A friend who was a full time stalker/keeper in the Highlands only ever used a .243 on everything. I used to help him for a week on the hinds in Feb and occasionally on stags when I had an under keeper at home. Never saw any problems with his .243 out to over 400yds. When helping him I took my 7x57 with same results. I shoot my Fallow with a .243 now but have shot all six species with a 22/250 when legal with same results. Placement is the key.
243 on fallow bucks
- Thread starter dryan
- Start date
Ironically I've had more deer run with a 7rm than I have anything else. Wrong bullet choice with conventional shot placement was the cause. Hard bullet - soft body parts (through the ribs), little to no expansion. Then started sticking that same round through a shoulder and everything dropped. CNS shot is definitely the way forward if you want something to drop and not run on.
Nowadays everything i shoot is either head shot or CNS. If you don't quite hit the mark with the CNS, the bone fragments do the rest of the work for you
Nowadays everything i shoot is either head shot or CNS. If you don't quite hit the mark with the CNS, the bone fragments do the rest of the work for you
Well I used the 7x57 this evening, ended up in A&E!
Shot a pricket at 100 or so yards, went down instantly with the 165grain bullet doing the job nicely. It’s not moderated though so I had ear plugs in. I think I’ll use it on the bucks from now on, it’s a very sweet round to shoot.
I walked back to the landrover as the land is drivable, so always easier to go to the deer. When I got to open the passenger door a fly landed on my ear, I took a swipe and it flew in deep to the drum, gralloching was not pleasant with the bongo drums inside my head. Anyway, back to the chiller at my pals house, tried water and olive oil to kill/flush it out, neither worked, nor did a shower at home.
Still in A&E waiting for an ear flush, ohh what we go through for our sport. I should add that I’ve been in A&E before for fishing hooks in my face as a teen and a size 14 fly in my ear a few years ago-another pal is a bad caster!
Shot a pricket at 100 or so yards, went down instantly with the 165grain bullet doing the job nicely. It’s not moderated though so I had ear plugs in. I think I’ll use it on the bucks from now on, it’s a very sweet round to shoot.
I walked back to the landrover as the land is drivable, so always easier to go to the deer. When I got to open the passenger door a fly landed on my ear, I took a swipe and it flew in deep to the drum, gralloching was not pleasant with the bongo drums inside my head. Anyway, back to the chiller at my pals house, tried water and olive oil to kill/flush it out, neither worked, nor did a shower at home.
Still in A&E waiting for an ear flush, ohh what we go through for our sport. I should add that I’ve been in A&E before for fishing hooks in my face as a teen and a size 14 fly in my ear a few years ago-another pal is a bad caster!
Scipio
Well-Known Member
When you say cns with potential for bone fragmentation, do you mean high shoulder /lower spine or also neck and hilar shots? Or a combo? But yes, right bullet, in the right place is always good practice.
Hilar for me. Never had one run when ive hit it, its just a big off switch. If you miss marginally, the bone fragments from the shoulder/ribs will do the rest for you. If you're still unlucky enough to have missed all those, you're still in the lungs and taking the aorta/carotid out and all that which delivers life juice to the rest of the bodyWhen you say cns with potential for bone fragmentation, do you mean high shoulder /lower spine or also neck and hilar shots? Or a combo? But yes, right bullet, in the right place is always good practice.
Glad you have been converted to the true calibre !
TringSaint
Well-Known Member
Was its head up or down???? (See previous thread!!)
Many will have their hardox "gong" also no access to shooting other steels, this is 10mm mild steel plate we used to "put by an earth dump see that disclaimer" lol
Every shooter who has used/seen it for testing zeroing say "fcuk-me" when they look at the exit, rounds used punching a clean hole where 200> yards .243 75 95 100gn rounds.
When people "talk" about deer being "tough little buggers" then they have clearly never seen what a .243 round can do to 10mm plate!
