Limitations of the 243 on antelope

[backyardsniper]

I will have to check into the RL26. No lack of confidence in the man behind the trigger. Ha ha. Getting a 103 to that speed would be wicked indeed

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

I've killed 20 or so antelope, and am confident that the .243 will do you just fine. I read all the responses and have just a couple observations:
- There was a comment that any good bullet 90 grains or above would do fine. This is true, but that leaves out the 85 TSX and the 80 TTSX, which will also do fine. BUT, in pronghorn country wind is your greatest enemy, and since you have a 1:8 twist, by all means I would go with the higher BC bullets that have been discussed.
- Someone advised against shooting the first 15" "goat" you see. I'm not sure where they hunt - certainly in exceptional country bucks that size might be common - but on the ranch where I hunt in Montana, a 14" is a really good one, and a 15" is rare indeed. Sounds like you'll be guided so no biggie. They'll know what's average and what's great for your unit.
Good luck on your hunt and report back on both your load development and your hunt results!

Cheers,
Rex

on the money!

 

[Ernie]

What are you guessing would be your impact velocity with the 103 ELD-X at 800 yards?

 

[backyardsniper]

Looks like velocity is 1671fps and retained energy is 639 ftlb. A bit less than I like but that is also equal to a 10mm at the muzzle so not too bad I guess. I agree with some of the other guys. Probably cap the 243 at around 600yds. I'm headed to the range in a few.to do some further testing.

 

[Ernie]

Looks like velocity is 1671fps and retained energy is 639 ftlb. A bit less than I like but that is also equal to a 10mm at the muzzle so not too bad I guess. I agree with some of the other guys. Probably cap the 243 at around 600yds. I'm headed to the range in a few.to do some further testing.

Good call

 

[Hogan]

This is more of a curiosity of others opinions, I'm interested to hear the varying thoughts on this though. I just returned from a successful bear hunt with Nontypical outfitters, absolutely great bunch of guys if you ever get the chance to go with them, this was my third hunt with them. Two elk and this bear and I'm returning in Oct for an antelope hunt, which leads me to this question.
I normally shoot everything with a 338 Lapua, it is my favorite caliber and you never have to wonder if you have enough gun. I have two of them, a super heavy AI AX, which I shot the bear with, and the Christensen that I posted about earlier this week which I was considering rebarreling.. However I have an AI AT with a couple different barrels, one of which is a 243, which I thought might be suitable for this antelope hunt. It's a deadly, down right scary accurate little rifle and I've always wanted to take it on a hunt and I figured antelope might be just the right hunt for it. I would like to run the 243 barrel because it's fast, flat and bucks the wind good. I'll be running the hornady 103eldx at about 2950fps. Still in load development but that's what it's looking like. Where do you think that combo would run out of reasonable killing energy for antelope sized game. I'm Leary of taking it if it's going to limit my shooting distance because of lack of energy on target. I can confidently shoot in the 500-800yd range so I want to make sure I'm bringing enough horsepower for that at least. I hate to take the 338 on an antelope hunt but I will. Ha ha

This last October 2019 me and some friends went on a Wyoming antelope hunt, it was great. I shot a good buck at about 170 yards and he dropped like you pulled the rug out from under him. My cartridge was a
7MM-08 / 110 gr. Barnes ttfb @ 2900fps.
Your 243 with comparable bullet will do just as good.

 

[manitou]

I've killed 20 or so antelope, and am confident that the .243 will do you just fine. I read all the responses and have just a couple observations:
- There was a comment that any good bullet 90 grains or above would do fine. This is true, but that leaves out the 85 TSX and the 80 TTSX, which will also do fine. BUT, in pronghorn country wind is your greatest enemy, and since you have a 1:8 twist, by all means I would go with the higher BC bullets that have been discussed.
- Someone advised against shooting the first 15" "goat" you see. I'm not sure where they hunt - certainly in exceptional country bucks that size might be common - but on the ranch where I hunt in Montana, a 14" is a really good one, and a 15" is rare indeed. Sounds like you'll be guided so no biggie. They'll know what's average and what's great for your unit.
Good luck on your hunt and report back on both your load development and your hunt results!

Cheers,
Rex

Yeah, I wish 15" bucks were common in the 200 sq miles I hunt too. I hunt pretty hard for a good buck and it takes a bit to find a 15 incher... even on the 15 sq. miles of private ranches I have hunted (with only 2 other hunters allowed)... and I am usually hunting 7-8 hard days a trip. I have no doubt there are areas that hold bigger bucks than where I go as that is why there are hard to draw GMUs.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Most caliber limits on any game are more to do with ballistics. A 243 will kill most any game if hit perfectly, its just a lot harder to steer that little 6mm bullet in the wind. If you only take shots your 100% sure of, Id bet you have a 100% success rate with a 243 on antelope. Shoot beyond your abilities and you'll be disappointed.