.243 for Red deer?

[Dave91 6]

Just wondering your thoughts on the .243 round for woodland and hill reds?

 

Apologies if there's a similar topic somewhere else!

 

Cheers.

 

Dave.

[PlasticJock 539]

From what I gather (and my limited experience in stalking), the .243 will drop nearly anything (except maybe boar) provided shot placement is good. Also ammunition choice would be more crucial, ie. a heavier more predictable bullet as opposed to a fast disintegrating round.

 

Personally I'd prefer the .308 but then again I've never shot a red and also it's the calibre I'm comfortable with, with regards to trajectory etc.....

 

Sure someone with firsthand knowledge will answer your question better

 

[Dave91 6]

Thanks for the sensible reply. I'm sure this post will be plagued by stubborn people who will look at only the negatives as they don't use the calibre!

 

Appreciate it a lot!

[billbroon 9]

.243 no prob for Red's. Some people think its to light but years ago the .222 was the hill stalkers calliber of choice. Shot placement is key, but the bigger calibre gives you more margin for error.

[monynut 2]

Shot my first red with a 243 a few years back took it down no problem at about 120 yds since then l have taken a few with my 308 which to be honest l prefere if l know that the shots will be in woodland, but if l know that l will be shooting woodland red on open arable l have no problem taking them out with the 243.

[SikaTears 2]

If the .243 was good enough for Lea MacNally then its good enough for me, nuff said.

[matt_hooks 188]

The .243 will kill anything in the UK, if you hit it in the right place. (Including boar)

 

I shoot quite a few fallow, red, sika and muntjac, all with the .243. Most of the three bigger species are in an enclosed park, so are head/neck shot (follow up is easy as they can't get out of the park). If you hit any deer in the head with the .243 within about 500 yards you will kill it (I'm not talking about missed shots which take the jaw off)

 

A bigger calibre can be an advantage in some situations. If you are in woodland and want a big blood trail then the chance of a bigger bullet going right through is a bit higher. On the hill, where a runner can mean a long drag over difficult terrain, a bigger round will help to bring the beast down faster, but don't let anyone tell you the .243 isn't enough gun for red!

[Caprelous 217]

As most of the other lads have said .243 is adequate with correct bullet weight combination and shot placement.

Personally and this is my view I like a little more gun but as stated its adequate and also legally acceptable so it all comes down to if it suits you its a good one.

[Dave91 6]

Cracking advise lads! Really is appreciated!

 

Dave

[mal mason 7]

never shot deer, biggest i have took is fox had a lot with the .223 and was just wondering what the exact law is for deer ie is the .243 the lowest caliber to shoot deer with or can the smaller deer be taken with the .223??

[remi700 99]

The yanks can shoot them with bow and arrows! Ok maybe not reds but it would be a tough animal you wouldn't kill using any centrefire rifle and good shot placement. Atb Mark

[mal mason 7]

what about the law though can you take small deer with .223??

[3175darren 1,100]

I would prefer a little bit more, I have shot red with 243 they will do the job but the guns I used would not stablise the 100 grn bullets well enough for me,I do know of stags that have been shot in the engine room with 243 at sensible ranges that have ran off,my concern is that the bullet needs to exit in order to leave a good blood trail should this happen,when the area was searched for this stag, no signs of a exit wound were found,it was a 100 grn bullet fired by an expierienced man, with witness the impact was said to be sound right where it needed to be,they were unable to find the animal in thick woodland,anyway I moved up to a 6.5x55 as a result of this,information and haveing seen the difference in the calibers on deer I will not change now, 243 never let me down mind it was superb on deer particularly roe and foxes,but if I am honest,in my opinion it was a little light for reds,each to his own there are some people who wont use anything else,

[3175darren 1,100]

never shot deer, biggest i have took is fox had a lot with the .223 and was just wondering what the exact law is for deer ie is the .243 the lowest caliber to shoot deer with or can the smaller deer be taken with the .223??

You can in scotland,and there was talk of altering the law for england but not sure how that ended

[Wullz 408]

.222 is the lowest calibre you can use on roe in Scotland and the .243 is perfectly acceptable on all species of UK deer. Although I have heard some people say that the FC will not allow you to use a .243 on reds and insist you use a larger calibre....hearsay, dont know if that is true or not.

Didnt Harry Corbett shoot elephants with a .243?? I think I remember reading that in his books....it was his favourite round.