Am I Crazy?

O

Olympus

New member
Am I crazy for thinking about buying a new deer rifle in .243 this year?

My first deer rifle at 12 years old was a Ruger 77 in .243 and I killed my first deer at age 13 with this rifle. The rifle got sold or traded after that and I was constantly using different guns for a long time. But as a lot of people, I had to keep pace with all my buddies and the bigger calibers they were using. 243s were for kids and girls, at least that's what I have always heard and seem to continue to read on just about every gun forum I see.

But as the calibers got bigger, I really had no practical reason for using them. Woods in my part of the state are pretty thick and the longest shot I've ever had was about 150 yards. So there was no need for me to be using half of the calibers I owned or still use to this day.

Now I find myself almost dreading going to the gun range to check my scope zero on all of my deer rifles. I've since bought a Caldwell Lead Sled because some of my rifles are just really no fun to shoot. I think I've gotten to a point in my life where I have my collector guns and then I have my functional guns. And if I don't enjoy shooting my functional guns, I see little reason to continue keeping them. So I've slowly weeded away all of my heavy hitting calibers and have dropped everything down a few steps in terms of recoil. It's not that the recoil hurts so much as it's just not "fun" to shoot. It feels like a job and I don't want my shooting to ever feel like it's a job.

So in an effort to get back to the enjoyable shooting of centerfire rifles (ARs not included because those are still tons of fun), I have really been giving serious thought to a buying a nice rifle in 243 and using it this year. Am I crazy to be thinking this? Especially considering I have several other guns in calibers such as 25-06, 6.5x55, and 270? Do experienced hunters really give the 243 a chance or is it like I read on every other forum and the 243 is only good for young and female hunters?
 
Not crazy just nostalgic, and the .243 is a great deer rifle. Just use 80 grain pills and up and you'll put venison in the freezer if a deer walks into your sights. My first hunting rifle was a .243 but I never made the mistake of selling it, and now I've got a couple more.
 
I guess nostalgia is part of it. I'm just tired of getting the snot kicked out of me at the gun range. I have a safe full of rifles and the only centerfire rifle I ever shoot for fun at the range is my AR. The rest are 22LR rifles. I'd just like to have a rifle that won't leave me aching the next day after a few boxes of ammo at the range. And if it can serve double duty as a deer rifle, then even better!

The whole varmint/deer combo doesn't mean much to me. I highly doubt I'll ever go varmint hunting, but I'll be going deer hunting every year.
 
Go for it because you want one. Best get one like you had before. That's reason enough. I like a little more gun , but I don't think the 243 is inadequate. I think 90 % of the deer rifles out there should be good up to 150 yards. My friend hunts with a 243. I must say I was struck by how short and light his was. we'll hope for pictures soon.
 
Yes, you are crazy. But I find that I get along better with people that are the same kind of crazy as me. I recently picked up my second 243. I have a rem 700 and a win 70. Love the cartridge. Plenty of power for deer AND less recoil.:D Do it. Do it. Do it.
 
Doesn't sound too crazy to me.
Finally got rid of my daughters Weatherby Vangard in .243. Nice looking gun, just always shot wonky.. First 3 shots within an inch at 100 meters. Next 3 were within 6 inches. Next 3 would be barely on paper. Just opened up exponentially. Yes, I was letting the barrel cool between groups.

I don't blame the cartridge, have seen some excellent groups from other peoples weapons in this caliber.

Now if I could find a used Savage, I think I would give the 6mm another try.
 
I was thinking about a Ruger No 1 in .243 instead of the 77. I've always been in love with the looks of the No 1, just never ponied up the money to get one.
 
If recoil is bothering you , then by all means go back to the .243 . You will be more apt to put the bullet where it should be put !
 
Sounds like a mature decission, free of any macho b.s..
Most of the Deer I have shot have been with a .222, although probably not legal where you are. I have also had over 60 one shot kills with my .243 using Hornady 87grBTs , which open better at shorter ranges.
 
never looked at the 243 as a chick rifle.Shot a few deer with it myself. just found my comfort in a 25-06 same story different caliber.So not crazy if its fun do it.;)
 
Nothing crazy about it. The .243 Win is rather underrated with the modern fascination with exotics like .300 Blackout, 6.8 SPC, and the like. It remains, however, one of the most versatile rounds ever made.. you can shoot anything from varmints to large deer with it, and it does all of them well, rather than doing one marginally and others well. And it does it without killing your shoulder. I currently have a .243, just a lowly Savage Model 11 Hunter that I upgraded the scope and added a Timney trigger to. It has seen more rounds this year than my beloved .22-250 and my .308 combined.
 
The craziest thing is even considering that the .243 is a good deer round. It's one of the best, among many excellent choices. Given the list you've already got you certainly have no *need* for a .243 but if you want one its a fantastic choice.
 
I like to think I'm a reasonably seasoned hunter (21 years this season). I still pick up my first rifle (rem 788 .243) from time to time for deer. Now, I was using some old school bullets (100gr Sierra ProHunters) and have put meat on the table many times. With todays ammo selection, .243 is still a medium game killer.
 
I think its a great caliber for whitetail deer, varmint, and hog hunting.

Having a gun that you can shoot and practice with comfortably will probably carry over to making better shots on deer.

At the normal 30-50 yards that most of my hunting takes place at I do not need a caliber that powerful. A .243 will kill anything in the woods around here if I do my part.

If a .243 in the hands of a child can kill a deer, a .243 in the hands of someone with much more experience will kill a deer just as effectively or moreso.
 
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The concept of a .243 as a starter/women's/youth (deer)rifle seems illogical to me. If it is adequate for humanly taking game for those groups, logically it is adequate for all. Where the .243 is lacking, is in the macho, "wow!" response to noise and recoil. I used its sister, 6MM Remington with 87 Hornady Varmint bullets to take many deer, loosing none.
In short, the .243 is an excellent woman's/youth gun, as well as an excellent gun for men who are unaffected by tendencies to the immodest that produce questionable benefits.
 
Buy it. The .243 is an excellent choice, and there's lots of factory ammo options out there to fill the bill. If you reload, there's even more.

I bought a Remington 700 BDL in 7mm Mag one time, shot it a total of 5 times and sold it. I don't mind recoil, but I swear that thing was trying to kill me. :eek:
 
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