MARCBO
Well-Known Member
Kilt though right?
243 fazination???
- Thread starter MARCBO
- Start date
Kilt though right?
Hereford
Well-Known Member
Only on special occasions (visiting American tourists etc.......)
bewsher500
Well-Known Member
tongue in cheek I am sure but....
I believe the American Fish and Wildlife Service commissioned a report compiling results of wounded game from bow and rifle on one area across several seasons some time ago.
the results were proportionally in favour of rifles from what I recall (although from memory the wounding rate for both was shocking!)
Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
Can somebody PLEASE slap a button on this flap?
This crap has gone on long enough.................
tackb
Well-Known Member
I don't know if you are a member of any of the American forums ? but if this nonsense was on there it would have degenerated into a vile slanging match ages ago , it's testament to us brits being well mannered that it hasn't !
my take is that this MARCBO fella is just a **** with nothing better to do than try and get a rise with his puerile drivel , I'm guessing he's banned from most American forums for being a **** or doesn't use them because he gets flamed for being stupid when he does ? (the americans tend to be far less tolerant than us !)
if this thread is closed down then I'm sure that marcbo will get some sort of perverse pleasure from that so for that reason I'm happy to see it run ?
Dorsettaff
Well-Known Member
Do they do arrows in .243? Flechettes, perhaps?
Just a thought.........
Just a thought.........
Chasey
Well-Known Member
You keep missing the point
Whilst you could easily kill a deer with a .22 A: they wont let you and B: it would limit your shot too much for practical use in the field
Sadly a lot pf deer poachers use 22s here because they are quiart
Unless your up north we dont have larger deer and whilst a 308 or 30/6 will kill our fallow, munties and roe just fine, its not so great if you want to minimise meet dammage for the game dealer or fridge
There is a good argument for 270 or 284 in terms of the way the round behaves but access to thease rounds is not as easy as 243 or 308
A 270 was defo on my shopping list but I decided to go 243 when I discovered how hard it was to get the right amo localy. As we cant post amo and gun shops are few and far between I need a round I can pick up from my local shop.
As said before I have shot deer at 30m and 165m and they fell over quickly with the 243 round so I have no complaints
I won the highest marksman award possable in the cadets and ranked well in several competative national comps, so id say my instructor was prety good. If you have ever shot a lee enfield left handed you'd understand the fat lip issue
ATB
Chasey
Shot a nice Red Hind at roughly 150yds the other day, weighed in at 39.8kg gralloched, head and legs off, so field weight probably around 60kg.
Took it with the .243, H/L shot. Beast dropped on the spot, lifted it's head twice in 10 seconds, then expired. On gralloch, bullet (100g soft point) had taken the heart in two, exited leaving 3/4" exit hole. Pretty perfect IMHO, can't really see what more you would want/could ask for.
Last one I shot with the .308 with 150g RWS Cone Point, same bullet placement, also took heart into two peices, left 2" exit wound and beast darted 75 yds as if nothing had hit it. Game dealer said,,".308 right"...yes correct Sir...reply: "I always know with all this meat damage"
Took it with the .243, H/L shot. Beast dropped on the spot, lifted it's head twice in 10 seconds, then expired. On gralloch, bullet (100g soft point) had taken the heart in two, exited leaving 3/4" exit hole. Pretty perfect IMHO, can't really see what more you would want/could ask for.
Last one I shot with the .308 with 150g RWS Cone Point, same bullet placement, also took heart into two peices, left 2" exit wound and beast darted 75 yds as if nothing had hit it. Game dealer said,,".308 right"...yes correct Sir...reply: "I always know with all this meat damage"
bewsher500
Well-Known Member
I totally agree on the .243
I stopped using mine a long time ago when I replaced it with a .222, much more stopping power.....
I stopped using mine a long time ago when I replaced it with a .222, much more stopping power.....
MARCBO
Well-Known Member
I totally agree on the .243
I stopped using mine a long time ago when I replaced it with a .222, much more stopping power.....
I would only go with the 223 because therre is lots of surplus ammo and brass available/
SS
palmer_mike
Well-Known Member
.222
MARCBO
Well-Known Member
Top 3 hunting cartridges for deer sized game Marcbo?
