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Plover
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| Joined: | 31 October 2005 |
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Posted: 10 November 2005 01:10 PM |
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I'm interested in how a .243 cal. will do on medium size whitetail .... 175 lb max...... what size bullet, type, do you use ...... grains, powder ? .. how far does the deer run after being hit ?....
Thanks! 
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Mickey Rat
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 18 March 2005 |
| Location: | Dothan, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 298 |
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Posted: 13 November 2005 07:55 AM |
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Just picked up a Savage Model 10 in 243 today (swapped a Taurus Millenium 380 dead even for it). It is sighted in with Hornady 90 grain (came with a new box of ammo). I have some Barnes 90 grain that I will work up a load with.
Something else to play with.
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Mickey Rat
NRA Life Member
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Plover
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Posted: 13 November 2005 12:48 PM |
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 I would be interested in how well they dispatch deer ........ is this part of your plan?
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Mickey Rat
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 18 March 2005 |
| Location: | Dothan, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 298 |
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Posted: 14 November 2005 06:37 AM |
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I am you basic 06 redneck. If a 180 gr Core-Lokt won't kill it, I don't need to try.
HOWEVER; this is an area where a 243 is ASSUMED to be a deer rifle. My brother uses a Browning BAR/Boss in 243. It never failed. The 243 was just to get something different. I will try it out as far as accuracy and decided if I want to keep it.
I have only recently started hunting again. I bought a Savage 99 in 308 and a Mauser in 35 Whelen in the last few weeks. I plan to retire my 30-06 742 and go to the Savage, but I would like to take at least one deer with the 35 Whelen and my 45-70 Siamese Mauser (450 Barnes spitzer).
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Mickey Rat
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jk3campbell
HB Full Member
| Joined: | 4 January 2008 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 11 |
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Posted: 5 January 2008 11:49 PM |
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I've shot 8 or so whitetails with my 243 using Factory Rem 100 grain psp. Only 1 was not a pass through but it was a bigger 8 point in WV and it was stuck in the hide on the second side. Deer ran maybe 20 yards and dropped. All others dropped the deer in short order(when I put the bullet in the right spot)
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dakotasin
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| Joined: | 8 February 2005 |
| Location: | Dizzy City, Wyoming USA |
| Posts: | 591 |
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Posted: 6 January 2008 04:36 PM |
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ok... i'm putting on nomex as you read this...
i don't like the 243 for deer. i find it to be a wonderful crippler that will really help you hone your tracking skills, and deal w/ that sinking, agonizing pit in your stomach when the trail gets thin, and all that wonderful stuff.
now, the whitetail deer in s.d. are very large (much bigger than even wyoming mulies), and i have shot several that sailed over 200 pounds, and 1 that approached 300 pounds - but i would call 175 pounds a big deer.
my experience w/ the 243 on these deer were w/ 100 grain ballistic tips (2 deer) and 85 grain sierra (1 deer). none dropped at the shot, all required extensive tracking (more than 50 yards), no shot was longer than 130 yards, and all were shot just behind the shoulders. it is because of this experience that i am not one of the crowd that claims placement trumps all.
i sold the rifle after my last experience (rem m7).
all that said, i know plenty of deer are killed every year w/ the 243, but none by me.
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saddlesore
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 6 February 2005 |
| Location: | Colorado Springs, Colorado USA |
| Posts: | 485 |
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Posted: 6 January 2008 06:03 PM |
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| In the right hands it will do fine, just use a good bullet over 90 grs and don't try to push it to mach 1
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sdb777
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| Joined: | 16 October 2005 |
| Location: | Cabot, Arkansas USA |
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Posted: 6 January 2008 07:20 PM |
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Hmmmm, thread from the dead?
A .17 Remington with a 20gr Hornady V-Max will take deer. Took one three years ago with this fine cartridge.... The bullet entered the chest cavity and the deer never even moved! The internals were pretty much turned into jelly, as no identifiable organs were visible!
So with that said, a .243Winchester, with proper projectile placement, should be able to effectively take just about any whitetail even to have walked in North America. I know a great number of people using this cartridge in Maine to harvest whitetails, and most of the deer start at 175 pounds.
