Rifle question

[deerhunter1]

Does anyone use a 243 rifle to hunt whitetail? And is the Savage Rifle a good name brand???

[progers]

Does anyone use a 243 rifle to hunt whitetail? And is the Savage Rifle a good name brand???

Yes and Yes. I have one that I use along with other rifles as well. As far as accuracy, it is very hard to beat a Savage 243. The only downside of the 243 is that it doesn't leave a great blood trail. I've ran lots of different ammo thru mine and it shoots Federal Premiums the best. I use 100grn. boat tail soft points.

[planecrash]

Progers said it all mine.

I use the savage .243 and i couldnt ask for a better gun.

maybe progers should try for that. 1 shot 1 kill that im so good at.

[progers]

maybe progers should try for that. 1 shot 1 kill that im so good at.

Is there any other shot? I only put one bullet in my gun when I go hunting because, that is all I need.

[planecrash]

Thats the way to do it man.

[Jaypo]

I shot a 190lb fallow buck last month in Texas, and he dropped 15 feet from where he stood. However, an hour later, he was still alive. I left him there b/c I knew it was a small round and didn't want to pressure him, so I was gonna let him bleed out. But there was not blood. He was only 70yds away. There is no match for the accuracy, but I prefer a little more knock down power.

[cuzins8]

I shot a 190lb fallow buck last month in Texas, and he dropped 15 feet from where he stood. However, an hour later, he was still alive. I left him there b/c I knew it was a small round and didn't want to pressure him, so I was gonna let him bleed out. But there was not blood. He was only 70yds away. There is no match for the accuracy, but I prefer a little more knock down power.

Thank you,thank you,thank you.
In my opinion the 243 and others like it should not be legal to hunt deer and large game with.I have personally seen too many WELL shot deer run off to not be found until days later if ever.If you are gonna deer hunt the least ya can do is shoot a gun that has less of a chance to "wound" the deer.When you step up to a 30-06,7 mm or even a .300 win mag you lessen the odds that you are going to wound or injure the deer.
My brother shot a doe one year with a .243 and hit her between the vitals and the spine.She ran over 400 yards and the only reason we found her was because of the buzzardz.The coyotes ate her and the3 hunt and meat were ruined.If he would have shot her with an 06 or 300 NO WAY would that have happened!

[VargetBurner]

I've never used a .243 for deer... but are you all using a bullet made for controlled expansion? another words a big game bullet?
A .243 is also used for varmint hunting and some ammo is made to rapidly expand and dump its energy in a crow,woodchuck sized animal, not to mention to reduce ricochet. There is no way a .24 cal bullet is going to traverse a whitetail end to end, or thru the guts to reach the vitals, its a light bullet. It seems that some of the bad reputation the .243 has acquired may be due to improper bullet selection and/or less than desirable shot placement... This MAY BE a fault of manufacter's properly labeling bullet type's?
If the bullet penetrates through the lungs/heart or hits an artery, does it matter what name it goes by?
Don't get me wrong, there is no question a 30-06 or .270 has much more energy, thus more stopping power, but we are talking thin skinned animals. Just my opinion.
Any other opinions on this theory?

[VargetBurner]

try a 55 grain "accelerator" in an 06, or a 110 gr target/varmint bullet in it. same results? more than likely these would come apart before reaching vitals. just like any other bullet designed for this purpose.
no one bullet can be magic in every application. check this out.

PROGERS, hope this is OK. Didn't think a link would be ok.




The .243 Winchester
By Chuck Hawks


The .243 Winchester is a better varmint cartridge than the .25's, while remaining adequate for deer and antelope. The .243 launches an 80 grain varmint bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of about 3,350 fps. This means that it shoots about as flat as a .22-250, only its 80 grain spitzer bullet has a BC of .365, compared to the 55 grain .22 spitzer's BC of .255. This is an enormous difference, and explains why the .24's are so much better than the .22's on windy days.

When using the .243 to hunt medium size big game animals, bullet selection is paramount. Rapid (but controlled) expansion is very important, as the small diameter 6mm bullet has little shocking power if it does not expand and expend its energy inside of the animal. Two bullets in the 90-100 grain weight range that have earned a good reputation on medium size big game animals are the Remington Core-Lokt and Nosler Partition.

Winchester's Supreme 95 grain Ballistic Silvertip big game bullet is factory loaded to a MV of 3,100 fps with 2,021 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy (ME). If that load is zeroed to strike 2.5 inches high at 100 yards the bullet will then strike 3 inches high at 150 yards, 2.3 inches high at 200 yards, and 3 inches low at 300 yards. At 200 yards that bullet hits with 1,455 ft. lbs. of energy, and at 300 yards it still retains 1,225 ft. lbs. of energy. With this load so zeroed the .243 Winchester is about a 300 yard deer and antelope cartridge.