Purely out of interest
Purely out of interest
MARCBO
Well-Known Member
G-Jim,
Out of curiousity what do you consider "deer" for the basis of your question. If looking at everything that falls under this title and looking at allrounders then the 243 is definitley not one of them.
Last night I was perusing an old copy of Cartridges of the World and noticed a large number of 0.244 caliber carrtidge of UK origin with similiar ballistics to the winchester. How come there is no nationalist pride favorinig these? Sure, one can say brass is hard to obtain etc. but I shoot mostly old BP rounds and they are certainly harder to obtain than any of the old UK 244's.
SS
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tackb
Well-Known Member
maybe answer the question?
Let's make it easy for you: focus on the average UK stalker, were quarry will range from CWD and muntjac at the small end (max live weight 20kg) to lowland red stags at the upper end (anything over 200kg very unlikely).
Dammit. I cracked. Good thing I never took up smoking...
MARCBO
Well-Known Member
Ok, we have crossed the threshold from small game to big game. Realizing that technically Moose, Elk and the Stags are all "Deer" I wanted to make sure what we are talking about. With big game it is imperitive that we create a good (notice I did not say big) wound channel. The only way to get a consistantly good wound channel that promotes bleeding is to use a larger size bullet that does not have to rely on velocity to do the damage. When you consider it this was something in the 7mm diameter with a 140gr bullet is probably the minimum. Me personally, I have used and advocate 30 caliber cartridges with 308 Win performance or better. I am also fond of the 338 win cartridge, the Lapua version is a bit much for most hunters. Same goes for the 375 H/H which is my favorite all-rounder N. American hunting. Does everything, shoots relatively flat, good enough for distances 99% of hunters have any business taking shots at game animals, makes big holes without causing excessive meat damage when placed through the lungs.
1. 308
2. 338 W
3. 375 H/H
Of course there are lots of cartridges that can provide the same or greater performance filling in the gaps between the 308 and the 375 but if asked, these are my three recommendations depending on the circumstances.
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paul k
Well-Known Member
I have a .243 and have shot everything from foxes to big red stags with it, never needed two shots and it's easy on the shoulder. If it has a problem it's the level of carcass damage you get with it.
Having said that you could say the same about any number of other calibres, .270, .308, .30-06, 6.5 x 55 etc, etc., it's often more about bullet placement than the calibre. We generally don't have animals that need massive knock down power and wild boar are really the only UK quarry it's not suitable for. Having said that, there are some that think a rutting sika stag needs a heavier round than a .243 offers.
In the UK calibre is not seen as a test of manhood.
Having said that you could say the same about any number of other calibres, .270, .308, .30-06, 6.5 x 55 etc, etc., it's often more about bullet placement than the calibre. We generally don't have animals that need massive knock down power and wild boar are really the only UK quarry it's not suitable for. Having said that, there are some that think a rutting sika stag needs a heavier round than a .243 offers.
In the UK calibre is not seen as a test of manhood.
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MARCBO
Well-Known Member
Never said it was a test.... just that in the US the 243 is generally seen carried by women and kids. My son is 11 years old, 5'3", just over 100lbs and handles a 20 barreled Rem 308 with a shortened stock better than many men. Recoil is not brutal so I don't see the point in using something just "adequate".
FWIW: calbre is only half of the equasion. Using a small caliber requires higher velocities leading to more meat loss or perhaps lost game if the bullet does not expand reliably and in a controlled manner.
SS
MARCBO, I think there is something that those not from the UK fail to recognise, & that is, that the UK shooters tend to lay down in the ground to shoot, & don't appear to do much offhand shooting in thick stuff or shooting at moving animals. I'm still "fazinated" every time I see a Pommie lay down in the dirt or mud to shoot at something even if its just 50 yards away. This does give them a greater degree of accuracy for the first shot if the animal is performing, & I guess they must have the self discipline to decline all those raking shots that would be effective with larger calibers that we would consider more suitable. I notice also that there is a strong culture around "Market hunting", & cash at the dealers is very important to UK stalkers, there really is a very different culture between deer "stalking" in the UK & what we practice in other parts of the world.
Sharkey
Sharkey
