243 for newbie shooting fallow

[The Singing Stalker]

I am training up a new stalker at the moment. On the land he will be shooting on, there is the occasional fallow.

So what are your thoughts for a suitable calibre to heart and lung.

For clarity,
He is a new stalker,
He will not be neck or head shooting.
He will not be buying new.
He is looking at one rifle at this stage to cover everything, and the occasional fox.
Money is an issue, so rifle will be secondhand and probably a more traditional calibre as I don’t think he will have the money for a creedmore. lol.

My opinion is that whilst a 243 will do the job, it would be better to build in a margin of error and go somewhat bigger. The interview with the FEO is next month, and of course which calibre for him to acquire is on the agenda. As he is new, I am sure that the 50 cal is out. But what about a 6.5x55? Plenty of them out there on gun trader.

Thought? Opinions

 

[sh1kar]

Excellent all rounder the Swede. Used my first rifle a Sako 75 for a couple of my early Africa trips
S

 

[palmer_mike]

……..

Any deer legal rifle will do.
All things being equal I’d get a .308 but that’s a personal preference and not to say it would be any better or worse than the other numerous options.

 

[VSS]

I am training up a new stalker at the moment. On the land he will be shooting on, there is the occasional fallow.

So what are your thoughts for a suitable calibre to heart and lung.

For clarity,
He is a new stalker,
He will not be neck or head shooting.
He will not be buying new.
He is looking at one rifle at this stage to cover everything, and the occasional fox.
Money is an issue, so rifle will be secondhand and probably a more traditional calibre as I don’t think he will have the money for a creedmore. lol.

My opinion is that whilst a 243 will do the job, it would be better to build in a margin of error and go somewhat bigger. The interview with the FEO is next month, and of course which calibre for him to acquire is on the agenda. As he is new, I am sure that the 50 cal is out. But what about a 6.5x55? Plenty of them out there on gun trader.

Thought? Opinions

I think the 243 will do all he wants, and be affordable. But possibly doesn't have sufficient "margin for error" to satisfy the requirements you've listed.
When I started stalking I was adamant that my 243 would be all I ever needed, but lost a bit of confidence in it after a couple of fallow bucks didn't die as quickly as they should have. My fault entirely - poor shot placement. But not enough margin for error to compensate for my own inadequacy.
So I moved up to 270 and have never regretted it, have full confidence in the rifle, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the calibre. It was £170 well spent, in my opinion.
Interestingly though, as my experience has developed through using the 270 I have also regained my confidence in the 243 and am now happy using either for fallow.

 

[The Singing Stalker]

I think the 243 will do all he wants, and be affordable. But possibly doesn't have sufficient "margin for error" to satisfy the requirements you've listed.
When I started stalking I was adamant that my 243 would be all I ever needed, but lost a bit of confidence in it after a couple of fallow bucks didn't die as quickly as they should have. My fault entirely - poor shot placement. But not enough margin for error to compensate for my own inadequacy.
So I moved up to 270 and have never regretted it, have full confidence in the rifle, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the calibre. It was £170 well spent, in my opinion.
Interestingly though, as my experience has developed through using the 270 I have also regained my confidence in the 243 and am now happy using either for fallow.

To my mind, the reason for this is your greater experience. 243 will do the job. But for a new stalker I think (personally)a larger calibre will allow for the more likely chance of mistakes that any new stalker is likely to make. But that is just my opinion. I do not shot many fallow and if I do I have to 30.06. Just gives me that feel good factor.

 

[kennyc]

how about the good old .308? boring maybe but effective with ample leeway and easily obtainable ammo , usually lots around as well, if he is worried about recoil I can let him shoot mine to get a feel for it

 

[Tim.243]

I am training up a new stalker at the moment. On the land he will be shooting on, there is the occasional fallow.

So what are your thoughts for a suitable calibre to heart and lung.

For clarity,
He is a new stalker,
He will not be neck or head shooting.
He will not be buying new.
He is looking at one rifle at this stage to cover everything, and the occasional fox.
Money is an issue, so rifle will be secondhand and probably a more traditional calibre as I don’t think he will have the money for a creedmore. lol.

My opinion is that whilst a 243 will do the job, it would be better to build in a margin of error and go somewhat bigger. The interview with the FEO is next month, and of course which calibre for him to acquire is on the agenda. As he is new, I am sure that the 50 cal is out. But what about a 6.5x55? Plenty of them out there on gun trader.

Thought? Opinions

I use my .243 also the which is a Rem 700 a lot with a 95gn round. you will be keeping him at sensible distances so the energy from one of those is a lot, also it is only just skin and ribs with the H/L area only 7-8" from the outside.
This calibre thing comes up all the time and we have tested .243 .270 .308 and they all punch though 10mm mild steel plate at 200 yds and deer don't have Chobham armour only people think they do lol
TBH I don't get this margin of error thing as the error is with the shooter, so pull a shot with a .308 and the "error" is in the shot not the size of the round.

 

[Hazlett]

In front of the leg about half way up has served me well with .243 and the lack of recoil has allowed pretty precise placement from sticks.

I wonder if a bigger calibre might give room for error but also create the error through the recoil.

6.5x55 I have also liked but the choice and availability of factory ammo is limited. Dauntsey hardly have any except non-toxic, for example.

 

[Tazz]

I am training up a new stalker at the moment. On the land he will be shooting on, there is the occasional fallow.

So what are your thoughts for a suitable calibre to heart and lung.

For clarity,
He is a new stalker,
He will not be neck or head shooting.
He will not be buying new.
He is looking at one rifle at this stage to cover everything, and the occasional fox.
Money is an issue, so rifle will be secondhand and probably a more traditional calibre as I don’t think he will have the money for a creedmore. lol.

