243 is a necked down 308 Win or 7.62 NATO round. I’ve taken more Mullies and Whitetail with my 22-250 than all my rifles combined and just as dead as if used my 338 Win Mag. 243 shouldn’t be any problem what so ever! If I was going to buy a 243, I would step up to the 25-06, but the bottom line 243 will do just fine!

It works great for me, I have taken many deer with little problem, including a 182 mule deer this past season. Also makes a great varmint gun, 70 grain nosler ballistic tips absolutely vaporize Columbian ground squirrels out of the .243. Mine is currently a Tikka T3 Lite, a great incredibly accurate rifle, but have never really owned a .243 that wasn't (Winchester's, Remington's, and an old Mossberg bolt action have all put meat on my table).

I FEEL pretty good about a .243. REZ and Idaho summed it up nicely. Nothing to add.

There is no doubt that a .243 will take a deer down, provided that the shoot does his part.

the .243 will work great for deer hunting...I used a .243 to take my first buck and also a couple pronghorn..

.243 is the official caliber of fun.

.243 is great in the right hands. However, give this cartridge to an inexperienced hunter and you could ruin him. For instance I killed my first deer with a .243 shooting 100gr ballistics. It was a perfect heart shot and he fell in his tracts. My younger brother took the same gun the next day and shot a buck in the front shoulder. Needless to say it didn't turn out as well. The small caliber and ballistic tip blew up on the scapula. There was blood and huge chunks of bone everywhere. We tracked him for miles until the blood finally dried up. It almost ruined my brother. Had he been shooting something with a little more power there would of been a dead deer not a wounded one. So in short my son/daughter first rifle will be a bit larger probably .270. The .243 is a great gun for whitetails in the hands of an experienced hunter!

I have an old Sako .243 that has killed over forty head of various kinds of deer plus antelope. Most were one shot kills and I made some of them. I have loaned this rifle to young people who had never killed an animal and to first time adult hunters. I honestly believe that every one of them returned with a big smile on their face and a good to exceptional buck. Shot placement and bullet selection is the key to success with this cartridge. Some folks talk up their 6 x .284 so one time I had to have one. When I finally shot it through a chronograph I discovered that I had little more than a .243 or 6 mm Rem. New hunters, under the guidance of a more experienced one, tend to not take long or risky shots. Women and girls especially tend to take their time aiming often resulting with the desired results. Am I saying that this is a wimpy round? No indeed as one of my best friends kills elk, deer, antelope, and bears most every year. He is a big guy who owns only one center fire rifle, a .243 in Rem M-700 with Leupold 4x. Practice, practice, practice and know the limitations of your rifle and of yourself.

Love my .243 I have taken several mule deer, whitetail and pronghorn with it.

I think the .243 is a great cartridge for deer. While i have never shot a deer with one, i've seen "bang-flop" kills in person. Neat to watch.

A 243 in the vitals will kill faster and cleaner than a 30-378 wby in the guts everyday.

A .243 is excellent for deer. I've shot many w/it, currently have one as a backup deer rifle, and my 11 year old daughter had dropped 2 bucks w/ her youth model. I prefer 100gr. bullets for deer myself.

it would be the lowest caliber i would use. MUST HAVE GOOD SHOT!!!!

I'm with huntandtrap09.You have to wait for the perfect shot.My grandfather shot a deer with one;We found it dead 4 days later with a lung shot hole.If he would have had the 270. he has now,we would have had a fiest and not the buzzards!P.s,I use a 30-06.

Great deer gun. My dad has been using one for more than 30 yrs. I have one also and have used it a few times but all in all its a great deer gun. Or any other medium size game.

If you want a dead deer,.243.If you want a dead deer + hurt shoulder,.300 win mag.Obvious choice:.243

The best caliber for white tails in open country! Quality ammunition and good shot placement are crucial, but that should be a serious concern no matter what caliber rifle you choose. So many people criticize the use of 243s because "if a bad shot is made, they just wound deer". If accuracy is your concern, spend a little more time at the range. Carrying a large caliber rifle doesn't make up for bad marksmanship. I've killed 11 deer dead in their tracks with a 243, one shot each. I've also spent countless hours tracking deer shot by others on various hunts most shot with rifles in the 30 caliber family. It's not the size of your gun it's how you use it, right?

I killed almost all my animals with a .243 all exept an oryx I use .243. it wasent a good gun choice but i shot nd brought down a cow elk with 2 well placed shots. Relly that is all that matters is propper shot placement