So whats wrong with the .243 on Deer?
- Thread starter Greg Duerr
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WOW! That was impressive! I have heard of people taking elk with a 243, but I've never seen it before. I was more under the impression that elk hunting with the 243 was done shooting 115 gr. roundnose bullets at close range.
That 105 VLD FLAT OUT OWNED that cow elk!!!
I do not get to hunt elk in Nebraska, awful hard to draw a tag, but I do shoot a ton of deer each year. I bought some 105 VLD's after the succes I have had with the 168 VLD's in my 7 RM. I'm even more excited to try them out now!!!
That 105 VLD FLAT OUT OWNED that cow elk!!!
I do not get to hunt elk in Nebraska, awful hard to draw a tag, but I do shoot a ton of deer each year. I bought some 105 VLD's after the succes I have had with the 168 VLD's in my 7 RM. I'm even more excited to try them out now!!!
I cannot believe I read the whole thread while already knowing the answer in the definitive. I have been a 6mm fan for years and have made a few longish range shots with the 243AI and 115 DTacs. One of my favorite hunting memories was killing a antelope at 540 and watching the land owners jaw drop. I have smushed a couple MS whitetail bucks between 500 and 600 yards. I have killed a pile of whitetail does from 20 to 500 yards.
A couple years back my youngest nephew, 14 at the time came to me and told me he wanted to build his own rifle. I have had him training on the mill and the lathe for a good while and knew he was pretty close to being ready. So, I scrounged around in the parts bin and found a short 700 a 9 twist 6mm barrel in a no.2 contour, think it was a lilja, may have been a schillen. I saw a cool looking mountain rifle stock on the classifieds and ordered him an olive drab 2.5-10x40 luepy with cds.
I directed him how to true the action using the PTG bushing method, I did not think he was quite ready to single point threads. I gave him the measurements I wanted the barrel shank to be, then I cut the threads on the lathe. He ran the reamer in and cut the crown. I showed him ho to pillar bed the stock and he was proud of his job.
He was also proud of the finished rifle, after he ceracoated the barreled action and adjusted the factory trigger.
I cut him loose in the reloading room. He knows how to use quickload, knows how to reload, and he is a good shooter. I have seen him hit 100 out of 100 on a 16 inch piece of steel at 800 yards when fireforming cases for me. But, it was his first time working up a load. He came up with a 95gr TSX load that only had about 1/3 MOA of verticle at 600 yards.
So he took to hunting with the gun he built and with the rounds he loaded. He passed a lot of young bucks and took a few does with it. Season was almost over before he found a shooter buck. A 7 year old buck that we had named moses because he seemed to wander the wilderness, according to the far spaced game cam pictures ambled through a road he could see 190 yards from his stand during a drizzling rain in january.
I was hunting about 3/4 of a mile away and heard the shot. A few moments later the text messages start rolling in. He has already figured out which deer he was shooting at and was excited. I told him to stay put then headed out to help him.
When I pulled up on the buggy he was standing on the road into the stand. He had found a spot of blood. So I let him finish the job of tracking. It was short, only about 30 yards.
Here is a pic of Tanner, the gun he built, and the buck he killed, moses. I only wish I that someone had been there to let me get in the pic with him.
Here is a pic of Moses ribs after tanner tenderized them with a 95 TSX.
Sans a bullet proof vest with some hefty trauma plates, there is not a deer alive that could run very far holding that bullet. Tanner enjoyed building his rifle so much he helped me put together a couple more 243AIs recently.
Anyone who says a 243 is not enough gun for deer has no idea what they are talking about.
A couple years back my youngest nephew, 14 at the time came to me and told me he wanted to build his own rifle. I have had him training on the mill and the lathe for a good while and knew he was pretty close to being ready. So, I scrounged around in the parts bin and found a short 700 a 9 twist 6mm barrel in a no.2 contour, think it was a lilja, may have been a schillen. I saw a cool looking mountain rifle stock on the classifieds and ordered him an olive drab 2.5-10x40 luepy with cds.
I directed him how to true the action using the PTG bushing method, I did not think he was quite ready to single point threads. I gave him the measurements I wanted the barrel shank to be, then I cut the threads on the lathe. He ran the reamer in and cut the crown. I showed him ho to pillar bed the stock and he was proud of his job.
