Is the 243 the best whitetail deer cartridge?

[Critter Picker]

My first centerfire was a .243 in an old mod. 70 . Wish I still had it. I think what hurts the .243 more than anything else is people who don't know anything about firearms go buy ammo and get a varmint type load for deer hunting. Then they hit a deer and with no exit hole, have no blood trail. These people couldn't follow a deer in fresh knee deep snow. They then assume that a .243 isn't enough gun.

I saw one such person a few years back. He was sighting in a. 458 Win. mag in a Ruger #3 carbine. He also had such a bad flinch he couldn't hit a 3 ft. X 3 ft. target. My friend shot a cloverleaf with that gun, then told the guy he didn't hate himself bad enough to shoot it again!

 

[Wolf76]

Have you even killed a deer with a 243? They are DRT 95% of time...doesn't get much quicker than a SST in 95grs.

I have and have had to track a fair amount others shot with a 243. Blood trails have been poor to non existent with well placed shots and good hunting bullets. FWIW I have no issue with tracking, but take exception with little to no blood to follow.

So, I'll pass on a 243 and hope your success continues.

 

[Todd Gansel]

I own two 243s. One is a custom Remington and I use it exclusively for long range shooting. It has a 1:8 was set up as a single shot to shoot 105gr Bergers. But have since set it up as a repeater shooting 95gr TMK at 3195fps with 49gr of Retumbo. It's a great combination. My second is a Tikka T3 Lite, with a 2.5-10x32 Vortex PST,DNZ mount . I now shoot 100gr portions with 49gr Retumbo. It is my favorite truck gun. I've shot lots of deer and coyotes with it. 243 is a great cartridge.

 

[Will83]

I have and have had to track a fair amount others shot with a 243. Blood trails have been poor to non existent with well placed shots and good hunting bullets. FWIW I have no issue with tracking, but take exception with to little to no blood to follow.

So, I'll pass on a 243 and hope your success continues.

+1 one on this one. Maybe nowadays with better bullets, but in the time of rem core lokts, even many perfect shots were almost always needing to be tracked with very little blood trail. It seemed to lack the proper shock effect on bucks. The deer were definitely dead, but didn't seem to know it yet. I'm sure that it is a fine gun in today's world with the excellent bullet choices. But after a few too many heart shots in an open field just to have to literally crawl into Alabama briar thickets at night with little to no blood trails, my vote goes to something like a 25-06 or something that has a .3 on the front of it. I love a 243, but there are other better options in my opinion.

 

[FEENIX]

No!

 

[Will83]

No!

Well put sir.

 

[Son of a Gun!]

I Agree that with good shot angle and reasonable range it works great on deer size game! I used a 6mm Rem for years in South Dakota no issues! I've got a 6mm Arc this year and have killed an antelope buck at 419 yds with it and am planning to kill a big whitetail buck with it yet this year as I didn't get a chance to try it on a big mulie!

 

[Micahrn]

A little background, my father in law debated me one time, 243 is the best deer cartridge. I said, naw, it's the 30-06. He said no way, the 243 kills them just as dead, sweetest shooting cartridge with no recoil, and very flat and fast.

Shortly after that, I 'd gotten on a lease and bought a 243 as a back up to my trusty 30-06 and for my father in law to use when I took him as my guest. Well guess what? I've come to believe he's right. I've shot deer with calibers up to 375H&H and pistol calibers 45 ACP and 41 magnum and nothing kills deer as quickly as that 243.

Since then I bought a small frame 243 Tikka T3 for my kids to use as their first deer rifle. That gun is a tack driver and kills deer dead right there. It's light, smooth action, relatively inexpensive, sized right for kids and comes with shims to grow with them. My buddy took his youngest of three sons out to hunt his first deer this weekend. Borrowed that 243. One shot, DRT! Loved the gun.

Just more proof in my mind that my father in law was right. The 243 is the best deer cartridge. I don't know what it is, speed? sweet-spot diameter of bullet? Just the right amount of energy? Love to hear others' thoughts and reactions, both pro and con!

I love the .243. I also argue for the 26-06 at longer ranges as well. Fast, flat shooting, lethal. Well placed shot, and haven't had a deer ask me what I used. The 30-06 is legendary, true. Yet these two calibers are just as deadly with lower recoil. I also use a .303 British 4-1, as well ss a .270 Winchester using underwood, hornady, or Remington cor-lokt ammo, snd deadly is the result. Good hunting

 

[coop2564]

Personally, the .243/6mm Rem bullet availability is too light for deer over 125 lbs on the hoof. All the deer my daughters and I have shot with either round, have never had a pass through using several different bullets around 100 gr. The deer have always been dead, but run at least 100 yards with no blood trail. After a couple years of using these cartridges I opted to rebarrell the 243 to a 308 and load 125 gr bullets for my daughters. I went back to 30-06 & 308 with 150+ gr bullets for myself. My pair of 6mm Rem's haven't been out to shoot in over 20 years. There are probably better bullets today; but you can't beat a 30 cal!!

