243 for Whitetails?

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by crownb

I have harvested 12 bull moose, 2'bull elk and countless wt and mule deer with mine, then I passed it down to my wife and she is 3 for 3 on bull moose. Her first moose was 279 yards.

it dont make it right though

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

it dont make it right though

did the internet tell you elk and moose are bullet proof?

[north american hunter]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

did the internet tell you elk and moose are bullet proof?

X2

[adogwiththumbs]

Originally Posted by Rage.0

Hitting a deer square on the shoulder with any caliber rifle is a bad decision. I grew up with a .243 and have never had a problem recovering a deer. I have moved on to .270 just for the versitility of handling all big game and come deer season everyone else wants to use the .243

Yes, bad decision no doubt,sometimes things happen. Only offering the advice of being EXTRA cautious.
Thanks for your clarification.

[H380]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

it dont make it right though

x2

[ForwardBias]

I started with a 243 as a kid. It wasnt til i got older did i start reading forums, magazines, or talking to other hunters outside of my little group did i feel like i needed more gun. Its a wickedly accurate round, and with modern bullets its killing power has expanded. If you feel under powered go with one of its bigger brothers. If you do your part, it will do its part.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

it dont make it right though

If you are getting clean one shot kills, I could care less if the bullet exits.

[DiabeticKripple]

Guess you need a .338 lapua mag to kill a WT by the sounds of it

[J0HN_R1]

What's with all the Negative Nancy's...? And deviating from the OP's original question.

.243win will be absolutely fine for your lady, not-so-much for the deer. They'll be dead...

Oh, looky here... A 13 y/o drops a Mulie buck @ 400 yds, in Southern Alberta none-the-less !

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzvl_Tgg9Uo

[Tactical Lever]

Originally Posted by Icon

My sons and I have taken many deer with the .243 win.

The only thing that I didn't see mentioned yet would be bullet selection. You will need a premium heavier bullet for the deer. There are smaller bullet selections out there, but those are mainly varmint loads.

Premiums may be nice in some cases, but the apparent failure of the 6 mm Remington was partially due to the toughness of the early heavy bullets for it.

Guys in the know at the time were using 85 gr. and having better success. Probably a little range had something to do with it as well.

Of course picking a varmint bullet in any caliber is a recipe for disaster. It would be nice, if the bullet manufacturers supplied a little more information on impact speed needed, and bullet toughness.

[The Flint&Fly Guy]

I would say that I would willingly shoot a deer, or with a good bullet even an elk or moose, with a .243. but I would not choose a .243 to be my deer hunting rifle. an example, two years ago I went hunting moose in an area with tons of wolves almost guarantied to see one, so I brought my 243, because of the chance of a long shot at a wofl was actually higher than my chance at a moose. but if the opposite had been true I would have brought a larger caliber.

[josh_beeks]

.243 is the bomb diggity for whitetails! haha

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

If you are getting clean one shot kills, I could care less if the bullet exits.

and if your not and the your off a bit,, the animal pays the price, 243 is a selfish cartridge people use to prove a point that the animal suffers for. These 243 threads always go the same way. I wrote though, not through by the way. Plus the thread is about deer which makes the cartridge barely acceptible, my comments are relevent to moose and elk and are 100 percent valid and I stand by them.

[aulrich]

Used a 243 one season , it worked but the 7-08 my kid used for the first few years worked better.

But more important that the cartridge is how the rifle fits your wife a properly fitted gun with a good recoil pad and the recoil issue is largely mitigated and your cartridge options open up.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

and if your not and the your off a bit,, the animal pays the price, 243 is a selfish cartridge people use to prove a point that the animal suffers for. These 243 threads always go the same way. I wrote though, not through by the way. Plus the thread is about deer which makes the cartridge barely acceptible, my comments are relevent to moose and elk and are 100 percent valid and I stand by them.

i've taken lots of moose with my muzzle loader 250gr @ 1700 fps i wouldn't even think twice about it...

that is 1605 lb.ft and i've never had a moose go very far.

an 85gr partition shot out of a 243 at 3200fps is 1933 lb.ft and probably carries the energy further than the muzzle loader

i guess that makes me worse than selfish

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

i've taken lots of moose with my muzzle loader 250gr @ 1700 fps i wouldn't even think twice about it...

that is 1605 lb.ft and i've never had a moose go very far.

an 85gr partition shot out of a 243 at 3200fps is 1933 lb.ft and probably carries the energy further than the muzzle loader

i guess that makes me worse than selfish

like i said, these threads always go the same way

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

like i said, these threads always go the same way

and then what makes you believe everyone who has done it is wrong?

[elkdump]

If you are incapable of consistently / humanly killing deer with a good .243 Win rifle ?

You probably shouldn't be allowed to hunt big game at all,,,,,

NO matter what caliber you choose to mismanage .

