The 243 may be fine in some localities, but

[User00033]

Here’s my boy Stu in his Angus Young days, demonstrating correct shot placement with the .243 Win and 100gr Sierra “definitely not a Varmint bullet” ProHunter. Deer species: a mature red hind, weighing about 275lb and comfortably bigger than a mule deer buck. Range, about 200m from memory. Deer fell after one or two staggers forward.



The debate will continue, either new ones or resurrections like this. But the underlying cause and effect that underpins the naysayer’s argument will always be the same: poor shot placement, blame the tools.

 

[Heym SR20]

Here’s my boy Stu in his Angus Young days, demonstrating correct shot placement with the .243 Win and 100gr Sierra “definitely not a Varmint bullet” ProHunter. Deer species: a mature red hind, weighing about 275lb and comfortably bigger than a mule deer buck. Range, about 200m from memory. Deer fell after one or two staggers forward.

View attachment 155618

The debate will continue, either new ones or resurrections like this. But the underlying cause and effect that underpins the naysayer’s argument will always be the same: poor shot placement, blame the tools.

Where I suspect much of the problem with 243 comes from is the choice of bullet / ammo. I used RWS 100 gn for many years and then they changed it. Bullet was seated noticibly deeper than previously and it seemed to be a lot softer. I shot a couple of hinds on the shoulder at about 150 - two seperate occasions. In one the hind went down but when i walked up it got up and staggered off so shot it in the back of the head. On the other it staggered and went away over the brow on the hill and then collapsed in a peat hagg. It took a while to find, but was dead.

In both the bullet had hardly penetrated the shoulder and rib cage. Yes there was damage to the lungs, but not sufficient to kill quickly.

On the second occasion i had a friend with me, also with a 243, but loaded with Norma soft point He took a hind at the same 150 distance and pretty much same point of impact on shoulder. But the bullet went through, caused massive trauma and exited.

I don't like the current RWS 100 gn loading - its too soft a bullet. I have moved to Geco 105gn and results much better.

 

[Muir]

Your guys must be really bored to hash and rehash my 8 year old thread. Give it a rest. I'm going to.~Muir

 

[User00033]

Yes, we are. Anything goes in lockdown!

 

[Hereford]

He started it...

 

[User00025]

I always reloaded for my .243 when shooting deer and used a 105gr round nosed speer bullet. When I could no longer obtain those I stopped shooting deer with it now using 75gr ballistic tips for foxes.

 

[Brighty3006]

Here we go again. Shot red Hinds stags and fallow with 100 grain prohunters out to 225 yards. Chest shot........ dead. Thanks

 

[NewForester]

I have never shot a deer and am a newbie to this sort of thing but why would you choose the MINIMUM caliber required to do a job.I work in the building trade and always go that little bit better than the minimum required as it is a better job.
Hope i don't get flamed
dave

I think that this is a good point.

I have been stalking for about 10 years now and when I started I went for the 6.5 x 55 for that very reason: a bit of margin for error but with something that had a reputation for not having too much recoil. And as I am down in the South, the ranges would most likely be less than 100 yards. (In fact, I have not shot anything over 170 yards.)

 

[plonker]

Its been 8 year since this tread started and my favourite rifle is my 243 shot plent of deer with it, mostly fallow the last few years.

 

[jb7x57]

Used a 243 for over 40 years shot every deer with it in the uk Galloway and arran stags to muntjac it’s well up to the job it’s down to how good you are at shooting

 

[Dawnrazor]

I have never shot a deer and am a newbie to this sort of thing but why would you choose the MINIMUM caliber required to do a job.I work in the building trade and always go that little bit better than the minimum required as it is a better job.
Hope i don't get flamed
dave

It's only the minimum here, just look on YouTube and see the size of Deer taken in different countries with smaller calibers than the .243!
It's a great caliber for UK Deer.

 

[Dawnrazor]

Used a 243 for over 40 years shot every deer with it in the uk Galloway and arran stags to muntjac it’s well up to the job it’s down to how good you are at shooting

Exactly, I've seen Deer of every species shot with just about every Deer lagal caliber run and some never recovered, there's FAR more to it than "caliber".

