What experiences do fellow hunters have using the 243Win on big game. By big game I mean Deer, Black Bear, and Antelope up. What bullets do you use? I know that there are Moose taken here in Canada with the 243 but it is not really a Moose cartridge. Has anybody hunted Mountain Goat with the 243? From experience I know that the Goats can be hard to kill.On the other hand, many hunters that come up here tend to be over-gunned.
Thanks,

Vasa

My wife killed all her big game animals..deer and antelope with .243 (Weatherby Vanguard)..almost all of them were one shot kills...all the way out to 250 yards.

I did the loading for her...a 100 grain Nosler Petition, but if you don't load Federal now markets the same load.

If my wife had ever hunted deer, bear or elk she would have used the same rifle and cartridge if it was legal to do so. She was not a running game, a$$end shooter. One round in the lungs and it was all over...

Bob

A .243 is adequate and especially with premium bullets, will do the job BUT if you are going out to buy a gun, buy something with more punch. A .260, .270. 308 etc. has far more punch and is still within the realms of decent recoil. The .243 is great if that is all you have, but I would never buy one as a deer rifle with so many better choices available. If you want to own a good varmint gun and use it for a few deer, it will do the job. It is not, however, on top of the list for big game. I forgot to add, there is no such thing as over-gunned. There is, however, such a thing as under gunned. Dead is dead, but a wounded animal due to not having enough power or a poor bullet is not a good thing.

The possible use of a 243Win for me would be in a combination gun together with a 9.3x74R (for larger game) and the 243 used for longer shots at Deer, Wolf,etc. I have no intention of hunting Moose with the 243. After having used some smaller calibers over the years, I now tend to use, 7mm, 30cal. and up. I agree that you can't be over-gunned, but with this expression I mean hunters that come here to hunt Black Bear with a 375H&H and are afraid of the gun and can't shoot it well. That will spoil their trip.

Vasa

You are correct about people using more gun than they can handle. It doesn't matter how big it is if you can't hit anything with it!

I have 2 .243s but have yet to shoot any game with them. How ever , A frend of mine is a great huter and has taken many game animals all over the world and he has taken several big deer with .243. He likes it fine, generaly uses somthing a little bigger.
I personaly love the Roberts , but I really want a .260.
but I have to dissagree with the notion of overguned. While Its nt a rifle I take deer hunting, if it were all I had my .338 win mag, would work just fine, for deer.
I know a guy who hunts everything with a .375 H&H, why not ? he shoots it prety darn well...tj3006

Just as there are those using more gun than they can handle, there are those that can't handle any gun! And then there are those that will kill cleanly with anything you hand them. I would not recommend the 243 as even a deer cartridge except in special cases, of which I can't think of right now. As someone already said, there's better choices.

quote:

Originally posted by Vasa:
What experiences do fellow hunters have using the 243Win on big game. By big game I mean Deer, Black Bear, and Antelope up. What bullets do you use? I know that there are Moose taken here in Canada with the 243 but it is not really a Moose cartridge. Has anybody hunted Mountain Goat with the 243? From experience I know that the Goats can be hard to kill.On the other hand, many hunters that come up here tend to be over-gunned.
Thanks,

Vasa

My daughter-in-law shoots her elk every year with her .243. But she cheats; she generally shoots them in the ear...

I knew a kid (12) in AK once who bagged a mountain goat with a .222 Remington, so I guess the .243 would work.....

It's plenty for deer and antelope. Antelope are pretty lightly built and easier to kill than a big mulie.... I would use a premium bullet like the 100-grain Nosler Partition for big deer and black bear.

sbhooper said, "You are correct about people using more gun than they can handle. It doesn't matter how big it is if you can't hit anything with it!"

This summarizes it very well. There is NO rifle capable of being fired from the shoulder that really compensates sufficiently for poor shooting! A miss with a .600 Nitro is still a miss!

quote:

Originally posted by Don Fischer:
I would not recommend the 243 as even a deer cartridge except in special cases, of which I can't think of right now. As someone already said, there's better choices.

Nothing wrong with the .243 here in the uk it's used to take everything from Muntjac deer through to the Large Red deer. Quality bullets and shot placement are what count, these will give you the confidence to kill every time.

