I am thinking about buying a 243 rifle and I was just wondering if they are ok to shoot deer with because I want a good deer gun with not very much recoil because im only 14 but I have also been told about a 25-06 and 270 what are these like and what about the recoil.
243 rifles
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243 will do the job. many other options are out there depending on many factors. how you hunt? do you need to take long shots? both the other callebers you mentiond are great as well. seeing as how you brought up the 25-06 (not that common of a round) im gessing you, or someone you know, knows alot about guns. so you got a major advantage over most. so if you can post more details about how you hunt and what you want your gun to do, and we can help you find the right fit for you.
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my son shoots a 243 great little gun. if you go with this small of a gun(here in KY that is the smallest gun allowed for deer hunting) I would look more for neck shots that heart and lungs. the animal will not run near as far with a neck shot with that gun.( been there) I shoot a 270 and like it but still get a 20 yard run with a heart shot. both of these guns make small impact holes so some times it takes a min or two to get any kind of a blood trail if you have to track. and as far as recoil my sons 243 kicks harder than my 270 mostly I think is do to his being a youth gun and has a realy short barrel. between the two shells they are about the same but the 270 is a little bigger with about doubble the powder. if your looking at hunting heavy covered areas I would look into the good ol 30/30 great brush gun little veavy but heavy guns realy help in the recoil area.
243 is a GREAT deer caliber!!! Use ballist tip bullets and lung shots are not a problem, deer fall dead in their tracks. Alot of people will say its too small, but shot placement is more critical than caliber. I would never recommend a neck shot, off just an inch and you wound the animal which will die a slow painful death. Use a gun you shoot well.
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good luck
hey there im 15 and i shoot a 270 im about 5'5 150 stocky build not trying to say im huge lol but the 270 sure kicks my shoulder out it hits hard but still a great gun, not to sure on the 243 but ive herd lots of good things about them GOOD LUCK!
hey there im 15 and i shoot a 270 im about 5'5 150 stocky build not trying to say im huge lol but the 270 sure kicks my shoulder out it hits hard but still a great gun, not to sure on the 243 but ive herd lots of good things about them GOOD LUCK!
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This question comes up all the time. Everyone has their opinion on this, but from what you have written, I would say that you would do well with the .243. I'll probably start an argument, but forget the neck shot! The high lung shot works best; has the best margin for "error" and often drops year in their tracks. As for proof of the .243 effectiveness and shot placement, here is a reply I wrote about two years ago to the same question which you have asked:
During 20 years of professional taxidermy, the biggest bull elk I ever mounted was for a 16 year old kid who used a .243 with Barnes bullets. That's not a caliber that's recommmended for elk, but shows what you could do with the right bullet and good bullet placement even with a relatively small caliber. Here's a picture of that mount. By the way, the big bull dropped dead in its tracks to a heart shot!
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During 20 years of professional taxidermy, the biggest bull elk I ever mounted was for a 16 year old kid who used a .243 with Barnes bullets. That's not a caliber that's recommmended for elk, but shows what you could do with the right bullet and good bullet placement even with a relatively small caliber. Here's a picture of that mount. By the way, the big bull dropped dead in its tracks to a heart shot!
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.243 is a good round. espeshaly for a yongin like your self. if your hunting envoronment involves short shots (100yds and under) i would put serious thought into the 30-30 like on the fly stated. as you can tell from my first post in this topic i was realy looking for more details on your hunting environment. if you are taking longer shots you might want to look into the .270 . its a great round. i hunt with a .270 and recoil has nothing to do with my piking this round. its just a good round.
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been putting meat in the frezer for years now with my 270. I personaly know nothing about a 25-06
I pondered the decision on a .243 vs 25-06 six months ago. I ended up going with the 25-06. I use the 25-06 for coyotes/deer and a .270 for deer only. Here are some pro's and con's for both cals.
.243
1. Recoil is less than the 25-06.
2. Ballistically a very flat good long range round. (300-400 yards?)
3. Ammo is mainstream and plentiful.
4. Would not recommend to use on anything larger than deer size game.
5. Great coyote gun and good deer gun
.25-06
1. Recoil is more than the .243 on the 115-120 gr bullets. Can effectively use 100 gr bullets for deer with the same/better results as the .243
2. Good consistent 400-500 yard caliber. Ballistics are superior to the .243
3. Ammo is not as mainstream and costs more than the .243
4. Great coyote/deer rifle.
Summary: I think the 25-06 has more to offer in flexibility. The caliber has been around since '69 but wildcatted since the '40-50's. Using 100gr bullets will address your recoil concerns and give you a bullet that will still get the job done. Your call but I think the 25-06 rules over the .243.
.243
1. Recoil is less than the 25-06.
2. Ballistically a very flat good long range round. (300-400 yards?)
3. Ammo is mainstream and plentiful.
4. Would not recommend to use on anything larger than deer size game.
5. Great coyote gun and good deer gun
.25-06
1. Recoil is more than the .243 on the 115-120 gr bullets. Can effectively use 100 gr bullets for deer with the same/better results as the .243
2. Good consistent 400-500 yard caliber. Ballistics are superior to the .243
3. Ammo is not as mainstream and costs more than the .243
4. Great coyote/deer rifle.
Summary: I think the 25-06 has more to offer in flexibility. The caliber has been around since '69 but wildcatted since the '40-50's. Using 100gr bullets will address your recoil concerns and give you a bullet that will still get the job done. Your call but I think the 25-06 rules over the .243.
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I like the small cartridges
a .243 with a Hornady "light magnum" 100 gr. SST would be a great round. I would prefer a 7mm-08 Hornady "light magnum" 139 grain SST. Another good round for you would be .308 with 150 gr. SST.
They all have a MV of over 3000 and still carry enough energy at 300 yards to do the job (ref. chart)
http://www.hornady.com/media/Light_Mag_Heavy_Mag_Ammo.pdf
As the 7mm-08 cartridge is not readily available at the local hardware store, the .308 or .243 would probably be best.
All three have the same cartridge size and have considerably less kick than the .270 cartridge.
While you don't "feel the kick when shooting at deer" you may have a tendency to flinch more when using a larger cartridge as you get conditioned to do so at the range. just mho.
No, I don't own stock in Hornady just think these are the tightest shooting rounds off the shelf.
a .243 with a Hornady "light magnum" 100 gr. SST would be a great round. I would prefer a 7mm-08 Hornady "light magnum" 139 grain SST. Another good round for you would be .308 with 150 gr. SST.
They all have a MV of over 3000 and still carry enough energy at 300 yards to do the job (ref. chart)
http://www.hornady.com/media/Light_Mag_Heavy_Mag_Ammo.pdf
As the 7mm-08 cartridge is not readily available at the local hardware store, the .308 or .243 would probably be best.
All three have the same cartridge size and have considerably less kick than the .270 cartridge.
While you don't "feel the kick when shooting at deer" you may have a tendency to flinch more when using a larger cartridge as you get conditioned to do so at the range. just mho.
No, I don't own stock in Hornady just think these are the tightest shooting rounds off the shelf.
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