The 25-06 is a better solution for longer ranges and will handle Mule Deer. The 100 grain 243 does not handle the wind as well. I have been using the 25-06 and the 117 grain GameKing with 52 grains of H4381SC for years out past 500 yards and have really had good luck. I have a 240 Cobra that is equivalent to the 243 and it works well on white tails, but the wind is an issue in Wyoming.
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243 or 25-06
- Thread starter mrb1982
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Since you have settled on the 243 you might still want to experiment with the 55-60gr bullets. Here's why- "faster time of flight" does figure in on wind drift! I remember when many, many guys used the 60gr (Speer or sierra?) in the 243 with great results on windy coyote hunts. Plus, they weren't all that hard on fur ( if you choose to keep a nice one for a rug?) So sure, start off with what has tickled your itch, but keep experimenting. You may end up having the thing "Ackleyized" for even more "pizazz" ,ha. Good luck to you, I hope you kill a pickup load of those stinking devils! 
Actually, when the .243 is loaded with a 100gr Sierra SBT at a very achievable 3100fps, it has equal or less wind drift than the .25-06 117gr SBT load at 3150fps and has only 100-150lb less energy at all ranges. No advantage in wind or much of an advantage at all for the .25-06, it may seem better, but when both are loaded to their potential with the same style bullet, it's neck and neck.
Since you have settled on the 243 you might still want to experiment with the 55-60gr bullets. Here's why- "faster time of flight" does figure in on wind drift! I remember when many, many guys used the 60gr (Speer or sierra?) in the 243 with great results on windy coyote hunts. Plus, they weren't all that hard on fur ( if you choose to keep a nice one for a rug?) So sure, start off with what has tickled your itch, but keep experimenting. You may end up having the thing "Ackleyized" for even more "pizazz" ,ha. Good luck to you, I hope you kill a pickup load of those stinking devils!
This isn't correct. I shoot loads ranging from a 70gr Nosler at 3650fps to 100gr Sierra's at 3100fps. When you actually compare these two side by side in actual conditions or with ballistics software, you will see they are not much different in wind drift out to 500 yards. The only advantage to the fast and light bullets is the flat trajectory out to 300 yards and the quick expansion on varmints. Other than that, no ballistic advantage. This is also with a plain old Sierra SBT, a much better option would be the 95gr Berger Classic.
Both of those are good options, and both will be ballistically similar. For deer sized game, I would lean towards the heavier 95gr. Either one would be a hammer out of a factory .243 barrel! I would figure in for 3100fps or more with the 95gr bullets. Run any good load with the correct burn rate like IMR 4350, IMR 4451, RL16, H4350, H4831, IMR 7828 etc. All of those will get you in the 3100-3200 ballpark with the 95gr.
Jud, have you ever killed anything with a 25-06?
This isn't correct. I shoot loads ranging from a 70gr Nosler at 3650fps to 100gr Sierra's at 3100fps. When you actually compare these two side by side in actual conditions or with ballistics software, you will see they are not much different in wind drift out to 500 yards.
OK Maybe I should have said "if shooting for fur, and keeping ones shots under 300yds, the light, 60grHP was a favored bullet by many, years ago. No reason it wouldn't work today. Of course, beyond 300yds, with small caliber bullets, many factors come into play, all which favor a heavier, longer, more efficient BC bullet....
OK Maybe I should have said "if shooting for fur, and keeping ones shots under 300yds, the light, 60grHP was a favored bullet by many, years ago. No reason it wouldn't work today. Of course, beyond 300yds, with small caliber bullets, many factors come into play, all which favor a heavier, longer, more efficient BC bullet....
I dont know about you guys but my 25-06 has been far more finicky about ammo fed it than my 243 has been. The only way i would use my 25-06 for yotes would be if it loved the 75 gr V max,,, and that would be only if fur remains under $85 a pelt or
worthless....
Also i can count on one hand, coyote shots needed at over 100-150 yards in all my yote hunting years.
worthless....
Also i can count on one hand, coyote shots needed at over 100-150 yards in all my yote hunting years.
