.243 All Rounder

Miroku6000

Well-Known Member
I am currently applying for my FAC for a stalking rifle.

I have put down for a .243 and am just about to send it off but am now having second thought re the calibre!

I will mainly be stalking Roe with a bit of fallow now and then. I also have the opportunity for the occasional red hind.

My question is if I wanted to occasionally buy a day on stags would an estate let me with a .243?

A lot of my stalking will be in Scotland, obviously needing 100 grain on all but Roe. Am I right in saying a .243 is at its limit with 100 grains?

So basically if you had to go for a bit of an all round rifle for all deer species would it be a .243 or would I be better going for something along the lines of 6.5 swedish or a 25-06? Foxes will not be on my quarry list.
 
hello sir.

i have been running a 243 for a few years and found it fine on all i have pointed it at, (shot placement experience and range are all important.

i have use it on fallow be that just a few, lots of roe and more on munty, the odd fox (about 70) and it performed well enough for me, i have used it on a few estates with no issues from them or their keepers.

but stand by for all the other comments that its not man enough (more like my willies bigger than yours) after all its the most used deer calibre in the UK me thinks,

enjoy all the piffle to follow,

but after all that your the man who has to pull the trigger so its really down to you,

bob.
 
geco do a 105gr cheap but shoots well in a 1x10 twist well under £100 a hundred it will do all you need it to do. i use 58vmax for fox and 100's for med up to fallow size deer always done it for me.
i also own a .308 as i use it for boar loaded down say a 130 hp or tsx will smash mr red up good
or just stay with bt's at 150 grain or sp's dead is dead no such thing as overkill !
atb
paul
 
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hello sir.

i have been running a 243 for a few years and found it fine on all i have pointed it at, (shot placement experience and range are all important.

i have use it on fallow be that just a few, lots of roe and more on munty, the odd fox (about 70) and it performed well enough for me, i have used it on a few estates with no issues from them or their keepers.

but stand by for all the other comments that its not man enough (more like my willies bigger than yours) after all its the most used deer calibre in the UK me thinks,

enjoy all the piffle to follow,

but after all that your the man who has to pull the trigger so its really down to you,

bob.

Thanks for that. I am 99% certain on .243 and have no doubt about it on roe or fallow as I have shot / seen shot a fair number with a .243. What I don't want is to book a day on the red stags and be told no .243's allowed etc.
 
PIFFLE ALERT:pIFFLE ALERT:pIFFLE ALERT

6.5x55 with 140gr ammo will drop all UK deer (and boar if you're so inclined...).

As the other boys say though, .243 and .308 will do the job, but why go with the herd?
 
Great question ,
I am just thinking about a 6.5x55 over the 243 I would be shooting similar deer to yourself.
i have shot red hinds in the past with 243 and it worked well,
I just read to much about calibers,bullet types and rifles and then you start thinking...
interesting to see the views on the forum.
Tikka595
 
Just get a .270 legal & capable For all deer & min advisable for boar, there's a reason it's popular on the hill.(I do know of places that won't allow .243)
and before anyone starts I have .243,.308,.270,&.375 so I have no axe to grind .243 is a great fox round,:stir:
 
PIFFLE ALERT:pIFFLE ALERT:pIFFLE ALERT

6.5x55 with 140gr ammo will drop all UK deer (and boar if you're so inclined...).

As the other boys say though, .243 and .308 will do the job, but why go with the herd?

The advantage of the .243 and .308 is they are readily available anywhere, and they are popular for a good reason.

Any deer legal centre fire rifle will do as long as it is used within its limits.

I love my .243 but for shots on fallow over 150 yards I'd sooner have something bigger... but over 150 yard shots arent at all common for me so the .243 is ample!!! It's the best Roe round there is IMO.

Some scot estates don't allow 243 (!) so for ease Something like a .270, 25-06, 6.5swede, or 308 might be better.

will you definitely go to Scotland? I convinced myself 2 years ago that I needed something bigger for boar and reds... still haven't been out after either!

If you get a 243 you won't regret it - low recoil, cheap ammo, flat shooting, relatively quiet when moderated, and knocks down roe a treat! A mentor and good friend of mine uses 80gn .243 on lots of fallow with no complaints at all.
 
243 is good enough for what you want. For years it was the only rifle I had. Still have the same rifle and have taken foxes at 200 yards, on one perticular occasion a red hind at over 300, Red stags,Fallow,Roe I love it. My son who is a semi pro stalker has had nothing but a 243 he has shot hundreds of deer from Big red stags in Devon to hinds on the hill in Scotland.

Tusker
 
The advantage of the .243 and .308 is they are readily available anywhere, and they are popular for a good reason.

Any deer legal centre fire rifle will do as long as it is used within its limits.

I love my .243 but for shots on fallow over 150 yards I'd sooner have something bigger... but over 150 yard shots arent at all common for me so the .243 is ample!!! It's the best Roe round there is IMO.

