Longpath: I agree that the .243 will work. My objection to it has to do with what happens with a bad hit. As I said, there is a lot of difference between sitting in a blind, and walking-up a deer out in the wide open.
Most of my hunting is chousing a deer out of bed, and then dealing with all that bouncing at 100-200 yards from offhand. I guess I've been lucky at neck and frontal-chest hits.
I just really hate trailing a deer, particularly after I've already walked five miles or more...Damned ol' deer climb mountains better than I do...
In comparing mulies and whitetails of roughly equal weight, it seems that the mulies are tougher, somehow. They seem less affected by a body-hit than a whitetail. Damfino. So, I tote that dang heavy thing with me, instead of my featherweight little .243...
Now, if all I had was a .243, I wouldn't run out and buy a 7Mag or .338 or even an '06. Well, not unless I just needed an excuse to keep the Bosslady off my back...
Whee!
, Art
[This message has been edited by Art Eatman (edited September 04, 1999).]