Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Anyone ever found the 243 lacking?

Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun. If you had a beautiful bride would she remain chaste?

RH, I look at the gouges in the grip of my 270 weatherby mag and remember being too exhausted on a back pack hunt with my brother ages ago where I killed my first big bull. I was too tired to keep the stock from hitting the external frame. You couldn't give me a new, mint xxx stock for that rifle. I will never have the opportunity to get those reminders again.

I look at the dent in the beautiful and once perfect stock of my A5 20 ga FTW Browning and remember now, with tears in my eyes, being tired and falling as I neared the truck with a couple of blue quail pointed by my soon to be gone, best bird dog and loving Jules on a wonderful hunt years ago in the desert of New Mexico with only my son and her. The damage at the time aggravated me. Now that dent is visible proof i had one of the best days on this earth anyone has ever lived.

Many years from now, while she's mouldering in her grave, that dent will always remind me of hunting with her and the blessing she was and that God gave.

I bought both my girls Savage Youth package rifles. The theory being that at about $430 per copy, not much investment if they decided not to continue hunting.

I would have preferred a 260, but these rifles only came in 243. IMO, not the best deer rifle, but a good COMBO coyote/deer rifle.

Both girls started hunting at age 12 (minimum legal age in Alberta). They blow me away how well they shoot, especially as they are right handed, but left eye dominant. They both CHOSE to shoot right handed, which means that they have to overcome the left eye dominance. At that the range, a little tape on the left lens of their shooting glasses works wonders. In the field they usually don't have a problem, but closing the left eye works.

We have only used 85gr TSX Federal Premium (I have not gotten around to reloading). Over the last 5 years they have taken 9 deer, both mule deer and whitetail.

Here are the results:
2009: WT buck. 200yd high shoulder shot dropped buck in his tracks. Deer was still thrashing around a little, so I had her shoot it through the spine right behind the shoulder (back was facing us. she didn't want to get closer).
2010: WT buck. Neck shot at about 60 yards as the buck looked back over his shoulder at us. Youngest girl refused the Texas Heart shot (my theory was that if the pelvis was broken, the buck was going no wheres. She advised that that was not a good shot and refused to take it. Good girl!)
2010: WT doe. The does with the buck did not run off too far. Older girl got up on the fence post and dropped a doe with a neck shot at about 250-300. (I was watching one much closer and luckily saw the doe she shot at drop in my binocular field of view. I asked why did you shoot one so far away? It had the best shot presentation and no other deer around.)
2010: MD buck. He was hit around the margins. Not sure how he died actually, but my 300WSM had the same effect (she got rattled when he didn't die on the first shot. Missed or shot legs until the gun ran dry. So Dad had to finish it.) Bottom line, he died.
2011: WT buck. About 330 right at dark. At the shot I was very confident that the buck was going to keel over, but as it continued to run, too late I realized it was going to make it into the timber. As it was getting dark, we tried to followup immediately, but kept bumping it without a shot opportunity. We gave up and found it dead the next morning. Unfortunately the coyotes had been feeding on it. (No meat was edible, very rank.) Shot was a little low. I underestimated the range in the low light.
2012: Both girls had MD does at 300 cross canyon. For what ever reason, they had problems hitting these deer. They finally got one. I have no idea what the problem was. They can make that shot. We checked very carefully, but there was no evidence that the other doe was hit. Later in the day, the other girl shot a broadside doe at about 250. Perfect lung shot. Doe ran about 150yds before dying. There was no good spot for it to die. Both retrieves were very strenuous!
2013: MD doe. Head shot at about 40yds. DRT obviously. MD doe at about 130yds. Broadside lung shot. Ran about 120yds before dying further downslope in think timber.

So what have I learned? They need more practice? Probably. No deer shot at and hit have escaped. Some drop in their tracks shots. Some where they are dead and still run 150yds. With my bum leg, it makes the retrieves very difficult in this canyon country we hunt.

What to do? try the 80gr TTSX, 85gr Sierra BTHP, Nosler 95gr BT?

Bigger caliber?

I guess, that the results aren't much different than what I have seen with the 25-06, 270, 30-06, 280, 300WSM. Shoot two deer the same, one drops at the shot, the other goes on a death run.

I still have a little prejudice against the 243. I would never use a 243 on an elk at 680yds. For one thing, they probably could have gotten closer and/or used a heavier caliber and a heavier bullet. Yet that elk dropped at the shot? Go figure.

I'm torn between trying other bullets, buying them 308s and keeping the 243s for coyotes, or now that they are 5'7" and 120 or 130lbs, selling the 243s and getting them 260s as a do everything caliber. They do like the recoil of the 243. In their wisdom, Savage just put a plastic plate on the youth stock. I think for adult length, I just need to ad a 1" pad. Recoil would be even less.