Scott (3 P's=Proper Projectile Placement) B
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barebackpat
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 22 January 2007 |
| Location: | Two Dot, Montana USA |
| Posts: | 371 |
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Posted: 6 January 2008 07:27 PM |
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| My first rifle for big game was a 243 and i have since shot countless whitetails mule deer, and even elk with that gun. As long as i do my part it never lets me down. My fiance' shot her first elk this year with a 243and it only went about 20 feet. And that was about A 300 yard shot. All of this with either 85 or 87 grain bullets. But that is just my experience. Shot placement not bore size.
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Charley
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| Joined: | 9 September 2005 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2223 |
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Posted: 6 January 2008 10:00 PM |
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dakotasin wrote: ok... i'm putting on nomex as you read this...
i don't like the 243 for deer. i find it to be a wonderful crippler that will really help you hone your tracking skills, and deal w/ that sinking, agonizing pit in your stomach when the trail gets thin, and all that wonderful stuff.
now, the whitetail deer in s.d. are very large (much bigger than even wyoming mulies), and i have shot several that sailed over 200 pounds, and 1 that approached 300 pounds - but i would call 175 pounds a big deer.
my experience w/ the 243 on these deer were w/ 100 grain ballistic tips (2 deer) and 85 grain sierra (1 deer). none dropped at the shot, all required extensive tracking (more than 50 yards), no shot was longer than 130 yards, and all were shot just behind the shoulders. it is because of this experience that i am not one of the crowd that claims placement trumps all.
i sold the rifle after my last experience (rem m7).
all that said, i know plenty of deer are killed every year w/ the 243, but none by me.
I tend to argee. I've killed maybe a half dozen Texas whitetails with a .243, only two were DRT kills. The others ran, some up to 100 yards or so, even with classic heart/lung shots. Other's experiences tend to mirror mine, but the tracking is usually explained away ( I found the deer, the .243 worked fine!). Shooting a .243 is similar to using a centerfire .22 with deer. Most of the time it works, some of the time it works extremely well, but occasionally it will either fail, or not work as well as something bigger.
Me? I like bigger holes in the animals I shoot.
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The_Mountaineer
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| Joined: | 4 February 2005 |
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| Posts: | 715 |
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Posted: 7 January 2008 03:09 PM |
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The good thing about reviving old threads is it tends to grow with new postings!
The 243 will kill deer for sure. A lifelong hunting buddy of mine has used his for probably a dozen or two white tails I know of. They work.
However, you need good bullets IMO. Standard bullets of small diameter at high impact velocities don't work out well. I killed 1 deer with a 243 and vowed not to use it again. 50 yards with a Weatherby Vanguard in 243 broadside shot using 100 grain Winchester "Factory" Power Points killed it but only after it ran into the brush another 50 -75 yards. Bullet simply went through the shoulder blade and stopped short of the opposite side. Little holes sprung in deer that run off will still kill it but I'm like dak, I prefer to have two holes springing a trail if there is going to be one.
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wheezengeezer
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 16 July 2007 |
| Location: | Jeddediah Jones Swamp, Kansas USA |
| Posts: | 622 |
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Posted: 7 January 2008 04:12 PM |
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| i have thought of trying the barnes tsx for a deer bullet.i prefer to have an exit hole also.
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OK Hunter
HB Life Member
| Joined: | 23 April 2007 |
| Location: | Stillwater, Oklahoma USA |
| Posts: | 118 |
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Posted: 7 January 2008 09:56 PM |
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| I am going to barnes tsx for my 6mm rem. Everything I read about them is good. Lots of expansion and no loss in weight.
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buckskull
HB Full Member
| Joined: | 8 July 2007 |
| Location: | Berkshire, New York USA |
| Posts: | 21 |
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Posted: 7 January 2008 11:27 PM |
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| I have a Remington model 700 CDL in .243. I have tried many bullets and found the 100 g. Hornady BTSP to be the most accurate 1/2" groups at 100 yrds and the most deadly here in upstate NY. Although I have never killed a deer with it over 200 lbs. it does just fine on those I have shot. Yes they tend to run off, on average 20 yrds. or so but they do die. Maybe it is due to good bullet placement that I have not had issues, but I personally do not feel that tracking an animal 20 yrds. is worth me not using this gun. I am also a bow hunter so I am not new to tracking a hit whitetail.
