherish, as I too have seen even a 175gr Clkt from my 7mm Rem Mag "turn into a puff of smoke" when it hit an unseen small twig that was between me and the close range crow I shot at! In fact, right after that, on a whim, I traded that heavy Browning BAR. I stopped at Oshman's in Beaumont, after a NG Drill in '75, and i swapped "even" for a Model 870 with vent rib, Modified choke in 3" 12ga. PLUS. a little Marlin 1894 44 Magnum. I know, I got out of there fast! That little Marlin was one of the very fastest Timber rifles I have ever had. It made big exit holes in deer and hogs both, big blood trails. Sometimes they dropped/kicked around, sometime they ran, but not far. Blood everywhere. I'm a believer of heavy calibers in the woods, but even they can deflect, sure, but usually a big chunk will hit, leaving blood to follow.
The "biggest, most effective help for me" was later, in Fall of 1976 I started Bow Hunting for real. I would shoot one deer in Archery Season and one in Rifle/Shotgun Season, but I used my old 30-30 or my dad's jammomatic Mod 742 30-06 (both with irons) and used Bow Hunting Techniques. IOW I "learned how to hunt the Timber". I had sold the Marlin to a friend who couldnt live without it) I did that 5 yrs running. But my heart took me back to rifles...and I got an oddball rifle/caliber/3x9 scope that all the old pharts told me "would not work" in those woods! A "bolt action" Ruger 77 in .280 Remington. I had put 1" mounts on my .22 the summer before to get used to a scope in the woods. I was 24, my first scope, Montgomery Wards (made by Tasco) I guess the Old Pharts forgot us youngsters shot each others military surplus bolt guns a ton! ha B ut that Archery season (October) I still Bowhunted and shot squirrels, with the scoped .22, Then put the scope on the Ruger in (November-January 3 )rifle season. A 150gr Clkt at 15yds,scope on 3x, made a 12 pt run exactly another 15 steps and fell, 2 " exit hole blood everywhere! I was a happy boy. When I killed a 11 pt at 10 steps with my bow, I was accused of "sticking an arrow into the bullet hole", why? Those Old Pharts said you cant get that close to wild deer! yeah. So there is alot of Life that can either help a young person, stearing them right, or hurt them, stearing them away from the Sport. "We "Old Pharts should help anyone who will let us. Some don't want our advice, that's cool, I deal with that most every Altar Call I give, ha.
Happy Thanksgiving Guys! (wrote while sitting here recovering "yet" from another surgery, whoopee!

In my experience monos mainly. I did shoot a few with the Hornady 87 grain BTHP and didn't care for them, found a couple that were together, expanded but not to my liking.

Wasn't a fan of the 95 grain SST early on or the 85 grain HPBT Sierra. Both seem hard.

Of the 100s I liked Hornady BTSP and the Sierra Gameking. Buddy likes the 100 grain Speer boattail. Typical exit hole about like a golf ball, sometimes bigger if you could catch bone going in and out.

85 grain Sierra Varminter SP, 80 grain Sierra Varminter BTSP were both very fast killers. The 85 Sierra SP was all dad's 6mm ever shot from '78 until I tried a 100 grain Sierra Prohunter semi pointed in about 2014/2015.

I have killed a handful with a Partition which has a very soft front end.

Currently have the 90 grain Ballistic Tip on deck for the 6mm.

Never did mind a bullet that was in several pieces. Those were fast kills for sure.

Even when I was using 25-06, 270, 280, 30-06, 7mm and 300 Magnums I was using a soft bullet, Gamekings generally. Same fast kills, just more damage than was needed for a 200# animal IMO.

140 Ballistic Tips in the 7-08 right now.

Most of the Sierra 85 HPBT fragmented for me. Not enough penetration to suit me. Turns lungs to goo but doesn't often exit unless a pure broadside shot behind shoulder. SST's much the same. Very destructive but not much penetration if any significant bone/meat is hit. Both ruin a lot of meat if shoulder is involved. I certainly wouldn't call any of the above mentioned bullets "hard". You can keep your "soft" bullets. They don't offer the consistent exits or penetration from hard angles I want and I do not find they consistently drop deer enough faster than the heavier, "tougher", deeper penetrating bullets I prefer. I have found the vast majority of lung shot deer will go down somewhere between 20 and 60 yards from point of impact whether shot with my .223, .22-250, .243, 6.5 creed, .30-30, .308 or .30-06. The difference is the .30 cals. with medium heavy bullets penetrate more, exit far more dependably and hence put more blood on the ground on a more regular basis. I have killed nearly 100 deer with the .30-30 alone and have not recovered a 170 gr. bullet except on a lengthwise or nearly so shot. I expect deer shot with it to be down within 60 yards after a hit through the lungs 95%, drop right there with a shot through the shoulders and have never recovered one from a side on presentation despite the fact that I've put them through both shoulders of heavy Northern bucks multiple times. The second biggest buck I've killed is hanging over my TV. He was taken with a 170 gr. bullet from my .30-30 while still hunting State land. Hard away presentation headed into posted land 50 yards in front of him. Bullet shaved hair off the side of his hind quarter, entered his flank, penetrated through paunch, liver and lung cavity and was recovered just under the hide at the side of his neck in front of the offside shoulder. It was a picture perfect mushroom expanded about halfway down the shank to .62". He didn't make it to the posted land. I wouldn't have wanted to try that shot with a "soft bullet" from my .243.

Never tried pushing them on you, just stating what has worked well for me, my dad and several buds that shoot the 24 calibers.

Which 170 from the 30-30?