Effective Range of .243 on Antelope

[bobhunts]

I would not shoot past 400 yards with a .243 myself. Most of it would depend on shooting ability and bullet design. I shot a pronghorn buck at 450 yards with my .243 and I found the bullet under the hide on the off side. They work well but do have there limitations based on my own experience.

 

[TheCougar]

The real answer to your question is: however far you can accurately hit your target I the optimum kill zone. Of course, this will change for each person with variable weather conditions. If someone online says the ethical distance is XXXyds, it's not a license to lob bullets out at that distance if YOU are not familiar and competent at that distance.

I've guided loads of hunters over the past 3 decades that claimed to be "good" to XXXyds and were, actually, only good to 1/2 that distance on their best day. Lately, the LR craze and availability of off the shelf rifles capable of LR shots has only magnified this issue. For the past 8 years I've been involved in blood tracking wounded deer here in S. Texas and we're seeing more and more guys with these fancy rifles, capable of 800+ yard shots, gut shooting (or worse) deer at 200. It's ridiculous.

There are guys that can "ethically" shoot elk at 1500yds but they practice regularly at that range and further. "Ethical" implies near certain confidence in the shot. If you have to wonder about making the shot, DONT pull the trigger.



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In this case, I'm not talking about lobbing rounds at 800 yards. I'm concerned more about be KE and ability to put the animal down quickly. I'm a bow hunter by trade, and I'm confident that I can sneak closer better than I can shoot farther. I just wanted to make sure a 95gr bullet will do the trick at 400-500 yards, which it sounds like it will. I get that with a perfectly placed shot just about any gun can kill any animal. I'm taking real world, dropping an antelope quickly with a shot.

 

[TheCougar]

Not specific to antelope, but I found this article and chart for effective kill ranges to be interesting.

Popular Hunting Cartridge Ballistics Shootout | The Hunting Gear Guy

His chart has a lot of variables that aren't considered: Bullet weight, speed, Bullet type, etc. Plus, I read his review of the sightron scope and he "opted for the MOA reticle over Mrad because he doesn't like using metric." Aaaaand I pretty much blacked out after reading that. Not to discount everything he says, using my own numbers, I've come up with similar conclusions on the tactical effective range of certain game/Bullet combos. Although I can shoot well beyond 400 yards, I want to keep it to less than 500 for KE and to ensure enough fps at impact for the Bullet to properly expand on an antelope sized animal.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

In this case, I'm not talking about lobbing rounds at 800 yards. I'm concerned more about be KE and ability to put the animal down quickly. I'm a bow hunter by trade, and I'm confident that I can sneak closer better than I can shoot farther. I just wanted to make sure a 95gr bullet will do the trick at 400-500 yards, which it sounds like it will. I get that with a perfectly placed shot just about any gun can kill any animal. I'm taking real world, dropping an antelope quickly with a shot.

I gotcha. The .243 will retain plenty of speed and KE out to 800+ with good expansion, depending on the particular bullet. I've seen video of elk being dropped in their tracks at 1000yds so I have ZERO concern within 400; and I've killed (DRT) whitetail out to almost 500yds with a .243. I'm not using my .243 much anymore, though. Switched to 6.5. FWIW- I've been having great luck with Nosler Ballistic Tips - superb accuracy and terrific terminal results on deer and hogs. Now, that's with a 140gr out of a 6.5 Creedmoor but I'd expect similar results from .243. I handload and I've got a consistent .3" load out of a factory Savage 10/110 Predator; and I got consistent .5" from Nosler factory ammo with those same pills. I also load Berger VLDH but I don't get as good terminal performance until I get to about 300yds.

If the real world conditions allow it, I wouldn't hesitate to take a long shot on a speedgoat. They can't tolerate anything even approaching a decent hit, IME.

Hope I didn't offend with my earlier post - it was not my intention. If so, my apologies.




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[BrushyHillGuide]

I would not shoot past 400 yards with a .243 myself. Most of it would depend on shooting ability and bullet design. I shot a pronghorn buck at 450 yards with my .243 and I found the bullet under the hide on the off side. They work well but do have there limitations based on my own experience.

Depending on the particular bullet, that is the description of perfect terminal performance - 100% of KE delivered to the animal. An exit wound is great if you have to track an animal but it's a waste of energy.

I can NEVER fault a guy for setting limits based on their experiences, though! It's all about our individual comfort level when pulling that trigger. I HATE it when my clients pull a trigger even though they're uncomfortable with the shot, JUST because they're looking at a great animal in the crosshairs. Much respect!!


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[TheCougar]

I gotcha. The .243 will retain plenty of speed and KE out to 800+ with good expansion, depending on the particular bullet. I've seen video of elk being dropped in their tracks at 1000yds so I have ZERO concern within 400; and I've killed (DRT) whitetail out to almost 500yds with a .243. I'm not using my .243 much anymore, though. Switched to 6.5. FWIW- I've been having great luck with Nosler Ballistic Tips - superb accuracy and terrific terminal results on deer and hogs. Now, that's with a 140gr out of a 6.5 Creedmoor but I'd expect similar results from .243. I handload and I've got a consistent .3" load out of a factory Savage 10/110 Predator; and I got consistent .5" from Nosler factory ammo with those same pills. I also load Berger VLDH but I don't get as good terminal performance until I get to about 300yds.

If the real world conditions allow it, I wouldn't hesitate to take a long shot on a speedgoat. They can't tolerate anything even approaching a decent hit, IME.

Hope I didn't offend with my earlier post - it was not my intention. If so, my apologies.




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No offense taken. I am with you on the long range thing. I practice to 80-100 yards with my bow on a daily basis. To some that is a very long shot, but I am confident at that range. More importantly, I only take that shot if 1. I can't get closer and 2. the conditions will permit that shot (no wind, good footing, unaware animal, etc). I read about guys shooting animals at long range and they fall into two camps: guys who have no business doing it (awww, but I'm wearing my 5.11 pants and boots!) and guys who do have business shooting at that distance. The guys who are proficient at that range probably put thousands of rounds through their weapons every year, just like I shoot arrows. It takes a LOT of skill, practice, and detailed knowledge of your weapon system.

Either way, when a guy says he shot an elk at 844 yards, my first question was... why? I don't think I've ever been a half mile from an animal and said, "Gee, I just can't get any closer." I'd be interested to talk to the guys who hunt long range and ask them why they took the shot they did. Taking a 1000 yard poke at an animal just doesn't seem like hunting to me. When I am at 80 yards on a animal I can shoot, I will always look for ways to close the distance as much as possible without blowing the stalk. I'm sure this will rub someone the wrong way, but I'm just asking the question out loud that I am usually thinking.