.243 question?

[SDMF]

I have put together some 85gr Barnes loads.

Same here, and either them or the 80gn tipped in no particular order would by my 1st choice given time, or if you can find them and get sighted in by Friday noon.

1-week out w/nearly bare shelves, assuming Ugly Dogs is going to buy factory, basically anything from 80-100gn you can find will suffice.

 

[Ristorapper]

I've hunted all my life with the first deer rifle I ever picked off the shelf; a model 88 winchester. Being a lefty and back then kinda hard to find that left hand bolt, it's been q pretty darn good lever rifle for me. I've always shot 100 gr. I'd pound rounds into a target at 25 yards with practice, practice, practice. I'd always wanted to be 1 inch below bulls eye to be on at about 200 yards. One shot at 100 yards to verify (slightly high at 100) and one shot at 200 to verify was all the practice I needed. Never ever lost a whitetail that was hit by my .243. I did buy another Model 88 again after they quit making them. Alot of guys in our hunting party back in the day also shot levers, most of them being Savage models and most in .243 caliber. Good luck with the daughter. Teach and guide her right and you will have a hunting partner for life.

 

[Ugly Dogs]

I was able to purchase 4 boxes of 100 gr. I set up in the yard at 25 yds. and four shots later I was where I wanted to be. Then two shots at 100 yds and then three shots at 200 yds confirmed everything. I wanted my daughter to do her own sighting in but she had to head back to school and doing it yesterday with 50 mph wind would have been a waste. But she will be home Thursday and her and I will go out and burn up a box just shooting at shit. This isn't her first year hunting, like I said before she has been using her mothers .270 since she was 14, but this is her first rifle that is her own. Thanks again for the help.

 

[deleted member]

For the most part, i've always used whats available at the big box stores.. i think its the blue box stuff at 100 grains. Seems to work. Its a gun and caliber I've always been proud of. My new sit/stand gun is a 6.5 tack driver. But, if i am walking, its still the .243 BAR

Killed deer for 30 years with these

 

[huntorride365]

I've seen 80 gr. TTSX's drop deer in their track a time or two. Sounds like you've got that aspect covered now. Have a good time!

 

[1lessdog]

For the most part, i've always used whats available at the big box stores.. i think its the blue box stuff at 100 grains. Seems to work. Its a gun and caliber I've always been proud of. My new sit/stand gun is a 6.5 tack driver. But, if i am walking, its still the .243 BAR

Killed deer for 30 years with these

These 100 gr will kill any deer out there. Will kill just as fast as the Barnes or Berger bullets.

When I started Deer hunting back in the early 70's I was shooting deer with a 22-250 with 55 gr sp. And never had a deer run off. Im a firm believer in shooting all animals in the front shoulder. And I have never had a front shoulder stop a bullets and 95% of the animals drop on the spot. Very seldom do you have to track a animal. You hit them in the top part of the shoulder and you break there back plus smashing both shoulders.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

The best part about all of these rifle caliber posts is that grown ass men who have been around all types of firearms since they were old enough to wipe their own ass, still can’t differentiate between a cartridge and a shell and the proper weapon for each.

I know there's a lot of repetition in caliber threads. Still, I much enjoy reading them as I'm a gun geek and sometimes get something new
for my "Gun Jeopardy" vault. Sure can't hurt the site for clicks and it's good to get advice from experience.

 

[PrairieGhost]

I know there's a lot of repetition in caliber threads. Still, I much enjoy reading them as I'm a gun geek and sometimes get something new
for my "Gun Jeopardy" vault. Sure can't hurt the site for clicks and it's good to get advice from experience.

Ditto here.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

On another note: I was around back in the day when blaze orange was newly mandatory. OL or FS and published an article on deer vision and pink was invisible. Conversely; they used to bitch about toy guns looking real and now many tone deaf tone deaf foreign companies are marketing "guns for women" which look like toys. I have no problem with obvious pink camo and am actually a fan. Chicks look hot in it.

 

[Shockwave]

Both my wife and daughter shoot a 243. I have seen them drop many deer without any problems. They both shoot the American Whitetail 100 grain. It seems to group well out of their rifles and neither one have any issues shooting it.

