Is .243 big enough???
- Thread starter Dagben77
- Start date
berg
Well-Known Member
berg
Well-Known Member
that a bit below the belt spanker
Dagben77
Well-Known Member
It's ok Ben you can say it was me lol. Can't believe the it ran as far as it did after inspecting the carcass. The exit wound clipped the back of the front leg which should have stopped it from running, but nope it had to bolt! as a lot of the guys have said it doesn't really matter about calibre when it comes to deer running with chest shots. If i had a little more time and was more relaxed i would have preferred a neck shot, but since its the first deer i've shot since buying my Steyr pro-hunter 260 (that shoots straight!) i thought i best keep it as a heart and lung shot.
Shot with a 120g sierra pro hunter soft point travelling ruffly 2650-2700 fps (around 1900 f/p/e), the entry wound (through the pelt) was the same diameter as the bullet quickly expanding on impact with the rib cage to the size of a 2 pence piece and staying the same through to the exit wound. Exactly why i went for the 260 for less meat damage over the 243!
Overall I'm chuffed with the shot and have a fridge full of meat as a result
View attachment 40419
Shall I post my picture??
Dagben77
Well-Known Member
Sabian223
Well-Known Member
AN DU RU FOX
Well-Known Member
i dont know about the 243 being big enough but them wellies are,
oooh wellie rash,
oooh wellie rash,
Dagben77
Well-Known Member
i dont know about the 243 being big enough but them wellies are,
That's my massive man calf muscles to go with my massive man 300 Win Mag.
berg
Well-Known Member
mate I would probably take that of if I was you just to be safe . somebody might not see the funny side .up to you . you know what some people are like someone will say that looks like a rimfire wound
This is just the kind of thread that made me decide on .243 as my first (probably only) centrefire calibre.
Amongst all the (perfectly reasonable) arguments that folk put forward to justify their choice of larger calibre, one other point comes through very clearly: That the .243 has, like the .22LR, stood the test of time. Fashions come and go, but the .243 soldiers on.
I admit that I haven't - as yet - shot anything more dangerous than a cardboard box with mine, but other reasons for choosing this calibre were:
It felt right. Thanks to Dave (.223 on this site) I was able to try his .308 and .243, and despite the fact that the .308 was undoubtedly a superior bit of kit, the .243 felt instinctively right for me. I think that counts for a lot - if a rifle feels right, it'll shoot right.
I knew I'd have absolutely no bother getting a variation for .243.
Plenty of good secondhand ones available at very sensible prices.
No difficulty sourcing a range of different ammo.
Legal for everything I'm ever likely to get the opportunity to shoot at.
A gut feeling, when I saw the well-used P-H Safari Deluxe advertised on this site, that it was "my" rifle. I nearly didn't get it, but it came to me in the end - was clearly meant to be.
Now all I have to do is get good at using it. A few years ago, when I first joined this site, I couldn't shoot straight with my .22LR. Now, if you look at my post in the "Black spot of doom" thread, you'll see what a bit of practice (and a lot of help from guys on here) has enabled me to achieve. When I can achieve comparable accuracy with my .243 I don't see any reason why I should have any problem tackling any of the quarry that it's legal for, even if it is the "minimum" calibre.
Amongst all the (perfectly reasonable) arguments that folk put forward to justify their choice of larger calibre, one other point comes through very clearly: That the .243 has, like the .22LR, stood the test of time. Fashions come and go, but the .243 soldiers on.
I admit that I haven't - as yet - shot anything more dangerous than a cardboard box with mine, but other reasons for choosing this calibre were:
It felt right. Thanks to Dave (.223 on this site) I was able to try his .308 and .243, and despite the fact that the .308 was undoubtedly a superior bit of kit, the .243 felt instinctively right for me. I think that counts for a lot - if a rifle feels right, it'll shoot right.
I knew I'd have absolutely no bother getting a variation for .243.
Plenty of good secondhand ones available at very sensible prices.
No difficulty sourcing a range of different ammo.
Legal for everything I'm ever likely to get the opportunity to shoot at.
A gut feeling, when I saw the well-used P-H Safari Deluxe advertised on this site, that it was "my" rifle. I nearly didn't get it, but it came to me in the end - was clearly meant to be.
Now all I have to do is get good at using it. A few years ago, when I first joined this site, I couldn't shoot straight with my .22LR. Now, if you look at my post in the "Black spot of doom" thread, you'll see what a bit of practice (and a lot of help from guys on here) has enabled me to achieve. When I can achieve comparable accuracy with my .243 I don't see any reason why I should have any problem tackling any of the quarry that it's legal for, even if it is the "minimum" calibre.
AN DU RU FOX
Well-Known Member
nice one vss, and dave 223 as well,from another virgin, just keep on plugging atb doug,
Hornet 6
Well-Known Member
Nope but you can shoot them from the nice comfortable leather chair in the front of my carExactly. I guess you can't shoot Deer from an armchair!
Neil.
243 fallow
Well-Known Member
Get a 270 pal and all your worries will be goneI know this is debated regularly. but I fancied some fresh eyes on it.
I'm looking to move up to a Deer legal calibre with the intent of shooting deer, realistically no bigger than Fallow. I've been looking at 25-06 or maybe a 260 (used a 260 and quite like it), but would a 243 do the job?
There are a couple of immediate financial advantages of shooting 243 as I currently have suitable reloading dies etc. This wouldn't make or break my decision but if its 50:50 it might tip me towards, just handy.
Looking at loading 100gr Hornady Soft Point which would be pushing about 2900fps producing roughly 1860 FPE. Surely this is enough to knock down fallow at sensible distances. I wouldn't be looking to shoot much past 200 yds, Typically 100-125 yds and maybe 300 if an absolute gem of an opportunity presented itself.
From what I gather, the 243 is (or can be) an accurate round, which in my book, accounts for more than an extra 200 PFE at the muzzle.
Thanks in advance.
Penyard
Well-Known Member
.243 was developed as a varmint calibre. I have one, it is accurate and perfectly ok for munties, roe and most applications for fallow. I'm sure there will be somebody out there who has shot an elephant with one and will swear blind that it is more than enough gun for anything walking. My best mate has one and shoots a lot of fallow with it. However, he has lost red stags and I haven't. I really do think it is border line for larger deer and Paul at Fechan makes some very valid points.
For me big stuff requires a big bullet and .243 is great at what is designed for. Having recently been cussed for questioning the use of light v-max bullets in .243 on here (thanks for the back up guys!) I really do think we as stalkers need to pick the right tools for achieving an ethical job well done.
For me big stuff requires a big bullet and .243 is great at what is designed for. Having recently been cussed for questioning the use of light v-max bullets in .243 on here (thanks for the back up guys!) I really do think we as stalkers need to pick the right tools for achieving an ethical job well done.
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