Wa_Coyote_Hunter
New member
What is the kill power on deer? Do you get alot of runners? I wanted a lighter gun for deer then my 30-06 which almost always puts them down on the spot.
kill power of a 243?
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Wa_Coyote_Hunter
New member
Originally Posted By: youngdonI'll bet the deer don't either. Wa Coyote Hunter, did you mean lighter in bullet weight or the weight of the rifle itself? I believe that speer makes a 110gr. spire point or used to.
I was just thinking a smaller caliber. I did buy my wife a .243 in the remington model seven youth and it is a tack driver at 200 yards. But have not killed anything with it yet and I was just wondering about its kill power. Thanks Dave
I was just thinking a smaller caliber. I did buy my wife a .243 in the remington model seven youth and it is a tack driver at 200 yards. But have not killed anything with it yet and I was just wondering about its kill power. Thanks Dave
2Flhdn
New member
243 is a great rifle for deer. I know several people that use them for deer. At 200 yrds with a 100 grain bullet you can get upwards of 1832 ft-lbs of energy depending on the amount and type of powder you use. Even at 300 yrds you can still get up to 1538 ft-lbs of energy. This is more than enough to drop a deer my friend. The WSSM gets I think about 100 ft-lbs and 100 ft per sec more across the board.
With the WSSM I have a winchester early model stealth and it doesn't feed well if you go to fast, and I dont know if this issue has been worked out.
Another option if you are looking for light with amazing ballistics is the 260 Rem.
good luck and please let us know what you decide.
With the WSSM I have a winchester early model stealth and it doesn't feed well if you go to fast, and I dont know if this issue has been worked out.
Another option if you are looking for light with amazing ballistics is the 260 Rem.
good luck and please let us know what you decide.
Once again, energy doesn't kill animals.
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
And with that said, the .243 Win is more than able to do it's part of killing a deer. Your part is hitting the deer in the right place.
My first centerfire rifle was a .243, and after I shot out the barrel on that one (that rifle killed a LOT of coyotes), I inherited another from my grandfather. I've never been without a .243 in my collection from the time I started hunting big game as a kid. It's a nice little cartridge for shooting deer; low recoil, good accuracy from most rifles, and it's performance on deer is good.
Most deer I've shot with the .243 dropped in their tracks, including the biggest mule deer buck I've taken so far.
Daryl
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
And with that said, the .243 Win is more than able to do it's part of killing a deer. Your part is hitting the deer in the right place.
My first centerfire rifle was a .243, and after I shot out the barrel on that one (that rifle killed a LOT of coyotes), I inherited another from my grandfather. I've never been without a .243 in my collection from the time I started hunting big game as a kid. It's a nice little cartridge for shooting deer; low recoil, good accuracy from most rifles, and it's performance on deer is good.
Most deer I've shot with the .243 dropped in their tracks, including the biggest mule deer buck I've taken so far.
Daryl
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TripleDeuce660
Active member
Most people say when the bullet hits a deer it needs min 750 ft lbs and of course the right bullet design to penetrate and something heavy like 100 grains. Do the math, as long as your shot placement is good it can take a deer farther then most of us can shoot accurately under field conditions.
300 yards is pretty dang far!
300 yards is pretty dang far!
Brendan43
New member
That's all I use for deer (my .30-06 might come along this year though since I just got it). 95gr Fusions and I've never had one run more than 50 yards. One of my deer hunting partners from Parma nailed a nice bull elk with his .243 three years ago. It ran for heavy cover and dropped at 20 yards.
CalCoyote
Member
Originally Posted By: DarylOnce again, energy doesn't kill animals.
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
Daryl
Amen and again amen. Muzzle energy is mathematic calculation and nothing more. It can not be measured with a chrono or any other device. It exists on paper and nothing else.
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
Daryl
Amen and again amen. Muzzle energy is mathematic calculation and nothing more. It can not be measured with a chrono or any other device. It exists on paper and nothing else.
I have killed several deer with my .243. My biggest deer that still hangs on my wall, was taken with a 80 grain varmit bullet at about 400 yds. It was an accident as I was shooting at dogs in my sheep the week before, and that opening day I just never thought to change bullets. I got off my horse and rested on a big piece of cabled oak brush. The hit was a perfect shot, and the deer only went about 20yds. So can it take big deer?? Most definately.
My luck with those shots ran out a few times though. Some days I shot deer that I didn't get. I really think that if I had a bigger bullet I may well have gotten several that ran off and I couldn't find. Sometimes due to hurry, out of breath, distance, we just don't have a good opportunity to have a good, rested shot. If a shot doesen't hit a good spot, the lighter calibers just may not do the job. I quit hunting deer with that rifle and only used 30/06 from then on. I never lost a deer with that rifle.
