243 WIN.

Description

The greatest virtue of the .243 is that it offers adequate killing power for medium game at a noise and recoil level that can help any hunter to shoot calmly and accurately. For lightly built hunters or those suffering from shoulder injuries, the .243 is sometimes the maximum power tolerable – period. For such hunters, the 6.5×55 and 7mm08 cartridges are simply too much and the .243 is the only commercially suitable choice. That said, the .243 is nowhere near as versatile or powerful as the 6.5 and 7mm08 cartridges. For this reason, those who use the .243 must take special care to fully explore the cartridge. Understand its strengths, its weaknesses, along with a thorough understanding of game anatomy with all emphasis towards humane killing. The .243 is a cartridge that can perform either admirably or dismally with results entirely dependent on the aptitude of the hunter.

Loaded with controlled expanding conventional bullets, the .243 has ample power to penetrate medium sized deer shoulder bones but will not necessarily exit broadside. This dictates that penetration cannot be expected to exceed distances beyond 12 to 14”, limiting the effectiveness of conventional projectiles on raking shots. The Barnes TSX projectiles can however penetrate vitals, even with tail on shots.

Regarding game weights, the .243 is ideal for game weighing between 40kg and 60kg (90-130lb) but is adequate for game weighing 80kg (180lb). This weight limit is suggested not because the .243 cannot produce sufficient penetration on larger game, but because with rear lung shots, even though wounds may be free bleeding, kills can be so slow as to allow animals to run considerable distances and become lost altogether to the hunter. On heavy boned deer, careful shot placement is the key. Countless Elk have been successfully harvested with the .243 (320kg / 700lb) without fuss. However, for every success story there are just as many failures. While many experienced hunters like to argue the limitations of the .243 based on their own skills, animal welfare should always be paramount. There are a great many calibers more suitable for larger medium game than the .243.

On mature boar conventional bullets will often fail to penetrate through the shoulder shield. Although a neck shot would seem the ideal solution, on a mature boar the neck skin can also be very thick and while most .243 projectiles will penetrate through and into the flesh, wounding is sometimes so minimal as to allow animals to escape considerable distances. For this reason, on solid game, it is wise to try to angle .243 projectiles into the chest via the throat or behind the shoulder – both reliant on quartering angles. For those who wish to neck shoot mature boar or large Black bear, the point of aim should be as close to the head / neck junction as possible, preferable in the vicinity of the ear.

The .243 produces its fastest kills inside 200 yards or at impact velocities above 2650fps. Inside this range, internal wounding with select projectiles can be incredibly fierce with lung wounds as wide as 3”. Beyond 200 yards, animals may show little sign of being hit and are able to cover considerable distances regardless of wounding. To minimize such effects, hunters are advised to aim at major shoulder bones, providing of course that the bullet is matched to the penetration required. This rule is just as important on heavy boned deer and for those who choose to use the .243 on game the size of Red or Mule deer, it is imperative to resist the natural urge to aim for a soft spot to maximize penetration.

Between 300 and 400 yards, the .243 is still capable of producing a wide wound channel through vitals, usually around 1” in diameter. Nevertheless, wind drift can make exact shot placement difficult, leading to very slow kills. Rear lung shot game (40-60kg) can take several minutes to expire.