I think I messed up the original post so I will try this again. I am considering purchasing a .243. Many say that the .243 is no good for deer hunting but I'm past all that so I have three questions for those who actually hunt deer with a .243. What is the longest shot you have actually killed deer with a .243? what bullet did you use? What was the response of the deer when it was hit?

Thanks in advance.

I personaly have never shot a deer with a .243 but was with my ex-wife when she shot 2 different Whitetails and an Antelope buck. All three were instant kills (2 dropped in their tracks and one ran 50' and dead). One 75 yard shot one 125 yard shot and the Antelope was 175+ yards. Very effective on deer size animals when shot well. We used Sierra 100 grain bullets and they worked flawlessly, only one recovered and it weighed 85+ grains after travelling full length of the deer chest to rear ham under the skin.
I would not hesitate to use the .243 and a good bullet to 300-350 yards on deer and Antelope being selective of my shots but no more so than I am with other rifles.
Good luck

I hunted deer with the 243 many years ago and upgraded to the 7mm08. I killed a lot of deer with the 243 and the longest was 400yds with a 90 gr bullet. The deer just walked from the bean field to the woods and dropped. I never had to shoot one twice but I really prefer the 7mm08 for a little more bullet but the 243 works and recoil is very light.

6mm Benchrest (243 less half inch off back!)

400 yds 105gr amax double lung shot, dropped w/in 25 yds

Reputable acquaintance, took a 'pot shot', not sporting mind you, with a H&R 243 single shot, 85gr BTHP federal factory load, OVER 500 yds, amazed himself.

Mind you, I don't condone such long distance 'attempts' at game i.e. deer

Its been years since I used a 243,but have taken a few at 300+yds.The best shot I remember taken was a lazered 287 yds, shot the deer in the throat with rifle resting on my newphews shoulder with 5 people watching.It was standing behind a big pine with only its head and part ot the neck visable.All of them were shot with a 87 gr hornady.If I was going to hunt with the 243 now it would be with the 85 gr sierras.The reason I don't use now is that I have a bunch of different calibr rifles and like to use a different one each year.
My buddie took his first long distance deer last year useing my 243 at 270 yds ,deer went about 25 yds and piled up.He likes the 243 so will probably use it again this year.

I shot a doe deer at 400 years with a 6mm rem using 85 grain noslers. It went down, but not immediately. I would say that was stretching the caliber a bit.

This is the type of info. I have been looking for. It sounds as if the .243 is a 400 yd. rifle if I reload with the right ammo and I do my part. Most of my shots will be taken from a tree stand over a bean field in S.C.

I have also looked at the 25-06 but I really like the bullet selection from the .243 and the use of it as a varmint rifle as well.

Thanks again and would love to hear any other responses.

We shoot deer here in Indiana in the bean fields and our biggest problem is when the deer run far enough to get out of the field they are very hard to find as most of the edges around the fields are grown up with brush. My 243 worked really good out to about 200 yards but after that the deer would sometimes run 50 yards or so and get into the brush making them difficult to find. We hunt them just before dark which made finding them even harder. I used the 85gr sierra for most of the shots and went for the shoulder bone.

I have a 243 and a 25-06.
My kids have killed several deer and antelope with the 243. One muley doe was shot up close in the head and the lower jaw was blown off. Pretty impressive. The 25-06 would be ballistically superior using 100 grain bullets. I load 117 grain bullets in my 25-06 at approx. 3100 fps. No deer ever born should be able to handle that.

I use a 270 with 130 grain bullets for deer and will probably use the 25-06. I don't plan on using the 243 for deer. If I had to choose btw a 243 and 25-06 for deer, I'd go with the 25-06 hands down.

I have shot mule deer with a 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 257 Roberts, 25-06 Rem, 264 Win Mag, 270 Win, and 308 Norna Mag. The 243 Win is a fine round but the effective range is less than the 25-06 which will deliver more energy at a longer range. For deer hunting I think the 25-06 and 270 Win are the better rounds for deer hunting.

