Is .243 big enough???

[berg]

ok ok fair enough... this is funny though

that looks a lot easier than fly fishing ,not sure that it will go down will others on the lake thoughbit like dynamite shockwave though the water takes out the swimblader all the fish float to the top or something like that only in America

 

[prohunter78]

Love a good calibre debate! Can't help but think that a lot of anti .243 comments come from snobbery. Peoples urge to be seen to be different and imply they have greater knowledge than others. Fact is,if it was invented last year with some exotic name the very same people would be raving about it now and ordering their custom rifles as we speak. Its a fantastic calibre!

I have an open mind and was quite prepared to buy a larger calibre for reds etc but so far i can't bring myself to do it. The .243 has proved more than capable so far and can't see it letting me down. Shot placement/bullet choice is key. A bigger calibre doesn't make a poor shot a good one.

PH

 

[Crosshair243]

I think its a credit to us all that it hasn't been locked yet Long may the healthy debate continue

In the meantime, the scope and qr mounts will stay on the .243 whilst my .308 gathers dust

 

[tackb]

Simple. It's perfectly capable of killing them and entirely suitable for use on them. It's not a marginal cartridge, it's not a .22LR (which could under very limited circumstances kill red deer). Let's not kid ourselves, red deer are not armour plated, they are not particularly tough game to kill. They are simply light skinned medium sized game. With appropriate bullets, the 243 is well up to the job, that's what it was designed to do.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Provided you use enough gun (and the 243 is enough gun), if you put the bullet in the right place, calibre doesn't matter. And if you put the bullet in the wrong place, calibre doesn't matter. Anyone who thinks a .308 sized bullet in the wrong place will anchor a deer when a 243 bullet in the same place won't, is deluding himself and lacks experience. I've personally lost a roe shot slightly too low (just beneath the heart) with a 180gr bullet from a .30-06 at a mere 75 yards. We eventually tracked it with my dog. Would it have made any difference if I'd used a larger gun? No. I shot a running warthog through the guts. I also then hit it above the hips, as it ran, producing a wound about 2" wide, 8-10" long and 2" deep. That didn't anchor it either. It ran 2km before lying down. The trackers were astonishing. I was using a 270gr bullet from a .375H&H. If I'd used a larger calibre gun would it have altered the outcome, would it have anchored the warthog? No it wouldn't

Final point. Do you not think that if the 243 was unsuitable for use on red deer, the BASC, the Deer Society, the Red Deer Commision et al would be calling for it to be banned? Well, just a moment there. The law was changed just recently and guess what, the 243 remains legal for red deer. There's a good reason for that. The fact is, regardless what opponents may think, the 243 is perfectly suitable for use on red deer. Personally, although I have several 243 rifles, I choose to use a 7-08 or a .30-06 on stags. For hinds, I tend to use one of the 243s.

Really, it's time this debate was put to bed and left there.

-JMS

not strictly true , it was designed for varmints like the 6mm rem but due to it's faster twist in factory rifles it was loaded with heavier bullets and and used for deer , the 6mm rem fell by the way side despite being a better cartridge apparently although I have no experience of the 6mm rem unlike the 243.

 

[Paul at Fechan]

I don't think it's snobbery when peoples experience and preference want more than 'just enough' legally but to be fair when guests ask what rifle to get then very often the .243 is my top tip when the stalker will shoot roe mostly. For munties and cwd so long as you step up bullet weight and slow them down the meat damage is no worse than a .223! But .243 is a necked down .308 and there's no secret like mentioned that it's strengths by design lie with the smaller faster bullets reaching out for coyotes and varmints.

It's deer potential is not in question but as a necked down .308 delivering a third less thump you can't expect it to stand toe to toe with it's bigger relatives. This though makes it a light cartridge to fire that is suitable for smaller frame people, woman and youths in the sport.

 

[Dagben77]

Just to throw this in to the mix, I was out last night with someone from this forum (chip in if you want to). Whilst looking for larger species, a munty presented itself about 120 yards in a lovely valley. I popped the sticks out and within a couple of seconds, BANG! He's squeezed one off.

