Cottonfield
Well-Known Member
bingo
Is the 243 the best whitetail deer cartridge?
- Thread starter bigdogone
- Start date
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sdakotaguy
Well-Known Member
While I have never owned a 243, I grew up with the 6mm Remington. Ill agree the 243 is a fine deer cartridge. Like any rifle shot placement is really key. This season I opted for a new to me 243 caliber deer rifle.
The caliber I chose burns considerably less propellant than the 243 no more than 31 grains of propellant The deer hunting load used this year burned 29.4 grains of propellant & pushed a 108 grain Elite Hunter at a muzzle velocity of 2780 FPS from a light contour barrel. No rifle could have dispatched this years deer more humanly, quickly or instilled less meat loss IMHO.
With todays bullet choices Id prefer to see the 243 barreled with a 7.5 to an 8 twist rifeling & throated accordingly. AKA 6mm Creedmoor. Nothing wrong with the Creedmoor's shoulder angle either.
The caliber I chose burns considerably less propellant than the 243 no more than 31 grains of propellant The deer hunting load used this year burned 29.4 grains of propellant & pushed a 108 grain Elite Hunter at a muzzle velocity of 2780 FPS from a light contour barrel. No rifle could have dispatched this years deer more humanly, quickly or instilled less meat loss IMHO.
With todays bullet choices Id prefer to see the 243 barreled with a 7.5 to an 8 twist rifeling & throated accordingly. AKA 6mm Creedmoor. Nothing wrong with the Creedmoor's shoulder angle either.
If you ever make a bad placed shot you will have to track t hat deer.Nothing stops that deer or shortens th he tracking or makes it easier than a 30 caliber..
I like a 270 myself to hunt in TX.In the WY and SD I use my 7mm Rem Mag.
But everyone gets to use what they like.Thats the way it should be.
348 fan
Well-Known Member
Easy....NO its not. Not even top 25....might make a top 10 if you list a bunch of silly caveats.
Just to start...every other larger than 6mm diameter 308 based case and every 30-06 based case cartridge is better.
Every larger than 6mm diameter Mauser based case is better.
All the standard and stupid short magnums 6mm and larger are better.
303 British and 348 Winchester are better.
Under 225 yards I'll take a 30-30....35 Rem....375 Winchester....45-70....450 Marlin and some others.
So if you caveat over 225 yards and you don't want to increase a maximum point blank range by an increased over/under, it's maybe better than a handful of cartridges.
No I take that back. I'd just hunt closer and use any of the others.
Just to start...every other larger than 6mm diameter 308 based case and every 30-06 based case cartridge is better.
Every larger than 6mm diameter Mauser based case is better.
All the standard and stupid short magnums 6mm and larger are better.
303 British and 348 Winchester are better.
Under 225 yards I'll take a 30-30....35 Rem....375 Winchester....45-70....450 Marlin and some others.
So if you caveat over 225 yards and you don't want to increase a maximum point blank range by an increased over/under, it's maybe better than a handful of cartridges.
No I take that back. I'd just hunt closer and use any of the others.
What I find amazing is people talk about a 257 Weatherby or a 270 win being plenty big for elk which probably average 500-700 pounds and then say a 243 win is not an adequate round for whitetail deer averaging 150-200 pounds Just stirring a pot that crusted over already
sdakotaguy
Well-Known Member
Name of the game is bullet placement & our odds are also improved quite dramatically with proper hunting bullet construction. I have been hunting for over 40 years & have seen more deer taken with a 6mm Remington than any other caliber. I have experienced more missed opportunities with the 270 Winchester than I have with the 6mm caliber.
Was the 270 Winchester inferior to the 6mm Remington or even the 6mm Arc? Absolutely not at all inferior. Shots were less than optimally executed with the 270 or operator error. Yet I don't know what it is, I do not recall any error issues when shooting a good .243 cal 100 grain hunting bullet for Whitetail. or now with the 6mm arc a 108 grain Hunting bullet
Then trailing deer with the smaller 243 caliber bullet has come up. Well my experience has consistently been as simple of answering one question. Where was the deer when you shot it. Ok walk over there and no blood trail. Just dead deer where their had previously been a deer standing until the trigger was pulled.
Was truly amazed this deer season when stepping down to the 6mm ARC. Same thing, 254 yards per range finder. Rifle goes off & right where there was a beautiful 4x4 whitetail standing. Now their laid a beautiful dead buck.
Really can not argue with success.
Was the 270 Winchester inferior to the 6mm Remington or even the 6mm Arc? Absolutely not at all inferior. Shots were less than optimally executed with the 270 or operator error. Yet I don't know what it is, I do not recall any error issues when shooting a good .243 cal 100 grain hunting bullet for Whitetail. or now with the 6mm arc a 108 grain Hunting bullet
Then trailing deer with the smaller 243 caliber bullet has come up. Well my experience has consistently been as simple of answering one question. Where was the deer when you shot it. Ok walk over there and no blood trail. Just dead deer where their had previously been a deer standing until the trigger was pulled.
Was truly amazed this deer season when stepping down to the 6mm ARC. Same thing, 254 yards per range finder. Rifle goes off & right where there was a beautiful 4x4 whitetail standing. Now their laid a beautiful dead buck.
Really can not argue with success.
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sdakotaguy
Well-Known Member
When my venison is taken with a 243, the meat recovered from one deer is enough to get me through till the next season.
Varget if you have it would be where I would start