You can butcher a "tough" deer with a small knife but you might at best scratch you name on that target with you knife.
![20250810_075055[1].webp](https://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/data/attachments/385/385312-0b49e04d905fdc1d8ad421248bf5f70b.jpg?hash=rwNYrK1NMt "20250810_075055[1].webp")
![20250810_075109[1].webp](https://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/data/attachments/385/385313-dc75e8dbbeab9c47f84a3778fb4d6c1e.jpg?hash=NotYUdA7vS "20250810_075109[1].webp")
Jagare
Well-Known Member
The same argument about fallow bucks and .243 was about 50 years ago it was bollocks then as it is today. Like all caliber you have to match the bullet to the type of animal your shooting. When I had a .243 I loaded 105grn round nose sierra bullets and when I had the Ruger International I shot I loaded 100grn norma Oryx. If any deer runs its never been a problem. Fieldcraft or my trusty hound will find them. With any deer legal rifle an important part is learning how to shoot it competently.
Scipio
Well-Known Member
Thanks for replying
And yes, it can indeed be a useful shot placement. Unfortunately it is not even trained or adviced for to new hunters here in Denmark i believe, which is a shame, as like anything else skill and confidence increases with knowledge and training. There are a quite few of us on here, i believe.
- i will soon stary a 7x57 exclusive reloading thread i think, just to the"old little 7" club members can keep the knowledge together, share it and make each others understand and use of the cartridge even more awesome. haha, mention what mate ?? ,D
Yep, like with anything else a high level of skill is to be built up with. Unfortunately , at least in a lot of western europe i think, getting access to go and shoot and train isnt that easy , so i do wonder if enough non pro hunters or target shooters train near enough vs what they perhaps should be to actually get skillfull.
Then again, with todays tech, and shooting sticks, bipods and silencers so on, more accuracy is probably also attainable for more people, with less skill, so some compensation takes place, although perhaps a bit of a sad one, i have to say.
However, semantics apart, the important bit, for me at least, is that whatever their limits are with their respective kits, that they stay within them, and hunt ethically. SHooting a cartridge like the 243, (or a 6mm CM, or 6mm Rem) which are legal for deer here in Denmark, might help more people to train more though, and that would only be a good thing.
Bloody hell Tim.....I though you were a tidy shot but if your fox plate is anything to go by Im surprised you kill anything
I dont think leg and tail shots are humane lol
tackb
Well-Known Member
it's about bullet placement and bullet type , smaller calibres like the 243 makes bullet selection slightly more critical
at 100m i'd shoot it in the noggin , if you insist on a chest shot then i've found that taking the top of the heart off gets the quickest results , it also matters what state the deer is in before you shoot it , when culling hinds i found that when you shoot a group of them the first tends to go down fast then after a few once they are hyped up and nervous the same chest shot seems to run a little further due to adrenaline in my opinion
ultimately though there is no hard and fast set rules , other than a good head or neck shot will drop it on the spot
at 100m i'd shoot it in the noggin , if you insist on a chest shot then i've found that taking the top of the heart off gets the quickest results , it also matters what state the deer is in before you shoot it , when culling hinds i found that when you shoot a group of them the first tends to go down fast then after a few once they are hyped up and nervous the same chest shot seems to run a little further due to adrenaline in my opinion
ultimately though there is no hard and fast set rules , other than a good head or neck shot will drop it on the spot
Fixed it for you. ...I though (t) you I don ('t) think I(')mBloody hell Tim.....I though you were a tidy shot but if your fox plate is anything to go by Im surprised you kill anything
Please tell me you have someone check you reports going to the boss
Fixed it for you. ...I though (t) you I don ('t) think I(')m
Please tell me you have someone check you reports going to the boss
Spell check and staff for report checking before it goes out. Im good at telling people what to do ...cant spell for sh1t 
Yes that must be a
Cheers Tim...but how do you know I'm Northern?
Anything past Norfolk is classed as Northern
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