I have a nice .243 Weatherby ultralight that I would like to use to hunt deer. I know that it’s a bit underpowered, but I was planning on using barnes triple X bullets. California still requires lead free bullets and these controlled expansion bullets would make up, some what, for the limitations of a 243. Would this work well?

The 243 Win. is not under powered At all for deer and the mono bullets make it even better.

There are literally thousands of deer that would agree with you if they were still alive!!!

And almost as many threads on the campfire about that too…..grin.

I have 2 friends that use the 243 Win. for deer hunting, one uses factory Winchester Power Points 100gr the other uses handloads 100gr Nosler Partitions we have been hunting together for more than 40 years and those guys have killed many deer with those rifles

.243 is my go to for culling deer, this is 3 days work. Rio7

In no way is a 243 "under powered"

There was a time when I thought that the 243 was on the low end of the spectrum for a suitable deer cartridge. But, it is perfectly suitable, and is so much better than the 223 that it's not even arguable. I have often considered going to it exclusively as my deer rifle.

80 grain TTSX

I hunted with my cousin and watched him shoot two does with his 243 at around 100 yards at his camp one morning. Bang, slap. Hit the ground.

Gave me a new respect for the 243, for sure. Especially seeing the damage when we took them apart.

Shoot them throught the lungs with an expanding bullet and they will die. They might run a few yards, but when their brain is oxygen starved they will fall down and die. I've killed a couple dozen whitetails with 243s, 6mm REMS, and 6-284s, mostly with 80 grain Federal factory loads and 100 grain Partition handloads. The 80 grain Federals stayed inside of the pleural cavity, while the Partitions either went through and through or ended up under the hide on the far side.

If I was in a no-lead state, I'd try the 80 grain TTSX, as it looks like it would provide a nice balance of speed and penetration, the only remaining question is how good the accuracy is in your rifle.

I’ve killed 3 truck loads of deer with a 243 using hand loaded 95 grain Nosler ballistic tips. If you keep shots within reasonable distances you will be fine. I always used a maximum charge weight and never had any trouble.

Same here. I have killed a couple literal tons of deer, little ones to big ones, with a .243....by no means under powered. I cant think of anything in the lower 48 I couldnt kill with a .243

Grandkids have killed bunches with 243’s, never lost one. They opened my eyes on the 243!! Savage 243
She was 11

Go for it, James Jr. I still like my 7mm-8’s, but the .243 has become very popular at my house.

Darn cute, Hanco. Makes me smile.

I shot a big muley with a .243 in 1990 or 91, maybe 92 or 93, but definitely not 94.

The bullet bounced right off. Biggest buck I ever saw, 30” at least. He turned his head and just laughed and laughed.

Weird.

That’s when I said “Never again!” and took up the Mighty -08.

Old neighbor fella we used to hunt with years ago carried a Savage 99 in .243. He was quick as lightning with it, and I think he coulda shaved a hair off a gnat’s a$$ at a hundred yards without leavin a burn mark! Deer could be standing, walking, running…it didn’t matter. He shot, they piled up! He killed an absolute ton of deer with that .243.

Doc_Holidude

“Dear” hunting? Slip ‘o the lips? Another Macomber story?

Maybe y’all should try working it out peacefully.

Hahahaha! I love it…

I think the 243 gets a bad rap sometimes because people shoot deer with Varmint bullets.

I have one - bought it and a 7mm-08 for the kids. They haven’t used them yet, but when fully loaded, I think they will enjoy the 243 a lot more. In a light rifle the ‘08 can buck a bit. Feels really 270-ish to me.

Yeah, I know you can load an ‘08 down. Then why not shoot a 243? It is really a sweet little cartridge. I like my 25-06 a bit more, but it is “full-size”.

