Yep the .243 still kills deer.

I've only got two deer so far with my .243 but both died quickly requiring one shot each ! I bought the rifle more for varmint hunting but it sure proved to work dandy on deer , as well ! I have no problem using this caliber on deer.....its a joy to shoot !
 
I just happily let my wife take quartering shots, broadside shots, shoulder shots, so far the .243 has never let her down, she has "oopsied" a few times and gotten excited and missed the shot. Honestly I think that the 100 grain Hornady Interloks I load are at a mild enough velocity they don't have the tendency to come apart like bullets might at a higher velocity. I have to date recovered only one of her bullets and I believe it weighed somewhere in the mid 70 grains. I don't tell her that her rifle isn't enough for deer, or that it might be OK for kids and little girls, I just keep the tractor ready to start, the knives sharp, and camera batteries charged. On at least one occasion she was certain her rifle was "OFF", she had missed a buck and KNEW she was right on when she shot. (Never heard that before have you?), We went outside in the light rain and intermittent wind, laid the rifle down on a pile of dirt, and fired at an old target (metal tank with dots spray-painted on it at about 90 yards distance, two shots almost touched just a hair high maybe 1/2. Upon questioning she admitted to being excited when she shot, explanation simple she blew the shot, I've done it without the benefit of having been excited, it happens. After a short lecture/instructional moment about trigger control which she took well, meaning she didn't divorce me. She went out 2 mornings later (I being the kind who is secure in my manhood, went back to bed). Shortly I heard a KAPOW, pause KAPOW, "rutt row Shaggy" here we go again I thought, shortly I received a text, "That's more like it two shots two deer down". Obviously there was nothing wrong with the rifle, she had simply missed before, but the test firing had renewed her confidence and determination. We hunters are the first to blame our rifle, bow, boots, bullets, scope, color of underwear, whatever and not the most obvious that we simply blew the shot. Once we lose confidence in our equipment we are seldom happy until we replacement it with something else, instead of buckling down and minding the basics of trigger control and follow through. Today was the last day of our regular firearms season, our county doesn't have a bonus season, and she doesn't do muzzle loaders so I still have the December chance to hunt for my man-card with my old Knight .50.

Hope all of you have a Wonderful Thanksgiving, while you are enjoying family and food, take a moment and give a thought and prayer to those who are unable to be with their families due to circumstances whether it me military deployment, work, or other.:)
 
In 1969, my Dad (1922-2004) bought a new 760 Remington in .243 for my brother and me to use. We saved up our chore money to buy a second hand Redfield 2X-7X scope and mounted it ourselves. This outfit toppled stacks of deer for us without any problems at all.

Years later, I replaced the plain stocks with upgraded ones in 1976 for a more deluxe look.

.243 is a keeper!
Jack
 
shooting a 200 lb hoofed animal with a 100 grain .243 caliber bullet is really no different than shooting a 700 lb hoofed animal with a 130 grain .277 caliber bullet. But no one thinks it is crazy to hunt elk with a 270.

243, 6mm, 257 Roberts, 25-06, 260, 6.5x55... All of these are so close in ballistics and energy, no deer would ever know the difference... all are nearly perfect deer cartridges.
 
.243 is one of my favs

.243 has no problem dropping whitetail sized animals. Shot placement trumps all. Have harvested a few deer with a .243, even dropped one where it stood at 75 yards. The remaining deer stood there like they were trying to figure out what happened. Recently bought a new Howa 1500 Axiom in .243 with a 24" bull barrel. Hoping to do a prairie dog shoot with it this summer!:D
 
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