A big bull Elephant has been taken with a .222 Rem and solid bullet hand turned from brass just to prove a point about shot placement. See The perfect shot by Kevin Robertson.

quote:

I would not recommend the 243 as even a deer cartridge

This is great advice, at least for those who hunt primarily from an armchair. Those who actually go afield and shoot deer understand that a .243 is a very effective and fully adequate cartridge for deer and pronghorn-sized game.

I read this all time that the .243 is marginal at best for deer and if used requires a premium bullet. I use cheap--Winchester bulk packed 100 grain bullets. I not only reload for myself,but supply my son in law and grandson with their ammo---same load. My grandson started using the .243 when he was 11 and did so until he was 16---most years he took several deer-always atleast one. These are Texas whitetail that do run small--most of my grandsons were bucks that were over 125 on the hoof. They are also the illiterate variety that have not read that a .243 wont kill them. If you use a whizz bang magnum that drops em on the spot--even a bad hit--it better be one that is literate and has read that concept or else you are going to have a crippled deer run off.

El Deguello---Your daughter in law uses a .243 and makes an especially well placed shot--in the ear. Gosh don't you think she would be better off shooting some magnum she can't handle,but would give her the option of just hitting them anywhere and they fall quartered on the spot?

This is quite a controversial topic and goes on to include .224 calibers for big game as well.

I have taken smaller whitetail with a .243 caliber and 100 grain bullets shot inside 100 yards. For me, the .257 caliber with 120 grain bullets is the minimum for smaller big game.

Over the years, I have hunted with lots of folks that used or use a 243 on everything up to and including elk with few problems. While personnally I don't like the round, I don't see anything wrong with its use as long as the shooter puts the bullet where it will do the best job.

I have also seen plenty of whitetails taken with 224 caliber rifles, but I believe it is too small for the average shooter to use on deer and the 243 is a much better choice. JMO.

A South African perspective: I have a beautiful Holland and Holland .243 that has accounted for hundreds of springbok, blesbok, the odd kudu and various other species on our ranch.
However, I have never regretted the move to a .270 a few years back for the added bullet weight. (50 % more is a lot) The 6mm can be wind-sensitive. I am careful not to tackle anything too big as I reckon even a blesbuck (whitetail size) is on the large side for a .243 and a kudu for too big for a .270.
www.graaffreinetsafaris.co.za[/URL]

Every whitetail I've shot or seen shot with a 243 died promptly after a short dash - none going more than 50 yards with lungs and heart ruined. Not all bullets exited however and when working with only an entry wound the blood trail is sometimes sparse. Guess I'd rate it a better choice for deer out in the open than in the thick stuff, and maybe close to perfect for coyotes in the off season. I figure a 260 is a theoretically better choice for the handloader, who can match performance with the 243 or 250 Savage 100 gr, 257 Robts 120 gr, 7mm08 140 gr, and 6.5x55 160 gr as needed.

I have never taken a deer with a .243, and I probably never will. However, I have seen six deer taken with the .243 by hunting partners while I was standing with them when they shot. One was a bang/flop, DRT. Very impressive. The next five however, were not so impressive, at least to me. The ran anywhere from about 50 to 200 yards before expiring. One ran into a fence, backed off, ran into the fence again, backed off and died as he hit the fence. These deer were shot on a private ranch in Northern Nevada where the deer run quite large. The five that ran were all well hit in the chest, but in every case, the bullet did not exit. In checking the path the deer ran, there was little or no blood to help trail the animal. If the area where the deer had been shot were well brushed over, I fear that at least half, if not all of those deer might not have been recovered.
I'm a Hunter Ed instructor, and one of my co-instructors thinks that the .243 is better than free sex with Miss America. In 32 years of using it, he's had a high success rate. Yet, the last two years, he almost did not find one deer and he never did find this year's deer. The prior year, it took him and his hunting partners over six hours to find his animal. The man is a very good shot, so I feel it's his choice of cartridge.
Me? I'll stick to my 7x57 and larger, thank you very much.
Paul B.

As was stated by Nordrseta, I too think it is much better if used in open country where you can see where the critter goes. A 6mm hole does not bleed much and if you are not shooting premium bullets, there is a good chance of no exit wound. No one here is saying the .243 won't work and if it is all you can handle-THEN USE IT! Just pick your shots and use good bullets. No one is saying you have to have a magnum either. There are lots of good game cartridges that are not much heavier recoiling than a .243, hit harder, and ARE NOT MAGNUMS.

quote:

A big bull Elephant has been taken with a .222 Rem and solid bullet hand turned from brass just to prove a point

With the proper bullet and proper shot placement, within its range; the .243 is as deadly and effective as any popular centerfire round.
With that said: many hunters that have missed their mark or used inadequate bullets have been killed by wounded bull elephants, just to prove their point.

