Originally Posted By: dan brothersMan O Man... it is hard to beat the 243 for it's versatility of bullets and powder ranges... what an Awesome caliber.
You are so right. I have always been a little skeptical of the 243 as a good caliber for deer. That's because my experience goes back 50 years. I've seen more deer shot and lost with the 243, than any other caliber. Now, a lot of that has to do with the 243's popularity, no doubt about it. But, I think it's also because the 243 is often the first choice for those shooters who are recoil shy, and inexperienced. They often just don't make a good shot, and that results in a wounded deer. If the shooter does his job, and uses bullets made for deer, the 243 works just fine. Years ago, there were 2 guys in my part of the world who were very well known deer killers, and notice I said killers, because these fellows didn't pay any attention to seasons or limits. Both men used the 243, and were good shots. One of them though, believed in picking his shots, and as a result he always killed what he shot at.....always. The other guy was one of these that would shot at a deer no matter what the range, and lost some good bucks because he made a poor hit at a long range. The heaviest buck I ever saw was killed with a 243, it field dressed at 247 pounds. The longest shot I ever witnessed was made with a 243, my Remington 788 243, used by my brother, 485 steps. Since I have had shoulder surgery and all these arthritis aches and pains, I've started using the 243 myself, and kind of like it. By the way, it will flat kill coyotes. Although I'm a huge fan of the 223 for coyote hunting, I also shoot a couple of 243's and those 58 grain VMax's, 65 grain Bergers, and 85 grain Sierra's will kill a coyote at ranges the 223 begins to wane. Yep, it is a pretty amazing caliber.