Nothing wrong with killin deer with a .243 Win, its a great do-all cartridge for hunting everything from ground hogs to Whitetails but IMO there are better Deer cartridges....Good hunting ...Hb

I'd say you are correct. Also, the 243 is often the one you'll find inexperienced hunters using, because it doesn't kick much. Those hunters as a general rule, just aren't as good at being able to place their shot in the right place for a quick kill, as someone who has experience is. That results in wounded deer, which usually means that the cartridge gets the blame rather than the shooter. Put a good bullet that's designed for big game in the right spot, and the 243 is as good a deer killer as anything else is.

James is spot on...

I started out hunting with one. I figure I killed more than thirty with it. The does and year and a half old bucks dropped at the shot normally. Older bucks usually ran off. The last Buck I killed with it took 5 bullets before he went down. 2 through the ribs, 1 in the tailbone, 1 in the center of the neck broadside, then I finally shot him right under the ear and he died. I never took it hunting again. Those were Remington 100 gn. Corelokts. There was probably something wrong with the cartriges.
But I have never had that problem shooting a 35 Whelen, 30-06 or 300 Mag.

Wow!

Been shooting .243 since 1970 and never felt under gunned. I have several and my two sons have one each. The oldest has killed all of his deer with .243 and the youngest is probably at about 80% with the .243 . They use the Privi version of Winchesters PP in 100 grain, works great with the lung and neck shots they use. I use the old flat base Nosler SP 100 grain that is no longer produced. I have 200 of them loaded on the shelf so I am good for deer loads from now on. I have a friend who uses an 87 grain bullet and never loses a deer and know of a handful that were killed with 75 grain Nosler BT in a factory Federal load. Good hits are all you need with a .243 , put the bullet where it goes and you eat , wrong spot and maybe you just feed the yotes. Same with any cartridge . I know of a bunch of other larger game that has been killed with the various 6mm's , as long as you do your part they work very well. My load and the load used by my boy's is a minimum load from Lyman's 1970 load book using IMR 4320, it is the most accurate load I have found but there are many others that are so close that I wouldn't hesitate to use them if I ever run out of 4320.

My grandkids have killed quite a few whitetails with their 243’s shooting 100gr federal blue box ammo. I start them all on a 223 and they progress to the 243. All shots are 30 to 50 or so yards and broadside. Never lost an animal.

I’ve killed several with the 243 using 80gr ttsx, 80gr gmx, 95 ballistic tip and 105 Hornady hpbt. A couple friends have piled up whitetail with the 95gr fusion and 100gr blue box federal. Good bullets in the right spot and you have dead deer.


A big problem with people shooting 243’s around here are their papaw tried one in the 70’s and shot a big buck in the shoulder with an 80gr bullet and it ran off, so. Don’t ever shoot them in the shoulder. I’m convinced most hunters have no clue where the shoulder is because “right behind the shoulder” is just about the back of the ribs for a lot of people. That means a poor hit, lots of tracking and a high probability of a lost deer which leads them to believe it’s underpowered.

A friend just got a great deal on a 700 in 243, he bought 4-5 boxes of fusions and the first conversation we had was him telling me so and so said never shoot a deer in the shoulder with a 243 so he will only take broadside shots towards the back of the ribs. I can’t get him to believe that with a stout bullet like the fusion that shoulder won’t matter a lick.

I passed on a good deal for a Browning Low Wall a number of years ago because at the time I didn't have a good understanding of the effectiveness of the 243 as a deer cartridge. If I knew then what I've come to know by personal experience and firsthand observation at my camp I'd have jumped on that Low Wall.

Between me, my campmate and his boys we've had very good results on deer and pigs with 95 grain Fusions, SSTs, Ballistic Tips and Partitions, 90 grain Accubonds, 85 grain Speer boat tails and maybe others I'm forgetting at the moment.

I"ve seen the landowner's son kill more than one big muley buck with a 95gr ballistic tip.

I was thinking this might be about exwives.

Not many “Dear” ex wives out there! Most have other words describing them!!!

You might show your friend this photo, of my wife Eileen and a Montana whitetail buck she shot through both shoulders and the spine with a 100-grain Nosler Partition from here Husqvarna .243. It was getting late in the evening, and the buck was near a big thicket of riverbottom brush. Eileen decided to anchor him, so held 2/3 of the way up the shoulder, and the buck crumpled. Oh, and the Partition exited...

