The 243 Anyone?

Well, roger, I'm in full accord about the good one-shot kill. Out of twenty-some-odd bucks I've killed with my .243, I recall two that needed a coup de grace. But they hadn't gone anywhere. :D

Art
 
I don't know what it is about the .243: Bullet design? Velocity? Anyhow, from conversation and personal experience, both, "It kills bigger than it oughta."
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Confident or experienced shooters, and a guy knows he needs to shoot well, and so does. He is not counting on the latest greatest magnificent magnum.
Kinda like the kid with the single shot 22 will shoot much better and become a better hunter than the kid with the 10/22, same idea IMO.
 
People say that the 6.5x55 swede "kills bigger than it oughta". Yeah, I guess I'd buy that the .243 is in the same category, from anecdotes. But good point, rem- most likely has everything to do with the confidence of the user, not the caliber. But I may get to try .243 out on whitetails this fall, since I traded my .25-'06. But I dunno.... I have so many rifles I want to try out on deer, espec. some Zumbo-scorned EBRs - we'll see. But I got my most recent .243 for the main purpose of neck shots at close & medium range on whitetails. If it works for Art, it'll work for me. Gonna use 80 grainers - either soft points or Lost Rivers. Going 3200 fps, don't think it'll matter. But on the .243, if you zero it at 250 yards with 80-90 gr spire bullets, then you've got a PBR to roughly 270-275. It'll drop an *additional* 2 or 3" from 275 to 300 though, so be careful. I just figure that I can't hit anything ethically beyond 275 anyway, so no point in trying for anything past my PBRs. And zeroing at 250 puts the bullet rise early on almost exactly that of the fall at 275 - plus or minus about 2.25" to 2.5"; whereas trying to zero to make 300 your PBR (zeroing at 280 or so) starts to become problematic - puts your early-on "rise" too high - over 3 inches - too much for my preference. So I like the 250 zero/275 PBR combo for high-vel zinger rounds like .243, .25-06, and 7mm remmag - now if I could just learn to range the game by eye...
 
Deer are no longer my game but the last four point Muley I took was with a .243... Flat shootin, fast and plenty of knock down for a Whitetail... Now if you want to shoot a deer on the other side of a tree, the .264 will do... If you can still find the ammo???
:cool:
 
WOW FF ya gots me thurrely confused. I don't want or need to be trying to figger all that out especially in the field.
I guess thats one reason I shoot em in the bread basket and destroy their lungs or heart. Works good for me several dozen times over. I have a circle the diameter of all you spoke of above to hit. I have killed deer I doubt I would have had I taken time to get that picture perfect shot in it's neck but I know if I hit em right behind that shoulder it works and I have 3 or 4 inche radius in any direction, from perfect.
It is a great idea to know all that info, all hunter/shooters should know what their rifle will do at what distance but to me it's not for in the field unless your taking very long shots, lots of practice, range finders etc.

My '06 is 1 1/2-2 inches high at 100 yards and I am good with that as far as I should be shooting without an extremely steady rest and then crosshairs level with the back works good to well over 300 and that is far enough for me or I don't shoot.

Not bashing you here all that is good knowledge we should all know I have read and reread that stuff many times.
 
now if I could just learn to range the game by eye...
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FF>> Sounds like we need to be hunting together... That IS how I got my nickname, after all... ;) And you're firing all my favorite calibers and cartriges. :D
 
hee hee, nice - you've got skillz. I don't really need to know how far they are within the PBR - I only need to know if they are beyond 275 - a simple yes or no. If yes, then I'll pass entirely. If no, then a simple dead-on hold will work with a zinger round like .243 - no need to hold over the back. Only need to account for the wind. Maybe hold toward top of vitals, but never over the vitals - not without more range time than I have under my belt at present.

Only problem you might have rem33, is if you hold at top of back, but they're not as far as you thought (say 200 and you think they're 300), and you shoot under the spine but over the lungs. Then they are injured - not good.
 
Only problem you might have rem33, is if you hold at top of back, but they're not as far as you thought (say 200 and you think they're 300), and you shoot under the spine but over the lungs. Then they are injured - not good
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I agree, and figure 300 or less I don't hold over at all. Distances are hard to judge that far fast in a hunting situation. In fact I doubt I would shoot much over 200 without a good rest. Sitting with rifle on my knees or I have taken deer from a prone position when that was All I had and the flora would allow it. I use fence posts, limbs, rocks, anything handy.
I have only leveled with the back once. That was after a 6 hour or longer stalk, the last hour was spent laying behind rocks to far away to shoot. I could get no closer so just waited till he luckily drifted my way. If I would have let him go any farther there would be no shot as he would have walked behind a mountain side. I had plenty of time to guess distances and so leveled with his back and fired. Bullet hit him 8 to 10 inches below my point of aim. made for a memorable hunt.
 
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