Hey guys Im the new kid on the block.Here is my question.I have been shooting the same rifle and caliber(Rem 721 270 cal) for deer for the last 23 yrs or so.The only deer I hit and lost were my fault.Two were hit in the rear leg.No more running away shots for me.One I tried to shoot through way too much brush.Big buck syndrome is the only excuse I have.I have killed many deer with this gun.
I have inherited my brother's guns.One is a Ruger M77 in 243 cal.He was a shooter not a hunter.Before he died we loaded some Hornady SSTs in the 243.I really wanted to kill a deer with his rifle and our loads before he died.I did get a big doe.He helped me get it out of the woods even though he was sick.I now want this to be my deer hunting rifle and cal.

Ok....sorry for being sentimental.

What kind of info or input about a 243 being a deer cal?Is the SSTs a good round?I shot a doe at 60 yds completely broadside.She went 30-40 yds.Same results as my 270.What about liver shots?I shot 3 with the 270 which I found with no problems.I know.....not the best place to put a bullet....but it happened.I do want to use the 243 but I dont want to lose a deer once I pull the trigger.Any suggestions on loads and what bullets to use? Thanks

Mike,

condolenscences on the loss of your brother....

I'd give the vote for the 270 being a better deer round, offering more margin for error than a 243....

However, for myself, I'd carry the 243...less recoil adds to better shot placement for most shooters....

Althought I'd admit I think the 270 is a better deer round for the average guy... it does not lessen the competency of the 243... A 243 will out do a 30/30 any day... and I still think the 30/30 is probably the most commonly carried round in the deer woods to this day.. followed by the 06, 308 and 270.. not necessarily in that order....

From the 85 grain HP Sierra to any 90 grain and up hunting bullet, the 243 will do a darn good job, if the shooter does his job....

it doesn't have macho appeal, but it does have killing power...and that is all ya need...

cheers
seafire

I grew up starting with a 243. I bagged quite a few deer with it. I eventually gave it to my younger brother and moved up to a 270 . Everyone has their specific caliber of preference and i found mine early with the 270. Dont discount the 243 and its ability to drop a big deer though. Just a great caliber. Great for coyotes also.

quote:

I do want to use the 243 but I dont want to lose a deer once I pull the trigger.Any suggestions on loads and what bullets to use?

I've seen the .243 as an effective venison harvester for many years and can attest to the fact that it works very nicely.

My recommendation is to use a 100 grain spitzer in the .243.....personally I like the interlock from Hornady but a lot of others will do fine as well.

You might want to look for a premium bullet but it's been my experience that they aren't needed for hunting deer.

The 270 is certainly a better big game cartridge, but Nosler 95 or 100 grain Partitions in a 243 have worked very nicely on whitetails in our neighborhood. For that matter Remington 100 gr CoreLokt factory ammo does the job with minimum fuss as well.

To answer your questions...

1. A .243 is fine for deer. Use a good 100 grain bullet.
2. Hit a cow elk with a .308 165 gr SST handload. Wobbled for 10 feet and went down. Your results may vary...
3. Liver shots?
4. A slow powder with 95-100 gr bullet. IMR4831, RL-19, and RL-22 have all worked extremely well for me.

quote:

3. Liver shots?

LOL

I have a friend that hunted with a 6MM Rem (same as a .243 almost) and for some strange reason he always wound up destroying the liver with his shots. It wasn't intentional....just coincidental. But the deer went down pronto. I don't know why.....they just did.

Vapo:

I normally shoot for the lungs, instead of the shoulder when I shoot at game... In all cases that I can recall, the liver was also damaged to a fair extent..

I always racked it up to being the deer was in a forward movement when shot in most instances... so the bullet has a yaw toward the rear of the animal.. is why the liver got part of the damage....

Even on deer that were standing broadside when hit, it seems that the inflation/deflation of the lungs while the animal breathes seems to push the bullet toward the liver as it hits.....

or maybe it is just plain old shock wave when the bullet penetrates the lungs....

But it is certainly lethal, and very quickly....

cheers
seafire

Hey guys......thanks for replying.As some of you mentioned..I know a 270 is a better all around cal for deer.I have shot quite a few deer with my 270.I love shooting that gun.Very lethal!But I want to shoot at least one deer a year with the 243.I am a meat hunter not a trophy hunter so I will be shooting mostly does.Since I dont have that much experience with the 243,I was looking for what loads work the best.I have some loaded with the SST's and wondered how that load would work.Good enough?Too fragile?I did shoot one doe with it and it worked like a charm.But it was a perfect set-up.....completely broadside and close.What about a quartering away shot?I would take the shot in a heartbeat with a 270.

