Which would you pick? 300BLK vs .243

[basshappy]

I'd have to solidly disagree that a 243 will have the same terminal effect as a .270 with like bullets. It aint even close. The .243 wont even keep up with the .270s little brother the 25-06 as far as terminal performance.
Yep the .243 has a lot of fans but so does the .223 and both kill lots of deer every year. I have no qualms with those that use either but I'm a believer that a larger metplat even at lower velocity within reason provides better results.
Nothing might live with holes in vital organs but running off to die or un necessary trackin aint my goal...

For the young shooter that 8 or so lbs of felt recoil in the .243 may result in higher accuracy for shot placement than the 16 or so lbs of felt recoil in the .270.

Sure the .270 will deliver more energy on the target at each distance, but deer are thin skinned so .243 suits the job most excellent. One doesn't need a heavier or faster projectile on whitetail. Their anatomy structure and thin skin characteristic allow for easy penetration when the aim is true.

 

[bullethead]

I'd have to solidly disagree that a 243 will have the same terminal effect as a .270 with like bullets. It aint even close. The .243 wont even keep up with the .270s little brother the 25-06 as far as terminal performance.
Yep the .243 has a lot of fans but so does the .223 and both kill lots of deer every year. I have no qualms with those that use either but I'm a believer that a larger metplat even at lower velocity within reason provides better results.
Nothing might live with holes in vital organs but running off to die or un necessary trackin aint my goal...

I specifically stated when traveling the same velocity similar penetration will happen with bullets of the same design and construction as long as Sectional Density is the same.
The 2506 and 270 win use about 10 more grains of powder compared to the 243 win so naturally velocity and energy are increased. Neck an 06 case down to 243 or neck a .308win case to .277 and it is apples to apples.
But inside typical ranges where medium sized game is shot, bullet performance is the same. 400+ yds and yeah, the 270 win has the advantage.

 

[transfixer]

Bottom line is if hunters actually practiced with whatever caliber they chose, to the point that they knew exactly where the bullet would hit at all the distances they would be hunting at , and practiced good trigger control, instead of jerking the trigger like so many do, then virtually any caliber would provide one shot stops , or at the very least , a short tracking job !

your average hunter gets his rifle sighted in good enough to hit a 6 inch circle at 100yds and lets it go at that , and every year right before season he might shoot 3 rounds at a target to make sure his sights are still on. That is the reason so many deer are lost, or result in very long tracking jobs, not the caliber they're shot with!

 

[furtaker]

A 100gr .243 bullet has the same sectional density as a 130gr .277 bullet of the same type. And it has even better Terminal Sectional Density when expanded because it's expand diameter is less than the .277.
If both are traveling similar velocity they will also penetrate similarly.

If anyone trusts a .277 CoreLokt, Partition, Ballistic Tip, PowerPoint, TTSX etc.....the .243 version will do the same to game.

NOTHING lives with bullet holes through vital organs.

I've killed a good number of deer with Core Lokts and I'd say I get an exit about 60% of the time. Of course it's really a moot point when the deer is laying within 30 yards. They're great bullets for deer hunting but they're not great penetrators in my experience. I wouldn't use them for game much heavier than deer. I have an idea that Remington has softened them up a little over the years too.

 

[bullethead]

I've killed a good number of deer with Core Lokts and I'd say I get an exit about 60% of the time. Of course it's really a moot point when the deer is laying within 30 yards. They're great bullets for deer hunting but they're not great penetrators in my experience. I wouldn't use them for game much heavier than deer. I have an idea that Remington has softened them up a little over the years too.

I totally understand that. My point is that a certain bullet make and construction in one will perform like the same bullet in the other.

 

[sleepr71]

I like a .243…but…The most proficient “meat hunter” that I’ve ever known in my life..used a wimpy bolt action .223. He always kept his shots to less than 200 yds..and..to my knowledge..didn’t lose any Deer the entire time he hunted our club. I asked him one day why he shot such a small “varmint” rifle..and he said: “that’s all I have…that,and that old Van to haul them in”..”but hey bud..dead-is-dead..”! He was a man out there to feed his family.

 

[tcward]

I like a .243…but…The most proficient “meat hunter” that I’ve ever known in my life..used a wimpy bolt action .223. He always kept his shots to less than 200 yds..and..to my knowledge..didn’t lose any Deer the entire time he hunted our club. I asked him one day why he shot such a small “varmint” rifle..and he said: “that’s all I have…that,and that old Van to haul them in”..”but hey bud..dead-is-dead..”! He was a man out there to feed his family.

I’ve used the .223 a bunch for deer and hogs. With the right bullet it is very capable.

 

[Nicodemus]

Ya'll ever heard of Heimo Korth? He's a subsistence hunter and trapper in northeastern Alaska. His rifle of choice is a 223. And he takes moose and caribou with it. He has confidence in his weapon.

 

[transfixer]

Ya'll ever heard of Heimo Korth? He's a subsistence hunter and trapper in northeastern Alaska. His rifle of choice is a 223. And he takes moose and caribou with it. He has confidence in his weapon.

What's that old saying ? " it ain't the arrow, its the indian "

 

[bullethead]

I was on a Caribou hunt years ago. On the fly in to camp the pilot spotted a mother Polar Bear and her two pretty good sized cubs.
He did a 2nd pass so we could check them out again. Three days later the outfitter said that the local Inuits shot the three of them because they just didn't want them around. It turned into a discussion about what is enough gun for Polar Bears. After 30 mins of back and forth much like in every hunting forum the outfitter came back through the dining hall and said "They used a .222 Rem". Someone asked how he knew that and he replied, "Because thats the only gun they have". Later on in the conversation someone asked what bullet they use and he said whatever brand and type they can get, because he and the pilot pick up whatever is available for them when the supply store has it. He said they either drill the bears through the ear hole or between the eyes. SPs, HPs or FMJ, usually 50gr.
What's the old saying?? For those that can't shoot...the bullet doesn't matter. For those that can shoot...the bullet doesn't matter.

