.243 and Deer
Question:
Shot several deer in Pa. with the 243 did an excellent job. I would suggest a heavier bullet though maybe90 or100 grain.It is a great gun for the beginer or recoil shy. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
> This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 > 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft > would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail.
That’s about the best you can do to help reduce recoil. If the stock is short enough, you can put one of those rubber recoil pads on it. That helps alot. My wife uses a .243 Model 7 Remington with Federal 80 grain bullets and the recoil pad. She is about 5 feet tall and about 100 lb.s. She says she feels hardly a light push when firing the gun. Her biggest complaint is the muzzle blast. She killed two deer last season, both shoulder shot, and both ran about 15-25 yards. The little bullet worked wonderful. Just an honest, personal account. Good Luck, Cotton Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
[snip] >I am against sending 12-year olds out after deer with .243s. >….. >A .243 won’t cover even the slightest marksmanship error.
Agreed, bullet placement counts …. >My choice for a young or female shooter is 6.5X55 Swede.
fine choice, no problem there >I assume that shots in Pennsylvania are usually fairly short >and that iron sights can be used.
<alarm bells ringing> Hang on a moment. What kind of precision are you expecting from this 12 year old by handicapping him (?or her) with iron sights? The calibre hardly matters if you’re going to lump him with iron sights, does it? Even a medium priced 4x optical sight is going to be **far** better than iron sights. –Jonathan Jonathan Spencer — forensic firearms examiner Keith Borer Consultants Mountjoy Research Centre, Durham, England, DH1 3UR tel: +44 191 386 6107 fax: +44 191 383 0686 Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
I’d agree with most of the advice so far, I’ll add that I would choose premium 100gr or larger bullets. We have had a few shots where a .243 didn’t leave an exit wound making tracking difficult. With proper shot placement & selection, I think a .243 is very adequate. Remember, it’s based on a .308 case, so has the power available if a proper bullet is used to deliver it! — Len Rugen Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
My 15 year old daughter killed her first deer last year with a .243 using factory Remington 100gr bullets. One shot, quartering away, in thru the ribs, out thru the far side shoulder. Traveled approximately 30 yards before going down, but no blood trail. After gutting, no blood trail made sense: No heart = no blood pressure = nothing to force blood out of the vessels… Warren… Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
>This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 Remington >600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft points >would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail. >Thanks, >Smiley
Dear Mr. Smiley, I have used the .243 and 6mm Remington hunting and have found that you need good bullet placement and definately avoid anything but nice broadside – through the lungs shots. I would suggest the 100 grain bullets as the 80’s may not exit and entry wounds don’t bleed much. My suggestion would be Remington 100 grain Core-Lokts. I personally think the .243 really isn’t a beginners gun as it requires really good bullet placement to insure a good clean kill. If you are able to consider a different cartridge perhaps you might consider the .300 Savage, it really doesnt kick much harder than a .243 and with 150 or 165 grain bullets it is much more forgiving than the .243. I have also used the .300 and find it to be a great cartridge especially for beginners. Good luck. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
Hello Smiley, In my young years (10-19) I hunted South Texas deer with my 243 win. My dad had the stock and barrel cut down to fit me better and an extra large pad put on the but. The pad didn’t do much, but it sure did ease my little mind. If you hit them in the right spot they go down no matter how big they are. I used 100gr. ammo, but 80gr. would have brought down anything I shot. The biggest (body) deer I killed was a 10 point buck that went about 175 dressed. He was so big that when we gutted him his heart wasn’t in pieces, there was just a hole in the middle of it. That was plenty to kill him. I still have the pictures of the heart from that buck. Take your 12 year old to the range alot and shoot some cans on the ranch and he’ll do just fine with his 243. My dad would fill up milk jugs with water and place them at 200 and 300 yards. When we hit them they would explode and sometimes fly 20 or 30 feet in the air. Good hunting. Yours in sport, Josh PS I still have my 243 and use it for varmints and things. It’s a good gun. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 > Remington > 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain > soft points > would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail. > Thanks, > Smiley > —— > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ > To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF > HUNTING
– To send email remove the REMOVE in front of my address. Sorry for the hassle, but I don’t like spam. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
Dear Smiley: 80 gr. bullets will do the job; try to load your own cartridges with Nosler Partition’s 85 gr. bullet. Nosler 85gr and IMR4350 are a good match, try between 42 and 43 gr.; I have 2 rifles in .243 caliber and both shoot very well and accurate with these loads. You may also try the 100gr partition, the load will be 40-41gr. of 4350. There is not that much difference in recoil between the 85 and 100gr. bullets and if your son can handle the 100gr. bullet, he would have no problem with any whitetail, blacktail, cues or mule deer anywhere; this caliber is dynamite on deer. EL ALMIRANTE > This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 Remington > 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft points > would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail. > Thanks, > Smiley > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ > To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
> This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 Remington > 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft points > would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail. > Thanks, > Smiley
I hunted with a .243 for years. I would never hunt whitetails with an 80 grain bullet and our Texas deer are probably smaller than your’s. Recoil differences between 80 and 100 grain are minimal. Bullet placement is most important!!! Maybe take him shooting until he can tolerate the recoil. He also needs to realize almost no one likes recoil, but it’s part of the process and you don’t get to the payoff with out paying your dues. Good luck Larry Hill Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
>This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 Remington >600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft points >would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail.
