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Q:
Im new to hunting and i have a rossi 243 rifle and was wondering if a 243 is big enough for deer

Question by HunterKid. Uploaded on January 20, 2009

Answers (14)

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from herbie57_57 wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

.243 is more than enough. I've heard of people shooting deer with .223 and .22-250 and not having any problems. I've also seen deer shot with a .243 that had fifty cent piece size exit wounds. Use a round with a soft point and above 100 grs and you'll be just fine.

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from T wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

.243 would work great and use 100 grain bullets (I didnt use soft tips) and there was A LOT of blood when I shot one with a .243

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from Clay Cooper wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

I've taken more deer with a 22-250 than all my 25 to 444 cals put together. That 243 or better put 243-08 will do you a fine job!

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from derobbins wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

the .243 is a great rifle for any medium sized animal in north america. it is a great choice for a first rifle because of its light recoil and availble ammunition. know however the range at which its effective is. if you are hunting power line right of way, large bean feilds, out west etc where a 300 plus yard shot is common place then think about something else. thats not to say that it will not kill deer at that range but there is a better chance that it will simply wound the deer and we owe it to our game to make and clean ethical kill

+4 Good Comment? | | Report
from jbonifer24 wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

A .243 is absolutely a great gun to hunt deer with. It is flat shooting and has a very low recoil, so you won't have to worry about shooters flinch. The grain of the bullet isn't as important as the shot placement. Make sure that you get good clean shots. Try different ammo to see what works best from your rifle and practice from the positions and distances you are going to be most likely shooting from. You can hunt with the biggest gun on the market, but you won't bring anything down if you can't make good shots in the field. Practice, practice, practice, and you will be confident in yourself and your rifle.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from alabamahunter wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

The .243 is an effective round, especially with the advent of modern ammunition. Make sure you have it sighted in right, and don't skimp on ammo. I tend to shoot Hornady, but that is purely personal preference. Also, be sure of your range. The .243 is a relatively small bullet and loses energy fairly fast after about 200-300 yards.

Make sure whatever kind of ammo you choose to shoot has some sort of rapidly expanding bullet. Without it the .243 tends to not leave much in the way of a blood trail.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Beekeeper wrote 3 years 2 weeks ago

The .243 is an excellent smallbore rifle for deer sized game. Use good ammunition with 100 grain bullets. Shoot to place the bullet in the heart lung area and don't try shots where the bullet must penetrate a lot of muscle or bone such as quartering shots. Your blood trails should be very short!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from kvlazer22 wrote 3 years 2 weeks ago

If my 22-250 can kill a deer your .243 will have no problem!

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from Jim in Mo wrote 3 years 2 weeks ago

You've already got the gun you need for deer, now about those black bears.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from kolbster wrote 3 years 1 week ago

243 is perfect for deer.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from LJ2323 wrote 3 years 1 week ago

a 243 is good when you are hunting in a thick woods where you dont have to shoot ver far. But my cousin was hunting a feild and shot and wounded a buck at 250 yards. The next day he used his dads 308 and dropped a bigger buck the next morning.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from bomberpride wrote 2 years 51 weeks ago

yes it really is

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from FloridaHunter1226 wrote 2 years 29 weeks ago

Yes, I would say that would be the lowest caliber you would want to use for deer.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from jscottevans wrote 1 year 47 weeks ago

My dad just bought a .243 about 5 years ago, now we fight over who gets to use it. It is a great deer gun. I always give him reasons he should use my 30-30 or 30-06 so I can use his .243.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from rudyglove27 wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Yes, It should be suitable enough for deer!!!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Keith Costley wrote 1 year 2 weeks ago

A .243 is more than adequate for harvesting the whitetail deer. I have hunted with a .243 for the past 25 years on an exclusive basis and have taken more than 80 whitetails using a 100-grain bullet. The main thing that I really, really, really like about the .243 is the recoil. It is very shoulder friendly. The lack of recoil along with a light-but-safe trigger pull makes me a more better and confident shot.