Just a outstanding killer! My Son has killed three white-tail deers with three shots over the last three years. Since then I killed two nice big white-tails, along with a pronghorn antilope. Hunters who put it down hav't used it, or can't shoot very well! I use 100 grain Sierra handloads 3080FPS at muzzle.

quote:

Originally posted by sbhooper:
......No one here is saying the .243 won't work and if it is all you can handle-THEN USE IT! Just pick your shots and use good bullets. No one is saying you have to have a magnum either. There are lots of good game cartridges that are not much heavier recoiling than a .243, hit harder, and ARE NOT MAGNUMS.

IMHO......the .243 is an excellent (if not the best) varmint round out there. It also will kill a deer. So will a .22 LR. But, if my 13 year old daughter can run a .308 Win. without complaints....there's not much sense in anyone else using a smaller-than optimum round, either.

If you live close to your hunting, have generous seasons, are a careful and experienced shot then the 243 is a joy especialy if you shoot a lot and the deer aren't huge.

If any of the above don't apply there are better choices. I shoot about 150 deer a year with a 243 and prefer it over all of my 'big game' rifles......but when I go away for elusive large red stags (so elusive I haven't seen any yet) I will be less fussy over shot angles and use a 7x57 or 30-06.

I'm going to do something unusual here and that is answer your question about having EXPERIENCE with the 243 on big game. I took an average sized muley buck this fall at a lazered 291 yards with a 243 using a 55 grain Nosler BT coming out of a 24" tube at 4050 fps. Drop dead is drop dead, did not move just slide down the hill.

Dear Vasa:

I killed three whitetail deer in Pennsylvania with a 243 Winchester loaded with 100 grain Sierra bullets. All were one shot kills. I only recovered one bullet that entered the brisket near the left shoulder and ranged down into the heart, lodging in the far side of the brisket.

Unfortunately, on one deer the bullet penciled through, but still took out the bottom third of the heart. Another deer I shot at 15 feet produced a 3.5 inch diameter exit wound. It was literally lifted up, and thrown for a few feet.

These ranges were 15 feet as mentioned to approximately 85 yards. None of the deer ran more than 40 feet. They dressed out at approximately 100-145 lbs. I was sighted in for 100 yards, since I was hunting in moderately dense Pennsylvania woods.

Also, I used this same 700 ADL Remington rifle on lots of groundhogs in the summer, handloaded myself and knew exactly where the bullets went.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

Use a Barnes TSX, put it in the right place, and you will have tenderloins for dinner.

IMHO, the use of a Barnes TSX seems to 'upgrade' the caliber being used, i.e. the 243Win to a 257Roberts or a 260Rem., the 30-06 to a 300Win.,etc.

quote:

Originally posted by TEANCUM:
I'm going to do something unusual here and that is answer your question about having EXPERIENCE with the 243 on big game. I took an average sized muley buck this fall at a lazered 291 yards with a 243 using a 55 grain Nosler BT coming out of a 24" tube at 4050 fps. Drop dead is drop dead, did not move just slide down the hill.

And that is exactlly what's wrong with using a 243!

I've used the 85 grain Nosler Partition on antelope and the 100 grain Hornady SP on southern whitetails. Both worked fine.

Yep, using varmint bullets on big game is exactly the problem. If they slip in thru the ribs, they kill like lightening. If they hit heavy muscle they explode without reaching vitals and leave a horrible surface wound.

quote:

Originally posted by Buliwyf:
Yep, using varmint bullets on big game is exactly the problem. If they slip in thru the ribs, they kill like lightening. If they hit heavy muscle they explode without reaching vitals and leave a horrible surface wound.

Dead is dead is dead!!!! I'm not sure the buck knew it was a Nosler BT 55g or not, wasn't able to ask him. I've also taken 5 other mule deer bucks with a 22-250 pushing a 50g Nosler BT with similiar results. One was a 345 lazered shot and others ranged from 70 yards to around 200 yards. I think the question originally posed was "What is your EXPERIENCE" not what is your opinion. Vastly different things, my friend. I would be interested in hearing about your EXPERIENCE vs. opinion in the use of Nosler BT in small calibers on big game!!!Waiting.........