 

[MuleyMadness]

My wife uses Federal Fusion 95 grain off the shelf and they have never let her down. We have about 3 rifles that we use federal fusion and they are good bullets and shoot accurate.

 

[db-2]

I love guns and now that i am retire i was looking to learn more and maybe start reloading some bullets. I feel i would enjoy that as a hobby and maybe i could shoot my 219 zipper and 222 magnum as those shells are hard to find but i do have a few spent cartridges of them.
So in post #18 i did ask what the difference was between a shell and a cartridge and the proper weapon for each.

I will never learn as much as some of you appear to know but would like to widen my knowledge somewhat. So can someone answer my question before i blow up something? db

- - - Updated - - -

Yes i did start my first kid out on a model 94 30-30 as that is what my dad did to us kids and that is what he wanted but after the first son kids wanted something besides a lever action so they got a 7mm08 youth rifle in Remington 700 or Winchester 70. Grand kid did use the same. No real difference than a 243 imho. db

- - - Updated - - -

As i wrote this i see an ad as to what 12 money milestones one was to reach by age 50. I missed them all (in fact at age 60 also) so i do not want to miss something on guns.

 

[Tymurrey]

The 85gr Sierra hpbt gameking reloads have killed a lot of deer for my family. What a crazy year it is for guns and ammo. Not a box of 243 ammo or many other calibers on the shelves at scheels in Bismarck on Sunday. Luckily i reload and have learned to stockpile some but was looking for a friend.

 

[Zogman]

The 85gr Sierra hpbt gameking reloads have killed a lot of deer for my family. What a crazy year it is for guns and ammo. Not a box of 243 ammo or many other calibers on the shelves at scheels in Bismarck on Sunday. Luckily i reload and have learned to stockpile some but was looking for a friend.

The late 60's and all thru the 70's and 80's that was the same bullet I used in loading for my 6MM Remington. The biggest body deer I ever shot was at about 50 yards running straight at me. He piled up instantly, never knew what hit him.

 

[Ugly Dogs]

**Update**
Since others were good enough to give me some advice, I thought I would update this thread. My daughter was able to have a one shot season. She got back from school on the second weekend and on Saturday morning we spotted a doe from about a mile away. We did a sneak around a hill and got to 289 yards. She took a sitting position, took a big breath and let it out and then squeezed the trigger. I watched as the bullet hit and heard that sound that we all love so much. The doe went about 20 yards and piled up. It was a perfect shot taking out both lungs and a bit of heart. I got the big hug and the smile that made my day. It was a good season.

 

[Rut2much]

That's effin' awesome and I can totally relate after helping a friend's daughter with her youth tag (years back now) sneak up on a buck at about 250 and she just sacked it, her dad was watching from a quarter mile away and you couldnt wipe the smile off his face or Un puff his chest the rest of the season. Wasnt big at all, but you know right where those little antlers sit amongst all his over the years!

I personally just picked up a 243 coyote lite last year and that thing has made some damn impressive shots in its young life, I've always wanted the caliber and i couldn't be more on board with it.

 

[Ugly Dogs]

That's effin' awesome and I can totally relate after helping a friend's daughter with her youth tag (years back now) sneak up on a buck at about 250 and she just sacked it, her dad was watching from a quarter mile away and you couldnt wipe the smile off his face or Un puff his chest the rest of the season. Wasnt big at all, but you know right where those little antlers sit amongst all his over the years!

I personally just picked up a 243 coyote lite last year and that thing has made some damn impressive shots in its young life, I've always wanted the caliber and i couldn't be more on board with it.

Thanks, I will admit I was texting pictures to her uncles and my buddy's like she had shot a Booner. And yes the smile on my face huge. I will admit having her go off to college has been a little tough on me. I still want her to be 10 and all Tomboy. Back then I was the only guy in her life who's opinion mattered. This getting older shit is tough on daddy's.

 

[eyexer]

I have never seen anybody kill as many deer with one shot kills as my old man did with his .243 and strictly shot 80 grain bullets.

 

[ND 41 Hunter]

Ugly Dogs- thanks for the update! Brought a smile to me and I'm sure many others- that's what its all about.

 

[Zogman]

​Ugly Dogs, Watchin your grandchildren grow up is ever worse.