Let’s talk about the 243win

[TheJason]

Would you say the same thing about 22 caliber?

Sure. If you told me today, here’s a 22 CM/22-250/whatever, choose your bullet and go hunt elk the rest of your days I wouldn’t loose a minute of sleep over it.

 

[3855WIN]

Neighbor called to ask us help him load a buck the other evening. 260 pound whitetail dropped immediately with a .243.
A couple weeks later, the neighbor was hunting a piece of public that is known for palmetto ridges, sloughs, and lakes. Also known for big bucks. He asked my friend, who has the camp house next to me, to put his Bavarian Mountain hound on a four day old track, as buzzards had been observed in the area. It was said to be a trophy size buck. They found where the .243 shot buck had painted the palmettos with blood, but then it played out. The dog was tracking the trail, but had come upon an angry rattler the size of a an anaconda. At least that’s how they described it. The track job was over after they got the dog away from the rattler. Cover and water made a grid search nearly impossible. Would more gun have made a difference? Who knows? I do know if I hunt that piece of public, I’ll carry something a bit heavier than a .243. But full disclosure, my favorite rifle is a 257 WBY and it isn’t all that much more gun than the .243.

 

[3855WIN]

Oh i know - 22 creedmoor, 22 arc, 224 valkyrie, or even 22-250/220 swift were doing it a long time ago with lesser bullets.

I find it astonishing a lot of peope think 243/25-06 adequate for elk but a 22 cal isnt anywhere close to cutting it for them.

Some states think the same.

 

[backstraps]

243 is a legendary proven round. If the shooter does his job, that bullet does its!

I handload a bunch and the 243 can be a very effective round in deer
My favorite bullet for deer from it is the Nosler Ballistic Silvertip 95gr. Mean little joker when traveling 3200fps

 

[Bux_N_Beards]

I think the two biggest reasons the 243 has gotten a bad rep from so many over the years can be summed up as a result of two (2) things:

1) A lot of young, inexperienced shooters use it, so the caliber, not the shooter, gets the blame for the poor results.
2) Poor bullet choice. Bullets matter way more than headstamps.

As said in an earlier post, I’ve got a fair amount of experience with the round, and while it’s not my typical go-to chambering, I’ve never felt undergunned with it, and that’s hunting in the South where shots could be inside of bow range in heavy cover to several hundred yards in ag fields.

I’ve actually taken two whitetails this season with the 95 Ballistic Tip out of a youth model with that only pushes my hand load a touch over 2800fps. One was an average doe that was a bang flop with a high lung shot, and the other a mature buck that ran maybe 75 yds with a double lung hit that left an excellent trail. Again, small inconclusive sample, but impressive after using numerous other loads over the years in the 243.

Do a little research on the history behind the gentleman at Nosler who designed that particular bullet. He did most all of his big game hunting with a 243.

 

[millerkiller77]

I can't feel much, if any difference in recoil between. 308 and .243 factory ammo. After buying and shooting a .243 I can't think one attribute that has kept it relevant for so many years

 

[peterk1234]

I know family that has been hunting with a 243, going on three generations now. A lot of elk have been, and continue to be, taken with that rifle.

 

[peterk1234]

I can't feel much, if any difference in recoil between. 308 and .243 factory ammo. After buying and shooting a .243 I can't think one attribute that has kept it relevant for so many years

Same could be said for the 308. But it's my round of choice. It's a classic and has lots of load data. At the end of the day it gets the job done.

See, I think the opposite. I don't understand the need for new cartridges. Just think of all the 30 calibers that are out there. Is one that much better than the other? Not really. At least not if you are hunting realistic distances.

It comes down to what gives you confidence and what you enjoy. It's nice to have choices.

 

[Nick87]

It comes down to what gives you confidence and what you enjoy. It's nice to have choices.

This. It doesn't matter. Good bullet through the lungs. All the rest is just preference.

 

[millerkiller77]

Same could be said for the 308. But it's my round of choice. It's a classic and has lots of load data. At the end of the day it gets the job done.

See, I think the opposite. I don't understand the need for new cartridges. Just think of all the 30 calibers that are out there. Is one that much better than the other? Not really. At least not if you are hunting realistic distances.

It comes down to what gives you confidence and what you enjoy. It's nice to have choices.

my son shot two does with that .243 and they most certainly wouldn't have gotten any deader with a larger caliber, but it being touted as a low recoil round is grossly over hyped imo.

 

[MTLabrador]

Remington model 7 .243 and 100 grain federal blue box soft points.

 

[Nick87]

Remington model 7 .243 and 100 grain federal blue box soft points.

View attachment 354246

Never shot an elk with one. But if I had to have just one it would probably be a .243 or 6mm rem. Idk why I just enjoy shooting it.

 

[mtmuley]

I should have taken pictures of the whitetail I zipped an 80 grain HH through this Fall. mtmuley

 

[ismith]

Don't you mean ".243 Creed"?

 

[3006Sprng]

Bought my wife a ruger American compact 243 this year, she has yet to hunt with it. Going to keep her practicing with it over the winter. But I am in the process of putting together a load of 95 grain BT’s over Ramshot hunter. The rifle is very fun to shoot. I’m probably going to use it for a doe tag next year.

 

[np307]

Putting together a nice 243 setup is on my list for this year. I do reload so the tikka with a 1:8 barrel is tempting but I've also been eyeing an xbolt.

 

[Steiny77]

A good friend of mine passed away and I bought his rifle from wife which was a skeleton stock Ruger 77, .243 along with a couple boxes of Winchester 100 grain ammo that came with it.
Used that for the loaner gun this season and it family and guests put down three whitetails with it. They all were good lung shots and all ran 50 yards or so.

Looks to me like it works just fine.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I can't feel much, if any difference in recoil between. 308 and .243 factory ammo. After buying and shooting a .243 I can't think one attribute that has kept it relevant for so many years

Odd because it's about a 50% increase in recoil. 50% less recoil and significantly flatter shooting than a 308 seem to be notable attributes if one is comparing cartridges.

 

[The Hedgehog]

My first centerfire was a Ruger M77 with open sights. Used it for whitetail hunting for almost a decade and ended up putting a Leupold 4X on it. First rifle I handloaded for but I mostly used 100gr core lokt in the green boxes that was I think $8.99 a box back then.

 

[mtmuley]

My first centerfire was a Ruger M77 with open sights. Used it for whitetail hunting for almost a decade and ended up putting a Leupold 4X on it. First rifle I handloaded for but I mostly used 100gr core lokt in the green boxes that was I think $8.99 a box back then.

And killed stuff. mtmuley