Picked up a 243 in a trade.

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Savage axis. 22 inch. 1:9.25 twist. Ultra lightweight. Needs a scope, thought about using a 4x nikon I already have. I dont know much about the caliber. Plan on using it for hunting. 160lb deer, yotes, a hog if I get real lucky. School me on it. Tku.

*** new mouth to feed, would trade S&B fmj 308 ammo for .243 ammo.

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

An outstanding cartridge, been around since the mid 1950's and overshadowed the 6mm Remington.

Based off the .308 Win necked down to 6mm. Light recoil and extremely effective on deer.

I believe the heaviest loads you will find are going to be 105gr. I've killed some big West Virginia deer with the 100gr Nosler BT.

 

[huntnflorida]

My kids had a run of bad luck recovering deer with that caliber. They wouldn’t bleed. The deer I did find I just walked up on. It killed them well just finding them was the problem. A few guys at the camp got their kids shooting the Sierra game king bullet and they swear by it. My 13 year old shoots a 30-06 now, my 10 year old will be shooting .308 this year. Both boys had a few heartaches over that .243. They both lost a very nice buck with well placed shots.

 

[FrommerStop]

My kids had a run of bad luck recovering deer with that caliber. They wouldn’t bleed. The deer I did find I just walked up on. It killed them well just finding them was the problem. A few guys at the camp got their kids shooting the Sierra game king bullet and they swear by it. My 13 year old shoots a 30-06 now, my 10 year old will be shooting .308 this year. Both boys had a few heartaches over that .243. They both lost a very nice buck with well placed shots.

At close range people tell me that the .243 can make a highly destructive wound. Use the heavier better constructive bullets and maybe less meat destroyed and a through and through wound is produced. For a blood trail you came up with the solution with better bullets.
https://www.realtree.com/brow-tines...il-report-laws-on-deer-tracking-dogs-by-state
I do not hunt, but I know how hard it is to spot a deer lying down while in cover. Separate topic, but even in non-dog hunting areas often a leased dog can be used to find a nearby badly wound deer.

Deer hunting is filled with highs and lows. The highs are great. But the lows really aren’t. One such low is when you shoot a deer and can’t find it. Hours of searching. Acres of land combed and grid-searched. It can be all for not if you don’t (or can’t) deploy a dog. Their value in such a situation is invaluable. With a nose 100 times greater than our own, (approximately 300 million olfactory receptors), we really don’t compare. Sadly, not all states permit the use of this resource. The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) recently discussed this topic in the 2019 Whitetail Report.
“The inability to locate a wounded game animal is devastating to a hunter,” QDMA said. “Irrespective of skill level, most hunters will at some point in their hunting career be unable to find an animal they have wounded. Rain, terrain and several other factors can play a role in these unfortunate situations. Regardless of cause, hunters and policy makers have a moral and ethical responsibility to do everything in their power to make sure every wounded animal is recovered.”

That’s where the use of dogs to recover wounded game comes in. They claim it is legal in florida and Alabama. Does not require a hound. Most dogs will be attracted to a nearby wounded or dead deer. One can walk within 10 feet of deer and not see it. A dog will know it is there.

 

[huntnflorida]

We certainly use blood trail dogs and upwards of 15 very seasoned woodsman. In one case we looked everyday for a week as the buck was certainly a wall hanger. Our choice as ethical hunters is to not use that caliber as better options are available. Plain and simple the .243 didn’t do its job. I’ve been present for 11 deer being shot with the .243. 2 dropped in their tracks, 3 weren’t recovered, the other 6 were recovered with no blood trail, some were easy tracks most were difficult.

 

[FLT]

Damn , have you thought about a 458 Winchester magnum? if a little is good then more will be better, right?

 

[FLT]

By the way I’ve shot in excess of 50 deer with a 243 and haven’t lost a single one. What was your bullet of choice?

 

[Roaster's Gallery]

I always wonder how folks know they had a well placed shot, if they can't find what it is they shot?

 

[huntnflorida]

Video shows the shot placement, as far as bullets we used several different ones. I never made it to the sierras as I changed calibers. Trying to keep my kids positive about hunting in this crazy world the last thing I want is them loosing deer. To each their own, my solution was .30 caliber bullets.

 

[Roaster's Gallery]

Video shows the shot placement, as far as bullets we used several different ones. I never made it to the sierras as I changed calibers. Trying to keep my kids positive about hunting in this crazy world the last thing I want is them loosing deer. To each their own, my solution was .30 caliber bullets.

That is neat to have video of the hunt. I never thought about that. If you still have the video, can you upload it to this site? I would be interested in looking at it.

 

[FrommerStop]

Video shows the shot placement, as far as bullets we used several different ones. I never made it to the sierras as I changed calibers. Trying to keep my kids positive about hunting in this crazy world the last thing I want is them loosing deer. To each their own, my solution was .30 caliber bullets.

I can not argue with the logic of going by what works well for you. If a 30 caliber does the job, then use it.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Thanks for the info! Keep it coming. More reading shows its 6.2 x 52 mm

 

[FLT]

I have a short stock 20 inch barrel Remington 660 in 243 caliber that many of my friends children have used for their first deer. I’m planning on an 11 year old young lady taking this deer In the fall with it. The shot will be less than a hundred yards out of my stand.