I believe that if one feels they will shoot deer out to 300 or 400 routinely, then perhaps a 25-28 cal, 120gr and up, 2800+ fps would be solid for most any presentation, given a good bullet choice.

Much as I love the 243 I really would hesitate to use it at 400yards. Allthough velocity will allow expansion it has been my experience that the effectiveness of the little round is largely down to velocity. At 400 yards you will have deer take a long time to go down with lung only hits.

If the 400yards is at the outside and occasional that might be different. Whatever if it is for long range make sure you use a good NON PREMIUM expanding bullet such as a Ballistic Tip or Sierra. 243, low velocity (due to long range) and premium is IMHO not a good recipe!

I'll shoot woodchucks with a .243 at 400 yards any day, but I wouldn't take a shot at a deer. For every story of a 300 yard plus shot there is with the .243, there's half a dozen more of a lost deer struck at 150 yards or less. That may explain why we see so few .243s in the deer blinds here in Texas these days, where at one time many moons ago the .243 WCF was a favorite. Today it's 7mms, .270s, .308s and bigger. Hint hint!

LLS

I can say from experience, that I agree with what 1894 said.......many say use premium such as a partition, I have used both. I think the round being small in caliber lends to a narrow wound channel to begin with, so if you use say a 85 bthp, 95 ballistic tip, 87 gr (not the vmax-but bthp and sp,) standard 100gr, then long range shots are more apt to have adequate expansion.

I would say that if shooting over about 300 yds with a 243, I'd only want a lung shot behind the shoulder complete broadside.

I hear the 105 speer is very effective. Me, I use the amax in the 6BR, and in 243 : 85 X (once on a hog-DRT at 240 yds) 85 bthp sierra, and want to try the 95 ballistic tips as much as I hate nosler's price. The x's I had loaded were the old version bought years ago.

The round I think is sensitive to bullet selection for deer. Proper bullet, good shot angle, good hit, dead deer.

Anything above goes wrong, a trailing job at best.

You must have confidence in your shooting ability. That said, I have witnessed kills both fast, and not so fast with 243's.

I am not worried to use them, but more careful in how I use them.

They work, and work well in good conditions, but they are less forgiving in tough situations vs a larger bullet, all else equal.

At this point based on your responses, I have just about decide on the 25-06 over the .243. Simply put, I am looking for a 400 yd. deer rifle that I can still take out a coyote with at 500 yds if one crosses at the opposite end of a bean field. Most deer shots will be 100 to 250 yds. but I want to have the capability if the opportunity arises.

I want a caliber that has a good selection of bullets for both deer as well as large varmits. I reload but I also want a popular caliber where ammo selection is available in stores. I am very fond of high speed and tack driving accuracy when it comes to my weapons. I am strongly looking at the Savage 112 Varminter.

Thanks for the responses and am open to any other suggestions.

Hey snd Hand Lion, I made "some of" this same post over on the Medium Bores, but it applies to your situation as well.

The problems you get out past 300yds can be very difficult to deal with - especially when using Low Ballistic Coefficient(BC) Bullets, found in the Weenie Calibers(like the 243Win and even the 25cals). The Heaviest weight Bullets in those smaller Calibers have difficulty matching the BC(reality not computed) of the larger diameter calibers, like the 30cal and 0.338" Bullets.

If you look in the back of your Speer Manual(or Sierra) and do a few comparisons for Wind Drift and Drop Rate, you will quickly understand most of the smaller calibers are at a serious disadvantage. And if you go to some of the Higher weights in the smaller calibers, then you need "special twist" barrels to stabilize those very long-for-caliber Bullets.

So, only you can decide what will meet your Specific Performance Requirements - retained energy at distance, wind drift, drop rate and how the design envelope of the bullet will perform "at those long distances" must be thought out - as well as your Recoil tollerance level. Then all of them should be calculated and thought out to meet "your" proper Balance.

