Author Topic: reloading the .243, looking for Umph ! (Read 2734 times)

deltecs · « **Reply #30 on:** January 12, 2008, 11:11:32 AM »

The .243 Win already has plenty of Umph for deer hunting. If you want more energy, go to a larger bore or bigger case. Regardless of the posts doubting the .243 Win ability, as drdougrx related, there are other posts where the majority applaud this round for deer. I, for one, with lots of personal experience trust the .243 Win with APPROPRIATE bullets used on the game intended. It includes black bear, white tails, black tails, caribou, sheep, goat, mulies, and one average elk. All were well hit and no animal ran far once hit. But again, use the proper bullet for the game intended.

Scibaer · « **Reply #31 on:** January 12, 2008, 12:54:56 PM »

given the volume of posts saying that the .243 is enough gun for whitetails, i have concluded i'd be a dumbass for not giving it a fair shake.
so, i'll get some proper bullets, Nosler Partitions seems to be a favored selection, and the right powderand work up some loads.
i will definitely see what i can do, and make a good deer rifle out of my .243 before trading off the barrel.
thanks for 'waking me up'
glenn

deltecs · « **Reply #32 on:** January 12, 2008, 01:12:51 PM »

Like most, I've read the posts and began wondering if the .243 Win was sufficient for deer size game. Then my common sense took over and tried to remember anytime I found faults with it before reading these posts. I started to add up all the game I've shot over 40 years with it and found no fault whatsoever. Why, oh why then, did I even ponder its capability. A questioning nature? I don't know. I do know I've never, and I mean never, had game shot with one that got away or traveled far using either Partitions or other bullets for that matter. I almost exclusively use no lighter bullets than 100 gr though. Now I have the same confidence that I had before reading the posts in the capability of the .243 Win. I've considered the idea of re-bore to 260 Remington for one of my .243's, then asked myself what for? Not enough difference to warrant the cost when it already does the job.

Heavy C · « **Reply #33 on:** January 12, 2008, 02:45:53 PM »

Quote from: Scibaer on January 12, 2008, 12:54:56 PM

given the volume of posts saying that the .243 is enough gun for whitetails, i have concluded i'd be a dumbass for not giving it a fair shake.
so, i'll get some proper bullets, Nosler Partitions seems to be a favored selection, and the right powderand work up some loads.
i will definitely see what i can do, and make a good deer rifle out of my .243 before trading off the barrel.
thanks for 'waking me up'
glenn

Good choice. My brother has taken so many deer with his 6mm, both whitetails and some big muleys, and never lost a single one. So far with my Encore in 6mm my daughter and I are 4 for 4 on whitetails with the closest shot being 119 yds and the furthest being 155 yds. My Dad used to load some 110 grainers a long time ago, but cannot find that load. My Dad passed away some time ago so that knowledge went with him. Except for that load we have consistently used 100 grain bullets. My brother uses Core-lokts and I use Sierra. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Once you find a load that shoots in your rifle practice enough so that when it's time to close the deal you are able to do your part. Shot placement is everything.

jhalcott · « **Reply #34 on:** January 12, 2008, 06:36:53 PM »

Your wife will be SOOO happy that you are using her gift,she MIGHT give you a big HUG! Maybe those undies will slip a bit too!

yooper77 · « **Reply #35 on:** February 11, 2008, 09:25:53 AM »

Scibaer,

I have used the 243 Winchester from Fox, Coyote, Antelope, White-tailed and Mule deer, and Black bear. These are animals from 15lbs to over 350lbs. I load the Hornady 75 grain V-Max for varmints and the Nosler 100 grain Partition for big game. All my loads are within maximum charges and I rely on proper bullet placement rather then maximum velocity. I never had to track any of these animals very far and the Black bear fell in its tracks.

243 Winchester, you can’t improve on perfect!

I hunted once with a friend of a friend that attempted to shoot a White-tailed buck less than 200 yards with a 300 Weatherby magnum and he shot it in its hind quarters. We all assisted him on tracking the wounded deer for the next 2 miles; I finally dropped the deer with a neck shot with my 243 Winchester. The guy with the 300 Weatherby magnum was clearly over gunned for his ability and the animal suffered greatly.

