243 range on - deer

[Idaho-Lefty]

My grandson ( when 12-13 y/o ) made 5 Trip's, in Spring / Summer to, the Rolling Hill, Desert country, to PRACTICE at, 10 inch Dia, Steel Plates from, 200 to 375 yards BEFORE We ever, let him shoot at,.. a Live animal !
IMO,. the "Stump Shooter", AIN'T going to get, very many " Open Country" Animals for, the Freezer !

What about if one is the guy that heads out to take a couple of shots at a stump at the beginning of the season, then heads right to the woods???

Danny

 

[mike mccormick]

The whole 1000ft/lbs thing is ridiculous. Whoever made up that BS should be in politics

 

[mike mccormick]

Just for example, a 50 caliber round ball carries about 400 ft/lbs at 100 yards.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

The whole 1000ft/lbs thing is ridiculous. Whoever made up that BS should be in politics

The internal Devastation of, the "Boiler Room" from, the 87 gr. Berger's was AWESOME, on both Bucks and they, immediately,.. "Froze Up" and,.. COLLAPSED !
Lung's were,.. "Jello"

 

[mike mccormick]

The internal Devastation of, the "Boiler Room" from, the 87 gr. Berger's was AWESOME, on both Bucks and they, immediately "Froze Up" and,.. COLLAPSED !

My point is that deer ( and everything else) have been killed forever with weapons that generate varying levels of energy, far below 1000ft/lbs. I have heard this "rule" touted for years, and it's complete BS.

 

[C.E.Smith043]

Watch several of these videos. They really shed light on ethical shots at 500 yards and under.
I know these are heart shots, I'm more of a Lung shooter but still it gives a very humble view of what most shooters are capable of with top end equipment.

 

[Doug Casner]

I said the muzzle energy thing so you could how fast those smaller bullets lose energy. My shoulder bothers me alot and I was gonna take a 22-250 till I looked at the energy chart. Better off loading down my 3006 and 150s but Im not gonna shoot at one a quarter mile either. Doug

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

223 is legal here in Mn and we have big bodied whitetail. Most deer (across the country)are harvested short of 200 yards. Use a deer bullet(no target/fmj) and make an accurate shot.

 

[Gary in MD]

At what yardage does your bullet drop below the velocity that it will still expand? Most bullets will expand at around 2000 fps, some will expand at a little lower velocity. So if your bullet drops below 2000 fps at 400 yards then that is about as far as you should shoot game. Foot pounds of energy are basically meaningless except for comparison purposes.

 

[CJ6]

223 is legal here in Mn and we have big bodied whitetail. Most deer (across the country)are harvested short of 200 yards. Use a deer bullet(no target/fmj) and make an accurate shot.

A 25 Auto is legal here. Doesn't mean it should be used. Gotta love those that put that in ..Any centerfire .224 and larger.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

The whole 1000ft/lbs thing is ridiculous. Whoever made up that BS should be in politics

Correct I was on a deer control permit, antlerless only all you can shoot. I chose my 204 caliber with Hornady NTX Superformance 24 grain at 4400 fps, I shot a dozen deer in two full days, all DRT, furthest lasered shot at 300 yards in the neck dropped like a stone. Not one deer didn't drop within 50 yards.At 300 yards, I believe I had about 300 ft lbs of juice maybe a hair less.It's the man behind the rifle in most cases.training and practice is key, and decent equipment.

 

[spencerhenry]

Was it Elmer Keith, use enough gun?

Just because animals fall from little bitty bullets at extended ranges does not mean that they are ideally suited. I often hear of people using 243 on elk because its all the kid or woman can handle for recoil. No problem, just don't miss the kill zone. I've killed some 150 pound animals with one shot from a 22-250 with varmint bullets, that doesn't make it a good choice. A little extra power and bullet mass is not needed for the perfect shot to the vitals, but it sure is a good thing if the shot isn't placed just perfectly, or the animal doesn't present a perfect broadside shot.

Deer with a 243? I'd say 300 yards tops, preferably 250 or less.

 

[mic2377]

At what yardage does your bullet drop below the velocity that it will still expand? Most bullets will expand at around 2000 fps, some will expand at a little lower velocity. So if your bullet drops below 2000 fps at 400 yards then that is about as far as you should shoot game. Foot pounds of energy are basically meaningless except for comparison purposes.

+1 on this. More important to take velocity into account in terms of bullet expansion and terminal effect than raw energy.

I completely agree on a similar floor of 2000 fps. Some bullets are quite soft and will still expand/fragment at 1700-1800 fps, others (like Barnes mono bullets) do better when kept 2200+ fps otherwise they have a very narrow wound channel.

Knowledgebase

The above website has a very scientific analysis of velocity, range, bullet type, and caliber. All of their observations have borne out in practice for me.

 

[AckleymanII]

Lefty, I need to get some of those 87's!

 

[Downhill]

Recquired "energy" to kill game. Would like to see the study that set the standards for various game animals. Most likely something written as fill for an article in the 50's or earlier and has been repeated and added to over the decades. I have been told for years not to use a varmint bullet on deer, my real world experience doing so is 100% successful. If the round hits where it is supposed to the animal is dead.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

Lefty, I need to get some of those 87's!

They really work "Well" on Deer and my grandson Practiced on, Steel Plates with, the Same Load, using, 87 gr, V-Maxes ( Cheaper to practice with ) but, they were Not quite, as Accurate ( 1/2 to 5/8th's MOA ) and slightly slower,.. for some reason. ( Probably NOT quite, as "Precise" of, a Bullet as, the Berger's ?? )

 

[Richard Jones]

Was it Elmer Keith, use enough gun?

Robert Ruark, I believe..........

Though, Elmer Keith certainly believed in the philosophy.

Pretty sure lots of folks used that line.

 

[dthomas]

Not taking shooters ability into consideration as long as the bullet is still above the velocity it needs to expand you should be good. As soon as it falls below that than shorten the range until it is above that.