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from derobbins wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

the .243 is a great rifle for any medium sized animal in north america. it is a great choice for a first rifle because of its light recoil and availble ammunition. know however the range at which its effective is. if you are hunting power line right of way, large bean feilds, out west etc where a 300 plus yard shot is common place then think about something else. thats not to say that it will not kill deer at that range but there is a better chance that it will simply wound the deer and we owe it to our game to make and clean ethical kill

+4 Good Comment? | | Report
from herbie57_57 wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

.243 is more than enough. I've heard of people shooting deer with .223 and .22-250 and not having any problems. I've also seen deer shot with a .243 that had fifty cent piece size exit wounds. Use a round with a soft point and above 100 grs and you'll be just fine.

+3 Good Comment? | | Report
from T wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

.243 would work great and use 100 grain bullets (I didnt use soft tips) and there was A LOT of blood when I shot one with a .243

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from Clay Cooper wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

I've taken more deer with a 22-250 than all my 25 to 444 cals put together. That 243 or better put 243-08 will do you a fine job!

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from jbonifer24 wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

A .243 is absolutely a great gun to hunt deer with. It is flat shooting and has a very low recoil, so you won't have to worry about shooters flinch. The grain of the bullet isn't as important as the shot placement. Make sure that you get good clean shots. Try different ammo to see what works best from your rifle and practice from the positions and distances you are going to be most likely shooting from. You can hunt with the biggest gun on the market, but you won't bring anything down if you can't make good shots in the field. Practice, practice, practice, and you will be confident in yourself and your rifle.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from kvlazer22 wrote 3 years 2 weeks ago

If my 22-250 can kill a deer your .243 will have no problem!

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from kolbster wrote 3 years 1 week ago

243 is perfect for deer.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from alabamahunter wrote 3 years 3 weeks ago

The .243 is an effective round, especially with the advent of modern ammunition. Make sure you have it sighted in right, and don't skimp on ammo. I tend to shoot Hornady, but that is purely personal preference. Also, be sure of your range. The .243 is a relatively small bullet and loses energy fairly fast after about 200-300 yards.

Make sure whatever kind of ammo you choose to shoot has some sort of rapidly expanding bullet. Without it the .243 tends to not leave much in the way of a blood trail.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Beekeeper wrote 3 years 2 weeks ago

The .243 is an excellent smallbore rifle for deer sized game. Use good ammunition with 100 grain bullets. Shoot to place the bullet in the heart lung area and don't try shots where the bullet must penetrate a lot of muscle or bone such as quartering shots. Your blood trails should be very short!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Jim in Mo wrote 3 years 2 weeks ago

You've already got the gun you need for deer, now about those black bears.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from LJ2323 wrote 3 years 1 week ago

a 243 is good when you are hunting in a thick woods where you dont have to shoot ver far. But my cousin was hunting a feild and shot and wounded a buck at 250 yards. The next day he used his dads 308 and dropped a bigger buck the next morning.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from bomberpride wrote 2 years 51 weeks ago

yes it really is

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from FloridaHunter1226 wrote 2 years 29 weeks ago

Yes, I would say that would be the lowest caliber you would want to use for deer.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from jscottevans wrote 1 year 47 weeks ago

My dad just bought a .243 about 5 years ago, now we fight over who gets to use it. It is a great deer gun. I always give him reasons he should use my 30-30 or 30-06 so I can use his .243.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from rudyglove27 wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Yes, It should be suitable enough for deer!!!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Keith Costley wrote 1 year 2 weeks ago

A .243 is more than adequate for harvesting the whitetail deer. I have hunted with a .243 for the past 25 years on an exclusive basis and have taken more than 80 whitetails using a 100-grain bullet. The main thing that I really, really, really like about the .243 is the recoil. It is very shoulder friendly. The lack of recoil along with a light-but-safe trigger pull makes me a more better and confident shot.

0 Good Comment? | | Report

Post an Answer

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