243 Winchester
84The 243 Winchester
Is the .243 Winchester Too Small For Deer?
There is no easy answer to this question.
First of all, the 243 Winchester is a necked down .308 that uses a .24 caliber bullet (6mm).
I've owned several .243's and a 6mm Remington in my time. The 6mm was a Ruger 77V. It was a tack driver by anyones definition. The 243's were accurate rifles, with the Remington 788 I owned as being the most accurate out of the .243's I owned.
I didn't use either the 243's or 6mm for much deer hunting. I had bought them to shoot Coyotes and other varmits. Since I didn't care about pelt damage, the 243's and the 6mm were great on all size varmits.
I did however take two of the 243's deer hunting on several occassions and loaned them out a few other times. They did the job with the exception of one deer. We couldn't be sure where my neighbor had hit the deer with my .243 Winchester, but judging by the blood and hair, it was a solid body hit. We never found that deer.
A few days later, we invetigated some buzzards circling and found a young Buck about 400 yards away from where my neighbor had shot his deer. It had a massive shoulder wound but no exit. Was it the deer he shot? He couldn't be sure but since we were the only ones hunting that area for miles around, it's likely that it was. The bullet he was using was a Nosler Ballistic Tip. He'd chose to use that bullet against my advice. We'll never know for sure if that was his deer, but the following year he bought a used Remington 7mm-08 rifle and has never been happier.
Past 243 Winchester Failures
In the past, the 243 suffered from poor bullet construction. Sometimes the bullets blew up on impact, sometimes they didn't expand at all while other times they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
Technology has improved bullet designs for the 243 and other small calibers. Even with the improved bullet designs, I do not consider the 243 an ideal rifle for beginners or those who only shoot their rifle once or twice per year.
It's unfortunate that the 243 Winchester igets handed to many first time deer hunters. It's like handing a first time Turkey Hunter a .410 shotgun and telling them to go out and kill a Turkey. Is the .410 capable of killing a Turkey? Sure, in the right hands under the right circumstances. But would I advice someone to use a .410 for Turkeys? No!
When the 243 Is Not Right For Deer Hunting
The major concern I have about the 243 in the hands of beginners is that either they or the person helping them choose a rifle has very little to no deer hunting experience. Some dufuses actually recommend the small 55 to 90 grain varmit bullets for deer hunting. Their theory is that if it goes fast, it must kill better. Oh yeah.
I think a better "starter" gun for a Beginning Deer Hunter would be either the 26 calibers, 7mm-08 or even the Marlin 336 in Wincheter 30-30.
I've spent a good deal of my time in Gun Shops, both behind the counter and in front of them. I'm amazed at the crap that comes out of many so called ‘experts' behind the ammo desk. Gun writers are pushing these rounds on unsuspecting Deer hunters also so their magazines can sell more ad space.
Let's face it, you and I both know that many beginners (okay, most) will get a terrible case of "the shakes" when it comes down to pulling the trigger on a Deer. Sure, even us old timers get the shakes. The difference is, those of us who have hunted for years and are experienced, have learned how to control "the shakes" and focus on the placement of the shot.
A poor hit on a Deer is made even worse when using a small bullet that was never intended to be used on Deer sized game. The extra damage caused by a .26 or or 7mm caliber can mean the difference between finding a marginally hit animal or not. Such as when the smaller bullet comes into contact with something like a shoulder bone.
I wish the States that allow rifle hunting would make it simple for everyone involved and set the minimum caliber requirement for Deer hunting. This minimum in my opinion would the the .243 with a 100 grain bullet.
I know there are many States that allow 22 centerfires for Deer hunting. That is uterly stupid. A simple case of the decision makers being bought off by special interest.
The fact of the truth is that the margin for error is very small when using a small caliber like the 243. The Hunter, rifle and bullet must all do their job and there is no room for error. There are other low recoil rifle rounds that give you extra "knock down" than the 243 Winchester round. (FYI: this is no measurement of "knock down" power, just of .ft .lbs of energy)
When the 243 is Right For Deer Hunters
In the hands of an experienced and seasoned Rifleman, the 243 is more than adequate for Deer sized Game.
I once read an article by an Outdoor writer, I think it may have been Jack O'Connor or Jim Carmichel, that told a story about a man who used the .243 for Elk. He killed Elk every year with his rifle, everyone being a neck shot. He saw no need to buy a "real Elk gun". Does this make the 243 an ideal Elk Rifle? Me thinks not!