Keep waiting my friend. You will be waiting a long time before you get a report from me about shooting big game with a varmint bullet.

My common sense and knowledge of the performance characteristics of the 50 gr. Ballistic Tip in a .22 caliber centerfire dictate that I be responsible enough NOT to experience what they do on big game.

Vasa, I've killed piles of deer, several antelope, and over a dozen elk with the .243 and have had no problems. I use Barnes X bullets, and don't take long shots (longest shot at an elk was 120 yards, 200 for antelope and 200 for deer). Most of the elk I shot had complete pass through, the rest had the bullet lodge in the hide on the opposite side shot.

It doesn't matter what you use...hit them in the right spot with a quality bullet and you've got some gutting to do.

MG

Thank you for all the great replies to my initial questions! As stated earlier, I have no experience with the 243Win., but I have used many other calibers. I have killed a number of moose and other large game with with the 375H&H and other calibers down to the 308 win. With a lungshot the big moose will walk for a ways, regardless what you hit it with. Good bullets will help. For what I want to do, a 243, 6.5 , 270 or a 7mm will do fine. The rest will be taken care of by the intended use of a 9.3x74R. There is no doubt that the added weight of a 140gr. 6.5 or a 150gr. 7mm makes me feel better than using the 85-100gr. 243 bullet. Thanks again,

Vasa

Mdsgoat. The whole key to your success is the Barnes bullets. They take any caliber to a whole new level. Not every bullet will do the job, but a Barnes will.

A .243 Winchester will work fine on deer. As others have noted, the key is using good bullets, but that's not an issue limited to just the .243.

Premium bullets have value depending on how much the impact velocity might vary. A 140g 6.5x55 started at 2500 fps at the muzzle is unlikely to have its jacket ripped off on a close deer, and it will still expand at 400 yards. This isn't necessarily the case for a .270 win or other high-velocity cartridges. A standard 130g bullet impacting at 3000+ fps might well come apart if it's soft enough to expand at 400 yards. (I said "might;" I've had both instances occur.)

Premium bullets give you greater flexibility with velocity - Barnes, Nosler Partition, Swift, bonded bullets, etc - allow you to drive the bullet faster with confidence that it will hang together on near shots and reliably expand on far shots.

The key is to define "high velocity." Personally, my definition is 2,800 fps; if I start faster than that, I go premium, and under that I don't necessarily. I see it not as a religious "right/wrong," but a continuum where I'm playing the odds. Again personally, I'd use a 243 on deer anytime, but I'd go with a premium bullet - and my choice would be a Nosler Partition.

Jaywalker

quote:

Originally posted by sbhooper:
Mdsgoat. The whole key to your success is the Barnes bullets. They take any caliber to a whole new level. Not every bullet will do the job, but a Barnes will.

Kinda like a "supercharger" for any caliber...after killing dozens of big game animals with them, I'm sold.

MG

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman:
El Deguello---Your daughter in law uses a .243 and makes an especially well placed shot--in the ear. Gosh don't you think she would be better off shooting some magnum she can't handle,but would give her the option of just hitting them anywhere and they fall quartered on the spot?

Well, I tried telling her that. So she fired my 7X57mm with 175-grain bullets a couple of times at the range. Although her bullets hit where she wanted, and I saw no evidence of a flinch, she handed me back the 7mm, and said "give me back my .243 - that 7mm is too heavy to carry up the mountain".

(BTW, the gun shop owner in Las Vegas NM that I worked for one hunting season used a .22/250 for all deer hunting. And some of the bigger bucks in the eastern part of the Sangre De Cristos weigh over 300 pounds on the hoof. He never lost a deer, either.

I had a guy tell me this past deer season that he has changed his favorite rifle in. He now carries a .22-250 loaded with Barnes 53gr TSX's and has taken several deer with it.
His comment was that he couldn't tell any difference in the way it worked on deer between it and his old .270W with 130's, except there is less bloodshot meat. Nate

quote:

Originally posted by Buliwyf:
Keep waiting my friend. You will be waiting a long time before you get a report from me about shooting big game with a varmint bullet.

Just as I thought.... lots of opionions but no experience. Also a lot of "I know what's best for you" No surprise!!!!

Teancum:

Take a look at my first post.

Let me put it to you this way; no self-respecting sportsman would shot a big game animal with a bulet engineered for varmint hunting.