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deer rifle?

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bigpapa4045 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bigpapa4045 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: deer rifle?
    Posted: March/09/2009 at 21:53
im looking to buy a new deer rifle this year and iv heard great things about the .243
 
im looking for something real like recoil and fun to shoot!
 
im deff goin rem or savage!
 
if i go rem. it will be a sps 700 or the new xhr
 
whats everyone think?
 
im open to anything!  just want to a lighter recoiling rifle!
 
hope to hear back soon!
-Shaine-
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swtucker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 21:58
I'm a 7mm-08 fan, you should check those out too...it has low recoil and ample power for deer.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote medic52 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 22:01
Good Gun will serve you well.......
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 22:29

   Lots of choices in a Remington or Savage! .243 Win, .257 Roberts, .25-06 Rem, .260 Rem, .270 Win, 7mm-08.  Nothing at all wrong with the .243 Win though.  I've got a .243 Ruger Ultralight Compact using 100gr Win Super-X ammo I lend out to people who want hunt but but don't get to shoot alot. They kill deer.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Big Squeeze Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 22:33
Originally posted by bigpapa4045 bigpapa4045 wrote:

im looking to buy a new deer rifle this year and iv heard great things about the .243
 
im looking for something real like recoil and fun to shoot!
 
im deff goin rem or savage!
 
if i go rem. it will be a sps 700 or the new xhr
 
whats everyone think?
 
im open to anything!  just want to a lighter recoiling rifle!
 
hope to hear back soon!
.......You are definetely going Savage or Remy, but you`re open to anything??
 
Ok then!.....I like the 243 as a deer round, but like the 260 and the 7mm/08 better. If you want a good handler and easy carrying rifle, the more compact Remy M7 is a good choice. An even better handler, carrying and quicker rifle (from personal experience), are the M77 Ruger Hawkeye compacts, which is also available in the 243. Nothing quite like the little Rugers in the field.
 
If ya want some real shootin and stimulatin fun, the 300 RCM (a little pussycat) can be had in the Ruger compact.......Big GrinBig GrinBig GrinBig GrinBig GrinBig Grin 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tip69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 23:20
I'm not a .243 fan, but I know a lot of folks love them.  I prefer something that can shoot at least 120 grain bullet.  Got my 12 yr old a 700 CDL in .270 last year and it's nice to shoot.  That recoil pad is quite good.  I just bought a .260 and hope to make that my main deer rifle.  I have not shot the .270 & .260 side-by-side yet, but I'm thinking there won't be much if any difference in recoil.  The .260 does NOT have the R3 recoil pad (darn it) plus it's a little lighter gun.
 
If you want light recoil in a deer gun, there isn't much that can compete with a Browning BAR.  I have a 30-06 & .243 and the .243 kicks about like a .204 or maybe less.  The -06 is really nice as well - a pleasure to sight in.  I bet a 25-06 or 7mm-08 would be a dream as well!
take em!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bricat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 00:14
.243 = good,  .260 =better,  7mm-08 =ideal (for your deer hunting)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trigger29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 00:23
My 11 year old daughter hit a deer in the boiler room last year with a .243, and she went down shortly thereafter. She shot a 100 gr. Winchester softpoint. I was kind of troubled however that the bullet didn't exit on a 70 yd. shot. I think before doing it again I would experiment with a better bullet. It obviously did it's job, and the deer went down, but I'd like a little more margin, just for comfort.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Relentless Pursuit Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 03:40
A chambering can be no better than the bullet it is fed.
 
The 243Win with the 85X is a literal Giant Killer and I've zero qualm with it up to and including Moose................
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote martin3175 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 07:51
Originally posted by bricat bricat wrote:

.243 = good,  .260 =better,  7mm-08 =ideal (for your deer hunting)
 
+1
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BillyWayne Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 08:08
I know people that swear by the 243 for deer.  I also know people that think a 300 mag is minimum for deer.  My current deer rifle is a Tikka T3 stainless in 6.5x55.  It is light, super accurate, and chambered for my favorite cartridge.  It was the only stainless 6.5x55 I could find.  I also considered a 7mm-08.  It is also a great cartridge especially for youth or recoil sensitive.  I prefer Remingtons because I like to play and change parts to try and squeeze every last bit of accuracy out of them.  Remington aftermarket parts are easy to come by.  But, I have seen Savages out of the box shoot quarter to dime sized groups. 
Have fun in your search.  I always enjoy the hunt for a new rifle.  And get what YOU want not what somebody else tells you to get.  I get into playful conversations with my uncle about guns and optics because what he thinks is the way to go is not what I think.
BTW I know someone who shot a deer at 325 yards with a 243 with 100 grain Winchester factory ammo.  The deer ran about 25 yards and dropped.  He is forever sold on the 243.
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SamC View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SamC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 09:31
Originally posted by trigger29 trigger29 wrote:

