Is .243 enough for mule deer???

[Husker_Fan]

I've spent the better part of an afternoon trying to help a friend find a deer he shot. We never found it. That wasn't because of his cartridge. He gut shot the whitetail with a .300 Win Mag. Poor shot placement isn't always overcome by using a big bad gun.

I've taken a few deer with my .243. It's a 60's vintage Winchester model 670 and I use it when if I have to loan out my 7mm. .243 is one of the best cartridges to have if you want to hunt anything from prairie dogs to mulies.

 

[DM~]

Yes "IF" you pick your shots AND use decent bullets in it.

DM

 

[Ankeny]

Apparantly the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission feels a .222 Rem. is entirely adequate for mule deer. Anyhow, that's the unofficial word at a recent public meeting. By those standards, the .243 Win is the Hammer of Thor.

 

[hq]

I checked both boxes and clicked vote (was choosing check boxes instead of radio buttons intentional?), to illustrate the point that adequacy of a caliber depends on far more factors and it definitely isn't a matter of vote.

In most situations it "Clearly" is, in some it's "Not even close".

 

[Kachok]

As with all small calibers being enough gun depends completly on what bullet you use, would not want a 70gr anything on a thick boddied deer, but a heavy Partition is a totaly differnt animal.

 

[ssyoumans]

I shot a GA Whitetail buck this year using a Marlin 243 with a 95gr SST. As others mentioned, no exit, it was a near head on shot with just a slight turn. Shot took out part of the heart, it stumbled about 20 yards before expiring. Didn't find but tiny pieces of the bullet, it blew apart but did its job. I think next time I will try a Hdy 100gr SP or Barnes 85gr TSX.
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=174270&d=1352133923

 

[Kachok]

^ Nosler Acubond/Partition are good choices for small calibers as well. TSX and TTSX are supposed to be good but I have never used one yet. I REALLY want to try some of those new Speer Deep Curl bullets but dang near everybody is sold out, they have some crazy expansion and weight retention, never seen a .30 cal expand to over in inch before!

 

[pbrktrt]

It appears to have worked just fine. But he does look pissed off at you for using it. Nice buck.