.243 for. 44 mag?

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seems you are getting many answers that want you to diversify your gun collection. The 243 is much more versatile that the 44 pistol cartridge and I reckon much more accurate. Put that Mohawk away and you will get a pretty penny for it in the future.
 
The 243 is much more versatile that the 44 pistol cartridge...
Really? You can hunt elk, moose and bears with the .243??? You can take quartering shots on elk and have them fully penetrate???
 
I'd guess the 243, with quality bullets, would be just as effective hunting elk, moose and bears as the 44 Mag at comparable distances.

That said, neither cartridge strikes me as suited for those three animals, especially the last one.
 
Based on what, energy? I'll take the .44 every day of the week and twice on Sunday. All it lacks is range but that's what stalking is for.
 
for the specified range the 44 would be more than adequate for any deer in the US. at range the 243 beats the 44 like a drum but if you are patient enough to pass up anything over 100 yards you'll be golden with the 44
 
For under 100yd I would perfer the 44 mag. Kills them just as dead with less jello meat. While I would not recomend them for ANY North American game they have killed everything that runs wild here. Chuck Hawks Lethality Index rates the 240gr 44 mag as more effective then the 100gr 243 due to it's vastly superior mass and larger cross section. For 150-300 yards I would use the 243 due to it's superior BC and trajectory.
 
Two of the greatest creations ever. The Mo-Hawk 600 & the breast augmentation.
 
Thanks for the replies folks, but I had the .44 sold from under my hand. I couldn't get back to the lgs till lunch today, and they said it left with someone else 45 min before I got there. And so the search continues.......
 
If you want a lever gun and cannot find another 44 the old 30-30 is still tough to beat. Now if you want the all around perfect deer rifle the 7mm-08 guys and 6.5mm crowd really make good points. I used to hunt with 243 (along with a slew of magnums) but conveted to the 6.5 cult and never looked back :) Better efficiency, deeper penatration, less gunshot meat, and less muzzle report.
 
Kachok, I actualy have a Marlin 336 circa 1969, that has less than 100 rounds down the pipe (also from my grandfather). I was not impressed with the job it did on the last deer I shot with it. It was a good shot, both lungs and through the lower heart area. The bullet did not exit, as a result I almost lost him (I'm not the best tracker). He traveled 225 before expiring. I would like something with a larger wound channel without the blood shot meat. For now I will just head shot them with the .243 I guess.
 
I like exit woulds too. I have always used high SD bullets that have a good rep for staying together. My 270WSM loves 140gr Accubonds and my 6.5x55 loves 140gr interlocks, I have never had a bullet fail to exit, never needed the blood trail though, while not all have dropped where they stood, I have yet to have one make it out of sight. I don't do headshots, while I am a good shot $#(^ happens in the feild, and I like the larger margin of error putting a bullet through their boiler room.
 
I shot at a running buck in alders with my 12 gauge/slugs and saw well-placed shots deflected off multiple branches/trunks. Had one deer standing under a 6" hemlock that caught my slug and wouldn't let go.

Once, took my 12 gauge semi-auto deer hunting in a very tight area and didn't see any deer until coming out on a woods road, then a deer crossed the road at about 180 yards. I didn't shoot, but never again left the scoped rifle home!!!

The .44 mag has not impressed me out of a handgun, but a friend had one and killed a couple of deer with it. He now uses a .270 Win, like me.

I also have a couple of .243 Win rifles, mostly for eastern coyotes and youth deer rifles. I'm very impressed with that cartridge, using Barnes bullets. My grandson shot a 140 lb doe through the heart/lung area at 100+ yards last year and it was dead when it hit the ground.
 
The .444 is basically a lengthened .44 Magnum and provides a significant increase in velocity.
 
I have always wondered about the claim of meat damage in a dead animal. In my experience if shot in the vitals there is virtually no meat to ruin. Little to no meat in the ribs. If you get too far foreward you could damage front shoulder badly but that could happen with any round and is more a result of poor bullet placement. I wouldn't have any pistol cartridge for hunting medium sized game. Keep the 243 and enjoy it. Frank
 
The reason I ask is I have a 700 adl in. 243

My favorite bolt-action of all time a Remington 700 ADL in .243, manufactured in the early 1990s. The absolute smoothest, sweet-shooting boltgun I've ever handled. Remington doesn't make them that good anymore.

I wouldn't let it go if I was you.
 
When it comes to shooting through brush carry the .44 then you will pine for the .243, if you carry the .243 first you will pine for the .44 so the best thing to do is hunt where you can see them, don't think for one moment that there is a round that will go through brush and kill reliably. Choice of bullets and velocity have a lot to do with how you hunt but the .243 will always give you the killing shot at distance that the .44 will probably maim due to extreme bullet drop. If you limit yourself to one rifle let it be the .243 or be willing to limit yourself to short distances with the .44.
 
Do you hunt with grandad's 6mm? If so, then the current-production .243 is a little redundant, since they are really ballistic twins. If you don't actually hunt with it, then keeping the .243 makes sense, because you'll have one to use, that has more common ammo, and you'll have grandad's rifle in the safe, not getting worn in the field.

I had the choice this summer of getting a really nice, slightly used Winchester in 6mm or a brand new Savage in .243 for about the same money. I got a .243 because of the commonly available brass and commercial ammo. Just seemed to me to make more sense - I can get ammo for it anywhere, and when I do buy commercial ammo for it, it costs a lot less than 6mm.

I almost bought the 6mm, though, because the truth is I was intending to mostly reload for my rifle no matter which caliber I bought, and the 6mm cases seem to be just a little bit better design for that. But I have found, so far, that the .243 is very easy to load for. We'll have to see how long the brass lasts. I think I made the better choice here, because of the cost savings on virgin brass, once fired brass, and commercial ammo are all huge.
 
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Grandpa's 6mm is pretty much a range queen now. When I do take it hunting it is only out of the case once I'm in the blind, same with his 30-30. I know I'll prolly get flamed for that, but I want to keep them looking just like they did when he used them all those years ago.
 
Nothing wrong with that. Does make keeping that Remington a bit more logical, like I said. No laws about having more! (At least, not yet...)
 
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