Mom and Pop find in 243 win.

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

243 has been my go to deer/antelope round for many years. Lots and lots of coolers filled with them. I’ve shot just about every bullet out of mine, I’ve settled on either the e-tips or accubonds.

 

[TheGreek]

.243 killed these critters just fine.

 

[Walkathon]

I ended up with my Grandpa's .243 when he passed away, and I shot a few deer with it. Worked fine. I used Nosler Partitions in it. Deer made it 30 or 40 yards and died. Shot behind the shoulder through both lungs. I like the cartridge.

 

[Chad Gus]

Shot alot of whitetails with a .243 here in Wisconsin, 75 yards is the farthest anyone went. Wife and step daughter shoot one now and they have killed a handful of deer and bear with it.

 

[Guest member 25165]

.243 killed these critters just fine.

I don't know how to judge antelope, but that's a heck of a nice buck!

 

[Jbotto]

I’ve had a .243 for 10 or so years and I’ve never shot an animal with it. It’s always the loaner rifle as it got my younger brother hunting before he bought a rifle of his own. Now my wife shoots it until we get her inherited 6mm Rem set up. I use a good load of IMR 4064 and 85gr Barnes TSX for it. Has worked very well from 40 yards to 250 on whitetails and pronghorn so far. Short tracking jobs.

 

[Guest member 25165]

I’ve had a .243 for 10 or so years and I’ve never shot an animal with it. It’s always the loaner rifle as it got my younger brother hunting before he bought a rifle of his own. Now my wife shoots it until we get her inherited 6mm Rem set up. I use a good load of IMR 4064 and 85gr Barnes TSX for it. Has worked very well from 40 yards to 250 on whitetails and pronghorn so far. Short tracking jobs.

Short tracking jobs is what I like to hear.

 

[Jbotto]

Short tracking jobs is what I like to hear.

And ALWAYS a good sized exit!

 

[Fullquiver]

I've always had at least one 243 in my rifle stable for the last 40 years or so. I would hate to think about all of the deer I have killed with that caliber.. I currently have a Stevens 200 as my 243 in house and I am currently building a custom Mauser 98 with a short chambered Douglas #1 barrel in 243..

Many years I worked at a local farm doing depredation hunts. I would shoot between 25-50 deer a year all with a 243 of one make or another.. Most dropped at the hit. I don't ever recall having one go much more than 50-60 yards. Most hardly moved.. Killing all of those deer on that farm I never lost a single deer doing those hunts..

 

[Guest member 25165]

I've always had at least one 243 in my rifle stable for the last 40 years or so. I would hate to think about all of the deer I have killed with that caliber.. I currently have a Stevens 200 as my 243 in house and I am currently building a custom Mauser 98 with a short chambered Douglas #1 barrel in 243..

Many years I worked at a local farm doing depredation hunts. I would shoot between 25-50 deer a year all with a 243 of one make or another.. Most dropped at the hit. I don't ever recall having one go much more than 50-60 yards. Most hardly moved.. Killing all of those deer on that farm I never lost a single deer doing those hunts..

That sounds like a good vote of confidence.

 

[Mica Man]

Fun little caliber to have. Kids or myself have killed, deer, elk, bear & antelope with mine. Typically one shot kills loaded with 100 grain partitions.

 

[Westxhunter]

I've taken two deer on .243. My biggest issue right now is that the ammo is super hard to find! Super expensive too. It's coming back up at many sites now and I've found it at the range. A great caliber for whitetails and smaller game.

 

[Guest member 25165]

Well, I took the 243 to the range and the Nosler E tips were all over the place. The good news is that on the Nosler box it says 9 twist or faster. My rifle has a 10 twist so I guess it was somewhat expected.

 

[Michael Case]

I've always had at least one 243 in my rifle stable for the last 40 years or so. I would hate to think about all of the deer I have killed with that caliber.. I currently have a Stevens 200 as my 243 in house and I am currently building a custom Mauser 98 with a short chambered Douglas #1 barrel in 243..

Many years I worked at a local farm doing depredation hunts. I would shoot between 25-50 deer a year all with a 243 of one make or another.. Most dropped at the hit. I don't ever recall having one go much more than 50-60 yards. Most hardly moved.. Killing all of those deer on that farm I never lost a single deer doing those hunts..

243 in k98 can be fun. I posted somewhere in the forum about mine with a 26" manly bull barrel. Great for distance, bit heavy to cart around. Have you solved the feed problem with yours yet?

 

[Fullquiver]

243 in k98 can be fun. I posted somewhere in the forum about mine with a 26" manly bull barrel. Great for distance, bit heavy to cart around. Have you solved the feed problem with yours yet?

I haven't seemed to have much of an issue but I made a different mag carrier for mine.. Plus mine wasn't a k98 action.
Originally it was a Steyr 1912 action licensed by Mauser to make for Paraguay in 7mm Mauser with original nickeled bolt from the factory.. I still want to put on a 3 position Model 70 type bolt safety..

 

[Michael Case]

I only have a 2 position "Mark 2" safety. Try Timney, that's the trigger I dropped in mine, I think they have one with the 3 position like the Howa side safety

 

[Michael Case]

Oh I forget, there is a 3 position that you change the end of the bolt. Check Brownells. It slides like the Ruger and Winchester 3 position

 

[JDH]

And ALWAYS a good sized exit!

I've taken a few pronghorn with one and my sister took a whitetail and none of them went very far.

 

[Big Slick]

I gave an old Mossberg 800 b to my nephew that was a .243. I found a Remington 788 in .243 and bout it for $300. Fun to shoot, it will end up being my grandson’s gun one day. Get it, you’ll like it.

 

[pre6422hornet]

According to rumor the 95 gr Ballistic Tip was made with a thicker jacket because a Nosler Executive at the time had a shoulder injury and still was an elk junkie and wanted to keep hunting but needed less recoil.

I have seen what that bullet does on 200 pound whitetails and it is impressive. Even at reduced recoil handloads for my then 9 year old daughter. 60 yard shot broadside and she broke the off shoulder going out with a 1/2 inch exit hole. About a 50 yard run on three legs and she tipped over. Four or five friends have used the exact same reduced recoil recipe for their children and as far as I know all pass throughs with same results.