.243 for whitetail

R

Rob Pincus

New member
I know, I know ....

(imagine southern or backwoods drawl)
".243's the best whitetail rifle ever made."
"You don't need a cannon, you need to know how to shoot."
"If you want the most meat, use the least gun.."

BUT....

Over the weekend a friend of mine who owns a gun shop and is a pretty avid shooter lost two deer that were solid hits with his .243. Both shots were videoed and they were solid killzone hits. We walked around in the rain Friday night looking for one for about two hours, which he had hit right where the heart should've been. It ran out of a field about 150 yards from where it was hit.
It was found on Saturday after the morning hunt, about 300 yards from where it had originally been shot. Sure enough, the heart had been knicked by the bullet. The meat had been ruined by sitting overnight and half the day in the hot sun of Saturday. The rack was also broken, which could've happened while the deer was running.

On Saturday, the same individual hit another, even bigger deer, in the kill zone, on video, but it was lost. The blood trail dissappeared after a couple hundred yards. There were several experienced guides who knew the property trying to find it. As far as I know, the deer hadn't been found yet. That deer would've won a contest, from the look of it on the video.. and, of course, more lost meat.

Both shots were under 200 yards, the first one, at about 75.

So, my question, if you own a gun shop.. why do you go into the woods with a .243, especially for an "important" hunt ??

(I must admit that I lost a doe Friday, which I had hit with the RT Glock at about 50 yards. The blood trail was lost in the storm which started about 15 minutes after I had shot, just before dark. As warm as it got Saturday, we never looked for it, figuring the meat was already tainted and the coyotes might as well eat in the woods, instead of having to come the the lodge's dump.
BUT, If I'd've been shooting at a trophy buck, the 10mm pistol never would've come out of the holster at that range....)
 
Rob, I have heard similar stories with the .243. Here in the Northeast, if you don't put a deer down and out quick, you are guaranteed to either have it peppered by a few other hunters or have the animal run onto other property where you can't trespass.

I try to get as close as possible and use something with some horsepower to get the job done. In rifle, I'll use a 444 Marlin, 308Win, 280 Rem, 7mm08. Handgun out of a treestand, 445 Supermag, 44 Mag, 35Rem

Although a whitetail rarely drops in it's tracks when hit with anything, my experience with these calibers has proved them very reliable for me.

There are many others as well.
 
My cousin hunts with .243 for whitetail. He got a fork this year with it. I believe he hit it twice. IMHO bigger is better. I wouldn't hunt with a .243 unless that's all I had. I use a 7mm-.08, so its not like I've got a cannon, but I think .243 is too small. Just my opinion. At the risk of getting flamed big time I'll also say that I would never hunt with a handgun either. Most of my family doesn't consider a handgun a "real" gun, including an uncle who is an LEO. He hates the things with a passion. He tells stories about emptying the magazine of his Glock into a deer while on duty and not killing it. He goes for the shotgun anytime it looks like he might have to shoot.

Andy
 
Andy, While a handgun is no "rifle", they are perfectly adaquate for taking big game. Every weapon has it's limitations. To compare a Glock 9mm to a 44 Magnum loaded with a hard cast bullet when both are pointed at a deer is an apple to oranges debate.

I've hunted with handguns almost exclusively(where it is legal)for 12 years now and have never felt under gunned in the woods.The right handgun/caliber combination will harvest big game with regularity if used properly. One must accept any limitations beforehand and hunt accordingly. Whether it be a handgun,bow, muzzleloader, shotgun or rifle.

No matter what weapon I am using, I always try to get as close as possible to the game being hunted.

Lastly, don't dismiss a form of hunting or weapon until you have studied it, used it or have actually done it. There are reams of actual field experience with big game taken with a handgun, check it out.

There, that wasn't so bad, just a little singe around the eyebrows.
 
Horror stories aside....
Boar has got to be one of the perfect game animals for a handgun hunt. You are generally close to the target and they make a good thick target. Even when they move, their bodies tend to follow an even plane.. they don't flex or bound as they move, like many game animals.

Mountain lion (using Dogs) is another good handgun target, from what I'm told.. I'm trying to set up a cat hunt early this spring.
 
Rob, When you book a cat hunt for handgun, ask the guide what calibers and bullet types they recommend.

For boar,see if you can get some of the hard cast LBT bullets to load up and try. There is a gent in Ohio who casts them for retail sale plus a few others out there. Or get yourself a mold. They are great hunting bullets. I'm currently using a 280gr.OWC in the 44 Magnum.
 
I am not very into Handloads, but thanks for the info. I honestly haven't reloaded a single round in over a year. I don't have the time for it. As they say, shooter's who don't reload must have more money than time.. I've got almost NO time, so it ain't hard ;).

We are shooting the cats with a .44 mag.
 
Okay I'll do it. I'll stand up for the .243! While I agree that the .243 is marginal, so is about any handgun you can use. As to the distance a deer will go. First I have found that shooting for the heart on a deer is a mistake. A heart shot deer will run up to a quarter mile. I have shot deer with a .243, and several other Rifle Calibers, but mostly with 12 Ga. slugs. I tracked a heart shot whitetail over 350 yards. That my friends was a 12 gauge. Of the .243 shots I've taken and those I've seen with that Caliber only one required tracking, about 150 yard in heavy brush. Not a hard track as there was a good blood trail.