To light for 125lb deer...I dont have a glue why this would be said unless the person is using the wrong bullets. In Texas hogs are a dime and dozen, and much tougher than WT deer. I've killed probably 35 hogs with the 243 and at least 80% were over 125lb some 300lbs. I've shot red stags 400lb with 243 95gr SST and 100gr SBT gamekings. 200+ lb WT bucks. Could you argue that there are better calibers , sure, but it will do the job. I will argue that a 243 with the right bullet like a 95 SST @3200 can be more immediate deadly than a 338 or even a 416 on WT deer. Why the 95gr SST will dump all or almost all its energy inside that deer, that's why there are so many DRT shots with fast flying expanding bullets, the terminal wound cavities are very large. the big calibers with slower expanding bullets pass thru only dumping a part of their energy in the animal with most of their bullet designs. I would bet a lot of money that if you shot a 338 with a partition bullet vs a 243 95gr SST bullet hit deer dead center lung shot a lot more would be DRT with the 243. The 338 deer would be dead on feet but more would run a short distance but have a good blood trail. The ones that took the 243 and didn't drop would run a equal distance but have less blood on avg. But most would be laying dead @ POI. 243 is not perfect, but a gun with right twist and bullet is a freezer filler, very fun and pleasant to shoot. Perfect nah. But right there with a whole bunch of other not quite perfect rounds too.

 

[billywreid]

A little background, my father in law debated me one time, 243 is the best deer cartridge. I said, naw, it's the 30-06. He said no way, the 243 kills them just as dead, sweetest shooting cartridge with no recoil, and very flat and fast.

Shortly after that, I 'd gotten on a lease and bought a 243 as a back up to my trusty 30-06 and for my father in law to use when I took him as my guest. Well guess what? I've come to believe he's right. I've shot deer with calibers up to 375H&H and pistol calibers 45 ACP and 41 magnum and nothing kills deer as quickly as that 243.

Since then I bought a small frame 243 Tikka T3 for my kids to use as their first deer rifle. That gun is a tack driver and kills deer dead right there. It's light, smooth action, relatively inexpensive, sized right for kids and comes with shims to grow with them. My buddy took his youngest of three sons out to hunt his first deer this weekend. Borrowed that 243. One shot, DRT! Loved the gun.

Just more proof in my mind that my father in law was right. The 243 is the best deer cartridge. I don't know what it is, speed? sweet-spot diameter of bullet? Just the right amount of energy? Love to hear others' thoughts and reactions, both pro and con!

I 100% agree. The 243 round is, IMO, the best for most the country. Here in Texas, it will do everything you will ever need. I wanted to try something a little different and found me a 243 AI. So far it great with just a bit more speed and energy. So far I'm loving it a little more.

 

[Greyfox]

I think labeling anything the "best" is a slippery slope given there are so many effective whitetail cartridges, and probably as many different methods and types of terrain that are hunted. My 243 performed admirably on whitetails given my distances hunting the Northeastern and Southern woodlands were well under 200 yards. I think a high percentage of whitetails today are shot at fairly close quarters so the 243 is a good choice for these hunters. Since hunting more open terrain over the past 10-15 years, and stretching my distances beyond 500 yards, IMO, there are cartridges much better suited for mid to long range whitetail hunting with better down-range ballistics and terminal performance. My personal favorite is the 6.5x284.

 

[mercerbear]

To light for 125lb deer...I dont have a glue why this would be said unless the person is using the wrong bullets. In Texas hogs are a dime and dozen, and much tougher than WT deer. I've killed probably 35 hogs with the 243 and at least 80% were over 125lb some 300lbs. I've shot red stags 400lb with 243 95gr SST and 100gr SBT gamekings. 200+ lb WT bucks. Could you argue that there are better calibers , sure, but it will do the job. I will argue that a 243 with the right bullet like a 95 SST @3200 can be more immediate deadly than a 338 or even a 416 on WT deer. Why the 95gr SST will dump all or almost all its energy inside that deer, that's why there are so many DRT shots with fast flying expanding bullets, the terminal wound cavities are very large. the big calibers with slower expanding bullets pass thru only dumping a part of their energy in the animal with most of their bullet designs. I would bet a lot of money that if you shot a 338 with a partition bullet vs a 243 95gr SST bullet hit deer dead center lung shot a lot more would be DRT with the 243. The 338 deer would be dead on feet but more would run a short distance but have a good blood trail. The ones that took the 243 and didn't drop would run a equal distance but have less blood on avg. But most would be laying dead @ POI. 243 is not perfect, but a gun with right twist and bullet is a freezer filler, very fun and pleasant to shoot. Perfect nah. But right there with a whole bunch of other not quite perfect rounds too.

With a double lung shot, it doesn't really matter what you hit them with.

If you catch one lung...miss the heart...maybe catch some liver, that's where things start to get sketchy. I've killed a lot of deer with the SST and understand your arguments.

The high velocity smaller diameter bullets that don't exit are great, as long as you can line up a nice broadside shot and hit double lung. Otherwise, you're going to be calling someone with a dog and doing some praying.

 

[jessej]

The 243 is in the top 10 list of best deer rifles for "recoil sensitive " hunters.
(Kids, ladies, and medical conditions)

For those who argue that it kills fast as any other cartridge,,, shoot your next deer in the gut, or hind qtr, and see how that turns out. The average hunter suffers from something called buck fever. It makes perfect shots unlikely. For those less than optimal shots, use the absolute most gun you can comfortably shoot.

If I were to spend unmentionable money on a trophy hunt, and the only shot that was presented was the "texas heart shot", guess what, I'm takin it without a second thought and there will be no tracking job.

 

[jessej]