# Deer Rifles



## Elkman11 (Mar 27, 2008)

*Are .243s a deer rifle?*​
Yes2670.27%No513.51%For Kids616.22%


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## Elkman11 (Mar 27, 2008)

:sniper: I prefer either a .270, 7mm, 30-06 or a 308. They are all high powered rifles and are great for deer hunting. Last season I shot 4 8 pointers and above, two with my.270 one with all the rest. Two of my shots were heart shots. One with my 7mm and one with my 30-06. The others were lung shots. I prefer these because they have great distance and accurracy. 
I dont prefer .243s because they are little kids guns. My friend has a 30-06 and his two kids use .243s they are terrible guns!!!


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## People (Jan 17, 2005)

Sure they are viable guns for deer hunting. It does not take a belted mag to kill a deer. The only draw back to one is lack of kick. If you do your part it will do its job. Hold on a second you have to do your part with any gun so I do not see the problem.

Yes the 30-06 will do it harder farther it depends on your hunting style. If you subscribe to mine 300WM is the smallest you should go. I say 50BMG all the way, but we know how ND feels about that. The only reason I sold mine was I got a super good deal on it. There is nuthing like touching off over 200gr of powder and sending that 750gr Amax down range to kick the butt of a deer. Was my 50 needed? You bet it was I have shot and killed many deer with a AR-15 in .223. The two I needed more than one shot.

The first was out a little far and he did not drop on the first so I fired again and it went down.

The second it ran right infront of me and I shot over 5 times with 75gr HPBT Match slugs. I do not remember the total count any more but I had no intention of shooting a deer that day or I would have been using an X bullet or a 55gr SP. It was going to pass less than 5 yds so I had to do it.


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## cwoparson (Aug 23, 2007)

> .243s they are terrible guns


Couldn't disagree with you more. Moe than likely the two kids are just terrible shots.


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## varmit b gone (Jan 31, 2008)

I feel there is nothing wrong with a 243. Sure, you can't take down deer at 750 yards, but that ain't huntin' either. Sure, I use a 270, but a 243 all in all isn't a bad deer rifle. You just have to know the limits.


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## redhawk808 (Feb 26, 2008)

A .243 make a better deer rifle for kids than a shotgun..because of the recoil..I like my 7mm and .300 Mags, but my son didn't so he has a .243...
He loves it and shoots it well. I taught him BULLET PLACEMENT is everything..NO matter what you shoot...


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## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

" killed many deer with a AR-15 in .223. "
Illegal in my state. No semi-autos. No .22s 
"shot over 5 times with 75gr HPBT Match slugs". That's why 22s aren't allowed in many states.
....... It was going to pass less than 5 yds so I had to do it."
No, you didn't.

Pete


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## redhawk808 (Feb 26, 2008)

I AGREE Darkgael....
He could have just watched it..
Besides it should only take ONE placed right ..NOT 5.


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## People (Jan 17, 2005)

darkangle I was tought to fire accurately at anything I shoot at. Every single round was a lung shot or a heart shot. I do remember that there were two holes in the heart. This batch of Match bullets I had never opened up like a SMK does.

I do not know why Pa does not allow you to use semi's but here we can. We can also have unlimited rounds in your semi. A 223 is powerfull enough to kill a deer. Everyday of the week. If it is not for you then more range time for you is required.

It died quickly that is far better than many of the deer I have seen shot with the good old 30-30 or 30-06. I have since shot those bullets up and the new 75's work much better. The 77SMK's are pretty darn good also. Byfar the X bullet is better but not accuracy wize.

redhawk080 it should only take one but here in ND we can not use the 50BMG any more. Why is that I do not know. So now I go and have fun it is not serious any more. That day I was just helping push deer because that is deer hunting aparently. If it would have dropped on the first I would have stopped shooting but it did not.

I supose both of you would rather had me use a 308 and wound it and let it go? Of course you would not. Would you?


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## ND Native (Mar 12, 2004)

The 243 is a fine deer gun if used properly. I have seen one used on mule deer in western ND at long range running shots where it did not even slow them down. :******: And then the comment was made that the buck wasn't big enough anyway. However, I have also seen a 22-250 anchor a whitetail at 200 yards. As stated before knowing when to shoot, knowing how to shoot, and knowing where to shoot makes the biggest difference. The question every hunter should ask themselves before pulling the trigger is this - " Will this shot I am taking with this gun kill this deer quickly?" You don't need a cannon to harvest a deer, but you need to hunt ethically. If you can't make the shot with the gun you are using - don't take it. Know how your gun shoots, know the distance you are shooting, and know your target. I personally prefer a 280 or 7mm Mag, but am planning on using a 243 this fall.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

People, I purchased my first AR early last fall. I shot two does with it last season using X bullets. The year before I shot two does, well four actually, but one with the 223 Winchester Featherweight, and one with a new Savage 22-250 both with X bullets.
I notice some very knowledgeable rifle men say they are not getting good accuracy with the X bullets. Those blue clad ones were terrible, but the old ones were ok, and the new triple shock come out of my 300 Winchester as good as SMK. I push a 165 gr to 3425 and keep everything under .4 inches. 
I think my AR did open up to .6 inches, but I didn't plan on shooting deer that far with a 223 anyway. The 22-250 pushing that bullet at 3800 fps just flat out put that doe down. 
As you know I do a lot of long range shooting. However, when I get a new rifle that is fit for deer I just have to try it out. Long range has to wait under those circumstances. If you can't shoot long range you can do other things. If the animal is standing you can always start looking for little marks behind the shoulder or some other aiming point to tell you how good your shot was.


