Is the 243 the best whitetail deer cartridge?

[Otto6555]

It depends on where you're hunting. A buddy of mine was hunting south Texas and it wasn't good enough. He blasted one five times before it went down. Deer are big in south Texas as they are in NW Texas. IMHO, the 243 Win will suffice most of the time, but not all the time. It's a great cartridge, but with limits.

Definitely does . I'm a big fan of the 243 but like others have said.If it's a whitetail that's 125 pounds on hoof then the 243 with a double king or high shoulder shot will suffice.I am currently examining a 6.5 Grendel in a Howa mini action bolt.It's extremely easy on the shoulder and so far everything I pointed it at fell over dead or flopped around in the woods and then fell over dead.And the Nosler 120 hunting ballistic bullet deals out the sentence of DRT

 

[Mike Matteson]

Some of the "heart shot" deer that I've witnessed did similar…..some even reared up, running on just their hind legs for a short distance (usually less than 30 yards), then tip over! memtb

Seen this done with Antelope too. In the early 80 hunt in Wheatlin WY. A friend shot a buck Antelope. and hit it a couple of times. It stop and started backing up with it's nose to the ground, and in pain. It drop over dead. He was madder that hell at me for not placing another shot into it. As we gutted it I showed him the same thing. Me I hate to put another bullet into them is not needed.
My cousins point this out to me in my 20's about 50 years ago. I have watch and made it happen a great many times. I have also shown my boys this too.
I think the best one was a hunter friend told me about two deer he had shot. One was wounded and just at that time a couple of boys shown up.They were young, They wanted a deer too. He told them there was one just over the hill some. The Boys went over there. He said they must have shot it 10 times. He figured there wasn't much left of that deer. He also said he bet the dad when he could up with them. They probable got a butt wipping. That deer had to be just full holes.

 

[Calvin45]

I have had more than one go over a hundred yards with heart shots. the one thing I noted and it was pointed out to me. Is the deer generally runs and doesn't bounce. with their head level with their back. I had one that I hit in the heart and it ran about 40yds. Stop and I hit it again in the liver. Then it's head went to the ground and started backing up laborly. Fell over dead. My friend told be to shot again. I said no it was hit in the liver. He said the deer kick lke mule the first time. I told him I hit the deer in the heart the first time then. He told me I couldn't tell that. No I can tell. Open the deer up and both the heart and liver were hit with separate shots. Most of my deer were taken with a 25/06.

Funny, I've observed the exact same thing on multiple deer but assumed it was just a one-off. When shot square in the Center of liver they go down faster than heart or lungs in my experience. Lung shot equals dead run at full speed and then just drops. I've seen heart shot deer buck up like a mule exactly as you said on multiple occasions…including one where my father in law was convinced I had shot the deer in the ***…nope.

A solid liver hit and they're incapable of moving quickly at all in my experiences. A very DRUNK stagger and then flops over inside 20 paces or less.

 

[Mike Matteson]

Funny, I've observed the exact same thing on multiple deer but assumed it was just a one-off. When shot square in the Center of liver they go down faster than heart or lungs in my experience. Lung shot equals dead run at full speed and then just drops. I've seen heart shot deer buck up like a mule exactly as you said on multiple occasions…including one where my father in law was convinced I had shot the deer in the ***…nope.

A solid liver hit and they're incapable of moving quickly at all in my experiences. A very DRUNK stagger and then flops over inside 20 paces or less.

That's about how I see it. There must be a lot of pain in the liver shot. What I have seen they drop their nose to the ground and slowly back up only a feet feet and down. I have written about this several times. You are the first to respond with what happens with different shot placements. I guess most to watch how the animal reacts to being shot.
One morning in Colo I shot two elk. Both were heart shots. The heart were hit within a 1/2" of the same location. They both reacted the same. There legs shot out to the sides of them. One was standing shot and the other was a running shot. Don't ask me how I got that shot placement on the 2nd elk. Never do that again. Just call me lucky. They were mostly broadside shots. See anything like that?