My opinion is that whilst a 243 will do the job, it would be better to build in a margin of error and go somewhat bigger. The interview with the FEO is next month, and of course which calibre for him to acquire is on the agenda. As he is new, I am sure that the 50 cal is out. But what about a 6.5x55? Plenty of them out there on gun trader.

Thought? Opinions

I have had a 243 for many years, it will kill any deer in the U.K. and roll foxes recommend 70-95 grain bullets. I shoot Winchester ballistic Silvertips 95 grain

 

[25 Sharps]

I am training up a new stalker at the moment. On the land he will be shooting on, there is the occasional fallow.

So what are your thoughts for a suitable calibre to heart and lung.

For clarity,
He is a new stalker,
He will not be neck or head shooting.
He will not be buying new.
He is looking at one rifle at this stage to cover everything, and the occasional fox.
Money is an issue, so rifle will be secondhand and probably a more traditional calibre as I don’t think he will have the money for a creedmore. lol.

My opinion is that whilst a 243 will do the job, it would be better to build in a margin of error and go somewhat bigger. The interview with the FEO is next month, and of course which calibre for him to acquire is on the agenda. As he is new, I am sure that the 50 cal is out. But what about a 6.5x55? Plenty of them out there on gun trader.

Thought? Opinions

If it was me it would be .308 under the above parameters.

 

[lochty]

I used a 243 on fallow for many years, but rebarreled it to 7mm 08 which works just fine. I'd go with whatever ammo you can source locally.

 

[tom.h]

In front of the leg about half way up has served me well with .243 and the lack of recoil has allowed pretty precise placement from sticks.

I wonder if a bigger calibre might give room for error but also create the error through the recoil.

6.5x55 I have also liked but the choice and availability of factory ammo is limited. Dauntsey hardly have any except non-toxic, for example.

I agree with this... the bigger calibers can create more flinch.

I would say .243 or 6.5 is ideal.

 

[SussexSteve]

243 tikka t3. I’ve some Blaser’s but still love my old t3. I shoot hundreds of fallow a season with mine

 

[Andrewslater]

.243 with correct bullet should be more than capable of the task. I use 100gr pro hunter for deer and a 75gr vmax for fox if thats the sole purpose im going out and the point if aim in my rifle changes negligibly out to 150m between the two. 100gr will kill a fox just as well but the vmax is a bit faster than my 100gr homeloads and does a bit more explosive damage in my experience.

 

[Cris]

On big Fallow bucks, I have had a 243 fail to exit a body shot. Now thats not necessarily a bad thing because all the energy terminated in the beast, but at the expense of an exit wound and good blood trail. Still I have shot plenty with it with no issues.

I would maybe suggest the 6.5 x 55 that I now mostly use. Its low recoil, ammunition I find is easy to get around me, and has a little more punch than the 243. Its out of fashion but been around a loooong time for good reason. Should be easy to find a pre loved one.

 

[Heym SR20]

243s kill many many deer, and overseas bigger animals such as Elk and antelope.

Bullet choice is important as it is a high velocity cartridge (one of the highest used on deer) and many bullets can fail to penetrate adequately on bigger deer if bullets hit shoulders etc.

A 243 with aN 80 to 85 gn monolithic copper bullet such as the Barnes TTSX, Fox, Peregrine, Yew Tree etc. is probably perfect. They will penetrate through any deer and given the high velocity will open well, stay in one piece and cause a good wound channel.

I have just loaded up a batch of Fox 80gn for my 243, mostly for Roe, but if a Sika or Red stag steps out I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot it.

Now that North of the Border we no longer have to use a 100gn bullet, I can’t help feeling that new life is breathed into the 243.

I have thought long and hard about rebarreling to say 6.5cm. I don’t think for a hunting rifle it is worth it.

 

[J@son]

Another vote for .308 given the parameters you have set out. I have both (.243 and .308) and don't notice the difference in terms of recoil. But on larger animals I think the bigger caliber makes sense especially if you want a bit of a margin for error.

 

[Donkey Basher]

A .243W will do the job, as will a 6.5x55 & a .308W - provided that is the shot placement is correct.

Yes, a larger calibre with heavier bullet might give a bit of leeway as far as shot placement goes but no-one should deliberately do this to cover up poor shooting in the first place.

That all said, I'd plump for a good old used .308W as a starter.

 

[25 Sharps]

I use my .243 also the which is a Rem 700 a lot with a 95gn round. you will be keeping him at sensible distances so the energy from one of those is a lot, also it is only just skin and ribs with the H/L area only 7-8" from the outside.
This calibre thing comes up all the time and we have tested .243 .270 .308 and they all punch though 10mm mild steel plate at 200 yds and deer don't have Chobham armour only people think they do lol
TBH I don't get this margin of error thing as the error is with the shooter, so pull a shot with a .308 and the "error" is in the shot not the size of the round.

It’s because a larger round will be carrying more energy and have a bigger frontal area to transfer that energy. So when there is error for shooter, i.e. less than perfect or slightly marginal the extra energy and extra energy transfer means more energy is transferred and more damage is done to make up for the shot placement.

That and the fact .243 is a mouse gun for people who are recoil shy means .308 is the better option for the OP’s mate.

 

[Tim.243]

It’s because a larger round will be carrying more energy and have a bigger frontal area to transfer that energy. So when there is error for shooter, i.e. less than perfect or slightly marginal the extra energy and extra energy transfer means more energy is transferred and more damage is done to make up for the shot placement.

That and the fact .243 is a mouse gun for people who are recoil shy means .308 is the better option for the OP’s mate.

Mouse gun... at sensible distances