.243 on deer. Is it enough gun?

[Gregory]

I killed a deer with a 357 Mag out of a 10"Contender pistol, so yes I'm sure a .243 will take care of a deer.  Just keep the range to say 200 yds and under and use a good 100 gr bullet designed for deer and not varmints.

[Zachary]

Gregory,

At what distance did you shoot the deer with your .357 mag?

Zachary

[prusch]

As I've never hunted with a .243 I may be a bit out of line but here goes anyway. I've read all the comments and have to agree bullet placement is more important than size however, I do think a person should take the area your hunting into consideration too. Here in Wisconsin it can range from wide open fields to thick cover where your lucky if you can get the rifle to your shoulder. I try to match the rifle to the area I'm hunting. Granted there have been times where I have had the wrong one but overall it seems to work. I realize having more than one rifle is not an option for everyone especially a young hunter or even an older one that is just starting but then I'd go with the rifle that best matches the area I'd be hunting most. I've shot deer with my .270 in thick cover but i prefer my .35. I also try to work with ammunition to match the cover or lack of as well, regardless of the caliber. To all out there who have used a .243 in all types of cover I appologize if i've overstepped my bounds. I guess I'm trying to say is that the caliber, bullet type and weight, area hunted and hunters likes/experience should all be considered on a good deer rifle. Even taking all this into consideration we all have to admit a miss still happens-

[Buckeye]

.243 win. is awonderful round .Plenty enuff gun for whitetail.
I've read where it is a widely used African round.

[Zachary]

Yes, but what kind of game? :shock:

Actually, I have heard of hunter shooting those little 25 pound antelope with a .22 mag! :eek:   Heck, if they drop with that little pip squeek, then the .243 must look like a cannon!  :blaster:

Zachary

[GregH]

Let me qualify my statment as it pertains to souther deer, usually no larger than 125 lbs. dressed at ranges no more than 200 yards.  To date I have killed 43 with my 243.  27 with Partitions and 16 with barnes x's.  Take into account our very liberal limit in Ga.  Last year the limit was 8 and that is no problem for those of us who eat a lot.
Just my views.
Greg H

[Zachary]

Greg,

What kind of bullet performance did you get with the partitions and X-bullets?

I have used the partitions and x-bullets in much larger calibers on deer and hogs, but was wondering how they performed in the smaller .243 caliber.  I would assume that the x-bullet had a much better chance of fully penetrating a deer, but what kind of tissue damage did it do?

Zachary

[Warlord]

Admittedly, it is a tough topic--for every hunter that says you should go for more power, there are plenty that will tell you about how they've taken so many deer with it... (personally, I've killed two deer with it--each received two shots although in each case the first would have been sufficient, but better safe than sorry!).  So basically I'll throw my two cents in:

I believe that the .243 is an ideal beginner's rifle, useful on varmints as well as deer (with stout 100 gr Noslers or Win PP+s).  

Nonetheless, I moved up to a .270 for my day in and day out whitetail hunting for the simple reason that in case of a marginal shot, where a .243 might not do the trick, the added oomph of the .270 would (hopefully).  

Last fall I got a running shot on a forkhorn at about 125-150 yards with my .270--I failed to do my job as a shooter and he got away, going to prove that power isn't what kills deer, but accuracy!!

And so, my recommendation to you is to use it all you want to, keeping its limitations in mind, if and only if you can shoot accurately with it.

[Zachary]

I was thinking about first shooting the less expensive Winchester 100 grain Power Points to break in the barrel and set the scope.  Since you mention it, how did they perform on deer.  I'm kinda surprised that you would use the word "Stout" and nosler partitions together with the power points as I don't consider them to be "stout."


Zachary