Hell...for decades I've done deer control hunts usually shoot around 100 every year........been using for over 30 years one caliber and one bullet 243 Winchester and Sierra 243 85 gr. BTHP no other bullet drops deer like it....

Give me any buck of your choosing and I will put a 95 grain or less bullet in his shoulder. He will be laying in his shadow.

I will be the odd man out, give me a semi fragile bullet under 100 grains and I will bet 90% of my deer will never take a step.

IMO the problem with a .243 bullet is everybody wants something too tough. Tough small diameter bullets don't turn stuff to schitt inside of a critter. We are talking something 250 pounds or less, not exactly a large critter and damn sure ain't tough.

A bullet that most like and claim is "tough" is the 85 grain Sierra BTHP Gameking. They're right it is tough. Shot 3 deer and 1 coyote with em before I said enough. Not a one died where it stood. Deer ran 30-50 yards and the coyote covered over 100 yards with a perfect heart shot and had a quarter sized hole right above and his elbow.

No thanks to tough bullets and deer.

Part of the reason the Partition works so well is it's front end probably expands as fast or faster as any SP out there and may even faster. They have a very soft front end.

I hear how tough the 95 grain Ballistic Tip is too, no thanks, give me something softer.

A 100 grain Gameking is about as tough of a bullet as I want on our Midwestern deer.

As for shoulder shooting deer and them running off. How in the fugg does anybody know where they hit the deer if it ran off?

Here's my "shoulder" shot. If a deer runs a single step from this shot he wasn't hit where the dot is. Same placement with the underpowered 22 calibers and a 55 or 60 grain bullet....same DRT results.

10gaugemag,

Yes, the front ends of Nosler Partitions expand violently, because they core is a relatively soft lead alloy, if I recall correctly 2-1/2% antimony, while the alloy of most cup-and-core big game bullets is closer to 4% antimony.

But you're mistaken about the 95-grain Ballistic Tip. They perform closer to Partitions than cup-and-cores, expanding easily because of the plastic tip, but holding together due to the thick-based jacket.

You sure it wasn't '94? I could swear it was '94.

That’s where I shoot them also. I’ve never had any issues other than finding my knife in my pack to start dressing one out



Move your dot back 12” or so and that’s where “right behind the shoulder” is to a lot of people.

Nice shot on a nice buck.


It wouldn’t do any good to relay the picture or story. He’s seen me fold them up with a 243 for years and he still can’t wrap his mind around it because years ago someone lost one.

80 TTSX or if your Weatherby is somehow twisted 1:8, the 95 LRX is a dandy - I can vouch for that one.
I shoot the TTSX in several rifles and much prefer putting that bullet in the running gear vs the boiler room (unless you don't mind the runners).

Don't know if I am mistaken or not, never tried em due to everyone claiming they are "tough". Good to know that they open quick fast and in a hurry.

I do however have a bunch of 90 grain BT loaded in my 6mm. Give em a whirl on deer and hogs this fall.

I have also seen the 70 grain Ballistic Tip work pretty damn slick on these Missouri whitetails. So much for a "varmint" bullet not being suitable.😛

My ruger M77 in .243 is one of my favorite deer rifles. In fact I plan to use it this fall to put a deer in the freezer. I have only ever used the federal blue box 100 grain bullets and never found a reason to change it up.

Dammit, now I’m not sure…

Yeah, I'm a smartass, and noticed that too.

Fellows,
i don't recall the gentleman's name that was a .243 lover.
He worked for Nosler, and they gave him a free hand to develop the 90 & 95 grain Ballistic Tips,
He shot lots and lots of big game. Both mule and white tail deer, elk and black bear. All with the 90 & 95 BT.
I'm sure someone will come up with his name and the story behind the bullet's development.
Have a nice weekend
Soup

I believe that was Gail Root. I could hunt the rest of my days in SC with a 243 but that would mean I would have to give up my 25’s and that won’t happen.

