Is .243 big enough???

[berg]

THIS has been said a few times in this thread already by me at least once maybe twice and in a post about gun dogs and in lots of other post , I am starting to think that not many have actually shot any deer if they have they would no this, but they don't acknowledged this they just keeping posting tosh about this gun that gun but don't seem to understand the basics hrt shots run especially if alerted to your presents. and I am sure they will keep on posting

 

[Taff]

THIS has been said a few times in this thread already by me at least once maybe twice and in a post about gun dogs and in lots of other post , I am starting to think that not many have actually shot any deer if they have they would no this, but they don't acknowledged this they just keeping posting tosh about this gun that gun but don't seem to understand the basics hrt shots run especially if alerted to your presents. and I am sure they will keep on posting

How can you think such a thing , it makes me laugh, when you see people posting about this and that, and then are posting about buyin there first rifle, and tryin to book there first stalk,

 

[berg]

How can you think such a thing , it makes me laugh, when you see people posting about this and that, and then are posting about buyin there first rifle, and tryin to book there first stalk,

Thats the thing if you are going to make out your a Richard prior you need a good menory ,fogetting that you just posted your 1st stalk with a big cheesey pic of them with a blown up muntie isn't going to sit well with the chap your telling what rifle he should be using on woodland reds .

 

[Glen of Imaal]

Thats it! 423 posts- I surrender!! I promise I'll trade the .243 in and never use one again...

 

[Dagben77]

Thats the thing if you are going to make out your a Richard prior you need a good menory ,fogetting that you just posted your 1st stalk with a big cheesey pic of them with a blown up muntie isn't going to sit well with the chap your telling what rifle he should be using on woodland reds .

Now now, this is a family show.

I'm willing to listen to anyone's advice as long as it's based on their actual experiences, not guess work.

I'm quite tempted to go for 2 deer legal cals. One mainly for foxing (but still deer legal) like a 243, and then a larger one that is upwards of 260 for the dedicated deer rifle. This would probably mean that I would sell my 22 Hornet (which I'm trying to do anyway) and my 223. I had a look at a 243 Sako A7 yesterday in stainless, she looks like the favourite contender at the moment.

 

[berg]

Now now, this is a family show.

I'm willing to listen to anyone's advice as long as it's based on their actual experiences, not guess work.

I'm quite tempted to go for 2 deer legal cals. One mainly for foxing (but still deer legal) like a 243, and then a larger one that is upwards of 260 for the dedicated deer rifle. This would probably mean that I would sell my 22 Hornet (which I'm trying to do anyway) and my 223. I had a look at a 243 Sako A7 yesterday in stainless, she looks like the favourite contender at the moment.

that sounds like a good idea plus, if one gose wrong and has to sent away to be fix ,you can still get out and shoot anything in the uk.just a thought berfor I went down the semi custom road i looked at the sauer 101 and it realy did look like a good rifle, thers a sauer dealer that offers shoot before you bye .might be worth a look ?

 

[tjm160]

I love my .243 Sako A7 and from my very limited deer experience thus far, am satisfied that it 'does the job'. My first two deer, both neck shot Fallow at ~40 and ~50 metres respectively, both went down on the spot. However, I would suggest only because so close and the shots were placed accurately enough to sever the spinal column quickly and cleanly. The (first) three Roe I shot the other day (all good boiler room shots but at 160m, 170m and 180m respectively) all made 15-20m before going down. So, from my very limited experience (although backed up with the military principle of 7.62mm being designed to put down hard and cause maximum damage vs. 5.56 mm conceding hitting power for lower recoil and a much higher average of 'good' shots as a result, along with the ability to carry significantly higher volumes of rounds), I concede to the simple logic that a larger round hitting harder if placed as accurately, stands a greater likelihood of putting them down on the spot. To this end, I am thinking as you Dagben; I will add a .308 dedicated deer rifle and move the .243 to foxing/spare, knowing I can still use for deer if out for foxes and a deer need/opportunity presents itself.

