.243 for mule deer?????

[phelpsj]

I am new to huntting big game and I have a s&w model 1500 in .243. Is this to small for huntting mule deer? All I have used it for is yotes. I have talked to some pepole and they told me it would be fine with a properly placed shot. Thanks for your help.

[psycho nut]

Sure, it would be fine. Like you said it's all about shot placement.

[krs]

You might want to chose a heavy bullet load, but it's a popular caliber for any deer. There's plenty of loads - it's a 6mm bullet. So use one of the heavier bullet loadings in factory ammo or load it up with any 6mm bullet you can find that's heavier than a factory used.

[ClarkEMyers]

It's on the small and weak side. Use it anyway and get out there.

Mostly it will do the job just fine. If you use it long enough it will let you down someday. You may find yourself walking up on a wounded deer with a why me look in its eyes that you would have avoided with a slightly more effective cartridge or losing a wounded deer to coyotes or somebody else's tag.

But with the best bullets, Nosler partition or one of the newer super premium bullets and a cool head I'd suggest using a rifle you know rather than starting over. Pay close attention to anatomy and know what part of the animal you intend the bullet to hit and put a good bullet there - which may mean picking your shots and passing up some angles that would be a good shot with a more powerful cartridge. Slipping a bullet through a hole in the brush and guessing whether the animal is looking back over its shoulder or over its rump doesn't work with a .243 the way it will with even a .25, or better yet a .270. Just the same the .243 will put a bullet of good construction where it's pointed to good effect.

[Smokey Joe]

Phelpsj--Clark E. Meyers has it right! You need the advantage of an XLNT bullet. My #1 son was slight and recoil-shy when he began deer hunting, so we decided that a .243 would be good. Got him a Win Ranger Youth Model, which is a Model 70 with a shortened stock and bbl. We studied deer anatomy together. We took it to the range and practiced. Then we took it hunting.

We loaded 100 grain Nosler Partitions for it--A little spendy, but every deer he shot it at went down like a poleaxed steer.

If I had it to do over, I might try the Nosler Accubond rather than the Partition, or maybe the Barnes TSX bullet. But I'd stay heavy-for-caliber, and with a premium bullet.

You do need the discipline not to take "iffy" shots, but, that said, the little .243 will do the job if you do yours.

[Paul B.]

I know a fellow who swears by the .243 Win. for deer. He always let us know that in 31 years of hunting deer with it, he neverhad to shoot more than once and never lost a deer. Last year, he shot a deer with his .243, using the same style bullets and load he's always used, and it took them over six hours to finally get the deer. The bullet was put in the proper place, as he always does, but this time, the deer did not bang/flop like the others. For some reason, the bullet apparently did not open up like it should and there was only a small pencil like hole going into the lungs and the bullet exiting out the far side.
I'll give the man credit though. He did a fantastic job of tracking the deer down as blood trail was virtually nonexistant except fow a scattered drop or two here and there.
Paul B.

[joshua]

The 243 will be ok for Mulie, but make sure you know the limit of the rifle/round and pick your shots just like any other caliber you would use. You got some very good advice from the guys posting on this already. Goodluck and go out hunting. josh

[Harley Quinn]

Just my two pennies worth.

HQ

[Art Eatman]

While I'm another who feels it's on the light side, I figure that if you're used to it and a good shot, using heavier, premium bullets will serve you okay.

I'd work toward being sure of neck or heart shots, avoiding quartering shots where deep penetration is needed. I'd also most likely pass up a shot beyond 150 or 200 yards.

Art

[Scorch]

243 is an excellent choice for mule deer. But what do I know? I shoot a 7X57!
I've seen a few big mule deer shot with a 243. They fell down and died. Like they said, good shot placement is needed, but the same goes for any caliber. If you gutshoot or ham a deer with a 270, a 30-06, a 375 H&H, or whatever, it's still going to be a bad day.