 

[buckpasser]

I've killed a good number of deer with Core Lokts and I'd say I get an exit about 60% of the time. Of course it's really a moot point when the deer is laying within 30 yards. They're great bullets for deer hunting but they're not great penetrators in my experience. I wouldn't use them for game much heavier than deer. I have an idea that Remington has softened them up a little over the years too.

That may be the case, but I got the feeling my later boxes of CL in .30-06 and .243 were too hard. I shot a big 9 with my old jam master three times through the lungs and finished him in the neck with my 150g CL’s. They were all pencil holes. My sons buck was a pencil in and out as well with the 100g .243. Either way, I’m done with them.

 

[furtaker]

That may be the case, but I got the feeling my later boxes of CL in .30-06 and .243 were too hard. I shot a big 9 with my old jam master three times through the lungs and finished him in the neck with my 150g CL’s. They were all pencil holes. My sons buck was a pencil in and out as well with the 100g .243. Either way, I’m done with them.

The pencil hole you saw could have also just been a fragment exiting. I like them in most calibers but they're not known to be the most accurate bullets out there so you're fortunate if you have a rifle that likes them. My 700 30-06 loves the 165 Core Lokts.

I used the 100gr Core Lokts as a kid and they would very rarely exit a deer. And if the deer ran there would be no blood due to the single 24 caliber hole. It's been years and years since I've used them though.

 

[buckpasser]

The pencil hole you saw could have also just been a fragment exiting. I like them in most calibers but they're not known to be the most accurate bullets out there so you're fortunate if you have a rifle that likes them. My 700 30-06 loves the 165 Core Lokts.

I used the 100gr Core Lokts as a kid and they would very rarely exit a deer. And if the deer ran there would be no blood due to the single 24 caliber hole. It's been years and years since I've used them though.

Could have been. The one went about 100 yards and when I field dressed him he was slam full of blood, it just didn’t leak out.

 

[Liberty]

That may be the case, but I got the feeling my later boxes of CL in .30-06 and .243 were too hard. I shot a big 9 with my old jam master three times through the lungs and finished him in the neck with my 150g CL’s. They were all pencil holes. My sons buck was a pencil in and out as well with the 100g .243. Either way, I’m done with them.

When I was coming along in the circles that I ran in, 180` were thought to be for big game -elk sized critters, 165's were do all, and 150's were for deer. I know a heap more folks now than I did in the 80's, and have heard a lot more opinions. My opinion is that: pre-2000 modern big name ammo was loaded soft, but the bullets stayed the same and barrels got shorter. Now some manufactures have warmed it back up, but Remington still seems slower over the chrony than some others. I think a 180 Core Lokt over a stiff charge of Imr 4350 would be as good as ever, but they are loaded too slow by Vista or whoever owns them now. Flames incoming,,,,,,

 

[Nicodemus]

If you don`t remember anything else, remember this...-



BULLET PLACEMENT.

 

[Tight Lines]

i buy old junk all the time

going to be a hard press to convince me that a .25-06 with a 117gr Sierra running 3030 fps will have a magnificently different effect than a .243 running a 100gr Sierra at 2960

Either is totally fine for deer...we've killed a pile with 5.56...

 

[Jester896]

Either is totally fine for deer...we've killed a pile with 5.56...

I wouldn't hesitate to kill a deer with a .223

my point was when someone suggested that a kid shouldn't use anything smaller than a .25 caliber... that the .243 wasn't that far off of it...the .25-06 is the one that I guessed at as a .25 cal since not may kids get their hands on a Bob...the bullet is only 17gr heavier and it uses 10 more grains of powder to only make the very slightly heavier bullet run 70 fps faster. I was using Federal Factory load speeds for the comparison.

 

[menhadenman]

I wouldn't hesitate to kill a deer with a .223

my point was when someone suggested that a kid shouldn't use anything smaller than a .25 caliber... that the .243 wasn't that far off of it...the .25-06 is the one that I guessed at as a .25 cal since not may kids get their hands on a Bob...the bullet is only 17gr heavier and it uses 10 more grains of powder to only make the very slightly heavier bullet run 70 fps faster. I was using Federal Factory load speeds for the comparison.

I know a native Alaskan guy that shoots monster bull moose each and every year with a 6.5 Grendel - a really slow 120 grain match bullet.

My neighbor (old timer) has shot hundreds of deer and black bears with 22 mag.

243 will fold a deer just like a 25-06, assuming you’ve got the right projectile. Anyone that thinks otherwise is doing something terribly wrong. @Nicodemus story on his wife is about what I know of the cartridge from many people (including my time selling guns).

 

[Tight Lines]

I wouldn't hesitate to kill a deer with a .223

my point was when someone suggested that a kid shouldn't use anything smaller than a .25 caliber... that the .243 wasn't that far off of it...the .25-06 is the one that I guessed at as a .25 cal since not may kids get their hands on a Bob...the bullet is only 17gr heavier and it uses 10 more grains of powder to only make the very slightly heavier bullet run 70 fps faster. I was using Federal Factory load speeds for the comparison.

I understood...and am agreeing with you...

 

[Waddams]

I know others have different experiences, my 243 (Rem 783) has dropped DRT every deer I've shot with it in the last 6 or 7 years. Shots to 200 yards, 100 or 105 grain bullets, mainly Winchester Whitetails with Ballistic tips. I've either put the bullet through the spine in the back or through the spine in the neck. It's an accurate bullet, you wait for the right shot and put it in the central nervous system, it's lights out deer drops and no track job.

I see no reason to use anything else.