 

[victor3ranger]

Seen this done with Antelope too. In the early 80 hunt in Wheatlin WY. A friend shot a buck Antelope. and hit it a couple of times. It stop and started backing up with it's nose to the ground, and in pain. It drop over dead. He was madder that hell at me for not placing another shot into it. As we gutted it I showed him the same thing. Me I hate to put another bullet into them is not needed.
My cousins point this out to me in my 20's about 50 years ago. I have watch and made it happen a great many times. I have also shown my boys this too.
I think the best one was a hunter friend told me about two deer he had shot. One was wounded and just at that time a couple of boys shown up.They were young, They wanted a deer too. He told them there was one just over the hill some. The Boys went over there. He said they must have shot it 10 times. He figured there wasn't much left of that deer. He also said he bet the dad when he could up with them. They probable got a butt wipping. That deer had to be just full holes.

lol
I have a friend who goes through rifles like toilet paper, every year it's the same stupid story, "this gun isn't worth a crap, took 4 rounds to get it down ".
When you see the deer it has holes everywhere
I can't convince him that shot placement is critical, if you can put a bullet in the correct spot and use the correct bullets the animal either drops right there or only makes it 20-50 yards.
He brought his rifle (7mag) one year and wanted me to shoot it to see what might be wrong with it, I told him I would but bring me the ammo he is using. In his pile of ammo was 3 boxes of store bought totally different brands and weighs, another pile were reloads from someone and all the bullets were different . So, me being me I pulled half the bullets and powder weighing every one individual, and everything was different by a lot.

 

[Calvin45]

That's about how I see it. There must be a lot of pain in the liver shot. What I have seen they drop their nose to the ground and slowly back up only a feet feet and down. I have written about this several times. You are the first to respond with what happens with different shot placements. I guess most to watch how the animal reacts to being shot.
One morning in Colo I shot two elk. Both were heart shots. The heart were hit within a 1/2" of the same location. They both reacted the same. There legs shot out to the sides of them. One was standing shot and the other was a running shot. Don't ask me how I got that shot placement on the 2nd elk. Never do that again. Just call me lucky. They were mostly broadside shots. See anything like that?

I don't know that getting shot in the liver would hurt a lot more than the heart or lungs and hope I never find out haha.

It's more than just pain that stops them tho. A solid hit to the liver triggers a parasympathetic nervous system shut down of sorts. Different than a CNS hit absolutely.

This is observed in boxing especially, and other combat sports. But a perfectly executed left hook or a hard knee to the liver in a fight will put any man, and I mean any, down for a while if done right. It's brutal. It's functionally like a knockout except you're awake for the whole **** thing. But it makes your body effectively shut down for a while, no more fighting for you. Sometimes there's a bit of a lag or delay…and honestly much like the deer shot in the liver the fighter stays standing…sort off…but it's immediately obvious they're in trouble, stop being able yo block or respond to their opponent at all, stagger around like they're super drunk, and then down they go.

I've heard numerous interviews with boxers saying that getting punched in the head has absolutely nothing on taking a solid liver shot as far as incapacitation goes, or at least the head punch is less miserable haha

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

243 might be a tad small on a large deer. But, what are your chances of getting into a mammoth deer.?
270 might be the best deer cartridge for mulies.?

Seen a few Elk killed with .243 Win 100gr SGK and 300WM Nosler AB 200gr hit in the Boiler room. . At camp hung they up side by side next to each other and could not pick which ones were shot with either cartridge. Both bullets passed through with devastating effects.

 

[Cottonfield]

I switched to a 6cm about 4 years ago in the search for the perfect small kids gun and Remington had the short run of Remington CP's. Had 2 barreled to 6CMas there was ammo for the 6cm but not much for the 243. My boys are lethal with those 6 Creedmoors. 243 and 6CM are pretty much the same.

As far as case capacity 243 has the edge I do believe. Otherwise they are too close to tell. Real difference

 

[memtb]

Seen a few Elk killed with .243 Win 100gr SGK and 300WM Nosler AB 200gr hit in the Boiler room. . At camp hung they up side by side next to each other and could not pick which ones were shot with either cartridge. Both bullets passed through with devastating effects.

My wife's first elk was taken with a .243 Win. She killed the elk, but rather quickly decided that there were better elk cartridges.…..and this was many years before she met a handloading, hunting, shooting, certifiable gun nut!

When I met her she was shooting a .270 Win., and she had lots of kills with it. But, we had big plans to hunt Africa and Alaska ……once we were "rich and famous"!