Thank you,
Yooper77

Scibaer · « **Reply #36 on:** February 11, 2008, 10:19:41 AM »

thanks Yoop,
i plan on keeping my .243. i have new stocks on it now ( pallet wood, stained a deep red ) a new bushnell banner scope and i plan to handload for it. its been mine since new and has only 25 factory 100gr. winchester super x thru it so far, it wont see factory ammo anylonger though.
im looking at the 100gr. partitions myself. thats where i'll start with deer.
thanks glenn

LHitchcox · « **Reply #37 on:** February 11, 2008, 10:58:18 AM »

I think you have made a good decision. 30 years ago I would have been on the bandwagon saying the .243 was too puny, but I have seen so much improvement in bullets that I believe the .243 is just fine for deer. Love those Partitions.

Leon

hillbill · « **Reply #38 on:** February 11, 2008, 02:45:55 PM »

i dont know what all the fuss is about, ive killed over 25 missouri deer with the rem 100 grns in my model seven, ive never found a rifle that can beat it. in fact when i switched to a 06 out of boredom i wasnt impressed that it did any better.i like the 06 cuz my son uses one with good sucess and we can shoot the same load.

warrior1 · « **Reply #39 on:** February 11, 2008, 02:51:42 PM »

in deer camp many moons ago one of the guys needed a rifle to use opening day.
i offered my remington 243 . well that started a debatye over the whether or not the 243
was a good enough choice for deer. bottom line, he used it opening day,and he came back in that night with an ear to ear grin. he had shot a nice 8 point and he was amazed at how that deer dropeed at the shot.lets just say we made a believer out of him. dan

wareagleguy · « **Reply #40 on:** February 11, 2008, 03:26:47 PM »

I am with the others here that the best way is to get a good bullet. The Nosler Partition is dead medicine on most critters. I would not worry about pushing the limits just find a medium load and a good bullet.

savage308 · « **Reply #41 on:** February 20, 2008, 06:48:37 AM »

My first gun was a 243 revelation and i shot 24 deer from 50 to 150 yds and never lost a single one
this was also the gun that fueled my passin for reloading.i shot that gun out,retired it and moved to a 270
weatherby mag.a year ago i bought my a wallyworld special combo savage 243 came home and junked the simmons scope and installed a s&b 2.5x10 and with my reloads it shoots as good or better on some days than every other gun i have,i load a 100g rem.coreloct behind 43.0g of norma204 and it just works.

john keyes · « **Reply #42 on:** February 20, 2008, 01:30:01 PM »

I've read this thread and the ".338 mag too much for deer?!?!?" threads and some others.
I see no harm.
Personally, I enjoy the heck out of em. Because everybody knows the 30-30 kills deer much quicker than the .35 remington.

High Brass · « **Reply #43 on:** March 07, 2008, 08:37:28 AM »

I've never shot a hog (yet) so I can't comment on that. I do know that I'll likely never use any other bullet for deer other than 100gr Remington PSPCLs. They shoot very well in my 243 and have proven very effective on deer. I've recovered two and the core and jacket held together. The bullet was mushroomed as far as it could go in both cases, nearly pancaking. This is of no concern to me as both cases, the bullet had a good deal of deer to drive through at close range. One was recovered after hitting a large bodied WV buck just in front of the diaphram (thank God) and entering the offfside shoulder, breaking the bone and resting underneath the hide. The other was a head on shot on a buck's chest at about 45 yards. Bullet went 2/3 the way through the deer. The buck fell back on it's butt and then flipped over on it's back like it was hit by a bolt of lightning. There's no magic to it, but putting them in the right place seems to be hazardous to a deer's health. I currently load:

243 Win.
100gr Remington PSPCLs
41gr IMR 4350
R-P cases
WLR primers
MV=2846fps out of a 22" bbl
3/4" average at 100 yards

Just plain works. Ask this guy about taking a Core-Lokt at 25 yards last October

High Brass · « **Reply #44 on:** March 07, 2008, 08:42:28 AM »

For the record, the bullets recovered were shot out of a load that was probably hotter than the one listed. That load used the discontinued Hodgdon 450. I can't see any reason whatsoever to push these 100gr any faster than 2900fps tops out of a 22" bbl. Once I got the repeatable accuracy that I wanted with this powder, I stopped adding it! It ain't flashy, but it just plain works.

