Thread: 243 for deer hunting

anybody use a 243 for deer hunting and what type ammo do you use? i started using one this year got one deer and one hog using 95 grain hornady ballistic tips. did a good job for me

I don't have a .243, but still have a 6mm Remington which is the
same bullet at about the same speed - I killed a bunch of stuff with
it and it always dropped 'em like lightning. I handloaded Hornady 100gr BTSP interlocks most of the time, but Remington 100gr factory loads worked ok too.
Got a .300 Win mag later on, and it don't kill 'em no deader :D

I got my son a 243 2 years ago for xmas. He has killed maybe 10 deer with it and they all have dropped in there tracks. But then again I taught him to always do a neck shot

I shot a .243 for several years and killed probably 20 to 25 deer with it. Sure, a couple ran off, but always had a decent blood trail and I ALWAYS recovered my deer. Now, I mainly just use my bow.

My granddaughter uses a .243, with 100 grain off the shelf Remington Core loks. she is eight. The two deer she killed, one dropped in its tracks and the other ran about 100 yards. I wish she was bigger, only weighs 49 pounds, and I would let her shoot the .270. My grandson killed his first buck with the .243 but since he is 13 he has graduated to the .270.

Killed my first 13 with a .243. Neck shots and high lung shots. The only ones that didn't drop were ones I heart shot. Doesn't matter what you shoot, if you hit the heart they're gonna run.

I think 243 is plenty for deer...just don't try to shoot thru brush or even tall grass....small fast bullet will disentigrate on deflection...but then again...a clear unobstructed shot is always best IMO...for any projectile

i've been using my old marlin 30-30 for over 20 years only had one to run off maybe 70 yards,that one i shot low.after that only neck shots.I am a meat hunter,just can't cook them big antlers long enough to get em tender.

Originally Posted by poppop

My granddaughter uses a .243, with 100 grain off the shelf Remington Core loks.

I killed many a deer when I was a kid using the old .22-250. The key for me has always been to use a bullet that mushrooms on impact and retains it's weight. It's been my experience that a bullet like this with a properly placed shot more times than not will drop the deer in it's tracks with no damage to your meat areas. Key: Properly placed shot and mushrooming bullet
After losing 3 deer last year shooting a ballistic tipped .243 that shattered on impact, got my buddy to switch to the Core Loks. He found all 3this year, 30 yards was the furthest he had to track one. That stuff is some of the best off the shelf ammo IMO, and it's not really that expensive compared to some of the other ammo out there.

Originally Posted by zinsurance

I killed many a deer when I was a kid using the old .22-250. The key for me has always been to use a bullet that mushrooms on impact and retains it's weight. It's been my experience that a bullet like this with a properly placed shot more times than not will drop the deer in it's tracks with no damage to your meat areas. Key: Properly placed shot and mushrooming bullet
After losing 3 deer last year shooting a ballistic tipped .243 that shattered on impact, got my buddy to switch to the Core Loks. He found all 3this year, 30 yards was the furthest he had to track one. That stuff is some of the best off the shelf ammo IMO, and it's not really that expensive compared to some of the other ammo out there.

That's a huge problem many people have, they shoot bullets designed for large game that don't work well on 100-140 lb deer. Then they step up to the .300 Win Mag with 180 grain bullets and still lose them. Nothing wrong with the .300 Win Mag, I shoot one but with 125 grain spire point hand loads. Drop's 'em like a rock.