Thread: Why the 243 is ideal for the elderly

I believe every gun cabinet needs a .243...

But you will never hear me tell anyone it is the versatile calibre people make it out to be.

I hunted a lot of sambar a few years back living in the Horowhenua, and I mean a lot. Private land, a couple of deer a week at times for three years in the name of management etc. The 6mms simply weren't enough gun on the bigger stags, some of the hind quarters were going 60kg a side to give you an idea of the size. The magnums calibres werent neccesary, I shot a lot with the 308/30-06 calibres, but the magnums really stopped them quicker. Nothing has the will to live more than a wounded sambar stag, you would be shocked how far they can run. you simply need to put a bigger lump of lead in them at high pace to anchor them to the dirt (or sand, as it happened to be). When hunting sambar in Victoria I found this echos the Aussie sambar hunters findings also.

The majority of my hunting these days here on the East Coast is bush hunting, some river flats work and shooting slips, rarely a shot over 200m. My .243 does the majority of this, and on a comparatively softer animal like a red, I havent had an issue. The beauty of such a flat shooter within the ranges I speak of is head and neck shots arent an issue, and recoil dictates spotting the shot through a low power scope even on a lightweight kimber isn't an issue. This makes makes a follow up shot on a second animal or a wounded one easy.

To summarise, and to state the obvious, the .243 is absolutely fine within is limitatons, dictated by the game animal and the distance they are taken. Pretty much, drum roll please, like any other calibre. Horses for courses.

Originally Posted by jakewire

bored , sneeze, possibly older than you.

Thats a shame,might have made a little more sence if you'd been a teenager.

Objective achieveed
thought the place needed livened up a bit
Cheers Yo all that took part.

Originally Posted by jakewire

Objective achieveed
thought the place needed livened up a bit
Cheers Yo all that took part.

Blahahaha fuck Owen don't give in to quickly, even though a couple of guys like Pointer make a valid argument I reckon all you need is a couple more Jammie's to fire you up
plus I only just got to the party & you're closing the door

My first proper deer / center fire rifle was a 243, I thought it would be a "do everything" gun & to a certain existent it was ( 243 is a great stinky cal ) but I always felt under gunned for reds & flicked it for what I thought I should have got in the first place a 308

PS- But I don't know shit as I'm a crap hunter

Good for fuck all apart from rabbits in shit, and even then the .223 is much cheaper to run.

That 601 someone had earlier was perfect...........................to convert to a .260.....

Originally Posted by gimp

I refuse to accept calibre opinions from a man who cannot spell "absolutely" and owns a .308.

ahhh good time's Gimp, I remember all those threads - such a good laugh.

After making the move to a 6.5x55 I honestly rate them higher, less "Smash" damage then my old '08 but more penetration, which is a good thing (plus the generic benefits of lower recoil and drop)

Originally Posted by Wirehunt

Good for fuck all apart from rabbits in shit, and even then the .223 is much cheaper to run.

That 601 someone had earlier was perfect...........................to convert to a .260.....

.260's are good are they not?

Originally Posted by P38

I've lost count of how many animals I've taken with a .243over the last 30 years, including all the animals listed above that Spook has shot "At"

IMO the .243 is superbly accurate in the hands of a competent marksman and is well suited to hunting conditions in New Zealand.

I once read about the 243 that "...only gunwriters have trouble killing deer with a 243..."

I had a original Sako Forester 243. Superbly accurate with a few bullets, dropped most of my deer on the spot.
It was however a little sensitive to windcalls for the very long shots and 6mm bullets are 2-3x the price of 6,5mm here.

243 is a very good cartridge, but if you're going to kill deer and want little recoil you might as well get a 6,5 and shoot 120-130gr bullets. On the average a much better bloodtrail when the deer walks.

Originally Posted by jakewire

Sneeze , read the first line.
Nah...
Not at all
I was simply looking for a reaction such as yours.

happy now.

Yes I read the first line. You were deliberately trying to start an argument. I was diiberately trying to assist you. Now you could have countered my post with...."that's not an argument it's just a series of contradictory statments" but you chose to end the argument before it really began, so I thought to further assist you a segue into the validity of the thread might give you futher satisfaction. Can I suggest that possibly it wasn't an argument you were trying to start but a light hearted repartee? If so I shall take a mental note for the future.
Na Fuck it Ill probly just stir again.

Originally Posted by Norway

I once read about the 243 that "...only gunwriters have trouble killing deer with a 243..."

That about sums up most of the people you meet on NZ hunting forums...

As the locals say, 'too much hui, not enough doo-ey'

Originally Posted by P38

I've lost count of how many animals I've taken with a .243over the last 30 years, including all the animals listed above that Spook has shot "At"

IMO the .243 is superbly accurate in the hands of a competent marksman

HAHAHAHAHAHA

It may say nzhuntingandshooting but its all fishnhunt underneath

Chris

Originally Posted by crnkin

HAHAHAHAHAHA

It may say nzhuntingandshooting but its all fishnhunt underneath

Chris

Some may think that, But they are mistaken

NZHS is a completely new beast & over the next few months Kiwi hunting & shooting enthuses will see why this is New Zealand's premier outdoor forum

Originally Posted by crnkin

HAHAHAHAHAHA

It may say nzhuntingandshooting but its all fishnhunt underneath

Chris

Like fuck. That would see me out the door real fast!

Originally Posted by Spook

Plenty of deer, pig and goats have been shot "at" with 243

Agreed, has a place for shooting smaller animals, but on larger deer not much of a margin for error if you get it slightly wrong like we all do at times.

Personally I like the better odds of putting meat in the fridge using a cartridge that has MAG stamped on the bottom

Originally Posted by P38

I owned a Brno ZKK 601 in .243 for a decade or so.

Sold it in the mid 90's during a moment of insanity. This would be the only Rifle I have ever regretted parting with.

I used this rifle exclusivley for Goats and Deer and it never failed to do what I asked of it.

Looking back through my reloading records I came across a pet load for this Rifle.

AR2209/ Hornady 87gr SPBT/ 2900fps MV......

This load in this Rifle would knock a gnats knackers off while on the wing at 200m all day long with a huffing & puffing shakey old blind bugger yanking on the trigger while standing on slippery uneven ground facing into needle piercing driving rain with a howling cross wind buffeting the shit out of everything.

Thats why the mighty .243 Is Today, Has Always Been and Will Remain Forever "The Go To Calibre" when a man wants a job done in this world today.

You'll eventually learn and grow to accept this reality as you go through life Jake.

Where did you sell your 601?? I have one that I brought in the mid 90's in Napier, it was my first gun and I still have it, shot deer, pigs, thar, chamois with it