I have a friend in Minn that is killing large mule deer in Montana with a 6x47 Lapua shooting the 90g Sierra game changer using a hot load of Varget. His last HUGE buck was at 570 yards, and his son uses the same rifle now, also.
Shot placement is more important than most would think. Here is a short story. My last Antelope buck was taken at 470 yards with a well worn Rem 788 in 223 with 55g Winchester soft points with a muzzle velocity of 3050 fps. We had a late p.dog hunt and also had antelope tags. We had been shooting p. dogs and had moved the truck, and I forgot to pick up my wind flag. Before we started shooting after the truck move, we had lunch, cleaned a couple of guns. We got set up to start shooting again, and I was glassing where we had been set up previously. An antelope buck was wiping his scent glands on the red yarn of the wind flag! I ranged him, dialed up the 6.5x20 Leupold and held a little for wind, right behind the front leg. At the shot, he collapsed.
Your house could not hold the number of deer and hogs that my family has killed with the 100g Hornady BTSP shot with various 243 Win and 6 Remingtons. Out of boredom, we have played with 105g g Hornady BTHP that does stabalize in the Rem 9.25" twist barrels, loaded hot with IMR 4350/R#22. The 105g Berger VLD Hunting bullet is worth buiding a rifle around.
My good friends in Oklahoma shoot their 243s with 85g Speer BTSP, several generations of them, they had rather fight than switch. Owning 243s is like a cult to that family of farmers, I have never seen anything like it....they are shooters who always have a 243 in the cab of their Air conditioned Tractor.
Western hunting where the deer can travel 100 yards after being hit is not big deal at all, but in the South, a running deer can mean a lost deer. All of my family uses higher power, variable scopes, they can place the shot well, and they shoot off and on all year long. Deer seem to run further with a 95g Partition than some other bullets, but they are running dead with complete penetration, no matter what the angle. The 95g Partition is the most accurate partition of any I have ever shot with the 85g Partition being tied with the 22 caliber-60g partiton as being the least accurate.
I shot a few deer with the 85g Barnes TSX, one facing me around 100 yards. The bullet broke a shoulder and was under the skin in the rear hip. The load was 44.5g of R#19 at 3300 fps. I always shoot deer though the shoulders when using barnes bullets. A pard uses the 80g Barnes TTSX at 3400 with IMR 4064, and he gets more internal damage than I do with the 85's.
With all these varied experiences with 243s, it is obvious that the caliber is a winner with light recoil and accuracy.