I’ve used the 80 grn Hornady SSP bullet on foxes and it works instantly. There’s a world of difference between a fox and a whitetail. Nonetheless, one of Hornady’s technical staff advised me they could be used for well placed shots on deer, and he had taken a 130lb beast with one of these bullets. Don’t push it too fast since it is intended for sing-shot pistol use, keep it under 3,200fps. But the 95 grn Ballistic Tip is a very good bullet. At 2,900fps recoil is negligible. I’d suggest you try some mild handloads with a heavier bullet, rather than go lighter. –Jonathan Jonathan Spencer — forensic firearms examiner Keith Borer Consultants Mountjoy Research Centre, Durham, England, DH1 3UR tel: +44 191 386 6107 fax: +44 191 383 0686 Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
> This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 Remington > 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft points > would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail.
No, don’t do it. The .243 is no powerhouse to begin with and 80 grain bullets are designed to fragment upon hitting rodents and such. I would 100 or 105 grain bullets if I had to use a .243, even on our puny NC deer. If you handload you can step down the powder charge a bit but definately use a big game bullet. Mike Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
ask: > Do you think that 80 grain soft points >would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail.
I suspect that an 80gr bullet is a little light and might not perform as desired, especially in factory loaded ammo. I don’t think the bullets are constructed with penetration in mind. I have used Nosler partions 95 gr in a 6mm Remington – no problem. Also I would not think the recoil from a 100 gr would feel to much different than that of an 80, but of course I’m not 12. I would stick with the 100 gr., get him to the range and shoot, shoot, shoot. BW Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 Remington > 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft points > would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail. > Thanks, > Smiley > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ > To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
against sending 12-year olds out after deer with .243s. I don’t want to tell you EXACTLY why I am against it – there are some things I’d rather not remember too vividly – but let’s just say that since a .243 is right at the margin for deer in the most experienced hands, you’re really pushing it when the shooter is only 12 and inexperienced. A .243 won’t cover even the slightest marksmanship error. My choice for a young or female shooter is 6.5X55 Swede. The recoil is insignificant, and it carries a lot more wallop than a .243. I believe that all the Swedes that came into this country in the last couple of years are ideal candidates for sporterizing with short stocks with small beginning shooters in mind. If you can’t buy a Swede, try borrowing one. I assume that shots in Pennsylvania are usually fairly short and that iron sights can be used. If you can’t borrow a Swede, try borrowing something else and have him shoot from a sitting position. Here in southern Arizona, our whitetails are even smaller than your mountain whitetail. They shouldn’t take a ton of killing. But I wouldn’t send another kid out after one with a .243. My son left the range a few years ago shooting three and a half inch groups at 200 yards. That’s as good as most of us do. But a deer on the side of a mountain isn’t the same as paper, and I had to take a morning off work to try to pick up a blood trail. Believe me, you don’t want to go through that. The next time he pulled the trigger, it was on a .270 with 130 gr. ballistic tips at about 150 yds. A 151-lb. (field-dressed) buck bounded 30 yards and collapsed in a heap. THAT is how you want it to end. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
I shoot a .243 alot and have done alot of shooting with Remington’s 80gr soft point. I really wouldn’t use that particular load for deer. The 80 gr bullet expands extremely rapidly, especially at close range. I use these loads for groundhogs with excellent results, but I seriously doubt there would be enough penetration for all but the smallest deer. The 100 gr core-loct load from remington would be much better, especially if your 12 year-old happens upon a big deer. The recoil from the 100 gr load is not that much more, certainly less than just about any other deer gun and load combination. Good luck to you and the youngster!! -Zimmy P.S. I also hunt in Pa and in my .243, I use the now discontinued Federal Premium loads w/ 100 gr Nosler Partition bullets. I have about 25 rounds left. When they are gone, I’ll probably but a .260 Rem -Zimmy Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
|> This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 |> Remington 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 |> grain |> soft points would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail. I don’t know how big Pennsylvania Whitetails get, or what your hunting conditions are like, but I once killed a Whitetail buck (he weighed about 135 pounds field dressed) with a borrowed .243 rifle and the owner’s 80 grain ammunition. The kill was quick and the terminal effects impressive, but if I’d hit it anywhere but just behind the shoulder on a perfect broadside at close range I expect things could have gone poorly. As a rule the 80 grain slugs from the major manufacturers are "varmint" bullets. I’d stick with 100 grain in factory ammunition. If you handload I suppose a case might be made for using an 85 grain Nosler Partition, if your deer are not monster sized. Good hunting! — Michael Brady Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
This is my 12 year olds first year hunting. He will be using a .243 Remington 600 carbine and is somewhat recoil shy. Do you think that 80 grain soft points would be adequate for Pa. Whitetail. Thanks, Smiley Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