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #45 on:** March 07, 2008, 10:03:02 AM »

If you understand, respect and accept the limitations of the 243 it will do the job without problems. If you have questions about it's suitability you probably should not be using it. I have only shot a handfull of deer with the 243 but all went down within 50 feet. The 130 lb doe I shot this year was with a 95 gr partition and was angling away. The bullet nicked the front of the stomach, totally gelled the lungs and clipped the spine, leaving a 50 cent piece size exit hole. Had she not dropped from the spine hit the massive lung damage would have finished her within feet.

AtlLaw · « **Reply #46 on:** March 07, 2008, 01:39:12 PM »

I ain't a big fan of the .243 for deer but I've killed a bunch of 'em with it. My Low Wall has a 26" barrel and a 100 gr. Sierra BTSP clocks 2950 +/- pushed by REL22. So, I agree with HiBr.

MZ5 · « **Reply #47 on:** March 09, 2008, 04:56:41 PM »

FWIW, a little more oomph can be had by neck sizing instead of full-length just because it increases case capacity. I get very good velocity out of my 24" Savage .243 with H1000 and 100 gr. bullets. Couple hundred fps above the Hodgdon 2004 annual manual-listed velocities and zero pressure signs. I don't hunt deer with it, though. It's a heavy rifle, and I just really love my '06 for big game.

FW Conch · « **Reply #48 on:** March 14, 2008, 12:30:55 PM »

Scibaer, I say keep your 243 ! Load for accuracy using the Partitions in what ever bullet weight your barrel likes & don't worry about velocity or "umph". Go for a "top of the heart shot" on deer. This will put a hole through both "air bags",sever the heart plumbing, & the Partition will provide a nice "bleeder" hole on the off side.

Shoot the hogs in the head !

With lighter bullets your 243 is "not" too heavy for "whistle pigs".

And just think how "happy" all this will make your "LADY" !!

Jim

Scibaer · « **Reply #49 on:** March 15, 2008, 03:03:27 AM »

Yep, im going to keep the .243 now that i am reloading for it , there should be no problem making up some loads that will take a whitetail.
i have found some 105 and 107 gr. bullets and with some faster powder i should be good to go.
i guess i just needed some encouragement

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #50 on:** March 15, 2008, 03:27:57 AM »

IMHO, "umph" out of a .243 Win is an oxymoron.

Yes, they can kill deer and are adequate for the smaller varieties. Yes, you can take mulies and even elk given proper placement and bullet selection, but they are the minimum for big game in some states for a reason - lack of "umph".

hillbill · « **Reply #51 on:** May 27, 2008, 04:43:30 PM »

guess i wasnt aware of a 243 lack of ummmmppph, it always seemed to fling deer down with authority.like in jeez throw away that piece of meat, authority.i would never be afraid to shoot anything that was under 400lbs with mine.

zacharoo · « **Reply #52 on:** May 27, 2008, 05:03:56 PM »

We use 100 gr. core locks with 41 grains IMR 4350 here in Louisiana. Knocks them down in a few yards. But our deer are a little over 100 lbs. Can't say the same for hogs though they eat a 243 and ask for more!

kevthebassman · « **Reply #53 on:** May 27, 2008, 06:00:28 PM »

Any cartridge that is capable of putting a properly constructed bullet through the boiler room of a game animal has enough "umph" to get the job done. How fast and how forgiving will vary by cartridge. I have no experience with the .243, but I have a hard time imagining how a Nosler Partition carrying a thousand or better ft/lbs of energy through the lungs could fail to bring that animal's life to a sudden halt.

Does the .243 have what it takes to get the job done? I think that the evidence points to yes. It doesn't have the same margin of error afforded by a larger bullet with more energy and deeper penetration, but to a hunter who is careful about his shots and practiced in his marksmanship, I don't think the .243 is any sort of handicap.

harrys · « **Reply #54 on:** December 21, 2008, 10:25:12 AM »

A 243 is a good deer rifle with 95 gr ballistic tips and imr4064 powder,,, but if u want more umph go with a 2506 have never lost a deer with it with nosler 100 gr b.t. with 50.0 gr imr 4350 my ruger no 1 shoots one hole grps at 100 yds.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #55 on:** December 21, 2008, 10:56:34 AM »

Have it reamed out to 6MM rem AI.