Once you select the Cartridge and Rifle, then the Calculated advantages need to be assessed by actually shooting it at l-o-n-g distance. Here you can determine an actual Drop Rate at known distances to create an accurate Drop Chart. This shooting will also allow you to see the effects of Wind Drift at distance as well as the combined effects of little Trigger Time on the final Group Size.

Our Carolina Deer normally have a 14"-16" height from the bottom of the chest to the top of the withers. Lets figure Worst Case and go with 14". Now you need the Bullet to make Impact at least 2" down from the top and 2" up from the bottom to make a kill, which reduces the Kill Zone height to 10". And after over 5-decades of hunting, I'd "recommend" you use half that as your Limit for Long Distance, or what ever the distance happens to be where you can keep all bullets inside a 5" circle.

How far " I " can effectively kill Deer with a particular cartridge doesn't supply you with a good base of information as long as you do not know me, the land I hunt, how much I shoot, the exact Load I'm using and a quantity of Kills large enough(with that one Load) to be statistically relevant.

Whatever rifle you get, the HEAVIER the better. If you are determined to stay with a Savage, then it should be similar to a M700 VLS with the 26" Bull Barrel(no flutes).

And a very High Power Variable Scope with Target Turrets will help attain accuracy at l-o-n-g distance. It needs to be a Variable so you can crank it back if the Mirage gets too bothersome. Since you plan to Hunt the rifle, then I'd highly recommend Mil-Dots along with the Target Turrets.

Mount the Scope in Burris "Signature" Rings. Then if you get into really long distance shooting, you can get the Eccentric Insert Set for $10 and not have to buy an expensive Tapered Rail Base.

Best of luck to you.

Great posts, my 400 yd kill was using a 6-24x 4200 with mil dots, and had been practicing at said distance knowing where to hold, w/o having to waste time clicking, or guessing, and it gives you a definitive aiming point.

25-06, great all around choice for what you plan to do. Blast like a 270, recoil to me like a 243, AND you can find them in heavy barreled guns, which IS a preference on long shots and not a burden if you stand hunt.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by 6.5BR:
Great posts, my 400 yd kill was using a 6-24x 4200 with mil dots, and had been practicing at said distance knowing where to hold, w/o having to waste time clicking, or guessing, and it gives you a definitive aiming point.

25-06, great all around choice for what you plan to do. Blast like a 270, recoil to me like a 243, AND you can find them in heavy barreled guns, which IS a preference on long shots and not a burden if you stand hunt.

Good luck.

I have seen the both .243 and 6MM Remington be effective out to 200 yards with good shot placement.
My longest shot with the 6mm was using the 100 grn Hornady spitzer at 3003 fps. The range was 465 paces and I have a measured pace of 28".
This means the distance was about 360 yards.
My rifle was zeroed at 200 yards. I was in a small clump of post oaks at the corner of a wheat field. I had been sitting but took the shot prone over a dead tree trunk while lying in a mass of post oak leaves about 4 inches deep.
This was almost a prone benchrest postion.
There was a slight breeze and the buck raised his nose to sniff the air with his face into the wind. I knew that the breeze would cause some drift and there would be considerable drop over that distance. I held about 1 inch behind where his antlers met his skull. At the shot he turned jumped a fence and ran out of sight. Distance where he disappeared was at about 50 yards behind and to the left of where he jumped the fence. No blood trail was found. I carefully walked to the spot where he was last seen and began making progressive loops in the direction he has been running. About 15 minutes later he was found dead another 100 yards into the woods.
The bullet had struck him in the diaphram and penetrated his liver. The bullet exited with little sign of expansion. The wind drift was about 14" and the drop was about 1 foot. from the point of aim.
I have made another shot across that same field at a comparable distance with a .25-06 using the 100 grain Sierra at 3200 FPS. That buck ran 100 yards into broken woods after jumping the fence. I could only see flashes of him through the trees and brush as he ran. Then he vanished. I carefully crossed the fence and walked across the field directly toward where I last saw him. At the far side of the field I crossed the next fence and headed straight toward where I last saw him. Fifteen feet to he west he lay dead having kicked in a circle as he bled out. Terminal performance was spectacular even though the shot was low at that distance. The bullet entered about 1 inch about the bottom of the brisket. The heart exploded. It resembled a spread open artichoke. Still the buck had ran 100 yards.
Total deer that I have seen shot with the .243 and 6MM about 20 (most by my brothers). Total deer I seen shot with a 25/06 - 11.
The 25-06 is markedly more effective. I would limit it to 300 yards in open terrain. The .243 and 6mm I would limit 250 yards in open terrain. Both of these limits would apply to wide open country. In brushy terrain where the animal may be able to run out of sight easily I would cut about 100 yards off of each.
These shots illustrate the difficulty of shot placement at extreme range, errors made in judgment of drift and drop, poor bullet velocity at low remaining velocity and poor energy at that distance and the ability of even a little 120 lb whitetail to absorb punishment and run off into the woods.