GreggH

😜

Back in the 1990's US Army used Fish & Wildlife Officers to cull deer on military installations. Majority of the shooting was performed at dusk using .243 rifles. Countless deer were killed and processed for local food banks. Yes, the .243 cartridge is a reliable deer killer. As a side note, now the culling is performed by licensed hunters using archery gear or shotguns. The hunting can be quite good depending upon the Army Base. - Sherwood

“ As for shoulder shooting deer and them running off. How in the fugg does anybody know where they hit the deer if it ran off? “

Exactly….

Nothing against the .243, but I’ve got my .243, 6mm CM, and 6.5 Whatchamacallit all rolled into one… the .257 Roberts. LOL!

Only women and kids kill deer with a 243. Men need something better, like maybe the fantastic-performing wildcat 6mm-08.



Bruce

Not trying to be a smartazz, (maybe a little) but is dear hunting the same as deer hunting? I’m not gonna shoot my DEAR with any caliber.

This season I'll be shooting a 70gr Hammer 243 and a 356gr 5mm (it's a really long 5mm 😁)

Yessir
Never understood loading anything "down "
I read of that a lot on the various websites.
Way before I was born there were different
rounds and firearms developed for every
hunting need from hummingbirds to
ella-fants. Just pick the one for your purpose

Most would be surprised to see what a 243 with a 100 gr partition at 3080 can accomplish.

You just need to pick a good, broadside, shot.
Hard core fans will extoll its virtues all day.
The biggest advantage is the light recoil. Lots of folks here can't handle more recoil.
I have a Ruger No 1 in 45-70 that I load with 300 JHP bullets at 2060 fps. A true deer thumper, but no fun to shoot much from the bench.
Pick your poison..

I've got 95 grain Partitions loaded. A quartering shot won't bother me a bit.

I've got a Kimber Montana that likes 95gr NBT an awful lot. I'm thinking about picking up a Win M70 fwt too. Not damn thing wrong with the .243

Me either, but I “stab” her as often as she permits………

I need to go hunting with you, RIO7. Awesome pic

👍

Give me a .243 with 95 grain Nosler Partition, I will hunt any deer-sized animal anywhere. Have used 85, 95, and 100 grain NPT's. Never caught one. Had one deer that needed a finisher when I shot a little too far back toward the diaphragm...

I've had more bang-flops with a .243 Win than with any other cartridge I've used on Michigan whitetails.

After watching deer get turned inside out from a .223 Rem, I have no doubt the .243 would do the same. I have experience with 2 deer and the .243. Both are still dead as far as I can tell.

My stepdad hunted with a Rem. 742 in .243 for years. He killed a lot of deer with it. Switched to a BLR in .243 in later years. My daughter has it now.

Guess I'm the odd man out. I've never used a .243 beyond loading for a couple of them for a friend and one of brothers so, I guess I've indirectly killed deer with them. For no particular reason, I've never had any interest in the .243.

So I’m just getting into the 243 scene and got a question my bullet choices are limited to lead free as you guessed it I’m in comiefornia with a 80 grain cx by hornady I’m guessing from what I’m reading is to hit them high in the shoulder and not in the boiler room uh? Now understand this is for my wife who is real gun shy hence the 243. as to why I’m asking traditionally I put them in the boiler room but I’m using .30 bore rifles ie 06 308 and 300 savage so destruction is more than adequate. Most of my hunting is in deep heavily wooded and steep terrain. And most shots won’t be more that 250 yards. Most have been real up close less that 50 yards. Anyhow what’s y’all’s thoughts high shoulder with the cx or boiler room?

High forward shoulder.

On a buck like that in the picture from 10gaugemag, make sure you don't shoot the antlers! Lol!

New to the forum, new to the thread. Not new to that shot.

Lights out on the ground every time.
As to the 243, countless deer in South Louisiana have succumbed to that caliber.

wouldn't even question it....it will bring home the venison at any reasonable distances and probably a little further if you can do good shot placement.

and the 243 really doesn't have limitations.... only the shooter...

took my first deer at 14 in 1966 at Ft Bragg....30/30...still have that rifle.