 

[palmer_mike]

I love my .243 Sako A7 and from my very limited deer experience thus far, am satisfied that it 'does the job'. My first two deer, both neck shot Fallow at ~40 and ~50 metres respectively, both went down on the spot. However, I would suggest only because so close and the shots were placed accurately enough to sever the spinal column quickly and cleanly. The (first) three Roe I shot the other day (all good boiler room shots but at 160m, 170m and 180m respectively) all made 15-20m before going down. So, from my very limited experience (although backed up with the military principle of 7.62mm being designed to put down hard and cause maximum damage vs. 5.56 mm conceding hitting power for lower recoil and a much higher average of 'good' shots as a result, along with the ability to carry significantly higher volumes of rounds), I concede to the simple logic that a larger round hitting harder if placed as accurately, stands a greater likelihood of putting them down on the spot. To this end, I am thinking as you Dagben; I will add a .308 dedicated deer rifle and move the .243 to foxing/spare, knowing I can still use for deer if out for foxes and a deer need/opportunity presents itself.

I shoot .243 and .308 and in my experience from Munties up to big fallow bucks deer are just as likely to run after a good chest shot with either. Depends a lot on how revved up the deer is prior to shot. In fact tbh deer usually seem to run less far with a 95gr SST from my .243 than a 150gr sp from my .308, no idea why but that's what I have found.

 

[berg]

I shoot .243 and .308 and in my experience from Munties up to big fallow bucks deer are just as likely to run after a good chest shot with either. Depends a lot on how revved up the deer is prior to shot. In fact tbh deer usually seem to run less far with a 95gr SST from my .243 than a 150gr sp from my .308, no idea why but that's what I have found.

I to have the 243 and 308 but i used 170 grn geco i am starting to load for the 308 when it comes back from having a revamp ,and totally agree with mike plamer as i have found the same . Your wasting money if you think a bigger riffle will stop deer from runing with a hrt shot ,it will hit harder and it would be my 1st choies for the bigger three red sika and fallow that's why i have it .any way if you are shooting open fields i cant see a problem with a hrt shot deer running a bit , when I was shown around a wood some years ago the AW who was showing me had a 25 06 I think he was using 110 B TIPS ,he shot a roe that we had been watching for a while at 100-125 yrds,tex book shot, it ran 30 yrds maybe in the long grass it took few mins to find there was blood ever where so the bigger cal dont mean your going to drop them on the spot ,they should put a nice big exit hole in them for a easier find up .

 

[tjm160]

Thanks gents and funnily enough, the mentor only said to me yesterday, that if shooting more, I'm going to have to work on the missus reluctance to have a dog (trained to find downed animals) regardless of calibre. Makes a lot of sense. Unless shooting in wide open areas, surely dog vs. no dog is the more appropriate debate?

 

[berg]

Thanks gents and funnily enough, the mentor only said to me yesterday, that if shooting more, I'm going to have to work on the missus reluctance to have a dog (trained to find downed animals) regardless of calibre. Makes a lot of sense. Unless shooting in wide open areas, surely dog vs. no dog is the more appropriate debate?

post it up and see what happens :!:

 

[tjm160]

 

[I. Farticus]

Thanks gents and funnily enough, the mentor only said to me yesterday, that if shooting more, I'm going to have to work on the missus reluctance to have a dog (trained to find downed animals) regardless of calibre. Makes a lot of sense. Unless shooting in wide open areas, surely dog vs. no dog is the more appropriate debate?

Worth a read to understand that you are about to whack a wasps nest if you open up the dog debate... Enjoy

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co....Best-dog-for-deer-tracking?highlight=dog+deer

 

[berg]

Worth a read to understand that you are about to whack a wasps nest if you open up the dog debate... Enjoy

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co....Best-dog-for-deer-tracking?highlight=dog+deer

more like a dog fight with manny words off wisdom typed

 

[tjm160]

I'm not sure we need another calibre debate , but would genuinely like to understand how many stalkers have or at least have READY access to a deer dog should the worst happen and one be unable to find a shot deer. I'm also not sure why this should be a contentious topic since the last forty four pages have pretty much shown the inevitability of all stalkers at some time in their 'career' likely to encounter the unfortunate circumstance. As such, surely there should be "best practice" and if so, unless my memory serves me poorly (which could well be the case), why is such not included in the DSC1 syllabus? I've opened another thread and poll; HERE.

 

[Dagben77]

That's it!!!

tjm160, I think you've actually killed the thread!

I would like to thank all that have contributed to this thread as it has actually helped me a lot.

I've learned not to ask simple questions, as there is rarely a simple answer.

 

[Ade8mm]

Wow 44 pages. Is this a record? Mod?

 

[David T]

Give it a couple of weeks and someone else will ask the same question

 

[AN DU RU FOX]

what question,

 

[bogtrotter]

OK but what I would like to know is .243 big enough.