Thread: 243 on deer

Spence strikes again at 220 yards.
.243 95gr targex at a mild 2780fps, slightly quartering towards us. Hit on the point of the shoulder and penetrated about 15". Wasn't a bang flop which has often been the case, made it about 25m.

Tempted to get some 69gr Hammers @ 3900 because the heavier Hammers require an 8T or better. Kiwi Greg used some 69grainers in a 6 Creedmoor and rated them. That boy looks happy and should be. Podium.

.243 racking up another couple for the year.
Spencer's usual confidence of "shot it exactly in the middle of the shoulder Dad."
He's closing in on the 8 deer at the age of 8 goal.

Originally Posted by TLB

Spence strikes again at 220 yards.
.243 95gr targex at a mild 2780fps, slightly quartering towards us. Hit on the point of the shoulder and penetrated about 15". Wasn't a bang flop which has often been the case, made it about 25m.

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primo- how have you found the Targex on the deer you've downed overall?

Originally Posted by ANTSMAN

primo- how have you found the Targex on the deer you've downed overall?

Yeah good! Don't know how many deer and pigs I have shot with them but it is a lot. Well into the hundreds as the .243 is my main culling rifle.

To be fair I haven't tried a great deal of projectiles in .243 to compare them to. A few different types of 100gr sp which the targex leaves for dead as far as time to death and leeway for shot placement goes.
95gr sst were very good also and the 95gr ballistic tip but for the extra price of the bt you get no extra performance over the sst or targex.
I can't remember exactly what my furthest shot with the targex has been, think it was about 630 yards. Have shot a considerable amount of deer over 500 with them.
For how many animals they have been used on the amount lost is virtually none. Done plenty of less than ideal shots as far as shot placement goes, guts and back end on running shots, not ideal but the animals tend to give up pretty quickly. Seldom even requiring a dog to find them.

I have had a couple of animals where the projectile mustn't have expanded much and they have made it a wee way but this is an exception to the rule. Normally they don't make it far at all and the projectile expands rather rapidly.

Originally Posted by TLB

Yeah good! Don't know how many deer and pigs I have shot with them but it is a lot. Well into the hundreds as the .243 is my main culling rifle.

To be fair I haven't tried a great deal of projectiles in .243 to compare them to. A few different types of 100gr sp which the targex leaves for dead as far as time to death and leeway for shot placement goes.
95gr sst were very good also and the 95gr ballistic tip but for the extra price of the bt you get no extra performance over the sst or targex.
I can't remember exactly what my furthest shot with the targex has been, think it was about 630 yards. Have shot a considerable amount of deer over 500 with them.
For how many animals they have been used on the amount lost is virtually none. Done plenty of less than ideal shots as far as shot placement goes, guts and back end on running shots, not ideal but the animals tend to give up pretty quickly. Seldom even requiring a dog to find them.

I have had a couple of animals where the projectile mustn't have expanded much and they have made it a wee way but this is an exception to the rule. Normally they don't make it far at all and the projectile expands rather rapidly.

thanks mate- that's awesome info- particularly given the numbers of animals hit!

Originally Posted by SpeightsDrinker

Have just gotten a .243 for the mrs to shoot with as she’s not a fan of the .270.

Grabbed a box of the federal blue box 100gr to site in with.

Hopefully it’s a gun I can have her excited to shoot!

A suppressor also make all the difference for my wife. Big nasty Bang vs no noise reduces the cringe a lot ive found. Suppressed vs non suppressed makes a huge difference to my .243 for my wife. She doesnt mind the recoil but whack on the suppressor and she says its like shooting the .223 un suppressed. Which means shes happy to go shooting more.

Originally Posted by oneipete

A suppressor also make all the difference for my wife. Big nasty Bang vs no noise reduces the cringe a lot ive found. Suppressed vs non suppressed makes a huge difference to my .243 for my wife. She doesnt mind the recoil but whack on the suppressor and she says its like shooting the .223 un suppressed. Which means shes happy to go shooting more.

Yeah huge difference, some people are very sensitive to sound. My son wears earmuffs as well as the suppressor as he prefers it that way. Lugs his earmuffs everywhere.

Originally Posted by TLB

Yeah huge difference, some people are very sensitive to sound. My son wears earmuffs as well as the suppressor as he prefers it that way. Lugs his earmuffs everywhere.

younger people definitely are smarter than we were, with regards to looking after themselves.

Originally Posted by TLB

Yeah huge difference, some people are very sensitive to sound. My son wears earmuffs as well as the suppressor as he prefers it that way. Lugs his earmuffs everywhere.

He will probably have far better hearing then than us shooters who grew up with unsuppressed rifles as the norm. Cicadas in a forest is the norm for me 24/7. Have made sure all my rifles were suppressed for my sons sake and he also wore earplugs.

Originally Posted by Shearer

Attachment 258409

Hey what stock have you got on that Tikka @Shearer ?

Originally Posted by Tahr

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This is the only semi-failure Ive ever had with a Targex. Have used many hundreds. .243 95grn. Going away up hill at about 250 yds and aimed between the shoulders. Killed it but quite a big blow up before penetrating.

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Apologies for the thread hijack, but what model Bark River is that?

Originally Posted by Hunter_Nick

Hey what stock have you got on that Tikka @Shearer ?

I believe it’s one of those is it fisher stocks? that one of the forum members makes.


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Originally Posted by Dreamer

I believe it’s one of those is it fisher stocks? that one of the forum members makes.


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i was just going to say the same- looks like my Fisho stock.

Originally Posted by RifleTuner

Apologies for the thread hijack, but what model Bark River is that?

@RifleTuner It's a custom made by Mike Stewart's (owner of BR) son. I very foolishly sold it to someone on the forum several years ago. Lucky who ever it was because it would have appreciated in value. The handle was made of laminated bamboo, the steel was A2.

Back to .243's.