[DAVE]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

and if your not and the your off a bit,, the animal pays the price, 243 is a selfish cartridge people use to prove a point that the animal suffers for. These 243 threads always go the same way. I wrote though, not through by the way. Plus the thread is about deer which makes the cartridge barely acceptible, my comments are relevent to moose and elk and are 100 percent valid and I stand by them.

Well I thought I herd it all on here, But this is one of the better ones.

[elkdump]

Originally Posted by DAVE

Well I thought I herd it all on here, But this is one of the better ones.

Nope, you haven't heard it all yet,,,,

On some forums a .308 Win or 30-06 are not capable of being moose or elk calibers neither , and .308 and '06 are questionable for deer and black bear,,,,

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

and then what makes you believe everyone who has done it is wrong?

oh the people who have done it are not wrong, its all the people who have not done it right are wrong but few will admit it. If someone has to ask if the cartridge is good enough then they most likely do not have the experience to use the little cartridge. If my wife or child had to shoot one simply because they can't take anymore recoil then I would be with them for the follow up shot and would not let them hunt alone, and at deer only, nothing bigger and I even struggle with that scenerio You guys can beat me up all you want, your wrong. One guy wrote now he's seen it all. or something like that, he is the guy that would use a 22-250 if he could, simply because its little and can shoot it better. We can all get better results, aim wise, with a small cartridge but that dont make it right for the animal. Id much rather lose a bite of meat then picture an animal hidden in a deep thicket with its eyes rolled up in its head shivering in pain and shock, as the hunter walks by, and slowly dies or worse have the maggots get into a wound and slowly eat the animal alive which takes weeks to die. But thats me, use a .22 long rifle if you want, with a well placed shot and a premium bullet it kills too, like was said, moose and elk are not bullet proof cuz its all about bullet placement,phhhhhhh. which by the way is a statement made by braggards that never ever touch a twig, shoot at a moving animal and can hit 4 inch target every time under every conditon every day of the year, cuz that sure aint me. My dad taught me to respect animals cuz they have no malice, pride, vanity or arrogance and if my family is to kill an animal then we use the highest possible advantage to humainly kill the animal with the least amount of terror and pain, and its not always going to be perfect bullet placement, just so you know

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

its not always going to be perfect bullet placement, just so you know

there are limitations and if you adhere to your limitations it is a non issue

if you can only shoot 200 yards only shoot to 200 yards.

if you can't do a running shot don't take running shots.

hunters need to recognize that there will always be a second chance and don't rush things

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

there are limitations and if you adhere to your limitations it is a non issue

if you can only shoot 200 yards only shoot to 200 yards.

if you can't do a running shot don't take running shots.

hunters need to recognize that there will always be a second chance and don't rush things

three "if's" in there

[7mmremmag]

I bought one for a wolf hunt last year. While working up loads with it I decided to use it deer hunting.
85gr Hornady Interbond flattened my 150" whitetail from last year at 140yds. The deer made about 5 steps and fell over. No exit wound. Bullet was under the hide on the far side.
Also the 100lb wolf I shot at 120yds dropped right in its tracks, but that was with a 95gr Ballistic tip.
Im not sure about the deer in the rest of Alberta, but the ones around Lloydminster die pretty quick from the 243win.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

three "if's" in there

those if's don't apply to just a 243

you can turf a running shot just as easy with a 338 lapua as you can a 243

if you can only take a shot out to 200 yards it doesn't matter what bullet it is

know your limits as a hunter no matter what gun you're holding.

my 300 wsm isn't going to do any better than a 243 if i shoot a deer in the guts.

don't rush, there's always another animal tomorrow or next week or next year. a bigger bullet doesn't fix that

freehand i try to limit to 150 yards on a knee/sitting 200-250 a fence post tree or other decent rest 300-350

running shots i like to be able to hold the tip of the barrel against their fur so i know i wont miss

[BigJon]

I'd use the hell out of a 22 centrefire for deer if it were legal here.

Some friends and family members tote 243 wins/6mm rems annually and have never had an issue killing deer and elk.

I currently don't have one but should be picking a new 243 barrel out of the mailbox any day now.

I wonder if it'll kill big game?

[bezzola]

7mm-08

[elkdump]

Originally Posted by BigJon

I'd use the hell out of a 22 centrefire for deer if it were legal here.

Some friends and family members tote 243 wins/6mm rems annually and have never had an issue killing deer and elk.

I currently don't have one but should be picking a new 243 barrel out of the mailbox any day now.

I wonder if it'll kill big game?

Only if you swing it real hard like a club !

[BigJon]

Probably just rebore right off the bat to play it safe.

[raised by wolves]

I have taken approximately 150 deer, a couple moose, a couple elk, and a bear. Most were taken with a single shot from my 6mm Remington. I only recall a couple that i used a second shot on after i walked up on them. All but one dropped on the spot. And, using plain, boring, 100 grain Federal Powershocks.

I must be another of those types that lack responsibility and ethics and make the animals suffer.