My luck with those shots ran out a few times though. Some days I shot deer that I didn't get. I really think that if I had a bigger bullet I may well have gotten several that ran off and I couldn't find. Sometimes due to hurry, out of breath, distance, we just don't have a good opportunity to have a good, rested shot. If a shot doesen't hit a good spot, the lighter calibers just may not do the job. I quit hunting deer with that rifle and only used 30/06 from then on. I never lost a deer with that rifle.
Utahdogger
New member
I have watched my nephew kill several cow buffalo with headshots from his dads .243, I don't bad mouth it at all!
Chupathingy
New member
Originally Posted By: CalCoyoteOriginally Posted By: DarylOnce again, energy doesn't kill animals.
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
Daryl
Amen and again amen. Muzzle energy is mathematic calculation and nothing more. It can not be measured with a chrono or any other device. It exists on paper and nothing else.
Energy is a direct correlation to Hydrostatic shock, if the projectile performs as it should ofcourse. The tip of the projectile must begin to expand in diameter in order to maximize the effects of Hydrostatic shock. If you want to kill things fast...maximize the Hydrostatic shock, thats how you kill things "Fast".
Chupa
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
Daryl
Amen and again amen. Muzzle energy is mathematic calculation and nothing more. It can not be measured with a chrono or any other device. It exists on paper and nothing else.
Energy is a direct correlation to Hydrostatic shock, if the projectile performs as it should ofcourse. The tip of the projectile must begin to expand in diameter in order to maximize the effects of Hydrostatic shock. If you want to kill things fast...maximize the Hydrostatic shock, thats how you kill things "Fast".
Chupa
I have killed deer with many calibers and witnessed many other deer being shot by many calibers and the most brutal bang flop that I have ever seen was a 243 shooting 95 grain combined technology ballistic silvertips. I didn't shoot the deer but I watched my friend shoot it and it looked like the deer was hit by a truck in mid air.
Originally Posted By: ChupathingyOriginally Posted By: CalCoyoteOriginally Posted By: DarylOnce again, energy doesn't kill animals.
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
Daryl
Amen and again amen. Muzzle energy is mathematic calculation and nothing more. It can not be measured with a chrono or any other device. It exists on paper and nothing else.
Energy is a direct correlation to Hydrostatic shock, if the projectile performs as it should ofcourse. The tip of the projectile must begin to expand in diameter in order to maximize the effects of Hydrostatic shock. If you want to kill things fast...maximize the Hydrostatic shock, thats how you kill things "Fast".
Chupa
Nonsense.
"Hydrostatic shock", if you will, is dependent on velocity, bullet mass, and how fast a bullet expands or comes apart. It is not dependent on the bullet's energy.
A large, heavy, but slow bullet can have the same "energy" as a lighter, faster bullet, and won't have the dramatic affect seen from so called "hydrostatic shock"...even if it expands a bit. A 25 grain .17 caliber hollow point bullet at 3800 fps will have some "hydrostatic shock", while a heavier slug from a .45/70 likely won't have as much, yet the bigger bullet will have more energy.
Energy is simply a by-product of a bullet's velocity and weight. It doesn't kill an animal.
Daryl
Damage to the animal's circulatory system, nervous system, and vital organs is what kills deer fast.
Daryl
Amen and again amen. Muzzle energy is mathematic calculation and nothing more. It can not be measured with a chrono or any other device. It exists on paper and nothing else.
Energy is a direct correlation to Hydrostatic shock, if the projectile performs as it should ofcourse. The tip of the projectile must begin to expand in diameter in order to maximize the effects of Hydrostatic shock. If you want to kill things fast...maximize the Hydrostatic shock, thats how you kill things "Fast".
Chupa
Nonsense.
"Hydrostatic shock", if you will, is dependent on velocity, bullet mass, and how fast a bullet expands or comes apart. It is not dependent on the bullet's energy.
A large, heavy, but slow bullet can have the same "energy" as a lighter, faster bullet, and won't have the dramatic affect seen from so called "hydrostatic shock"...even if it expands a bit. A 25 grain .17 caliber hollow point bullet at 3800 fps will have some "hydrostatic shock", while a heavier slug from a .45/70 likely won't have as much, yet the bigger bullet will have more energy.
Energy is simply a by-product of a bullet's velocity and weight. It doesn't kill an animal.
Daryl
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Amen and again amen. Muzzle energy is mathematic calculation and nothing more. It can not be measured with a chrono or any other device. It exists on paper and nothing else. [/quote]
I am not writing this to cause trouble, just to inform the uninformed.
There is a way to measure a bullets energy.
I can not tell you what it is called cause I can not remember the name of it.
It is a thing they shoot into that weighs a set amount hung like a pendulum at a specified distance from muzzle it has a way of measuring how far it swings when hit by a bullet then with the math and all they can calculate bullet energy.
I seen this Many a year ago in a shooting publication.
The thing is I believe is that once they have known factors for several bullet weights they can calculate any bullet weights energy.
This is the best explanation I have cause I do not have the article that was published in my hot little hands.
DAB