Mr Clark, for what you posted, get the 243. I think you will be happy.

Thanks for the pictures and stories. Around here 100 yards is a long shot unless you get out of the timber on a power line and the lighter 243 would be used mostly on shots much shorter that some of yours. That's why I think the TTSX at high velocity will do very well.

Exactly my experience as well.

.243 win/TTSX with proper shot placement=dead critters. Never had any trouble with mine but no matter if I have my .223 or my .308 I always look for proper shot placement.

If I had to pear it down to one rifle for the family to shoot it would be the .243 Winchester.

No flies on todays ammo for a 243, unlike when I was "given" a cherry SAKO Forester 579 pre Garcia in 1967 as a wedding present. I had to pay my grandad what he'd loaned a guy on the gun and had had to repo it..a $160 w/a Redfield 3x9 & 5 box's of reloads. Shot it for years, hyper accurate & as said no recoil like my other rifles. I learned to shoot it well enough that I could write my initials on a business card, and won lots of $5 bets doing it...but in the Hornady & Speer bullets of the days I lost more well hit deer with that one rifle than all the deer in all my guns ever since.

Fast forward to 2006...Had major surgery to remove a monster 22 oz non malignant tumor stretching from behind my right ear to my collar bone. Right upper Quadrant, shoulder blade and right arm were nothing but a decoration for wearing a shirt and 95% inoperative, PT doc sez fuggeddabout it I was done... nothing to do but get used to it.

Rehab of 18 months was a bitch but 80-85% successful...but a buddy got me to buy a Tikka T3 6.5x55 and start again. No recoil...not none, easy to load for and killed WTails like the Hammmer of Thor. 1st WTail 125lb doe DRT'd mid stride and folded over in half backwards like a busted bagpipe. Can't say enough about the Tikka Swede being boringly Hyper Accurate but I got cute and traded it off after I had moved on back to my bigger stuff.

2009 ...heart problems, a handful of stents & a lifetime scrip for Plavix later...and back to the Swede when my T3 270 everyday shooter bruised me black & blue from my rotator cuff to my ear & right eyebrow. But I could shoot the Swede in a TShirt with no bruises and the factory pad, unlike the Limbsaver that is still on the 270.

No fly's on the 243 I know I know I keep hearing it with todays ammo...but I KNOW there are better choices in the 6.5's with those same kind of New Generation Boolitz in bigger heavier stronger yadda yadda ...just go look at the Creedmore, 260 and of course the 6.5 x 55 that were in stock at Eurooptics in March...

Got a 260 On Hand ... I've BHDThis before & Will Never be without one again. 'Cause if/when I finally "win" a Triple B as was offered & promised I'd need when I got the 4 mesh BandAids last time on the table...I'll not have to chase all over to find 'nuther 6.5 Hammer again.
Just Sayin'
Ron

A friend of mine in PA recently picked up a used Remington 40X in 243 and is all excited about going after woodchucks this summer with it. He hunts from a tree house on his property for
deer and plans on using it this fall also.

My son shot a big doe with a .243. I was surprised it only went 50' with a very forward shoulder shot. I shot lots of deer with a.270 Win that went over 100 yds. from lung shots. I hd a nubby go 130 yds . The guts and stomach were dragging and it was still running. I like lung shots, they always die and bleed out. Shoulder shots leave lots of blood in the meat and I don't like that.

Barnes TSX bullets do not leave much bloodshot meat on shoulder shots in comparison to some other bullets, including the Partition. I only have a limited sample size though. It's hard to stop shooting them in lungs after 30 years of practice. I have to retrain myself.

Well, everyone I really appreciate all the input. It will be very useful because I still have the 243 Sako. I ran up on a local Montana in 7mm-08 today and bought it. True Value just got it in. I told my wife I was thinking about putting it on layaway and she said let's just go buy it since I was going to try to find you one next month for your birthday anyway. I just couldn't turn it down since it is the only one I've seen locally in several years.

I don't doubt it.

Yep, preferably using my 375 ultramag

I don't doubt that either.

Except the part about you not owning one......

I own several, ill take a stroll here in a bit in my walk in safe to double check.

Sure thing. While you're in there, snap a pic of one, with the chambering on the barrel visible. Then post it here. Otherwise, some of these other guys might get the idea you're BS-ing.

But not me, I believe you.

PS, sorry for the hijack RH, but it looks like you got the info you needed.

And happy birthday, you dog.

thanks for the advice, I think I like you.

Thanks man. No problem. Y'all have fun.

Congrats on a fine purchase and a great birthday present.

If you don't mind me asking, what was the purchase price?