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wheezengeezer
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 16 July 2007 |
| Location: | Jeddediah Jones Swamp, Kansas USA |
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Posted: 8 January 2008 12:14 AM |
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| i would say if a deer runs only 20 yards ,then the bullet did a heckuva good job.in 88 i shot a doe at 100 yds with my 25/06 thru both lungs and the top of the heart.she ran a full 75 yds.i have shot more than 50 deer with that rifle,some have run in circles and some have run as far as 100 yds.a heart/lung shot is a relable one.a 243 with a 100 gr conventional construction bullet will work well for that.they do lack the weight to break bones and penetrate.that is where the TSX will put the 243 in the class of the 25 cal with conventional bullets.
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I was raised in the 50's on gunpowder and jackrabbits.salt and pepper wooda made'em taste better
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klallen
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| Joined: | 10 February 2005 |
| Location: | Great Falls, Montana USA |
| Posts: | 661 |
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Posted: 8 January 2008 05:30 AM |
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Years ago I did my Whitetail hunting with a .22-250 and a 55 gr. soft point. It was the only rifle I had. Pushed into both varmint and deer service. Honestly, I enjoyed wonderful success. Shots were never long; down on the river bottoms. Neck shots. Slipping the bullet behind shoulder. Basic, easy stuff.
As I got older my hunting area changed dramatically. Open prairie; longer shots, larger Mule Deer. And I got more guns in the safe, too. Choices lessen the need to push smaller caliber rounds into big game action, least for me it does. I've long since sold my .22-250 in favor of the .243 Win. (and enjoy it a great deal), but it'll never get use as a big game round. I've absolutely no doubt it'd function as such just fine if I reworked the load with a proper bullet, but with more appropriate cartridges at my disposal for some of the longer range deer hunting I now experience, the .243'll be no more then a top-notch varmint rig. If it were the only thing I had, I'm sure my story would be different, but as it were, I see no value in requiring more of it then I currently need. korey
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bea175
Board Founder
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Posted: 8 January 2008 04:12 PM |
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| The 243 Win is one of my favorite for Whitetail deer hunting . I have used a number of different bullets in this cal and my favorite is the 90 gr Swift Scirocco with IMR 4064. Every deer i have taken with the 243 has been a one shot kill. Place you bullet right and the 243 is all you will ever need . Place the bullet wrong and you have a crippled animal , no matter what cal you are using. Most people who put down the 243 have never shot or hunted with this excellent cal.
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door county
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| Joined: | 8 January 2008 |
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Posted: 8 January 2008 08:01 PM |
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I took two whitetails this season, both with my trusty tikka t3 in 243 with 90g hpbts, and imr 4350.
We are in a earn-a-buck zone, and i had a buck and doe run by me, i took the doe first, she dressed at 115, dropped in her tracks (necks shots will do that). Her boyfriend stopped to see what happened so i helped him to the ground in his tracks as well, he was a small 10ptr that dressed out at 185. I love my 243, but i practice with it weekly.
practice will make more of a difference than the bullet you shoot.
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264shooter
HB Pro Staff
| Joined: | 11 June 2005 |
| Location: | California USA |
| Posts: | 75 |
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Posted: 8 January 2008 08:57 PM |
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| I have killed many deer with a .243 or 6MM rem.Most were dropped rather quickly.Ranges were between 50 yards to 400 yards.Nosler 100 gr Solid Base bullets are my choice.Sierra 100 gr's were extremely accurate but really destroyed lots of meat.Same with 100 gr Hornady Interlocks. I prefer any premium bullet over most average factory bullets.The exception to that is Remingtons Corloct.Very fine bullet.Having watched the profesionals hunting Texas Whitetails on TV it seems even the guys shooting the big Magnims have to go find their deer.My limited experience with Texas Whitetails(3 deer),all dropped in their tracks from a single shot from my .264 and 120 gr Barnes X-Bullets.I never been a fan of behind the shoulder shots on a broadside deer.In my experience,shooting through the shoulder usually stops them pretty quick.Heart shot deer can run a long way.If I had to choose only 1 deer rifle I would opt for something a little bigger.At least a 25 caliber.
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kombatscouter
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Posted: 9 January 2008 10:16 PM |
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If you like the way the gun shoots and are accurate with it, it will do fine as long as you practice and take ethical shots.
I have used 75gr HP, 8ogr SP and 100 gr parttitions, over 20 whitetails and never lost one.
Be comfortable with the shot and trusting your gun is very importatnt.
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Better to have and not need than to need and not have.
Dave
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