 

[alberta boy]

Real men kill things with pointy sticks .............. naked ............ discuss .

AB

 

[User00033]

Yup, can’t argue with that AB!

Sticking pigs is as close as I get. It’s a massive buzz. But I still carry a Ruger 77/44 just in case!

 

[Doggone]

I agree with ndt man. A .243 is great under 200 yards, because its speed will give excellent terminal hydrostatic shock effect and brilliant knockdown with ballistic tip bullets of around 100g at 3,000fps from the muzzle. However, above 200 yards the speed is reduced and it starts turning into an arrow. So above 200 yards I do not like to use it. BUT, the .243 is so quiet with a silencer that in practice it enables a stalker to get far closer to the deer in the first place because the ground is not ruined from taking the first deer. In my experience, on a days stalking, you get far, far, more good chances within 200 yards using .243 ammo, than you get within 300 yards using loud ammo such as .270. Softly, softly, catchee monkey. Of course, if you are only allowed one shot per day and it is for one trophy deer then the noise does not matter. All that matters then is the rifle weight to lug about, inherent rifle accuracy and ability of the stalker to cope with the recoil without flinching. So if I am doing the hinds and want to shoot as many deer as possible the .243 every time because I will harvest far more. If I am after one huge trophy stag on a distant hill then maybe the .270, but even then, if I reckon I can get within 200 yards then it is the .243 for me due to the consistent accuracy. If you use one rifle a lot you get really good with it.

 

[Doggone]

Alberta boy. My grandfather, served in the Raj in the foothills of the Himalayas before the war. Apparently, for a bit of fun the subalterns would go up into the hills where there was miles of thorn scrub covering the mountainsides. Through this scrub were hundreds of tunnels inhabited by huge wild boar. The chaps would hunt these boar with spears. After a bit they reckoned that a long spear was not sporting enough, so they broke them off to about 3ft long. When the boar charged they stuck the handle of the spear in the dirt and directed the point towards the boar who would impale himself upon it. I don't know if they did this naked, but they probably would have given it a go if it had occurred to them.

 

[alberta boy]

Alberta boy. My grandfather, served in the Raj in the foothills of the Himalayas before the war. Apparently, for a bit of fun the subalterns would go up into the hills where there was miles of thorn scrub covering the mountainsides. Through this scrub were hundreds of tunnels inhabited by huge wild boar. The chaps would hunt these boar with spears. After a bit they reckoned that a long spear was not sporting enough, so they broke them off to about 3ft long. When the boar charged they stuck the handle of the spear in the dirt and directed the point towards the boar who would impale himself upon it. I don't know if they did this naked, but they probably would have given it a go if it had occurred to them.

Naked or not , your grandfather had some grit . Chasing annoyed pigs through the undergrowth with a sticker requires cajones .

AB

 

[jamross65]

Shot roe with it for 20+ years and love the calibre.

Not shot that many red stags,between 20 and 30 and never had any issue at all,all down within a reasonable distance.

First 2 trips doon to Stobbo with it and had 6 sika stags,again no issue although a couple had to be searched for but didn't go further that 60-80m.

Last year went down with the 6.5x55 and no searching,all 3 were literally down on the spot.

Too many deride calibres when in reality the majority of the problems come from the person pulling the trigger.

Well you've been fortunate then because I could count on very few fingers the number of Sika stags I have seen shot in the ribs and drop on the spot regardless of chambering. Almost all run and sometimes for a long, long way.....I wasn't deriding the chambering, I've owned several .243 rifles. What I said was it wouldn't be my choice for Sika stags.

 

[TomDeer]

Real men kill things with pointy sticks .............. naked ............ discuss

Doesn't everyone else do this? I only take a rifle in case the deer doesn't drop on the spot from the pointy stick and I need to finish it off. In order not to frighten/distress the deer or anything else, I find the application of camo body paint assists (but provides no protection to 'delicate' areas from brambles and the like).

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Was out with Malc on his permission in Sussex last year in January with my mate from Germany who is a vet so has years of experience but Malcs guiding assistants rifle was a .243 and my pal shot a fallow with it that was never found. No dog was available for follow up either. I reckon a decent 6.5mm should be minimum unless after muntis.