I'm sure a .243 Winchester would also kill Grizzly Bears and the largest African Game, but why put yourself in that position when better alternatives exist? Responsible hunting requires using the grey matter between your ears.
.243 Winchester
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Comments
I would like to say i have found the .243 to be an excellent deer rifle. I first started out with the gun and still use it after a decade and i have never had a deer i shot run more then 30 yards. Also the first deer i ever shot dropped where it stood. I was only using 80 grain bullets my first couple of years hunting and moved up to 100 grain eventually. I was always able to put my deer down with the 80 grain and have never not been able to find a deer i have shot.
My dad bought a mossburg 243. for me. I've never shot a 243. before, but I love it. I've had it for 3 months, I've yet to shoot a deer with it. My dad has killed 3 deer with it.I'm going to hunt with it for a long time.I reconmen the 243. for anyone who needs a good rifle with little recoil.
i hunt with a 243 rem 788 model with 100 gr rem core loc drops them every time mosty right where they stand and if there already runnin before i shoot they might run 50 feet at most .been huntin with the same gun for 24 years mostly get my buck every year so for knock on wood.also have 25 06 but i had deer run 100 yrds after shot them changed to 100 gr. core lock on it and now they dont run .was shootin 117 federal shells boat tails and siarra game kings they where to hard dint mushroom rem core loc soft point 100gr. is the way to go in both cailbers my opinion.
This year, I shot a doe with my .243 Savage. I mistakenly used my 80 grain bullets instead of my usual 100 grain. It ran about thirty yards, but bled very well. I was given the gun when I first started hunting at 14 years old. So far, I have retrieved every deer hit, including two very nice whitetail bucks. I do agree with the assessments in this article though. Placement is definitely key with the 243! It is a great all around gun for anywhere but bear country.
Any deer shot in a vital area with any .24 caliber or bigger high velocity rifle rounds is going to die. Period. The challange of using a round like this is that the shot has to be perfect. But that is how it should be for any caliber used. I know of people who chance shots on the grounds that they have a heavy, powerful caliber. I have never shot a deer more than one time. Every shot should be selected and placed with care. Think of those who hunt with a bow or handgun. They have to pass up shots that are either too far or less than perfect. Thats called being a sportsman. For a self proclaimed expert to tell me that the .243 is too small after it has served well since the 50's is just too much to take. The blame cannot be put on the gun or caliber. Put the blame where it belongs. On the crappy shots that use it....P.S. I hunt with a .357 lever action rifle. Animals it kills don't know the difference between it and an '06....
243 is plenty enough gun, I use 85 grain barnes tsx bullets, the partitions will perform well too, it will go end to end on a deer with my loads out of my savage, have hunted with 300 win mag 7mm mag 270, and even the great 280 remington, but now use the 243 win, saves me money and my son and I both shoot the same load, he killed a 145 inch 195 pound whitetail this year and guess what he is seven years old, deer went 20 yards and piled up, he took out both shoulders with devastating results. Be careful when you start listening to a so called expert, especially when he is talking about a round that has been so misused as the 243, new bullets have made this round very lethal indeed. My advice to first time shooter no matter what they choose, is to practice shot placement, doesn't matter what caliber you are using you will lose deer with a poor shot plain and simple.
In my opinion he nailed it. With the correct bullets and shot placement the 243 REM is a great deer rifle. The problem occurs when the incorrect bullets are used and/or when the shot placement is less than desired. For new hunters the 7MM-08 makes more sense because both factors become less critical.
...243 Win not 243 REm... Sorry.
I've killed approximately 37 deer with my Savage .243 Winchester. I've learned that with the Sierra 85gr Gameking Hollow Point, you get no exit unless its a very long shot or a neck shot and the deer fall down instantly. One of those 37 deer went about 7 paces after being hit. The rest died where they stood. Any cartrige...from .22 Long Rifle up to the largest magnums is only effective if you put the bullet in the right spot. Good Hunting!
Not being a deer hunter myself (I prefer duck hunting), but have many friends that deer hunt I would agree with what you have to say above. Most will widely discount the 243 as being legitimate for deer hunting. Of course a couple of them swear by them, but they are very good shots and have been hunting for many years.
The .243 is actually one of the best whitetail deer cartridges...period. Not sure why anyone with any experience with hunting would say otherwise.
As with any round - shot placement is everything.