Reloaders with a .243 are in luck. There are bullets from 55-115 grains from which to choose, and many common powders are adaptable to the .243. Also, .243 brass is strong and plentiful. Generally, bullets from 70 to 80 grains are the best choice for varmint hunting, and bullets from 90 to 105 grains are the best choice for hunting CXP2 class game. Here are some important specifications for reloaders: bullet diameter .243", maximum case length 2.045", maximum COL 2.71", MAP 52,000 cup.

Bullets lighter than 90 grains are generally varmint bullets, and bullets 90 grains and heavier are generally intended for big game hunting. The distinction is important because the internal construction of the two types of bullets is quite different. Very few bullets are adaptable to both purposes.

According to the Nosler Reloading Guide No.5 their 80 grain Ballistic Tip varmint bullet can be driven to a MV of 3041 fps with 38.5 grains of H380 powder and 3291 fps in front of 42.5 grains of H380.

My favorite general purpose .243 load uses a Hornady 87 grain BTHP bullet in front of a maximum load of 37.1 grains of IMR 4064 powder for a MV of 3100 fps. Hornady technicians developed this load in Hornady cases using Federal 210 primers. It provides very good accuracy in my Browning 1885 Low Wall rifle.

According to the Nosler Reloading Guide No.5 their The 95-100 grain big game bullets can be driven to a MV of 2909 fps with 37.5 grains of IMR 4350 powder, or 3060 fps in front of 41.5 grains of the same powder.

The technicians at Nosler used Winchester cases and Remington 9 1/2 primers for their load development. The Nosler loads were chronographed from a 24 inch barrel.

Note: A full length article about the .243 Winchester can be found on the Rifle Cartridge Page.

[progers]

I shot a 190lb fallow buck last month in Texas, and he dropped 15 feet from where he stood. However, an hour later, he was still alive. I left him there b/c I knew it was a small round and didn't want to pressure him, so I was gonna let him bleed out. But there was not blood. He was only 70yds away. There is no match for the accuracy, but I prefer a little more knock down power.

Thank you,thank you,thank you.
In my opinion the 243 and others like it should not be legal to hunt deer and large game with.I have personally seen too many WELL shot deer run off to not be found until days later if ever.If you are gonna deer hunt the least ya can do is shoot a gun that has less of a chance to "wound" the deer.When you step up to a 30-06,7 mm or even a .300 win mag you lessen the odds that you are going to wound or injure the deer.
My brother shot a doe one year with a .243 and hit her between the vitals and the spine.She ran over 400 yards and the only reason we found her was because of the buzzardz.The coyotes ate her and the3 hunt and meat were ruined.If he would have shot her with an 06 or 300 NO WAY would that have happened!

OK, for starters I would imagine that the person that is asking the origional question in this topic is a youth. With that being said Cuz, you do not stick an 06, 7mag or 300mag in the hands of a youth to start out with.

Now, I have killed quite a few deer with a 243 and so has my wife and so has a friend of mine's son. And, there is a youth on this fourm that hunts with one successfully. Now, the shot your brother put on that doe was not a great shot. It didn't hit vitals and I would bet money that he pushed that deer as well. I know folks who have made that same "bad" shot with 7mags and 06's and lost the deer.

70% of the deer I have shot with a 243 have dropped in their tracks and the ranges were from 80 yards to 200 yards. The other 30% of the deer I have killed with that 243 has not made it past the 35 yard mark. I've seen deer hit mid body in the kidney area and the deer run less than 100 yards.


As VargetBurner suggested, I think that what you seen was an issue with the ammo and not the gun itself. I use federal Premium 100grain nosler solid base boat-tail in the 243 that my wife and I use and we have yet to have a deer go past 35 yards. As I have stated earlier, the only downfall with a 243 is the lack of a blood trail sometimes but, that is it.

Shot placement is the key element in killing wildgame. Now, if you (not meaning you personally) are a person who just throws up the rifle, floats it over the front half of a deer's body and pulls the trigger then, yea, you would be better off shooting a 7mag or 300mag. Or better yet, a 45/70!

[planecrash]

Ive used a .243 since the day i began hunting.
Which was maybe..4-5 years ago

But in that time the .243 only failed me once on a shot from a 300+ yard shot.

I was using a frontier win. bullet.

Ever since ive used a balistic tip. Which has racked me up with 5 kills this season.

Its all on how you use it.

[progers]

You tell em' little buddy!