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## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

People: I hear you. Very different hunting experiences, I guess, in PA and ND.
"I supose both of you would rather had me use a 308 and wound it and let it go? Of course you would not. Would you?"
Of course not. But...do you really think that a heart/lung shot from a .308 and a proper bullet at that five yard distance would only wound the animal and let it escape or that it would have to be shot five times? Of course not.
Pete


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## People (Jan 17, 2005)

Plainsman you are preaching to the quire about long range hunting. That was the reason I bought a 50. The only reason I sold it was the person I was with gave me such a great deal. He paied far too much for it.
I did buy a 338LM for up here in ND and love it but this day I was not going out to hunt I was only going out to walk. That is why I took the 15. It was my fault I was using those bullets but there was no time to change mags. If I can remember correctly the thing only made it a about 10 yds from first to last shot. Maybe more maybe less. The whole ordeal was over in less than 2 seconds. I should not have shot but I did. It died very fast and did not have time to suffer. I posted on this trip a few years ago in the deer hunting section.

darkgael You hit the nail on the head there "proper bullet". I did not have the proper bullet. I was walking and hoping for a Coyote.. My CAR-15 16inch tube always comes with me. Even when I had my 50 with me. It does not give me the range my 338LM does but I always have it and I can shoot very well with it. This takes the slack for Coyotes and stuff like that when I can not crank the scope any lower. My 50 bottomed out at a little over 500 and I do not know where my 338 bottoms out at. I have never shot it at paper closer than 600yds except when doing load testing. I just aimed at a dot on cardboard that was at the bottom and measured groups that hit in the upper 1/3.

I could have shot one time and it may have died shortly after but I was not going to find out so I keept shooting. On the bright side I harvested mine unline the others that were shot with 30-06's and ran off. Granted they were high loung shots and they never fired again even though they had the chance to.


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## cwoparson (Aug 23, 2007)

> I suppose both of you would rather had me use a 308 and wound it and let it go? Of course you would not. Would you?


I think the comment "no you didn't" was to say you shouldn't have take the first shot to begin with. As you said yourself you were not out hunting for deer and you knew you weren't carrying proper bullets to use on deer, or at least should have known so the obvious choice was to pass on any shot. That's what I think was being said.

Buck fever comes in many forms. Getting excited and taking a shot you know better than to do is one of those forms. We've all experienced it in one form or another.

darkgael, I might have to disagree with the 308 under the same circumstances. At that distance I doubt anything would open up and expand and once the deers adrenalin is pumping, well you know how that works.


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## dd6 (Dec 2, 2007)

Plainsman said:


> I push a 165 gr to 3425 and keep everything under .4 inches.
> 
> Really, what load data are you using? You don't want to push the bolt out of that 300!
> Nolser, Hodgen show 3250fps is about max. w/165gr.
> ...


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## Dbl gun (Feb 12, 2008)

I use many different calibers for deer, the "smallest" being 257 Roberts, which is outstanding. Others have been 30-06, 270, 7mm, 25-06 and 308, all of which obviously up the recoil end of things. I would consider the 243 to be minimum, but with proper shot placement I wouldn't hesitate to go with it.


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## MagnumManiac (Feb 19, 2008)

As I have stated numerous times on this forum.
*It's not what you hit 'em with,it's where you hit 'em,and what bullet you use! *
That said,I feel that any sub 25 cal cartridge simply doesn't have the 'oomph' past 200yds for deer.Except the 240 Weatherby!
I have culled numerous Fallow deer using a 22-250/22-250AI,they were all spine shots just behind the shoulder,IN CONTROLLED CONDITIONS.
I don't recommend this unless you have a steady benchrest,which we did,and the deer are unaware of your presence and standing still. 
All shots were taken well within 100yds!
Mostly from hides on one side of the paddock,while the deer were on the other.
*MagnumManiac*
:sniper:


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## honkerslayr (Dec 14, 2006)

It all depends.....Yes at extended ranges it would be more difficult to hit them in the boiler room and make for a wuick clean kill. But there are conditions to be taken into consideration.

What ranges do you feel comfortable shooting at? That will depend on you practice and how much you shoot or can afford to shoot.

Bullet selection. Ranges have different effects on different bullet types.

What type of terrain or environment do you hunt in? this will tell you about the range you would expect to shoot at. Your setup also or how you plan to hunt them will affect this depending on your terrain. Sitting, spot and stalk or if you walk and plan on a running shot.

But IMO i wouldn't push 250yds with a .243. Depending on the wind also and elevation again this will revert back to you practice. But under the right conditions and bullet selection and hunting methods this is a very good and lethal cartridge for deer. Also you have the versatility of hunting varmints and other game but I'd limit to deer size game and nothing bigger.


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