My 11 year old daughter hit a deer in the boiler room last year with a .243, and she went down shortly thereafter. She shot a 100 gr. Winchester softpoint. I was kind of troubled however that the bullet didn't exit on a 70 yd. shot. I think before doing it again I would experiment with a better bullet. It obviously did it's job, and the deer went down, but I'd like a little more margin, just for comfort.
 
trigger,
Federal carries a 243 load with an 85 gr Barnes TSX bullet, maybe that would help.
Sam

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BayouBuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 10:17
       I too have had mixed feelings with a .243. I like to shoot the winchester 95gr silver-tips, on paper I can get a nice ragged hole but on deer they seem to run 20 or 30 yards before they pile-up. So I started waiting on good neck shots or on hogs I like the behind the ear shot. This has cost me a few bucks because I did not feel confident that at 150+yards  I could make a clean kill, and yes I know it can be done. I have now started hunting with a 308 and feel the gun will put down anything I do my part on and the 243 has become a varmint gun.
           As far a make my 243 is a rem 700 and the guys here helped me pick out a 7mm-08 Savage 16 for my dad at Christmas. Both are very accurate but I really like the accu-trigger and with a scope the Savage weight is just over 7 lbs. Recoil was the biggest factor when buying this gun for my dad, he had a pacemaker put in a few years ago. He said their is a little more recoil with the 7-08 but after putting a Sims pad on, its not a concern. Hope this helps. 
 
You may want to look at the Savage 16 Accu-Stock models coming out soon it look interesting.   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trigger29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 10:30
Originally posted by SamC SamC wrote:

Originally posted by trigger29 trigger29 wrote:

My 11 year old daughter hit a deer in the boiler room last year with a .243, and she went down shortly thereafter. She shot a 100 gr. Winchester softpoint. I was kind of troubled however that the bullet didn't exit on a 70 yd. shot. I think before doing it again I would experiment with a better bullet. It obviously did it's job, and the deer went down, but I'd like a little more margin, just for comfort.
 
trigger,
Federal carries a 243 load with an 85 gr Barnes TSX bullet, maybe that would help.
Sam
 
I'll be loading her some 100 gr. partitions this year. I've dropped deer with it past 300 yds, so I'm not too concerned about the caliber, I think the softpoint just came apart at that close range. I really shouldn't complain, as the deer still went down, but I'd just feel better it the bullet would have pushed through.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2009 at 17:10
I also like the .260/7mm-08 better than the .243, just seems more practicle to me.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Relentless Pursuit Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/11/2009 at 04:02
There's nothing I'd point a 7-08 at,that I'd not with a 260 or a 243..............
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farscott Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/13/2009 at 07:49
My deer rifle is an 1885 Low Wall in .243 Win.  For the small deer we have, it works just fine.  The short and light rifle is easy to carry, even for my daughter.  The exposed hammer is nice when dealing with a young hunter.  I would let her have this rifle and use the Ruger Frontier in .308 I bought for her, but the 1885 was a Christmas gift from my wife.  So I use and enjoy it.  
Scott
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Heavishot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/14/2009 at 15:59
I consider .243  the minimum for whitetail.  There's less margin of error.  I took a kid hunting this year and he knocked a small doe flat with a .243 but it got back up.  We trailed it for several hundred yards without ever finding it.  I think a bigger or better bullet would have helped.

I agree with the other guys. 7-08 or .260 are much better choices if recoil is a concern.  My personal favorite is .270.  It's a great combination of flat shooting, hard hitting, and moderate recoil plus you can buy ammo ANYWHERE.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/14/2009 at 17:25

First I'd like to comment on the comment by BayouBuck that when he shot lung-deer with the .243 they went 20-30 yards before going down. This is normal for any caliber, and it occurs beccause it takes at least 10 seconds for blood pressure to drop after a lung shot. I have killed deer in about 30 states and provinces, both whitetails and mule deer of all sizes, all over North America, with rifles chambered for cartridges from the .223 to the .338 Winchester Magnum, and believe me, they will go 20-30 yards when lung-shot with the magnums.

Among the deer I've have been a couple dozen taken with the .243. I've also seen a vew other animals taken with it, and not just deer but pronghorns, caribou, black bear and meat elk. In general the only people who have trouble killing big game with the .243 are gun writers. Or at least some gun writers are among it's most vocal detractors.

Some people remark that "the .243 will work on deer, but only with well-placed shots." Well, gee, but neither will anything else. I have seen a few shots misplaced on deer, too, with lots of calibers.

Premium bullets are a good idea in the .243 when hunting larger deer. Personally I have found the Nosler Partition (whether 85, 95 or 100-grain) to kill somewhat quicker than the Barnes TSX, but either will work.

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/14/2009 at 18:27
I've taken 3 daughters through beginning hunting with a .243 BAR.  We've taken quite a few deer with that rifle, I hunted exclusively with it for two years, and never had one travel more than about 20 yards.  Most dropped or fell within a few steps.  I've mostly used 85 and 95 grain NBT's and 95gr Winchester Ballistic Silvertips.  I've used it on crows, raccoons, and coyotes, as well.  .243 is a great caliber in my book.
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