As with a hand gun, you have to pick your shots and be patient. Also Don't shoot for the heart try to take both lungs, either just behind or below the heart. I've found that although the deer may stay on it's feet longer it will not travel as far. Somehow heart shots panic the deer into a blind race.
 
Excellent points, Ray. You've no argument from me. This is precisely why I believe in getting as close as possible and if need be passing up a shot.

I have virtually abandoned jacketed bullets in my larger caliber handguns and use cast bullets almost exclusively for hunting purposes. While a deer doesn't offer alot of resistance to a bullet, I subscribe to the "two holes are better than one" school. IMO there is nothing like a nice flat faced hunk of lead to do maximum boiler room damage and then leave through the back door.

I've pretty much settled on the OWC design from LBT.

Take Care
 
Contender, and our other handgun hunters - I've never hunted with a handgun, but most of the magazine articles I see show the use of a scope. Do most handgun hunters use a scope? What reticles do you like? Choose a handgun scope like you'd choose a rifle scope? Thanks.
 
Jeff, Most of my hunting handguns do carry scopes. However, nothing above 2X. I have a 10" barrel Contender with a 1X Burris LER on it. Use it as primarily a treestand gun. The rest have 2X6 variables which are always on the 2X setting. I do use a 5 1/2" bbl. Super Blackhawk with open sites. I replaced the front blade with a C-More Hot Pink colored blade.

The main reason that I choose to scope a handgun is, to have a single sighting plane.
You loose field of view with the higher magnifications. For myself the 2x is about as high as I'd go for Big game. I'd go higher naturally for varmint hunting because of the physical size of the quarry. I use the plex reticle. I site in point blank out to the range I've limited myself to. That way there is no holdover guessing.

I always try to use a rest with a scoped handgun or any gun for that matter. However, I have taken offhand shots. I hunt in pretty dense woods most of the time so, I also try to get as close as possible.

I've never hunted with dogs for say, bear or boar but, the use of a handgun with open sites and multiple shot capability would be pretty much standard fair for the handgunner going after game in these situations.

Now, I know a competitive shooter that gets his deer every year with a Colt 45ACP from a treestand with a head shot. I don't even pretend to be that good.

Take Care ;)
 
Tell your competitive shooter that there are a lot of hunters who would really be irate if they came across a deer with an ear and half a rack OR a muzzle shot off by an errant show-off with a fancy .45acp.

That may be harsh, but it really burns me that someone would hunt that way and not just call himself a poacher.

Jeff,

I would encourage you to start a new thread about handgun scopes for hunting.

------------------
-Essayons
 
I understand your feelings Rob, I'd never even try to hunt that way no matter how good I was. However,compared to some of the absolute "winners" I meet up with in the woods being 55 miles north of New York City, this guy's "method" is pretty tame.

Take Care
 
ROTFLMAO! I understand completely. I grew up hunting in South Jersey.

Anyway, Headshots are for poachers, and even they use rifles.

There are a number of "meat hunters" I have met that prefer an upper neck shot when they can get it. But "no one" goes out looking for a head shot, certainly not with a handgun. Bravado on a target is one thing, but the risk of tragically maiming and animal seems to far outwiegh any personal satisfaction that such a feat could generate.

(okay, for those of you wondering if some PETA freak has taken over my membership..... I have seen some pretty badly maimed animals that have survived headshots (and several bad shots that hit legs) long enough for them to heal. I'm sure that those of you who have friends at the DNR can see some pictures of deer missing their upper jaws, snouts or an eye.)

------------------
-Essayons
 
Rob I have been hunting deer here in N TX for 20 yrs. My 14 yr old son killed his first buck when he was 7. We have taken 20+ deer between the two of us. All were taken with a .243. Most fell dead in their tracks. One ran about 20 yds. In my opinion the .243 is a good deer gun. Gregg Machacek
 
Hey Greg,

I knew I wasn't imagining all the support and success the .243 enjoys.....

I guess my buddy was having a bad weekend.
 
Contender, thanks for the info.

Rob, you're right - just thought I'd ask a quick one while he was on the subject. I do get a bit carried away with the questions sometimes. ;) Thanks.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited 02-10-99).]
 
I have seen numerous deer here in Florida (125 lbs avg} shot with a .243 and most were either 1 shot kills or only required 1 followup. I have used a 6mm Remington and was very happy with it until I switched to a .270 Win. Also if you like an exciting hunt you should try deer hunting with dogs and using an iron sighted handgun. I use a S&W 610 10mm and it works great on our small deer. Most shots you get will be within 20 yards and the deer are usually just trotting or they will stop before crossing open areas and give you a split second shot. You have to be willing to pass up a lot of oppurtunites that you wouldn't if you had a shotgun or rifle.
P.S. if you don't like dog hunting don't knock it till you've tried it, and it is perfectly legal in Florida. I love all types of legal hunting
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top