steel13
Handloading Master
| Joined: | Fri Dec 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | I Live In The Rain, Washington USA |
| Posts: | 348 |
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The .243 is a fine killer, with proper shot placement this bear didn't go 2 ft.
Attachment: bear 2.jpg (Downloaded 43 times)
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halitosis is better than no breath at all!
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| Posted: Tue Jul 14th, 2009 03:10 AM |
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42nd Post |
BallisticTip Hunter
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| Joined: | Mon Jul 13th, 2009 |
| Location: | Campbellsport, Wisconsin USA |
| Posts: | 3 |
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Through my years of reloading and hunting with a .243 Winchester I found that the caliber makes a very good whitetail gun. I shot 7whitetails last season here in Wisconson and the buck was 201LBS dressed. The farthest shot was 432yards and the deer went 50yards. Finding the right powder and the rite bullet with lots and lots of partice with all shooting expecialy past 200-400yds.
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| Posted: Sat Jul 18th, 2009 07:09 PM |
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43rd Post |
fryboy
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Feb 24th, 2008 |
| Location: | USA |
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how did i miss this thread ? lolz ...personal experience ? i have lost count of the deer dropped to my .243-the worst ? 80 yards on the run on the edge of sum rip rap and weeds i aimed for the heart and hit it as well as both lungs ..the deer was already in hi gear... he pumped out all his blood in less than 30 yards but objects in motion often continue in motion and adrenalin is a powerful motivator he went another 80 yards with no blood or air in his system -the heart was mush as was the lungs ..310 feet running on empty .... would my 300 mag done a better job ? define better ? more bloodshot meat ? yes ..better knockdown with the same shot ? nope cuz he went down when the bullet hit him ..would the 300 mag of made him stay down ? nope ..best shot ? ( i didnt think it was so far until after it was made) 485 measured yards anchored him on the spot 240 # whitetail ...it helps that i often use the same rig for p-dogs so i know the rifle rather well,i'll only take a heart shot on a possible trophy ,i prefer 2" below the head on the center of the neck i usually pass on trophy bucks anyways ( horns do not cook or taste worth a plugged nickle IMO )i hunt for meat and not bloodshot meat like a 270 or something leaves even my fav 6.5 leaves too much bloodshot meat if it was legal in my state i'd use the .222 that i grew up with ,as so many have said placement is everything ! if u cant poke him where u need to u should pass up the shot ( even if ur using a cannon )i've seen guys blow their deer all to kingdom come and not kill them...not very sporting or humane IMO as well as leaving precious little to eat ,deer can not be considered "big game" thin skinned game perhaps ....the indians killed millions of them without the power of a mag ,i use the 243 because while overkill it isnt as bad as even my swedish mauser on bloodshot meat ..it's also about the minimum allowed by law in my state ,i have tried many bullets and the rem core lokts in 100 grains always perform flawlessly ( for me anyways ur experience may differ )at 30 yards or 485 yards and while i set about 400 as my limit for deer i have nailed p-dogs at 800 with it ( as i said knowing ur rifle is utmost in consideration )and p-dogs are great practice !!! in over 30 years i believe i have found 1 whole bullet( well mushroomed quartering shot) and one hollow jacket ( that was on rear shot- took out the bottom of the spine,the artery's and didnt destroy any meat and luckily enough didnt punch the guts ) no amount of mag will make up for a bad shot nor will "flinchitus" more power applied in the wrong place is wasted ,as much as i love my 243 i leave it at home for big game even tho it is legal for elk where i hunt at ( i use a 6.5 there )i have a variety of calibers to choose from including mags ,the deer wont care it it was a .22 lr or a 600 nitro express if the bullet is properly placed ,one thing alot of people fail to realize that a big mag bullet is too hard to do much to a deer but poke a hole clear thru it expending precious little energy inside and wasting most of it on a hill that was already dead  ( btw ? rocks and dirt dont cook worth a dang either )i bet anyone can guess what caliber i picked in the "best deer round poll" lolz
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(happy shootin'-the best way to get empty brass!)
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19th, 2009 03:36 PM |
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44th Post |
hwy40
HB Pro Staff
| Joined: | Sat Feb 14th, 2009 |
| Location: | Alamosa, Colorado USA |
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I have read the posts in this thread and have heard all of my life that the 243 isn't powerful enough for deer and elk. That said, I will just add to the supporters of this fine little round that both my dad and his brother hunted with the 243 for years and years with no larger cartridge in their batteries. Countless deer and elk and a few bear were harvested with no problems. My uncle once took a large 6x6 bull elk with one shot at 600 yards adding a third nostril to the center of the bulls head. I might add that head shots were the norm as that is what grandpa taught them and what he still expects from all of us.
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| Posted: Mon Jul 20th, 2009 12:42 AM |
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45th Post |
BPCR Bill
HB Pro Staff
| Joined: | Thu Jul 26th, 2007 |
| Location: | Salem, Oregon USA |
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I haven't had a .243 in years, but they are quite adequate for whitetails. A 90 or 100 grain bullet over some IMR 4064 is what I used if memory serves me correctly. A well placed shot will take them. Funny thing about whitetails, though. They don't like to die. I've had well placed shots at under 100 yards with the trusty old '06 and they can stumble right along for awhile with not much left for vitals.
Regards,
Bill
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Mark Twain
NRA Endowment
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US Navy Retired
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31st, 2009 04:50 AM |
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46th Post |
sako06
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| Joined: | Sun Jul 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | California USA |
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I've read a lot of negative comments about 243 but most don't realize it's a necked down 308 case but many of my friends used 243's for columbian blacktails a mule deer subspecies. In the 1960's blacktail bucks were 5x's,4x's,5x4's with good size bodies.Mis or no management by the CA Dept of fish & game ruined that great herd.now one is lucky to see a forkie.
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