Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints .243 rounds and bobcats?

so I will be picking up a .243 to make my primary coyote rifle and a deer rifle for the wife. Im leaning towards the 55 gr round moving around 3850 f/sec. my question is what kind of damage would occur if I hit a bobcat with that round? or should I move up to a heavy bullet, like an 85 gr. or even go FMJ or a limited expansion round? if you have pictures please post them so I can see the results. if they are too graphic feel free to pm or email me.

DG

Which half do you need a pic of?grin

Maybe a entrance wound only or a softball size exit wound. You never know with the 6mm's

That's alotta performance to house within a kitty,which ain't gonna happen.

It'll knock the wiggle out of them though.................

Yeah, I'm bein' facetious. That's just the trouble. You never know....And those odds, on the only fur thats really worth anything, don't make sense to me, as there are better choices available.

I'm a fun of the 17 Hummer. Little bastard hurts [bleep].............

I use my .22 mag for bobs typically, but Im not wanting to carry 3 guns afield when out for yotes. so I will have a shotgun as my primary, and the .22 mag is for use when they hang out there 80-100 yards. but the .243 is primarily a coyote gun, but if I dont have the mag and it wont come in.... flingin .243 lead that way, but im thinking an fmj will pass through and leave about a dime sized exit hole outside of 150yrds. I dont have any experience with the round, thus why I ask you all. keep the input coming. thanks

DG

Folks'll argue with you on that. But the little bugger just works. Good caliber for a calling rifle choice.

But who wants to fumble-[bleep] around with re-stoking a FMJ if Miss Kitty appears?. Not me......

The only folks who think killing is hard,are those who've never done much of it...............

true, but I was thinkin if as you put "Miss Kitty" shows up at 200yrds I would easily be able to slip one in and take her before she gets too close - minimize the damage. but i do agree with you that it would be a pain is a$$..

The hummer is good for fox and cats to 200. If you can shoot......

The thing about cats is, more'n likely you won't even see them till they are close.......quit running these longer range scenarios thru yer head. It'll give you ulcers and you won't sleep....

If I was selling hair,I'd build myself a high zoot 10/22 Mag Hummer conversion,especially with the advent of the high cap mags of late....................

Make mine a 17 furball. And it could even be a bolt. Mebbe a 77/hornet redone.....

I shoot alotta K-Hornets in 77/22 and think highly of it and they pound [bleep] nicely with the 32/33V-Max of old..............

Luckily the areas that I hunt are fairly open country. so seeing them coming from a ways off isnt the issue, for either yotes or cats. shooting is not an issue in most places...

'ghost, I'm assuming when you say 'hunt' you are calling? If so, why not get momma her deer rifle, work some extra hours/sell more fur, and get you a suitable calling/fur caliber for your very own self. If you havta have a 243 as your choice, ya gotta live with the pitfalls/upsides. The pitfalls outweigh the positives IF fur is on the menu. If you just want to ventilate schitt, there are few better.....

Hit the shoulder bones or hipbone with a 6mm FMJ and it may rip the hide pretty good. BTDT

If your after pelts, consider a 12ga with 3" lead BBs.

Problem with the 6mms is they are too devastating when shoulder bones are hit and that includes yotes. Performance can be great on one kill and a ripped hide on the next. And this is with most of the bullets including FMJ.

MtnHtr

Personally, with my limited experience with any 6mm round, I think it is above the threshold of where a varmit bullet explodes inside an animal, especially on close range bobcats. Even a high velocity 22 CF with a very lightly constructed bullet can be too much. If this is your only option, I would use a tough bullet (maybe even a FMJ) and do my best to avoid bones. You will have to deal with some tracking and/or the occassions where the bullet shatters bone and causes extreme hide damage.

As some others have said, the 243 is about the epitome of dog/cat rifles when fur is not wanted.