Bigger diameter kills better and higher velocity kills farther.

25-06 wins on both accounts. This would be my choice of the two.

A rifle that you like, are comfortable with, and fits is more important than actual caliber.

A 243 will kill a deer as far out as you can accurately place the bullet. Simple as that.
What is that distance? That's for your abilities and personal ethics to decide.

I think my farthest shot with a 243 was only about 150 yards. But then I was a young and definitely not comfortable at the longer distances. As soon as I was able to handle somethig bigger a 270 became my deer rifle.

125 yrd.s - I used a .243 Model 7 as a mt. gun a few times with 75 gr. core lokt and 100 gr. Nosler Petition factory loads. .243 worked fine at that distance with a well placed shot and I never lost one I'd shot. I'd have taken a shot to maybe 200 yrd.s if things were right. I was hunting in steep, brushy country where a deer that ran 30 yrds could be very tough to track an virtually unrecoverable. I'm now using a 7mm 08 with 140 or 150 gr. bullets for the same purpose.

We obsess about this power stuff way too much - Scandinavians kill moose with a 6.5x55 - a .243 is fine for deer.

A .243 Nosler 95g Partition started out at 3,000 fps is still going 2,000 fps at 400 yards, and that's plenty to expand the bullet and kill the deer, assuming it's hit well. If it isn't hit well, it doesn't matter what it's hit with. This is more of a "bullet" issue than a "caliber" issue - today's bullets are better than yesterday's at expanding at long range while not blowing up at short range.

Personally, my limit is 300 yards for anything that lives, but that's just my ability to hit the right spot under field conditions, not a reflection of power, caliber, or bullet.

Jaywalker

it ain't the actual yardage that's the limitation as much as whether or not you can guess within 50 yards. One year we had sight in days at the God&Run Club, and people consistently estimated the 300M Pig (silhouette) from 400-600 yards. One guy woofed up shooting his elk at "over 600 yards" with a 7mm RMag, then said: "about as far as that pig...". Stuck with the story until I got him to pace it off...hmmmmm.

The kids all shot 243's and 6mm's growing up, and their kids are doing the same. Idaho Fish & Game have been using 22-250's with the Winchester 64gr power point bullet for a couple years now. My youngest will be using an ABolt to do the same with some Noslers.

Rich
DRSS

I walk on water !. Practical shooting distance with any caliber suitable for hunting deer sized or larger game is under 500 Yd. A .243 is not effective much past 325 yd. !. Sorry to disappoint all of you 1000 Yd. fans . I hunted with one growing up took several deer with it . problem it just didn't make clean kills beyond 300 Yd. with any size bullet .

If I can't make a shot from 5 yd. - 500 Yd. using a .30 cal or 7 MM Mag , the animal lives period . Least wise to see another day .

I'm either in a very poor position or haven't expended leg energy to stalk closer or better position !. ...

When we talk about deer hunting, in particular, white tail they range in size from a 75 pound weakling to a 400 pound monster. I've used the .243 Winchester with 100 grain bullets on a few smaller white tail at ranges up to 150 yards. The deer showed no reaction upon receiving the bullet other than to take off running and falling dead within a hundred yards.