He was also proud of the finished rifle, after he ceracoated the barreled action and adjusted the factory trigger.
I cut him loose in the reloading room. He knows how to use quickload, knows how to reload, and he is a good shooter. I have seen him hit 100 out of 100 on a 16 inch piece of steel at 800 yards when fireforming cases for me. But, it was his first time working up a load. He came up with a 95gr TSX load that only had about 1/3 MOA of verticle at 600 yards.
So he took to hunting with the gun he built and with the rounds he loaded. He passed a lot of young bucks and took a few does with it. Season was almost over before he found a shooter buck. A 7 year old buck that we had named moses because he seemed to wander the wilderness, according to the far spaced game cam pictures ambled through a road he could see 190 yards from his stand during a drizzling rain in january.
I was hunting about 3/4 of a mile away and heard the shot. A few moments later the text messages start rolling in. He has already figured out which deer he was shooting at and was excited. I told him to stay put then headed out to help him.
When I pulled up on the buggy he was standing on the road into the stand. He had found a spot of blood. So I let him finish the job of tracking. It was short, only about 30 yards.
Here is a pic of Tanner, the gun he built, and the buck he killed, moses. I only wish I that someone had been there to let me get in the pic with him.
Here is a pic of Moses ribs after tanner tenderized them with a 95 TSX.
Sans a bullet proof vest with some hefty trauma plates, there is not a deer alive that could run very far holding that bullet. Tanner enjoyed building his rifle so much he helped me put together a couple more 243AIs recently.
Anyone who says a 243 is not enough gun for deer has no idea what they are talking about.
tyler.woodard04
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2010
- Messages
- 49
better not tell those guys you ran into at the range about the deer I shot with 95 Gr bergers and 105 a max's out of my 15" 6BRX striker at 500 (95 gr), 250 and 210 yards(105 gr) then. the 95 didnt pass through but the 105's have on everything ive shot. no worries on the caliber of case. good luck on the hunt
CB11WYO
Well-Known Member
I'll join in...
My longest big game kill to date was with a 6mm x 47 Lapua. 95 gr Match King @ 3100 fps and 825 yards later lay a dead antelope. "Spine shot and a belly flop"
My longest big game kill to date was with a 6mm x 47 Lapua. 95 gr Match King @ 3100 fps and 825 yards later lay a dead antelope. "Spine shot and a belly flop"
Greg Duerr
Well-Known Member
Now I don't feel so alone with my feelings towards the effectiveness of the .243 105 VLD.
I used the 80gr TSX a few years ago on antelope and ..............Why would you ever feel you need more gun and bullet performance. The wound channel was scary A Black Bear last year using a 95gr VLD, same thing, ...............\\
G
I used the 80gr TSX a few years ago on antelope and ..............Why would you ever feel you need more gun and bullet performance. The wound channel was scary A Black Bear last year using a 95gr VLD, same thing, ...............\\
G
dogbuster0006
Well-Known Member
+1I cannot believe I read the whole thread while already knowing the answer in the definitive. I have been a 6mm fan for years and have made a few longish range shots with the 243AI and 115 DTacs. One of my favorite hunting memories was killing a antelope at 540 and watching the land owners jaw drop. I have smushed a couple MS whitetail bucks between 500 and 600 yards. I have killed a pile of whitetail does from 20 to 500 yards.
A couple years back my youngest nephew, 14 at the time came to me and told me he wanted to build his own rifle. I have had him training on the mill and the lathe for a good while and knew he was pretty close to being ready. So, I scrounged around in the parts bin and found a short 700 a 9 twist 6mm barrel in a no.2 contour, think it was a lilja, may have been a schillen. I saw a cool looking mountain rifle stock on the classifieds and ordered him an olive drab 2.5-10x40 luepy with cds.
I directed him how to true the action using the PTG bushing method, I did not think he was quite ready to single point threads. I gave him the measurements I wanted the barrel shank to be, then I cut the threads on the lathe. He ran the reamer in and cut the crown. I showed him ho to pillar bed the stock and he was proud of his job.
He was also proud of the finished rifle, after he ceracoated the barreled action and adjusted the factory trigger.