The calibre in question was a .260 and whilst this would be an ideal calibre (if what a majority of the contributors to this thread state) for all species of deer, I would have expected it to drop on the spot. This was however not the case. It immediately disappeared into the brambles. There was a large bright red spray at the impact site, indicating a H+L shot but no sign of Munty. After about 20 minutes of searching, we eventually found her about 30 or so yards away and upon inspection of the carcase, it was a very well struck H+L shot.

I'm amazed at how far she got before dropping!

 

[tackb]

with my 260 all the munti's I've shot so far have been bang flop?

 

[willie_gunn]

I'm amazed at how far she got before dropping!

I've shot munties with a 243 and a 308, and I've seen clients shoot them with 7mm-08, 30-06, 300 Win Mag and sundry other calibres. There is little telling with muntjac what they will do when shot in the heart/lung. Some fall over, some don't.

That's one of the reasons I like the little blighters

willie_gunn

 

[THE STALKER]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JgUGFjY2Rqo#t=1

243 kills Trophy Buffalo

 

[Paul at Fechan]

it was shot in the head at like 25 meters?

 

[Offroad Gary]

I shot a revved up barking munti buck with a .243 55gn ballistic tip at 20m, his heart was destroyed completely, yet he still ran 30m and changed directions 3 times. Bad choice of bullet i know, i dont do things like that anymore, it was a long time ago and then i was shooting deer for different reasons.

Thinking about it, it was with a steyr prohunter, im surprised i hit the tough little bugger.

i always try to pin the shoulders now or head shoot them, cant stand looking for them.

 

[THE STALKER]

1800 LB Buffalo shot 243

 

[Paul at Fechan]

again attempted head shot but ended hitting the neck, I don't this that's appropriate for this discussion and how many shots to finish?

 

[Crosshair243]

To add another irrelevant muntjac anecdote, I shot this big doe last night:

.243 58g Vmax (Norma), 77y boiler room shot.

Just fell sideways and started kicking. Was also a perfectly acceptable, saleable carcass too.

Not sure what my point is but after 32 pages, what else is there to say

 

[Offroad Gary]

Beware the man with one gun, because he's probably carrying something inappropriate for his intended quarry.

offroad gary ~ 10/04/2014

 

[tackb]

ok so we know 243 will kill buffalos but it was obvious it's not ideal for example they had to wait in the first video for a side shot , clearly didn't fancy the chances of the 243 making it through the boss to the cranial cavity ?

not my kind of hunting i'm afraid maybe we should post a few videos of people being stomped by buffs to even things up !

I one day wish to hunt cape buffalo (if I ever get the money together) I can assure all of you I will be taking a rifle that is very suitable and that won't be a 243!

 

[Dagben77]

ok so we know 243 will kill buffalos but it was obvious it's not ideal for example they had to wait in the first video for a side shot , clearly didn't fancy the chances of the 243 making it through the boss to the cranial cavity ?

not my kind of hunting i'm afraid maybe we should post a few videos of people being stomped by buffs to even things up !

I one day wish to hunt cape buffalo (if I ever get the money together) I can assure all of you I will be taking a rifle that is very suitable and that won't be a 243!

Where's the challenge in that?!?

 

[User00003]

again attempted head shot but ended hitting the neck, I don't this that's appropriate for this discussion and how many shots to finish?

probably a bang flop

 

[Dagben77]

To add another irrelevant muntjac anecdote, I shot this big doe last night:

.243 58g Vmax (Norma), 77y boiler room shot.

Just fell sideways and started kicking. Was also a perfectly acceptable, saleable carcass too.

Not sure what my point is but after 32 pages, what else is there to say

Just about to start doing some load development on a good friends 243, he's been using 58gr factory V-Max but has now opted for 75gr heads to reload. It's to be a varmint rifle, not for deer. How well do the 58's group in your rifle?

Sorry for the OT chat.

Cheers.

 

[tackb]

Where's the challenge in that?!?

I will be taking a sharp spoon as back up!