That pretty well sums it up !. Clean kills are when the animal drops in it's tracks or attempts to walk run or and drops dead !.

Not sprinting a half a mile while some idiot follows a blood trail !.

120 Grain and Up bullets in my opinion are the humane answer to clean kills with velocity's of 1400 FPS and higher for Deer and like sized game " Under 200 Yd. " .

I'm going to catch a lot of flack from the triple duce club now !. ...

quote:

Originally posted by 2nd Hand Lion:
I think I messed up the original post so I will try this again. I am considering purchasing a .243. Many say that the .243 is no good for deer hunting but I'm past all that so I have three questions for those who actually hunt deer with a .243. What is the longest shot you have actually killed deer with a .243? what bullet did you use? What was the response of the deer when it was hit?

Thanks in advance.

Using Sierra's 85 Gr. HPBT NO.1530 GameKing, Deer to 200yds max for a fast kill. Great woodchuck bullet.

Many of the long range hunting proponents would not dream of hunting with a 30-30 yet that is the performance their favorite round delivers out at 400 yards.

350 yards on a blacktail. you could probably say the 243 is at it's best 300 yds or closer.

I have shot soemwhere around 125-150 red deer, 20 sika deer, hundreds of goats, whitetail deer and thar with a 243 win. At no time did I feel undergunned with this calibre. It is soft to shoot and kills very very well.

I would call it a 300 yard max rifle, but I suspect if you never want to wound an animal then do your hunting before you shoot..I like to shoot at 200 yards and under with any rifle..

I have found the good shots wound more deer than the bad shots...A good shot seldom misses he just gets a little off center and wounds, the bad shot misses most everything...

Hunting is about respect for the animal and a clean kill is utmost and takes precidence over bragging rights..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:Hunting is about respect for the animal and a clean kill is utmost and takes precidence over bragging rights..

Every hunting rifle should have this quote stamped on the barrel by the manufacturer.

Covey16

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
I shot a doe deer at 400 years .

I had no idea they lived that long?????

quote:

It sounds as if the .243 is a 400 yd. rifle if I reload with the right ammo and I do my part. Most of my shots will be taken from a tree stand over a bean field in S.C.

Not hardly!

The only deer I have ever lost have been with a .243. Shooter error was partly to blame the rest of it was a lack of bullet weight, diameter and remaning energy. Knock on wood I have not lost one with larger calibers since. The 25-06 is a good choice and you can find ammo with ease if you do not reload. The 260 Rem or 7-08 Rem are also good choices with the 7-08 being very common in the U.S. and Canada and the 260 not quite so popular but if you hand load it will equal the 25-06 in a short action.

For me the .243 is probably one of the best choices for a long range ground hog/ yote rig and the 6mm Rem is a step up from the .243 keeping hand loading in mind.

All the reasons I hear for getting the 25-06 tell me to go ahead and get the 270. The only deer I shot with a .243 was appx 125 yards. Dropped on the spot. A 400 yard shot I will not take.

Depending on bullet weight and bullet type, as the 6mm cartridges have a wide range of bullets and types available for it...

on Oregon sized blacktails, If I have the shot to place a proper bullet in the proper spot at 400 yds, I know the 243 would be up to it...

we all understand that shot placement is a key ingredient to making a clean kill.. but one also has to have a bullet that both matches the size of game you are hunting and also must match the ability to perform within the velocity range that it will impact the quarry at...

even whether an animal had its adreneline up or not can dictate whether the impact is an instant kill or not...

heck I shot a big deer once in Minnesota with a 300 Win Mag and a 200 grain Sierra SP on it., at 100 yds, it hit the ground and there was blood all over the place.. then it got up and ran straight into the swamp... lost that one...

shot a 200 lb deer in Wisconsin once also... 180 grain RN out of an 06, shot it at 200 yds or so...it was running away from me, the shot hit right behind the rib, cut thru the lungs and exited out of and above the shoulder in the left front chest.... well I got that buck, because I could follow the blood trail... all 250 yds or it... one would wonder how it ran that far, with that kind of damage.. but it did...

both of those deer were running and had their adreneline running...

there is more variable than just bullet weight and bore size to determine what is a lethal killer...

