.243 reality check? -->Chose 6.5creed

[Rich M]

A 243 needs a break as much as a 22 long rifle does.

Shot a 300#, 160 class muley 2019 with 243. Took a high shoulder shot due to property boundaries and he stayed up but was stunned, 2nd shot behind shoulder dropped him. Was using blue box federals in 100 gr.

He won't have any trouble shooting a muley w 243. Put one in the boiler room inside 400 yds and that'll be that.

 

[Buckweet]

I have never killed a mule deer but have killed a truck load of whitetails with a 243 100 grn Winchester’s and federals

 

[Giddy]

I have shot a lot of blacktails with a .243 and 100 grain Federals but no mule deer. Now I have to shot lead free and have not had good luck with the 90 grain copper blue box federal. Shot placement is key.

 

[Trimbandit]

I shot my first muley with a .243. Not a thing wrong with it. As mentioned its all about shot placement. Make sure he has time behind the rifle and its sighted in for him. You should be just fine.

 

[wyosam]

.243 is a fantastic muley cartridge. I’m partial to copper monos- I’ve taken lots of Muleys with the Barnes 85 Gr TSX. There’s not a muley on the planet I wouldn’t take with that round at 400.


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[KineKilla]

.243 all day for mule deer. I don't own a single .30 caliber rifle and manage to hunt and kill anything that gives me a shot or that I can get a tag for.



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[sndmn11]

Here is the result of my question. We had a good fun hunt well beyond our expectations.

Federal Trophy Copper 6.5cm 120gr, 30 yards from impact to death.

He has been named Rose, if you can figure out why, then you win a fictitious prize.

 

[bbrown]

Great buck! Congrats to you both!

 

[HuntInWild88]

Fantastic buck!!

 

[backfencer]

Congrats to you and your fam! Quite the handsome buck, deep forked, and very balanced. Quality time with family is priceless!

I was late to chime in on the .243 opinion, but mine is a positive as well. I killed my best buck to date last week with my dad's 40-year-old Sako. It was his favorite rifle, and I was using his 20-year-old hand loads. That gun loves 90gr Speer PSP's. 1 to the boiler and the big buck made a short dash to the happy hunting ground. My son killed his first buck at 9yo using a youth model .243. It was a 3.5yo 4x4 mulie, not huge but a great 1st deer. Anyhow, he wacked it in the tank at 150yds and it reared up like 'Ol Silver on the Lone Ranger, made one complete pirouette, and crashed and burned quite the site. The .243 is Bad Medicine!!

 

[Sako76]

Heck, my outfitters daughter shoots elk with her 243, plenty of gun for mule deer!

 

[Rich M]

Very nice buck!

I noticed the 6.5 and 120 gr. Great choice. How's he like that combo for shooting?

 

[MallardSX2]

With so many better choices, I, for the life of me, have no idea why anyone would shoot a .243 for big game. But, to each their own.

I have personally seen deer run hundreds of yards after having perfect shots preformed on them. With little to no blood trails. Did they die? Yes, but they were difficult to find.

 

[sndmn11]

Very nice buck!

I noticed the 6.5 and 120 gr. Great choice. How's he like that combo for shooting?

The rifle is a Weatherby Vanguard, that started out as their compact model with the stock spacer to adjust length of pull from adult to youth, and a 20" barrel.
The factory stock was terrible with the barrel riding the channel on one side the full length, and it was difficult to get a 2" 100yd group. I called B&C because my Wilderness has a lighter version of their stock that is not the same as what is widely available. They told me they had two of those stocks in short action left, so I ordered one. When it showed up I glass bedded the tang and the lug.
I also had Black Canyon Customs in Denver put a Hawkins brake on it. Last, I installed a Spartan universal adapter in the foreend for their javelin bipod.
The gun shoots as well as any of us can with the federal Trophy copper, and hornady whitetail. My magnetospeed has the federal load at 2764fps over 21 measured shots.
This deer was quartering away with his left side towards us and upslope. The bullet centered the second to last rib, breaking the two on either side as well, and a racquetball sized hole was the result. We were tricked on the other side because there was no apparent exit. When we were done cutting meat, I sawed the entry side ribs off and dug into things. The lungs were jello, I kept the heart, and after pulling everything out, I found the exit hole high above and a little behind the shoulder, it broke one rib but was much smaller at maybe a larger bottle cap. That should was fine, so I think maybe that right front was stretched forward on the shot, and then the scapula in a normal position covered the exit hole up because there wasn't any indication it was there until I got inside.
The deer was bounding, paused, was shot, and then slow trotted about 30 yards, the blood trail was massive, and I can't think that we would look to a different factory mono load unless availability were an issue.

 

[wind gypsy]

With so many better choices, I, for the life of me, have no idea why anyone would shoot a .243 for big game. But, to each their own.

I have personally seen deer run hundreds of yards after having perfect shots preformed on them. With little to no blood trails. Did they die? Yes, but they were difficult to find.

Must not have been using Premium Killing Bullets..

 

[sndmn11]

Finally got this engraved, tried a few different things to fill and am hoping this laquer stick stuff stays.
I should draw the same mule deer tag and am hoping to have a repeat. I, of course, will be using this rifle and think I might throw a red web BC stock on it cause the kid likes it.

 

[Rich M]

That's real nice! That's a special rifle.

 

[mtnlomo]

I watched my 80 lbs younger sister knock one off its feet at 150 yards with a 95 grain partition last October. I wouldn’t hesitate using it.


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[CZDR Michael]

People hate on the 6.5 but it’s a good cartridge

 

[MeatMissile]

Finally got this engraved, tried a few different things to fill and am hoping this laquer stick stuff stays.
I should draw the same mule deer tag and am hoping to have a repeat. I, of course, will be using this rifle and think I might throw a red web BC stock on it cause the kid likes it.

View attachment 400351View attachment 400352

Must have got something stuck in my eye.