243 range on - deer

[MDT6BRA]

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.

What kind speed do you see with the 243 and 105 Berger? My first deer was a 243 and have a special love for the caliber, just simple good deer caliber.

 

[AckleymanII]

With R#26, cci 250, 3150+(26")depending on the barrel length.
H4831 with CCI 250-2950

You need an 8T for the berger 105s.
No flies on 100g Hornady BTSP, and the 100g Hornady Sp acts more like a partition.

 

[dthomas]

Tikka makes an 8 twist 243.

 

[searcher]

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

If one throws out the math, what would one say IS the LONGEST shot with a .243 that a SKILLED rifleman should make? 200? 500? 1,000, a mile? There does get to a point where the bullet will not open up, nor penetrate enough to do serious damage, let alone having the loss of most of the hydrostatic shock. What other metric would one use to know what the maximum effective parameters are? Are you aware of a better method?

 

[Larry Koch]

Just bought a Ruger 243 with the muzzle break because of ''my'' health reasons, not the deer.
What's the farthest out you would shoot a whitetail if you had a good shot in the open?
The only rifle I have used for 40 years is my 7 mag for whitetail.

ty Don

I should add 100 gr. bullet.

Home loads with a 26" barrel you should get 3200 plus fps. W-760 was the powder, and Hornaday 100gr sp bullets. I always used my pickup as a deer blind.
Hunt from the field looking over the corn and beans toward the tree line. 300 yards was common. My wife would use the .243 and I use the 25-06. Ruger number 1B. And never had deer run. And I will tell you deer meat taste better if they just fall dead, no running or chase. Just walking along and boom. dirt nap.

 

[mike mccormick]

If one throws out the math, what would one say IS the LONGEST shot with a .243 that a SKILLED rifleman should make? 200? 500? 1,000, a mile? There does get to a point where the bullet will not open up, nor penetrate enough to do serious damage, let alone having the loss of most of the hydrostatic shock. What other metric would one use to know what the maximum effective parameters are? Are you aware of a better method?

Actually....let's look at it another way. A bullet, placed in an appropriate location, will reliably kill anything it will penetrate. The margin of error is gone, but one through the heart or lungs will kill, without the benefit of hydrovolemic shock. Something bowhunters know very well. Long ago, elk were killed by 36 caliber round balls. Now, we are led to believe that it requires a 338 win mag.

 

[243winxb]

If you hunt on public land, with a hunter behind every tree, the deer needs to be put down, where it stands.***

"Shock" can kill a deer through different mechanisms, most commonly through hemorrhagic shock caused by severe blood loss from a vital organs shot, or neurological shock from a shot to the central nervous system. ***Another contributing factor, especially with high-velocity rifle rounds, is hydrostatic shock, a phenomenon where the pressure wave from a bullet disrupts the nervous system, potentially causing immediate incapacitation.*** A deer that is "shocked" may drop immediately or may run a short distance before collapsing, often due to a combination of these effects.

 

[mike mccormick]

If you hunt on public land, with a hunter behind every tree, the deer needs to be put down, where it stands.***

"Shock" can kill a deer through different mechanisms, most commonly through hemorrhagic shock caused by severe blood loss from a vital organs shot, or neurological shock from a shot to the central nervous system. ***Another contributing factor, especially with high-velocity rifle rounds, is hydrostatic shock, a phenomenon where the pressure wave from a bullet disrupts the nervous system, potentially causing immediate incapacitation.*** A deer that is "shocked" may drop immediately or may run a short distance before collapsing, often due to a combination of these effects.

Quite true

 

[ohlongarmisle]

What range do you practice at? If you can reliably hit a grape fruit at 300 yards in field conditions with your hunting load then you should be good to 300 yards IMHO. Shot placement matters more than anything IMHO. Though I do put a considerable weight on bullet construction as well.

If you have to back off to 200 yards, to achieve reliable 1st shot placement in field conditions, then restrict shooting distance accordingly IMHO.

Can I use a golf ball instead? I don't want to waste a grapefruit.

 

[Doug Casner]

If you can hit a BB at a quarter mile youve still gotta have a good rest, sometimes that cant be found hunting. By the time you find a rest the deer is gone. My offhand shooting aint too great. Doug