I’ve had 2 experiences with 243 vs whitetail both were negative one at 100yds and the other 20 both died but took more than one shot

And if it doesn't work out, be sure to call Barnes on the way out of the field.

Now that Barnes is Sierra, might just be easier to call the number already in speed dial...

2 shots for this one at 20yds both boiler room

Run out of bullets on this one it was epic my boys first buck the gun belongs to him it’s his “Winchester”

Christmas came early that year

Awesome pic. Nothing better than a kid with his first Deer rifle.

Anytime I’m hunting thick brush/steep country, deer get shot through the shoulder. Take out running gear they aren’t going far. That’s any caliber. I’ve seen an 80lb doe shot with a 180gr .30-06 run 150 yds into the laurel. Heart and lungs were jelly.

lol! I’m sure the people at Sierra still laugh about that one.

I’ve seen that as well. Just one of those things. Small sample of two or three, but the deer shot in that area with Sierra 165gr Gameking HPs seemed to drop very quickly as opposed to ones shot with BTs of the same weight. Still have most of a box of those, so might load some up, all in search of the truth, of course. They also jelly up a lot of shoulder meat on the far side, even though it wasn’t actually hit.

ya know Mr Kane, that is a damn good idea! thanks for that suggestion.... I'll give them your regards.

have a great day buddy!

If an 1100 pound elk can be hunted with a 300 Win Mag 180 gr

Then a 330 pound Mule buck hunted with a 223 62 gr must be ok?

No.

A man can carry a 10 pound rifle, and then justifies the compromise cartridge with manageable recoil and ballistic coefficient.

The biggest elk I have ever seen was dead next to a little woman nursing a baby. She said she shot the big bull in just the right spot with a 243 at 200 yards.

Dear hunting with a .243 Win is illegal in every state. But it works for deer.

Perhaps you meant say it is “legal”?

No. Read carefully. Look up in your dictionary: dear vs deer.

Inside of 400 yards in the right hands the .243 can be really good with the right bullet. Sure Ill get some flack, though I am finding the smaller 6mm ARC bolt action to be even better with the right bullet & right hand load. YMMV

Underpowered? My sons .223 shot through both sides while breaking ribs with Barnes 55 grain TTX. A .243 isn’t underpowered at all. You’re more than GTG.

Standard 6mm-7mm cartridges are just right for deer IMO.

243 hammers whitetails. My daughter has proved that. I load her 100 gn round nose and they are a slammer for sure. Will say that I'm not a fan of all copper bullets though

gunchamp- he doesn't really have a choice in CA. He has to use monos.

100 grain Corelokt from a Rem 700 worked fine on a moose at 80 yards. I don't know why your set-up won't work on a deer 1/5th (maybe) it's mass, with an up-scale cartridge and better bullet.

I've also taken sheep, black bear, caribou, and a mule deer with it. It's not my favorite cartridge/ gun , but it works.

An elk, several caribou, and wolf with a Rem 725 SA .260, which isn't that much different than a 243, tho I use 140 gr bullets in that.

The M725 in 260Rem??

And what do you gain with the 6ARC?

Give me any buck of your choosing and I will put a 95 grain or less bullet in his shoulder. He will be laying in his shadow.

As for shoulder shooting deer and them running off. How in the fugg does anybody know where they hit the deer if it ran off?

Here's my "shoulder" shot. If a deer runs a single step from this shot he wasn't hit where the dot is. Same placement with the underpowered 22 calibers and a 55 or 60 grain bullet....same DRT results.

Thanks for posting this Pic. Everyone talks about shot placement. Or just put the bullet in the right place and they will go down. But not a lot of specific description of exactly where the right spot is. Some say its right behind the shoulder in the crease like a bow shot. Or even a little lower (heart shot). Some say right on the shoulder to brake some bone. Some say high shoulder or neck shot (cns)
"A picture is worth a thousand words"



[/quote]

Nope. Show me a state where "Dear" hunting is legal with any cartridge.

There is always that guy........