I have shot antelope at over 400 yards with the .243 and it drops em every time. Lots of folks around here hunt elk with a .243 and seem to do fine.
sense the last time i wrote in i killed the bigest buck ive ever got this year real nice 9 point and quess what gun i used thats right my trust rusty 243 so again i say fubar to anyone whos says its not big enough drops them in there tracks man!! every time 100 gr.rem core locs in the words of uncle ted long live the beast
I myself hunt with the .243winchester It has always served its purpose! I would like to add that since the dawn of the firearm many game has been taken with black-powder and calibers of .45-.50 and black-powder does not have the velocity nor energy as are modern weapons but yet game was on the table! why? proper shot placement and knowing your range. In my eyes an ears alot of the mag. hype, gives false security to Hathcock wannabes taking shots they have no business taking!!PRACTICE makes PERFECT!
Hi I used a 257 roberts for deer for years and I had no problems. I think the .243 would do just fine.I also agree the user should be well practiced. I even shot a moose with the 257 but I had a 3006 back up I would not advise it I normally use a 7mil rem. mag for moose. I sold the .257 to a young trapper and still may want to fill that spot in my hunting rifles. The rem .708 is a sweet gun.
While growing up in northern PA, my first hunting rifle was Dad's Winchester Model 88 in .243 Winchester. Ditto for my 3 younger brothers. We all carried it from age 12-15 or so until we purchased our own weapons. We killed approximately 15 deer with that rifle and rarely had to take a second shot. It's an explosive, violent and deadly round at woods ranges. We always used Win Power Point and Rem Core Lokt 100 grain bullets/ammo, all that was available to us at the time. Granted, I'm sure many deer have been hit/lost with a .243, but that's the case also with 30-30s, 30-06s, 7MMs, 270s, etc etc! Shot placement is everything. I own a ridiculously accurate Savage 110 in .243 to this day and still use Winchester 100-grain ammo. I'm not concerned in the least that it sometimes does not exit...that tells me that all energy was expended in the animal's vitals. I've killed deer with a half dozen different cartridges and can attest that more have dropped in their tracks from this cartridge than any others, my .444 Marlin included!
Well guys, I have to agree with most of the comments. To discount the .243 as inadequate for deer is bunk. I first got a .243 at 14 years of age. It was a Rem 788. I killed 64 deer with that gun, missed one, and had one to run 20 yards after being hit. So, 1% of my deer moved laterally after being shot. The others fell immediately. And I was not using "modern ammo" like barnes or partition bullets. I did this with Remington's 80 grain Power-Lokt Hollow Point. Since handing that gun down to my nephew, I quit counting deer killed by any gun, but I'm sure that I am well over 200 with the .243. BTW, the 80 grain Powel-Lokt was Remington's first iteration of a "varmint bullet" for the .243.
Sometime in my thirties 80 grain Power-Lokts were scarce and I started to believe hype and began a search for a "deer killing" bullet. Tried the 95 grain silvetip, 95 grain partition, even a 85 grain game king. Lost proabably in the neighborhood of 6 or 7 deer with those. Had to track down quite a few more. I even bought a .308 and used that for a while and it left a real good blood trail. That was the problem, I always had to have a blood trail.
So now, I am older and hopefully wiser. I just put almost $3,000 into a custom built rifle that I built from scratch. Guess what caliber? .243
I also just bought a case of ammunition for this gun. Guess what ammunition? Remington 80 grain Power-Lokt.
Enough said.
a .243 Winchester is a true deer cartridge when harboring a correct bullet: 100 grain Grand Slam, 100 grain Nosler Partition, or 105 Speer Hot-Cor Soft Point. Hopefully, other bullet manufacturers will follow suit shortly.
243 80 grain is great white tail killer. 100 grain is a little less effective because you lose aboout 400fps and that doesn't give the animal that "shock" that stuns them until the damage sets in.
Joseph Barney says:
12 months ago
im a deer hunter in nothern vermont. I use a .243, I love it. the .243 does not make any smaller a wound channel than a .308 if the right bullets are used. a 100 grain remmington core lokt for example. i shot a deer from 175 yards. the bullet hit high on the deer. (the shakes) the bullet hit just bellow the spine. the spine and 3 ribs were shattered. the deer droped dead instantly. Im usually a good shot though. the .243 is a great all around gun. you just need to buy the right ammo for the job. a 100 bullet that has a lot of mushroom to it will drop a deer quite nicley. as a harder round with more hold together than fly apart would be used for bigger rather than smaller game for more penetration. an 80 grain round may as well be marketed as rat killer. if you expect 80 grains to drop a deer with any placed shot your crazy.
Buy the right bullets for the job! mushrooming, non mushrooming, soft, hard, heavy, and light; they all have there own function.