Well sir, in the places I've hunted for coyotes in Texas, Utah and Wyoming, with but one exception, I have never "seen one" under 200yds to even get a shot "at"! myself, lol. I killed "one" right at 300yds with a 240W/90X here. I know there are many places where people 'can" but I never have had any opportunities for longer shots, ever. I favored a 22 magnum in SE Texas (unless I saw one during deer season, then it was shot with whatever I had in my hands), and the biggest rifle for calling I ever used out here was the 22-250 AI. I never got a shot at one with that 224 TTH at all, anywhere and killed one in Central Texas at 20yds with a 220 Swift, another at about 75ds with a 22-250AI there. I envy the guys who do see/shoot them at longer range, of course. Still, I could hunt them everyday!
Nope and I don't plan too either. I see no reason to own two rifles chambered in two cartridges that are so much alike and both serve the same purpose. No cartridge has a magical killing power, I have seen deer drop in their tracks with .223s and I have seen them suck up a solid hit from a .308 and run 100 yards. I have never experienced any crazy deer that just wouldn't go down with a proper shot yet, and I have yet seen a cartridge from .243 up to .300 Win Mag that kills a deer any better than anything else.
Two years ago I shot a deer at 50 yards with a 208gr AMAX from a .300 Win Mag going 2900fps, I hit him quartering away and it slammed him to the ground. Same year, my cousin used 95gr SSTs in his Savage .243 to drop two does a day apart and not one took a step from where they were hit. One was shot at about 80 yards and the other about 50, so which rifle did a better job? The .300 produced a good bit of blood shot meat if that matters to you. What I am trying to get at is, no matter what the heck you are using, chances are you can kill deer with it.
Well, for me anyhow, I wouldn't poo poo something so much that I had no practical experience with.
I have owned both at the same time and there is some overlap for sure. I now just own a 25-06 since the primary target is deer.
For all the powders that will push a 243 100 gr. bullet to 3100 FPS. the is a powder for 25-06 that will push a 100 gr. bullet to 3400 FPS. That's about 6~7 inches less drop and 30% more energy at 500 yards. The 6~7 inch flatter trajectory is one of the more significant and measurable benefits. One can always argue whether 30% more energy matters in the end, but it sure doesn't hurt.
I've seen several deer and antelope killed with both and the 25-06 will definitely perform better. The 25-06 just kinda hits a sweet spot between recoil and reliability on deer sized game, at moderate distances.
Now, the OP, wants a coyote rifle that can be used for occasional deer. That would be the .243
TX Badger
Well-Known Member
A .243 drops deer as fast as a 300 win. mag... Tap the brakes here. This is silly anecdotal evidence. Sure a head shot deer with a 22 may drop faster than a gut shot deer with a 300 win., but they are far from equal. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but we have to be careful with the advise we give.
Give yourself a little margin for error. What if the shot placement is not perfect? What if the deer of a lifetime only gives you a quartering shot at 75 yards? If I had to go deer hunting with a .243 I would shoot the heaviest, best constructed bullet that my gun would shoot accurately. I love Berger bullets, but out of a .243, on deer, I would want a partition or bonded bullet to make sure I could get to the vitals from an angle. Plus I cannot imagine that there is going to be an exit/blood trail with a 95 grain berger even on a broadside shot so they better not run far.
Give yourself a little margin for error. What if the shot placement is not perfect? What if the deer of a lifetime only gives you a quartering shot at 75 yards? If I had to go deer hunting with a .243 I would shoot the heaviest, best constructed bullet that my gun would shoot accurately. I love Berger bullets, but out of a .243, on deer, I would want a partition or bonded bullet to make sure I could get to the vitals from an angle. Plus I cannot imagine that there is going to be an exit/blood trail with a 95 grain berger even on a broadside shot so they better not run far.
My point was, both deer shot with the .243 died on the spot just like when shot with the .300 Win Mag. All three were shot in the body as well, no head shots. I didn't say the .243 was equal in power, I'm saying both will take down deer. Whitetail are not grizzly bear, they don't wear bulletproof vests either. I don't know where some get the idea you need a heavy duty deep penetrating bullet for a 130-200 lb light skinned animal. You don't, more deer have been taken with Remington Core-Lokt and Winchester Power Points than any other bullet out there. Those are plain Jane cup and core projectiles. Shoot a deer with one of them and hit the vitals, it's done. I'm not saying the .243 is the greatest round of all time, but I know a lot of deer taken with one and you don't need AP rounds to get the job done.
IMR 4451 or H4350 with an 87gr VMAX for coyotes. If you don't want pelt damage. Run a light, soft, bullet fast like a 65-70gr at 3500+ fps