Some scot estates don't allow 243 (!) so for ease Something like a .270, 25-06, 6.5swede, or 308 might be better.

will you definitely go to Scotland? I convinced myself 2 years ago that I needed something bigger for boar and reds... still haven't been out after either!

If you get a 243 you won't regret it - low recoil, cheap ammo, flat shooting, relatively quiet when moderated, and knocks down roe a treat! A mentor and good friend of mine uses 80gn .243 on lots of fallow with no complaints at all.
hi Bunny, if you want to go to Scotland we are going next year on the stags if you are interested.
Tusker
 
im not a calibre expert but .243 will drop anything in this country ( obviously not for boar ) iv used one for years for everything, also the boss has an estate up Scotland and the stalker up there told me that hes shot thousands of red and sika with one, or has he put it "theres not a deer in this country that a 243 will bounce off"
 
Get a rifle that you are going to shoot most with ,.243 is a great rifle and all the deer I have shot haven't got up and asked for another.
 
I am currently applying for my FAC for a stalking rifle.

I have put down for a .243 and am just about to send it off but am now having second thought re the calibre!

I will mainly be stalking Roe with a bit of fallow now and then. I also have the opportunity for the occasional red hind.

My question is if I wanted to occasionally buy a day on stags would an estate let me with a .243?

A lot of my stalking will be in Scotland, obviously needing 100 grain on all but Roe. Am I right in saying a .243 is at its limit with 100 grains?

So basically if you had to go for a bit of an all round rifle for all deer species would it be a .243 or would I be better going for something along the lines of 6.5 swedish or a 25-06? Foxes will not be on my quarry list.

For what you are using it for 243 is really good, and use it on Roe and red hinds all the time. If you were shooting big red stags first and foremost then 270 may be better, but unnecessary for what you are using it for. If an estate won't let you use the 243, you can either book elsewhere, or use the estate rifle. For every estate that doesn't like the 243, there is an estate next to it where the 243 is the estate calibre.
 
PI
As the other boys say though, .243 and .308 will do the job, but why go with the herd?

Actually this raises a very good point, in fact probably the most important point when it comes to choice of cartridge.

By and large the deer legal cartridges will all kill any deer you shoot them at and, despite regular discussion of the matter, their ballistics will be within an inch or so of each other at normal stalking ranges. I personally prefer the 308 for sika as they are hard as nails but the truth is this is more about fooling, and reassuring, myself than making the deer deader.

However, as you might read if you are a regular on this forum, getting ammo and reloading gear is more difficult with each passing day and so picking one of the "common as muck" cartridges gives you the best possible chance of being able to buy ammo or reloading supplies. It also means that you will be able to get ammo in 5 years time when the "next big thing" becomes the "last big thing that never really caught on." This is especially true if you might end up shooting in some of the more interesting, and usually more remote, parts of the country, or if you want to spend your time stalking rather than driving around gun shops in the vain hope of getting ammo. With that in mind, in view of the fact that there is little to choose between the legal cartridges in terms of killing the deer, going with the herd is the best idea for someone applying for a first stalking rifle.

Make life as easy as possible for yourself, stick to the stuff that everyone says "oh, everyone has one of those so there's no way I'd have one..." I think 243, 270 and 308 are probably the most common cartridges and I know that I can go into a filling station in the Hebrides and get offered a range of ammo for my 308 and when I'm putting the rifle in the car and heading for Scotland that leaves me with a nice warm feeling inside :)
 
Actually this raises a very good point, in fact probably the most important point when it comes to choice of cartridge. By and large the deer legal cartridges will all kill any deer you shoot them at and, despite regular discussion of the matter, their ballistics will be within an inch or so of each other at normal stalking ranges. I personally prefer the 308 for sika as they are hard as nails but the truth is this is more about fooling, and reassuring, myself than making the deer deader. However, as you might read if you are a regular on this forum, getting ammo and reloading gear is more difficult with each passing day and so picking one of the "common as muck" cartridges gives you the best possible chance of being able to buy ammo or reloading supplies. It also means that you will be able to get ammo in 5 years time when the "next big thing" becomes the "last big thing that never really caught on." This is especially true if you might end up shooting in some of the more interesting, and usually more remote, parts of the country, or if you want to spend your time stalking rather than driving around gun shops in the vain hope of getting ammo. With that in mind, in view of the fact that there is little to choose between the legal cartridges in terms of killing the deer, going with the herd is the best idea for someone applying for a first stalking rifle. Make life as easy as possible for yourself, stick to the stuff that everyone says "oh, everyone has one of those so there's no way I'd have one..." I think 243, 270 and 308 are probably the most common cartridges and I know that I can go into a filling station in the Hebrides and get offered a range of ammo for my 308 and when I'm putting the rifle in the car and heading for Scotland that leaves me with a nice warm feeling inside :)

Well said!
 
Looks like I'll stick with .243 then!

You can, but when my Dad won't let me shoot his stags with a .243, I doubt he will let you wander off after one either. I wouldn't take you out for a sika stag or a red stag with a .243 either. Where's your respect for your quarry? Regards JCS
 
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