Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting deer with a .243 vs. 30-06

We??? My water is being cut off after this one...of that I'm sure.

[img:center][/img] 243 and deer lungs?

I've seen both good and bad with 243 pills. I used to hunt with one myself as a kid and never had a problem taking game. They sometimes ran a good ways with sparse trails. I have seen a few deer lost to them, but whose to know where the placement was.

I've guided for a mulie and lope that were taken with the .243 100grn NPT the past few years and the results were only soso. The mulie was hit through the lungs and fell like a sack of rocks. He laid there for a few seconds, got up, ran into one of the nastiest canyons I've ever been in, and I finished him off 45 mins later with a 7RM. The lope ran about 75yds and tipped over(lung hit as well).

Good cartridge to start young hunters with for medium game, but nowhere near as effective as larger cals IMO. Shot placement is very critical with small cals, something young hunters can struggle with when the fever sets in.

loder

I've killed a bunch of game when I was a kid with a 243. never lost a one with it either. shot placement is important regardless the caliber.

I have a Winchester Model 70 coyote topped with a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40 BDC scope. My family has been using this .243 for 7-8 years along with Winchester 100 gr. Power Point bullets. A conservative harvest estimate with this combination would be 24 deer between my son and wife using it. The longest shot was 327 yards last year by my son utilizing the BDC reticle. Every deer was a one stop shot except one. The problem there was not a bad shot but to close of a shot. A doe walked up on my wife, about 10 yards from her, she said all she could see was fur in the scope, she shot it in the chest and off it went. Now this was a Kansas whitetail, not like our little Texas deer, this deer was probably 150 pounds. Anyway, a great blood trail that we followed for about an hour then it suddenly stopped. No deer, We finally found it thanks to a little snow on the ground and the occasional hoof print but no more blood. The deer ended up being about 200 yards from where she shot it after running/walking maybe 600 yards. To the best of our knowledge with a double lung shot the only issue was that the deer was to close to allow for bullet expansion and with a thru and thru shot not hitting rib the wound channel never expanded. The thought of a .243 being to small for deer, I beg to differ. Obviously like any hunting situation it comes down to shot placement, being comfortable with your rifle/scope, quality ammo and getting some range time.
Happy hunting.

Rest assured, whatever did or didn't happen, that wasn't the reason for it.

A 243 twisted for 115s kills stuff wayyy out there.

Classic!!!

Killed and my son's killed a few w/243s, and myself also w/6BR.

70 TNT, 85 BTHP, 95 BT, 100 PT, 85 TSX

The 95 BT and 80/85 Barnes are my fav and 90gr SSII next.

1916, look down this post below to see my hog and Barnes 85

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ger_1_International_Who_has_#Post3091822

I can't figure out how much time a bullet needs to expand?
My son hit a doe at 10 yds. this year with a 165 gr. Hornady boat tail Interlock and it had plenty of time to expand!
He hit a buck at 20 yds. the next day and he said the buck hit the deck so hard it was the funniest thing he has ever seen.
I hit my nubbin buck with a 225 gr Accubond out of the Whelen and I don't see how a .223 or .243 could have killed it any better? I like a three inch exit hole when I shoot a deer.
Tracking is for people with a lot of time on their hands,
(and big flashlights)
whelennut

.243 100grn power point never fails. Shot one at 250yrds today and dropped on the spot. I love this gun.

Light Fast has always been my choice over Heavy Slower when hunting Deer and Lope!

I shot a doe on opening day with 243win (1909 Pervuan Mauser action). Over 260 yards, broad side. 85 gr HPGK is the only bullet i load for 243win (45.5gr IMR4350). Hot load. The doe literally made one step before dropping dead. Below is the link to the picture of entry wound (graphic image warning, presuming not every reader of the forum is a hunter

http://i55.tinypic.com/2a8lq2h.jpg

Folks,
my hunting buddy and I have killed numerous deer with 223, 243, 270 and 30-06. All deer were recoved, the furthest one went 50 yards into a pine forest.
The only deer I have seen shot and not recovered (after a lot of looking by three of us for quite a while) was from a 300 Win Mag. Not being detrimental to the calibre in any way - just stating a fact. Heck - it may have been a clean miss - contrary to what the guy shooting told me!!

CK

wonder what the gun whizzards would think of my .218bee and 55gr spitzers on deer??
I havd put 4 down within 50 yards using it...

2 head shots and lung shots..

head shots were obvious....DRT

2 lung shots expired in less than 50 yards...
One ran headlong into a 3ft diameter red oak and snapped an antler off..

but in the case of the .243
my grandfather and dad have had more than 30 kills with 85gr sierra spitzer boatatils...

Location, location, location... if you miss with 300 win mag, it will be just as harmless to deer as if you miss .243win.

Gunswizard is obviously a gunwriter... Where did I see that quote that only gunwriters have trouble killing deer with a .243!
My wife killed her whitetail buck this year and a couple nice mulie bucks in the past couple years and I don't know how many deer I have shot with the .243, all recovered, most DRT.

I hunted with both 30-06 and .243 for several seasons back to back. Didn't notice a meaningful difference in on game performance out to ~200 yards. The 30-06 would usually deliver an exit hole if that is important to you. As always, good shot placement trumps all.

6mm/.243" 85g TSX (moly), 3450fps MV ...








trust me, it works just fine ... (grin)