 

[Zeroed in]

I have taken in excess of 80+ deer with my Rem 7400 .243 and never lost a single one, I once took 28 in 1 season. We had 50 doe tags and it seemed no one wanted to take the does (too many big bucks running around), so I was asked to do it. Free membership, oh yeah, I'm in. I got 26 and 2 bucks that year.
Anyway, I use Winchester 100g power point ammo. Out of all the deer I took, only about 5 that went less than 50 yards, all the rest pretty much dropped in their tracks.
As far as bullet damage, the entry point is so small you most likely will not even see it (before dressing it). Sometimes there may be a small drop or two of blood at the entry point, but that's it. Now the exit point is a different animal. It'll be the size of a 50 cent piece to a dollar coin, unless you hit ribs, then the exit hole is huge where the rib tore out or a smaller exit wounds from bullet fragments. Internal damage is severe, even with straight passage it jelly's organs even when hitting ribs.
And with a well placed bullet, the deer is dropping in it's track or won't make it very far.
There's a lot of people who say shoot the shoulders to take out the running gears. I never shoot to cripple a deer, besides, it'll ruin both shoulders, may as well toss them. I put bullet placement behind the shoulder thru the heart and lungs. A guaranteed kill.

 

[FrommerStop]

I have taken in excess of 80+ deer with my Rem 7400 .243 and never lost a single one, I once took 28 in 1 season. We had 50 doe tags and it seemed no one wanted to take the does (too many big bucks running around), so I was asked to do it. Free membership, oh yeah, I'm in. I got 26 and 2 bucks that year.
Anyway, I use Winchester 100g power point ammo. Out of all the deer I took, only about 5 that went less than 50 yards, all the rest pretty much dropped in their tracks.
As far as bullet damage, the entry point is so small you most likely will not even see it (before dressing it). Sometimes there may be a small drop or two of blood at the entry point, but that's it. Now the exit point is a different animal. It'll be the size of a 50 cent piece to a dollar coin, unless you hit ribs, then the exit hole is huge where the rib tore out or a smaller exit wounds from bullet fragments. Internal damage is severe, even with straight passage it jelly's organs even when hitting ribs.
And with a well placed bullet, the deer is dropping in it's track or won't make it very far.
There's a lot of people who say shoot the shoulders to take out the running gears. I never shoot to cripple a deer, besides, it'll ruin both shoulders, may as well toss them. I put bullet placement behind the shoulder thru the heart and lungs. A guaranteed kill.

Has that remington 7400 given you any trouble. The remington 742 in 30-06 had a very bad reputation for outright failure. I have fired one in 308 and with iron open sights it was a sweet handling and shooting rifle. Remington at one time would not service them is what I heard and the 7400 was supposed to be an improvement over the 740 and 742. The pump action versions were always said to be good to go.

 

[SouthBound]

I have a Remington 788 in 243 that my grandfather gave me over 30 years ago and it's been a good one. I have only lost one deer with it and it was shot 3 days later by another member of the club. The bullet passed right through without hitting anything vital (it was a little high, so bad shot placement).

I use 100GR Sierra GameKing's in mine. Same as I use for my 308 (just 165GR). My kids have all taken their first deer with it (dropped in place), and many friends have used it for their kids as well with the same results. I usually hunt with a 308 now but still grab the 243 from time to time when I want to dust it off and I know it's not going to rain. If the deer doesn't drop, they can be a pain to trail.

Pros: flat shooting, low recoil, easy to find ammo, great youth gun.
Cons: lighter bullet... hit a fly while in flight and it's going to change path, less energy, small entry/exit hole makes trailing a pain if deer doesn't drop.

 

[Zeroed in]

Has that remington 7400 given you any trouble. The remington 742 in 30-06 had a very bad reputation for outright failure. I have fired one in 308 and with iron open sights it was a sweet handling and shooting rifle. Remington at one time would not service them is what I heard and the 7400 was supposed to be an improvement over the 740 and 742. The pump action versions were always said to be good to go.

I've never had a problem with FTE. I once had a failure to load because the receiver was too dry, and I missed a really nice 10pt once with a FTF. Deer looked up at me, blew and was gone before I could eject the round. The primer was hit hard, and I tried it 3 more times, and it wouldn't fire. Next round and every round since has fired without a hiccup.
I keep all my weapons loaded, every aching one of them, as I am a firm believer that an unloaded gun will kill you, your friend or a family member. It happens every year, "What happened?" "I thought it was "unloaded".
Anyway, I believe the powder/primer apparently got wet most likely from oil seeping into it after cleaning. I now insure the barrel and receiver isn't "oily" when stored.

 

[FrommerStop]

I've never had a problem with FTE. I once had a failure to load because the receiver was too dry, and I missed a really nice 10pt once with a FTF. Deer looked up at me, blew and was gone before I could eject the round. The primer was hit hard, and I tried it 3 more times, and it wouldn't fire. Next round and every round since has fired without a hiccup.
I keep all my weapons loaded, every aching one of them, as I am a firm believer that an unloaded gun will kill you, your friend or a family member. It happens every year, I thought it was "unloaded".
Anyway, I believe the powder/primer apparently got wet most likely from oil seeping into it after cleaning. I now insure the barrel and receiver isn't "oily" when stored.

Always loaded. I know people that do that. On guns that are in reach of the dogs I make sure that the chamber is not loaded. Dogs have discharged fully guns by stepping on them. Pistols that are out of sight or if I have a long gun beyond their reach I might keep it chamber loaded.
In house fires chambered rounds will go off.

 

[Zeroed in]

.I use 100GR Sierra GameKing's in mine.

Pros: flat shooting, low recoil, easy to find ammo, great youth gun.
Cons: lighter bullet... hit a fly while in flight and it's going to change path, less energy, small entry/exit hole makes trailing a pain if deer doesn't drop.

You should try the Winchester 100g power points, they're designed for light skinned animals. Box lists deer and antelope.
It;s not often you ever have a small exit wound with these, unless you try taking out both shoulders 100+ yds out.

 

[FLT]

I Like sierra 85 grain HPBT game kings. I use them almost exclusively now days.