I love my .243 and have taken many deer with it. Many have dropped in their tracks. However, at 400 yds the energy is down to the 900, 1000 ft-lb range, which is still enough to kill a deer, but shot placement becomes very important at that range with little room for error. On the other hand the energy of the .25-06 at 400 yds is in the 1100, 1200 ft-lb range making it a much more effective round at that range. However, it is rare to be shooting deer (whitetail) at 400 yds. The .243 is quite capable to 300 yds with proper bullet selection and shot placement. My actual longest shot with my .243 was 140 yds. Deer ran 20 yds and fell dead. There was massive lung damage from the 80 grain Speer Hot-cor bullet.

To follow others comments: I KNEW the range on my 400 yd shot, and had practiced to 420 at the range and knew precisely where/how to hold using a mil-dot scope, secondly, the AMAX is a fragile bullet that will expand readily at lower speeds, and third the deer was not a monster, about a 120 lb deer in the open and I had 100% confidence in my shot and the bullets ability to kill as the amax is very high in BC.

That said, I do not flatly recommend to any/all to use a 6mm bore of any type at that range or further, but with shot placement and proper bullet selection feel that the 243 and similar rounds are capable far more than what many state/assume. There are reputable reports of deer shot at over 500 yds with 95 ballistic tip handloads, as well as 85 Sierras HP, and I seen first hand my son take a 300 yd shot on a tx deer which left a grapefruit size hole in the back with 85BTHP so I know a little about 243's on deer. Also shot another in shoulder at 225 - 250 and similar result-you would have thought a 270 hit those deer. First deer with 243 was a 100 partition at 30 yds, ran 30 yds and yes NO sign of hit. Also killed a deer at 200 yds with 70gr TNT that ran 60 yds lung shot and fell dead never showing signs of hit until dropping from dead run.

If you hunt thick terrain I'd opt for a 25 cal 120gr as a minimum, though some may say a 100 gr in 25 or 6.5mm will do well, and they do, but the 6mm's have had mixed outcomes in field due to many variables, shot presentation, size game/deer, bullet choice, range, and whether game was spooked or relaxed.

If wanting a good blood trail, the larger the caliber that you EXIT with all else equal the better it often is, but SHOT placement needs to be exact as best possible with lesser calibers, and I am not a magnum user/beleiver as I hunt with cartridges many would not.

All in all I do not have harsh criticism of the 6 bores, nor the posters experience/comments above, but do stand firm that a good shooter who picks shots before trigger squeeze, and places a properly chosen bullet will down their game -within most normal hunting ranges, and hopefully find it in a short distance from hit. I also agree with many that a say 260- 7mm-08 and similar rounds gives some 'added assurity' of a quick clean kill on odd angles and larger animals and often has a better chance of leaving a trackable blood trail when/if needed.

When shooting longer shots with any cartridge but esp. more so with rounds on the smaller side, having a cool shooter is needed, someone who is and can hold fire if the game is not offering a good shot.

Effective range of the 243 on deer?
Out on the hill 300 yards. In the bush it depends how dense the bush is.

If you follow the logic that a 260 is more effective than a 243 and 7 08 more effective than a 260 you obviously find that the calibre gets larger. The next variable is then velocity, bullet type etc. So where does it all end?

Personally I belive people should shoot with what they feel comfortable with. I have a friend that uses a 270 (badly) on red deer. He has a bad flinch and basicly the recoil / noise puts him off the shot.

In my opinion he would be much more successful with a lighter calibre such as a 243 or even a 223 in the right circumstances.

I guess if you like heavier calibres use them but if you prefer lighter calibres use those. Horses for courses really....