.243 WSSM for deer

[Poper]

Anyone used .243 WSSM on deer?
My beloved gave me a Win. M70 stainless last Christmas in .243 WSSM and wants me to use it in lieu of my long-time favorite Rem. 788 in .308 Win.
The .243 will print 95 gn. Combined Technology bullets 1" groups at 100 yards and less than 2" at 200 yards with IMR 4064.

I love my old .308 and have lots of confidence in that old gun. Not too sure about this youngster....

Any critique or additional load suggestions?

Thanks, all.

 

[Mannlicher]

Poper, give her a kiss, and take your new rifle afield. I know for a fact that a .243 Winchester is a great deer round, and I bet the WSSM version is even better.

 

[mudstud]

If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! Get my drift? Actually, it sounds like a great deer slayer. Even if you don't like it as well as your trusty 308, I'd still use the 243!!

 

[crawfish]

243WSSM

I have a Browning A Bolt in .243WSSM. Granddaughter # 1 used it last year to kill two deer and I used it to kill one. Works like a .243Win does. The Winchester load is a good one and should shoot through and deer at reasonable range and shouldn't blow up at short range.

 

[DWARREN123]

With the correct bullet it should put down a deer just fine. Your BELOVED is one to keep.

 

[vmfrantz]

You ought to be so lucky to have a wife buy that. I have about 300 shirts and I only wear the same 7 every week. I would tell her it was the rifle you were waiting to buy and hope for another next year.

 

[Clipper]

When I told my wife that Winchester was shutting down production of the M-70, she (knowing how I'd always lusted after a M-70 featherweight classic) said "Well, you'd better get off your butt and buy one while you can still get it new". Now I've always been a quarter bore guy, so I got mine in 25WSSM, but your 243 will do a fine job.

 

[Art Eatman]

I figure that if a plain old ordinary .243 will make me use around 20 tags over the years, a WSSM oughta work for a fella.

Art

 

[Poper]

Thanks, All!

I'm convinced.
I'll carry the .243. At least for starters. I'm going to take the .308 in back-up position, though. (I have scars on the .308's scope from dragging it on canyon rocks. An incident that moved the zero enough to cause a clean miss.:banghead: )

I'm starting my vacation Wednesday for two weeks of hunting bliss in the Dakotas and Wyoming. (Deer, pheasants, grouse, partridge and deer again.)

Who knows? Maybe my Honey will talk to Santa about a new Red Label?

I'll let y'all know how the .243 works out.

Poper

 

[22-rimfire]

The concept of the short magnums is a good one. The 243 version should work just fine. Keep your honey happy.

The concept that you can get the same or sometimes improved preformance with a short mag design with less powder is a great idea. I hate the price for the ammo and hence would not buy one unless the manufactures just stopped making guns for the older cartridge or providing ammunition for them.

 

[Art Eatman]

22-rimfire, that's why God invented reloading.

Art

 

[22-rimfire]

Art, I agree. I am just about to take the reloading plunge. Have been procrastinating for years. Too many years actually. I've already started buying some of the equipment.

 

[Poper]

WSSM ammo cost & concept

Art and 22 Rimfire,
I do reload and have for years. If I didn't, I sure would now with the price of factory WSSM ammo. (I have a .300WSM I load for, too.)
You may not save much dough, but you will shoot more!

I have found the .243 WSSM to like several powder/bullet combos including W748/Sierra 100gn, IMR 4064 Combined Technologies 95 gn, and RL15/Sierra 100 gn.


Poper

 

[crawfish]

When I got my .243WSSM I also got 500 rounds of new brass and I recently got some Barnes 85g TSX bullets. Figured I'll always be able to get .243 bullets and with 500 rounds of brass I'll shot for the rest of my life. BTY I ran into a killer deal one very early morning in my local Wal-Mart. Manger's special on .243WSSM Winchester ammo at $3.87 a box. Reason for the special was to make room for current year stock. I've got 11 boxes out in my shop.

 

[frank c]

Poper,maybe your honey could order you a nice browning medillion 22 hornet instead of the ruger red label.Remember you should always ask permission first.

 

[Hightower94]

.243 on Deer

Last Saturday on opening day rifle in Virginia, I shot a 156 lb whitetail as he was mounted up on top of a doe at 60 yards. The 100 grain Federal .243 WSSM bullet went through both shoulders, a complete pass through, and the bruiser dropped like a sack of rocks. I prefer my .243 WSSM over my 7 MM Rem Mag or my 30-06 for whitetail.

 

[Hightower94]

.243 for Whitetail

I have retired my 300 Ultra Mag and my 7MM Rem Mag for a Browning A-Bolt Medallion .243 WSSM. This gun is extremely acccurate (1" MOA) and can be used for everthing from fox and bobcat up to large whitetail deer or black bear. A 95 to 100 grain bullet traveling at 3,000+ feet per second will take down any size whitetail deer. As everybody knows, bullet placement is more important than bullet size.

 

[Poper]

Hunting Update

All:
Well, I took the .243 WSSM with the .308 as back-up. Of the 4 tags, 2 were filled. Both the antlerless. One with the .243 WSSM and one with the .308 Win.

A large Wyoming whitetail doe was taken with the .308 as I had lent the .243 to a cousin who was travelling by air and did not bring a rifle because of the airline hassles. Strange thing, the doe was shot at approx. 70 yds. The bullet broke two ribs entering and exploded in her lungs. No exit wound. Substantial damage to tissue surrounding the lungs, but no sizeable bullet fragments were recovered. Bullet was 150 gn. spitzer (Remington bulk) loaded over 41.5 gn IMR 4064 which chronographed out of this rifle at 2,624 f.p.s. Doe expired after running approx. 120 yds. A one shot kill is nothing to complain about, but the terminal performance was not as expected.

A South Dakota westriver yearling mule deer "button buck" fell to the .243 WSSM at a range of approx. 60 yds. The bullet broke two ribs entering, passed through the heart, exited the offside breaking the front leg just below the shoulder leaving a 1-1/2" exit wound. He travelled about 20 yds. before piling up. Load was 95 gn Combined Tecnologies Ballistic Silver Tip over 46 gn IMR 4064, Win. case, WLR primer. This load chronographed out of the M70, 24 " barrel at 2,929 f.p.s. Bullet performance was very satifactory.

Limited bird hunting was done. 2 Ring Neck Pheasants, 3 Ruffed Grouse and one Hungarian Partidge made it into the game bag.

Lessons learned:
1) .243 WSSM is very adequate for deer sized game with a good bullet.
2) the .308 is better served with a premium bullet such as Partition or Grand Slam as I have used in the past. Leave the bulk bullets for practice and load development only.
3) 2 weeks is insufficient to hunt deer in two states and birds, too.

To all the folks who provided words of wisdom and insight: Thank you!

Hightower: Absolutely! .243 WSSM performance on deer sized game is hard to beat. The lack of recoil with plenty of power in a lightweight package (7lbs., 2 oz. with scope & sling) is superb!

DWarren123: You were right on the money!

Art: Excellent observations and advice. Thank you.

FrankC: Why ask my beloved for her permission for her to give me a gift?

Crawfish: You are some kind of SUPERSHOPPER!

22 rimfire: My Honey is happy and likes venison as much as I do!

mudstud, vmfrantz, Mannlicher, clipper: Great advice and I heeded it well! She's definitely a keeper. Thank you!

Thanks again, all!

Poper