.243 gone full circle

jon15

Well-Known Member
I have shot a fair few deer - into the hundreds, I started off with the .243 and shot plenty of them with it, from rutting red stags to muntjac and never found it wanting. I generally neck shoot and used a 105g Geco soft nose through it and always enjoyed shooting it as it was so smooth. But, like most of us, I believed somehow that a different calibre would kill deer better! I read lots about the .308 with its great knock down power as I do lots of woodland stalking and so I bought one. I also do a fair bit on the hill, especially on the hinds and again felt that I needed a flatter shooting harder hitting round so researched and spoke to stalkers and ended up settling on a 25-06. I was hoping this was going to be my go to rifle in the cabinet as everyone told me it was better than the .243. Both rounds are great, and lots of people love them, I can see why, but I have now gone full circle, I have gone back to the .243. The reasons; I am not a home loader and ammunition is easy to get, it is beautifully smooth to shoot (thus you can be very accurate as no shot flinching) and if you put the bullet in the right place it does its job as well as any I have shot. I have come to the conclusion that mine does everything I want it to do. In simple terms it may not have the knock down power of a .308 or the flat trajectory of the 25-06 but it suits me very well and it does do the basics very well, put deer down.
Happy stalking.
 
" I generally neck shoot........I have gone back to the .243"

Prepare for incoming! The ONLY thing that could have made this thread even more fun is " It's a Blaser !"

Joking aside.....There is a reason why so many of us use and love the lil' ol' 6mm-08. Stick with it and thanks for the reasoning!

DT
 
I too love my neck and head shots with my .243.

Amen to that!.... And we will need religion, we are about to get forum lynched!
 
Just restocked my Remy 700 243, had it a good few years now...it's done everything I have asked of it..BUT, I got a 270 as well.......... ...... took the 243 out today to try a new reload in it, and have fallen in love with it all over again...:)
 
Never had a problem with my 243, but have moved to the next much maligned calibre 270.
 
I too head shoot when ever possable and I have found the 75g & 70g Nosla Balistic tips to be so destructive they are ideal for this. The 308 BTs seem to go through and through but the 243 just dumps all its energy where I want it and knocks them down no the spot even id a couple of inches out.

Heart shot I use 100g soft points and the knock down has been fine but I can see the argument for the 308 150g slower round doing less meet dammage

Accuracy the 243 has it in spades. I can never get my 308 as tight between 100 & 200m as I can the 243 and I put this down to over gripping the rifel to cope with recoil.

ATB
 
I have both a 308 and 243 and the 308 is just as accurate as the 243 infant with 130 gr Barnes ttsx its faster flater and harder hitting than my 243 with 100 sgk
 
never liked it can't see me ever going back to it either if we where down to Just one deer cal on my cert it would be 308 win
I've other cals 270 6.5 x55 so I'm being objective :D
 
wouldn't stir paint with a 243 shouldn't even be deer legal only any good for foxing.
 
Last edited:
what utter tosh is going to be spouted next, we hear it all the time that the .243 isnt man enough for deer stalking its just utter b?llocks a muntjac hs a reputation for being a tuff little deer but we would all quite happily shot a .222 at one producing around 1050 ish ftlb of energy or we will go to scotland and happily shoot roe as in the back of our heads were telling ourselves that we dont really need all that gun to kill a roe and it really should be legal to use it on roe in the rest of the uk, but then we look at the .243 producing close to double the energy of the .222 and all of a sudden its not man enough to do anything other than foxes? its nonscence and utter tripe and if anyone is that certain that the .243 is unable to kill deer feel free to invite me out on your ground and i will bring my .243 and show you just how effective it can be it will be an education for you
 
what utter tosh is going to be spouted next, we hear it all the time that the .243 isnt man enough for deer stalking its just utter b?llocks a muntjac hs a reputation for being a tuff little deer but we would all quite happily shot a .222 at one producing around 1050 ish ftlb of energy or we will go to scotland and happily shoot roe as in the back of our heads were telling ourselves that we dont really need all that gun to kill a roe and it really should be legal to use it on roe in the rest of the uk, but then we look at the .243 producing close to double the energy of the .222 and all of a sudden its not man enough to do anything other than foxes? its nonscence and utter tripe and if anyone is that certain that the .243 is unable to kill deer feel free to invite me out on your ground and i will bring my .243 and show you just how effective it can be it will be an education for you
Here here sir -lamp-a lot
 
good on you sir lamp- a-lot I have 308 and 243 and other calibres and the 243 is always my go to rifle and never had a problem with it .
 
Back
Top