Speaking of the 243, BassPro has a Remington 243 Youth Model with a Bushnell scope on sale for $329.88

[Jaypo]

The only reason I used the .243 on the fallow is because I was a guest at a ranch, and I only brought my bow. We were hunting in the evening, and I went after hogs, but didn't want to wound and lose a hog with a bow (I've never shot a hog yet, so I wanted to find it if I shot it). The ranch owner (and friend of mine) offered for me to use his rifle, which happened to be a .243. The shot was from 70 yards, and the first shot hit him and he just looked at me. Immediately, the 2nd shot hit and he stumbled back 15 feet, which is where I found him. I went to where he was standing to look for blood, and saw him pick his head up 15 yards from me. I sat down and tried to find him in my scope, but it was dark. Not wanting to pressure him, and seeing a huge storm about to hit us, I snuck out back to the ranch. An hour later, we returned to the spot where he was down, and he picked up his head and put it back down 3 feet from me, and I finished him with a handgun. Now, I had never shot the gun before, and I'm used to a .308. I hit him twice right behind the shoulder, and he lived for an hour, although he didn't make it very far. My .308 would have knocked him backwards from that distance! Shot placement is key, but if you are a beginner (like me) and not an expert, please practice and figure out which round is right for you.

[cuzins8]

The only reason I used the .243 on the fallow is because I was a guest at a ranch, and I only brought my bow. We were hunting in the evening, and I went after hogs, but didn't want to wound and lose a hog with a bow (I've never shot a hog yet, so I wanted to find it if I shot it). The ranch owner (and friend of mine) offered for me to use his rifle, which happened to be a .243. The shot was from 70 yards, and the first shot hit him and he just looked at me. Immediately, the 2nd shot hit and he stumbled back 15 feet, which is where I found him. I went to where he was standing to look for blood, and saw him pick his head up 15 yards from me. I sat down and tried to find him in my scope, but it was dark. Not wanting to pressure him, and seeing a huge storm about to hit us, I snuck out back to the ranch. An hour later, we returned to the spot where he was down, and he picked up his head and put it back down 3 feet from me, and I finished him with a handgun. Now, I had never shot the gun before, and I'm used to a .308. I hit him twice right behind the shoulder, and he lived for an hour, although he didn't make it very far. My .308 would have knocked him backwards from that distance! Shot placement is key, but if you are a beginner (like me) and not an expert, please practice and figure out which round is right for you.

Jay,Who do you know that has a ranch with exotics in Texas?Just a curious Texan!

[Jaypo]

The president of the bank that I work for owns the End of the Trail Ranch in Sonora, TX. It is a private ranch, but he invites me a few times a year. They have fallows, javelinas, barbado sheep, mexican goats, and this year, the hogs are starting to take over. The whitetail are just everywhere. The cool thing is that the ranch is open range. There are no wildlife fences, and the cattle fences are opened on each side. So it's not like killing penned in animals. They are actually free ranging!

[DocHolladay]

I have to agree with Paul on the shot between the spine and vitals. I have a friend that made that shot with a muzzleloader this year and the deer ran off. He never found it and as far as we know it is still running around. It may be dead, but I doubt it. It is one of those survivable shots that deer sometimes take.

[progers]

I watched a youth today drop a nice 3pt. with a 243 at 80 yards. The buck ran 30 yards and piled up. Perfect double lungar. Blood trail 12" wide and steady.

As someone else stated on another thread, I think that it has more to do with the ammo than the rifle.

[SuperJ1975]

I have used the 243 quite a bit for whitetail deer and never had any problems killing deer with it. I would even use it for caribou and elk.

[Clark]

Head shots on pigs, they have really tough cartilidge around the vitals.

[ironhead]

I had a BLR 243, I put a heart shot on a doe,,,she raised up on the hind legs and let out the most blood curling scream I have ever heard. She came down in a heap not making 5 more steps. I never used that rifle again, I went and bought my ruger 270.

[MIBuckSlayer65]

Look at a 7mm08...I love this round it will drop em in their tracks, you can reach out and touch em if you have to...and the recoil isn't all that bad either...the Ammo is going to run you more than .243 so that's a minus.

JMHO

Mike

Mason, MI

[

[boondocker]

As we all really know it's more WHERE we hit them what we hit them with (within reason of course)
Have never used a 243 but know a lot of deer are killed with them every year.
In my home state of Minnesota they just legalized all centerfire rifles .22 and larger. Not sure about a .223 for deer but spose if a good bullet is used it will do the job.
Read an article some guy wrote about using small caliber on deer and his logic was if a 150 grain bullet can kill a 900 pound elk why can't a 55 grain bullet kill a 200 pound deer? Good discussion fodder I spose.

[SuperJ1975]

They give us 5.56mm (223) rifles that shoot full metal jacket bullets in the Army to shoot at enemy soldiers. I would feel 100% confident if all I had the rest of my life was a 223 or the like for deer.

[ironhead]

Ahhhhh,,,there is a reason the U.S. went to the 5.56. A smaller bullet takes out more than just the man that hits the ground. Somebody has to give wounded soldiers immediate care,medics, doctors, nurses, transport, the wounded have to be fed and clothed. Then there are the medical supplies that have to be transported and distributed. People have to purchase said supplies. The theory being put them out of commission, but use up their resourses as well. So it is much much more practial for a military to use smaller bullets and wound an enemy than it is to outright put him in the ground in a hurry. Thats why snipers use bigger bullets, PUT EM DOWN KEEP EM DOWN.