The SST's are great! If you've already got a load for them that shoots well, stick with them. The SST's are the best shooters out of my 243, and they're plenty effective. I didn't get to deer hunt much this year, but last year I pulled the 243 out of mothballs and shot 5 deer with it using the 95 gr. SST's. All 5 just piled up. These were all broadside chest shots at ranges from 100-200 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by mdmike:
Hey guys......thanks for replying.As some of you mentioned..I know a 270 is a better all around cal for deer.I have shot quite a few deer with my 270.I love shooting that gun.Very lethal!But I want to shoot at least one deer a year with the 243.I am a meat hunter not a trophy hunter so I will be shooting mostly does.Since I dont have that much experience with the 243,I was looking for what loads work the best.I have some loaded with the SST's and wondered how that load would work.Good enough?Too fragile?I did shoot one doe with it and it worked like a charm.But it was a perfect set-up.....completely broadside and close.What about a quartering away shot?I would take the shot in a heartbeat with a 270.

I once hunted with the 243 for deer and the longest shot was 400 in the lungs which is the best place to shoot one for certain death. If you want to get the most out of it I would use the BARNES TSX bullet which will give you better penetration. If I hunted with the 243 again that would be my upgrade to get the most out of it.
Good Luck

There are several bullets lighter than 100 grains that will give you good results. If by quartering away shots thet begin their penetration at the back of the rib cage most standard bullets of 80 grains and up will do fine. On frontal shot go for the neck in front of the shoulder just below the shoulder blade. If you take your shots at any angle then stick with the 270.

Thanks for all the advice.As you know I just joined this site.Seems like a good group of guys.

I now have more confidence in using a 243 for deer.I am pretty good at waiting for the right shot.But I know there is less room for error when using a small caliber.I am getting started handloading and will experiment with getting a good load.I have some loads right now with 95 grain SST,s.They shoot about a 2" group.Not real good I know but at least its a start.

quote:

I have a friend that hunted with a 6MM Rem (same as a .243 almost) and for some strange reason he always wound up destroying the liver with his shots. It wasn't intentional....just coincidental. But the deer went down pronto. I don't know why.....they just did.

A few years back I saw a whitetail buck shot with an 243 Winchester 80 grain PowerLokt factory load. The left lung went missing, the right lung had a fingerwide hole through it, the bullet stopped under the skin after passing through the meat of the right shoulder (retained weight 29 gr), and the liver was ruptured even though the bullet was never on that side of the diaphragm.

I had a 721 in a .270 and foolishly sold it. I have had many .270's and loved them all, not as super accruate long range work tools, but as "critter getters". My son currently has my last 270 and has loved it for deer and elk here in Idaho. An additional benefit of the .243, besides being an adequate whitetail rifle is that with Nosler 55 grain BT it is a terror as a long range varmit load. I've had luck with Varget and am shooting around 4050 fps with great accuracy.

I have a friend that hunts with a Savage 110 in 243 & that is his go to deer rifle. He also has a 308 & has taken deer with both. His experience with it is that he has more one shot drops with it than the 308.
I would recommend that you put in the trigger time with the 243 & buy some good loading manuals. Those would be good areas to focus on to the get the best & most fun out of it in my opinion.

Mdmike,
I live just across the river from Md. so I assume the deer are similarly sized in Virginia as Maryland and having killed a couple of dozen over the past few years with all manner of weapons, I can truly say that the 243 kills just as fast as the 270, 50 cal muzzleloader or 30-06 with the right placement of the bullet.
I have not seen much of a differenct between the 85 TSX or the plain ol' 100 gr PowerPoint, they usually just lurch forward a few yards and drop over quite deceased.
Pick your shots, place the bullet in the chest and drag home the venison. Enjoy the milder shooting of the 243.

Mdmike, I've knocked down a pile of whitetail deer with my .243, from ranges between 50 and 300 yards.
My favorite bullet is an 85g Barnes X loaded with 40 grains of H4350.
With proper shot placement, the .243 is a very effective whitetail round.

Good hunting,

MG

Nothing wrong with being sentimental my frend. !
As to the .243, If I were taking a .243 after a big mule deer i wouild want a barnes tripple shock, or a 100 grain nosler partition. I had never shot a buck with anything smaller than a .280 rem till this year, when i took a 140# lb mulie with a 100 grain tripple shock from my Ruger .257 Roberts.
It was extremly efective at 102 yards. My buck droped within 10 feet and 5 seconds of the hit. The placement was a couple inches higher than I wanted but right in the crease behind the shoulder and the Barnes came right out through the shoulder bones on exit side. So I would not hesitate to go after any North american deer with a .243 but no shots beyond 300 yards...tj3006

Condolences.

I'm not a .243 Win fan, but I do have some experience with it's ballistic twin, the 6mm Rem. For deer & antelope presenting broadside or slightly quartering shots use a 100gr Nosler Partition.

My sons and I have taken a number of whitetails, 2 springbok, 1 kudu and assorted monkeys with a .243. It is all about where you hit them. We used 100 gr. Nosler Partitions.

Im not big fan of 243 but the 100 gr tsx is enough to do what you want nicely.

I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. Years ago I nailed 2 Mulies going up hill with a .243 that I borrowed. One shot each. Both were between the shoulder blades at 300 yards across a canyon.

I don't have one but I wouldn't mind one.

Good luck

Don