I cut him loose in the reloading room. He knows how to use quickload, knows how to reload, and he is a good shooter. I have seen him hit 100 out of 100 on a 16 inch piece of steel at 800 yards when fireforming cases for me. But, it was his first time working up a load. He came up with a 95gr TSX load that only had about 1/3 MOA of verticle at 600 yards.
So he took to hunting with the gun he built and with the rounds he loaded. He passed a lot of young bucks and took a few does with it. Season was almost over before he found a shooter buck. A 7 year old buck that we had named moses because he seemed to wander the wilderness, according to the far spaced game cam pictures ambled through a road he could see 190 yards from his stand during a drizzling rain in january.
I was hunting about 3/4 of a mile away and heard the shot. A few moments later the text messages start rolling in. He has already figured out which deer he was shooting at and was excited. I told him to stay put then headed out to help him.
When I pulled up on the buggy he was standing on the road into the stand. He had found a spot of blood. So I let him finish the job of tracking. It was short, only about 30 yards.
Here is a pic of Tanner, the gun he built, and the buck he killed, moses. I only wish I that someone had been there to let me get in the pic with him.
Here is a pic of Moses ribs after tanner tenderized them with a 95 TSX.
Sans a bullet proof vest with some hefty trauma plates, there is not a deer alive that could run very far holding that bullet. Tanner enjoyed building his rifle so much he helped me put together a couple more 243AIs recently.
Anyone who says a 243 is not enough gun for deer has no idea what they are talking about.
Greg Duerr
Well-Known Member
I really envy Tanner what a great opportunity for him to learn to build a rifle like that on this own and as young as he is. You must be a great teacher...........
Cant even begin to express how Im impressed I am with you and Tanner...................
Greg
Cant even begin to express how Im impressed I am with you and Tanner...................
Greg
Greg Duerr
Well-Known Member
After hunting this fall and doing a lot of Ranging with my Leica 1200..............For me 400 yards is still a long long shot..................................
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
up until last year, the only high-power I owned was a factory Winchester modlel 70 300 winmag with a 2# trigger and a bushness 3200. Funny story that was not funny at the time. I shot a doe at 200 yards with 180 grain nozzler ballistic tip hunting... they call it) right in the chest. the deer got knocked down, made a groan (like they do) and 5 seconds later it got up and ran 150 yards back into the woods, laid down and died. shot 2 more deer like that that one was a gut shot and I never found him. that was the end of nozzler bullets for me. I have been using a .25-06 with the hornady SST. every deer I have shot (out to 500ish yards) has dropped in its tracks with 120 grain bullet running MV of 3000 FPS.
Moral of the Story: bullet type and shot placement is EVERYTHING. If I were at 900 yards I would not want to get hit in the chest with an 85 grain 6mm bullet, even if I was laying on an operating table with a surgeon ready to cut and patch. think about that for a minute.
Moral of the Story: bullet type and shot placement is EVERYTHING. If I were at 900 yards I would not want to get hit in the chest with an 85 grain 6mm bullet, even if I was laying on an operating table with a surgeon ready to cut and patch. think about that for a minute.
awesome shot on the elk by the lady.
my son has shot 2 deer with 105 amax that i load for him to shoot in a factory savage.
one young whitetail at about 100 yds and one blacktail at about 150 yds.
both hit the ground and died instantly with good shots.
i have shot the 115 dtacs at coyotes and they seem to do the trick i havnt shot one at deer yet but would be curious how they would do.
the 243 is a great round esp for youger or light framed persons.
i grew up shooting a 6mm and killed lots of deer and antelope in the middwest with it.
my son has shot 2 deer with 105 amax that i load for him to shoot in a factory savage.
one young whitetail at about 100 yds and one blacktail at about 150 yds.
both hit the ground and died instantly with good shots.
i have shot the 115 dtacs at coyotes and they seem to do the trick i havnt shot one at deer yet but would be curious how they would do.
the 243 is a great round esp for youger or light framed persons.
i grew up shooting a 6mm and killed lots of deer and antelope in the middwest with it.
Greg Duerr
Well-Known Member
Guns are like trucks for a lot of guys, they just think that you need a huge engine, its also like quads. I have used a Honda 300 for years and it works great but most guys have to have 650 or bigger. Cant understand why I don't need more power, its because you don't need more power.................
