243 or not 243.... that is the question

Stinkfoot

Active Member
I've been cyber researching this for months and thought I'd made a good decision, until I eventually asked a real person for his opinion and now I'm as confused as ever.

It'll be my first deer rifle and the only one I'll own for the foreseeable future so I reckoned a .243 would be a good entry level, giving me the option of stalking in England if the chance ever came up and offering a huge range of ammo.

I live in Scotland and there's a really good chance this rifle will never see anything other than roe and foxes over the next year or two. So what do you guys think? Should I keep all options open to me with the .243 or would I be more comfortable with something that'll adequately do the job like the .223 that was suggested to me today?


Do any of you guys own both? If so, what's your fav? Would you take the .243 with you for roe and foxes and leave your .223 at home?

Thanks in advance for the conflicting advice I feel I'm about to receive. :)

gov
 
Forgive the pun, but I think you should stick to your guns. The .243 has to be the better choice for deer and fox. Yes the .223 will do the job and is fantastic for fox, but why limit your options? .243 is deer legal for all types of deer in the UK, plus you'll get it issued for fox without too much quibble. It will shoot anything from light varmint bullets up to 100gr, deer legal for all species in Scotland & England.

It might seem like the sensible thing to be conservative but trust me when I say this... "It'll do me for a few years" rarely works when you get the shooting bug! Avenues will open, unexpected opportunities will present themselves and you'll find yourself trying to push through a last minute variation just so you can pop across the border to go stalking.

I started with a .243 and although I did end up getting a .30-06 for larger species and boar I still have my .243 and it comes with me 9/10 when stalking roe.

I'd be interested to hear why the other person thought you should ditch .243 for .223....

all the best,

Alex
 
I have to agree with Alex, I've shot deer with both and would never choose to shoot deer with 223 over a 243. Dont get me wrong I never had problems using 223 but it did always leave me feeling that if the shot had not hit absolutely right, perhaps a freak gust of wind or the animal moved unexpectedly, the result would have been an unrecovered animal. IMHO I would go for the slightly bigger margin of error that a 243 affords.
 
You can load the .243 to do what a 222 can and also a fair bit more with the heavier stuff so it will give you a bit more versitility. I bet your pal has a CF .22 for the deer. Guess what? I have a 243AI so it is all a bit subjective.

Dave
 
yeah, I tend to agree with you guys after hearing those good points. He was basing his argument on cost, the fact that I'd almost exclusively be after roe and fox and, yes, because he has one himself for that very purpose and claims that it's all that I'd need. Lightweight, sling it over your shoulder and away you go...... but I reckon I could do that just as well with my original choice of .243.

So I'm back on course... a .243 it is. Unless anyone else wants to confuse the issue.

thanks for that, guys

gov
 
I have both .223 and .243 (also .308) if I could only have one of the first two , to do all things , it would be the .243 all day long. ai love the .223, but it would still be the .243.
 
I have a .222 .243 & i have just added a .270 to my cert.
The .243 is a good rifle but i manly use the .222 for roe & foxing. The .243 i only use on red deer & now that i have a .270 i could see the .243 going to the clasified section in the not to distant future.

John
 
It comes down to personal choice, I have used most calibres at one time or another but .243 is my all time favourite
if you are only going to have one rifle its the perfect choice, if you get in to home loading you have a lot of bullet weights to
choose from, even in factory rounds you have a fair choice 80gr. 100gr. and R.W.S do 105 gr which is very good on Reds

Its a popular calibre with professional stalkers, so that about sums it up.
 
.243 would be my choice of the two, pretty vesatile caliber,and an excellent wind bucking fox round.
Neil.
 
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I would also go for 243, wouldn't really concider the 223 for roe. We use 22-250 on all deer here, drops sika does and calfs really well. 22-250 is a great caliber.
edi
 
We use 22-250 on all deer here, drops sika does and calfs really well. 22-250 is a great caliber.
edi

:eek:

Go with the .243 gov - it will give you the versatility and ensure that you are legal for all deer in the UK. OK, it wouldn't be my first choice for a big Devon stag, but I've used it for Scottish hill stags with no problems.
 
243 is a an excellent calibre i use 75 grn bt for foxes and will shoot them further than i can and just drop a 100grn in for deer.I also have a 30-06 for the larger deer and boar but will keep the 243 as well especially for summer when i am only shooting roe munties and fox
 
Im a fan for stuff roe sized. I belive its a versitile and good "killing" round. I would hesitate to use it on bigger, though I have dropped reds and fallow with it in the past without problems, more just the peace of mind that you have with a .308, which is IMO a better alround calibre. I've noticed its growing in popularity again for roe, with a number of guides i know moving back to it because of its "knock out value" and lack of meat damage (due too much less hydraulic shock that the faster .243).



Sam
 
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I'd go for .308, as Sam says much less damage, much more bruising with .243, you might lose the shoulder on a small animal. Also you can do more with a .308.

Best

PHJLA
 
Bear in mind that if you turn up to shoot red stags on some Scottish estates, they will laugh at your 243, tell you to just leave it in the car and then take you to shoot at the target with the estate rifle.
 
Another vote for the 308! I considered a 243 but found that I can load a 308 to behave like a 243 at all reasonable stalking ranges but it is not possible to load a 243 up to behave like a 308. I load some 110 grain V-Max rounds which are very accurate and would be ideal for foxes, I believe you can get some very light big game bullets in 308 so you could easily replicate the 100 grain 243 load, 150 grain bullets are ideal for all deer and you will have no concerns should you go for red deer that the stalker might frown upon your caliber choice and should you ever come across some boar you can load up some 180 grain bullets. Sure, you'd be better with a 30-06 for the 180 grain jobs but the 308 will do the job just fine for you. I also believe that the BASC people have issued some guidance about police forces giving you fox on larger calibers so that may not be a problem plus there is mil surplus ammo for plinking/practise and an almost infinate choice of bullet, case, powder, load, factory ammo etc.
 
i see the old 243 isnt big enough for reds crack coming into the limelight again try telling it to the two stags my old feller shot on friday night both over 180 lbs dressed out and both straight down where they stood at 100 yards apeice 243 is a fantastic round that will do anything in this country with a well placed shot apart from maybe boar but ive seem big pigs shot in new zealand with 223 (both stags shot in the engine room )
 
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