With Alaska (Moose and Big Bears) in mind, and African big game on our agenda…..I convinced her to step up to a larger, more powerful cartridge. She would use that rifle/cartridge exclusively for all of her hunting, until she was so comfortable with it ….she and it were as one! It took her a season or two to obtain that level of comfort….but once there, she has no desire to go back to the smaller cartridges.

Having right at 50 years of big game hunting under her belt, with various cartridges used on various game animals, she's pretty certain that the larger cartridge gives her a distinct advantage over smaller, some might say, minimal cartridges!

Oh and, over the years I've removed two (that I remember) expanded, small caliber bullets from elk (both in the chest area), from elk that were quite healthy having suffered no permanent I'll effects …..prior to being "shot and killed" by a friend and by my wife!

Certainly, small caliber bullets can kill elk, and premium bullets enhance the probability of the kill…..but there's no arguing that larger, more powerful cartridges give the hunter an additional edge!

If I'm a paying client, and on perhaps, the only elk hunt that I may get…..I want as many Aces in my hand that I can get……provided that I can shoot/handle the rifle efficiently and effectively as is needed/required! JMO!

Sorry about the novel…..but, am laid-up with a bad knee and can't work around the place! memtb

 

[victor3ranger]

I would never hesitate to use a 243 with 100g bullets on any deer, it flat puts them down . I really like them

 

[del2les]

Love my 243's within their range, and the 6Rem and AI's even better.

But the 25-06 and 257Bee notches things up a bit.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I don't know that getting shot in the liver would hurt a lot more than the heart or lungs and hope I never find out haha.

It's more than just pain that stops them tho. A solid hit to the liver triggers a parasympathetic nervous system shut down of sorts. Different than a CNS hit absolutely.

This is observed in boxing especially, and other combat sports. But a perfectly executed left hook or a hard knee to the liver in a fight will put any man, and I mean any, down for a while if done right. It's brutal. It's functionally like a knockout except you're awake for the whole **** thing. But it makes your body effectively shut down for a while, no more fighting for you. Sometimes there's a bit of a lag or delay…and honestly much like the deer shot in the liver the fighter stays standing…sort off…but it's immediately obvious they're in trouble, stop being able yo block or respond to their opponent at all, stagger around like they're super drunk, and then down they go.

I've heard numerous interviews with boxers saying that getting punched in the head has absolutely nothing on taking a solid liver shot as far as incapacitation goes, or at least the head punch is less miserable haha

I didn't realize that. I recall something about hitting somebody in the liver, but that about all. I have over the years seen a lot of animals hit in the liver and they all did the same thing. Go a very short distance and drop their nose to the ground and start backing up and shacking until they drop.
2nd part. I load a bunch of loads all one type and all the same bullets powder, primers. We check his zero. Out the first morning his got his buck. 5 shots. When I got up to him. He said those reloads didn't work. 1 hit in the front hoof. 1 hit a little higher on the same leg, another hit, this the front leg below the brisket, 1 hit the brisket, it only grazed it. Findly he shot it in the neck. Gee it went down. He never was a very steady shot with a rifle. Give him a shotgun and sure takes down the birds. Buck fever I guess. I can't say I never missed either. He has gotten better over the years.
I have lost one. Learn to stay and watch the animal down until I am danm sure it's down. Spent an afternoon tacking one, but finally lost it. That dam deer even across four lanes of a freeway. Dam I hate loosing an animal. I will try and track anybody animal if possible to do so.
3rd part: The 243 I feel is just find for deer. Other than that I feel it's a little light. If the bullet place properly it doesn't matter. Longer ranges it loose it hitting power.
The first thing I look at in a rifle is what size or grain of a bullet and the velocity it's doing. I use most rifles the pushest a bullet over 3000fps. Then what weight is the bullet is being pushed down the tube.
I kind of marvel at people that are using really heavy of super mag, with 300+ grain bullets shoot all types of animals. Not my shoulder. I am waiting for the 50 cal case neck down to 6.5 cal. or a 300gr bullet.

 

[VinceMule]

243 might be a tad small on a large deer. But, what are your chances of getting into a mammoth deer.?
270 might be the best deer cartridge for mulies.?

The last deer I shot in Kansas was at 320 yards, 260 lb eight pointer, facing me, Rem 700 LSS 243 Win with 100g Hornady btsp with high load of IMR 4350, he flopped in his tracks!

 

[victor3ranger]

The deer we hunt are the same size And never seen one run more than 30 yards using old school Remington 100gr Cor-lokt