.243 damage to fox??

VirginiaCoyote

VirginiaCoyote

New member
I've been seriously considering a .243 to hunt deer and predators with. Because in my neck of the woods a .243 is the smallest thing we can deer hunt with. Seriously what kind of pelt damage am I looking at? We mostly call up foxes and coyotes? I really want to know what it's realistically (sp) going to do on a fox or bobcat?

Thanks,

Aaron
 
I've been using a .243 for coyote hunting. At first I was using winchester 55 gr silvertips (don't use them!) and I had some major damage with my hits. I switched to the hornady 58 gr v max's and had great success. Only a couple of hits did major damage and on many you couldn't even find the exit wound at all. Other hunters use larger bullets with great success and minimal damage. Personally, a .243 is too much gun for a bobcat or fox but if you are looking for a good all around gun to hunt deer/predators/hogs with its a perfect choice!
 
It won't be pretty. If a guy justs want to kill coyotes,fox and cat, I suppose the .243 is as good as any? If saving hides is what you want, stay away from it, just to big,and unpredictable. Move down to the .22 centerfires and you'll be much happier,and they will kill any predator you want just as dead as the .243 will.
 
.243 Is a bit big but go with those Hornady 58gr vmax. It'll make a very good all rounder. Using those bullets it has a much flatter trajectory than say a .223 or .222. If you set it up for 150 yrds for example it will move less than an inch any where from 0 - 200 yds. Good for long distance shooting. It really holds up compared to a .223 200 yrds to 300 yrds. Ive got one and im happy wiv it except never use 80grns on fox unless u like magic and making foxes dissapear, he he not quite bloody messy but. Ciao
 
If you use a heavier bullet that is a stronger constructed bullet it should just pass right through. Of course the ballistic tip, lighter bullets are going to make a mess. But it you do choose to use the lighter ballistic tips just take head shots. It will help to improve your shooting and it'll be instant death with no damage to the fur.
 
I could not agree more with cjg_beef. If I want to save hides on coyotes go with 100gr deer bullets. Sure they are guarenteed to exit, but you consistently get a little hole in and a slightly larger hole going out. Easy to fix. I can't guarentee what you will get on a fox, you could get a big big mess, but you are much more likely to get an in/out manageable hole witht the bigger deer bullets than you will with the lightly constructed bullets.
 
I agree that a 100 grain soft point is your bullet of choice. If you can punch them in the ribs, the bullet will pass through without making a mess. If you take a shoulder or hip or fringe the critter, there won't be much left.
 
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