What's new
By:
Filters

Recommend me a .243

Island rules

Island rules

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
737
Messages
124
Loc
Canaduhhh
I have a nightforce shv 4x15 sitting around doing nothing. For the local deer around here .243 is a perfect caliber. most shots are under 200 yards. What is your favorite flavour?
 
I'm making eyes at Tikka for potential next purchase. I like a detachable magazine.

Don't hunt much like I did in my youth. I should go use my .303 more.
 
More information would help. You a weatherproof or wood stock guy? Sitting in stands or stalking through the woods? Suppressor or no? Budget?

I don’t like detachable magazines on hunting rifles FWIW, too easy to forget or drop them accidentally. It also usually interferes with carrying the gun one handed. I could see it being handy for a kid’s gun though.
 
Last edited:
canada doesnt let you supress anything. i mainly hike or drive. I dont have the patience for sitting still to long.
budget 2k and under. I like wood i like synthetic. Probably stainless over blued just because it rains so much here.

Im also considering the sig sauer cross in 6.5 Creedmoor but im not sure i can slow that down enough for the small sitka deer in the charrlotes. Unless i want to practice headshots, it might be overkill as far as meat damage goes for those tiny deer up there.
I will end up buying both the sauer cross and a relatively nice .243
 
Last edited:
Gatorgrizz27 said:
More information would help. You a weatherproof or wood stock guy? Sitting in stands or stalking through the woods? Suppressor or no? Budget?

I don’t like detachable magazines on hunting rifles FWIW, too easy to forget or drop them accidentally. It also usually interferes with carrying the gun one handed. I could see it being handy for a kid’s gun though.
Click to expand...

grandeyota said:
Getting caught up on vines when crunching through vegetation is my gripe with them. Your habitat may vary.
Click to expand...

say what? I don't see how any of the above happens anymore. I mean maybe way back when AR and AK were not common but now?

Mine was wood and blued, had it painted up. Would do it again or go with Ceracote.
 
Tikka T3X with the 3 round mag is nearly flush. Choose your own Tikka rifle from a variety of innovative models

I have the CTR version in 6.5CM and love the way the action feels, and how easy the mags go in and out. Plenty accurate out to past 1k. (Has a lower scope mount on it now.)

20171020_104713.jpg
 
Weasel said:
Ruger Frontier Scout is mine. Love that thing. Mag would be perfect.
Click to expand...
Do you mean the removable mag would be perfect? If so order the parts from ruger. Its $40ish for the parts to make the switch. If you google it you can get the parts list.
 
I am not a fan of .243 for deer but YMMV. If you're going budget why not a synthetic stock Savage with the accutrigger?
 
as far as calibre; island deer are little things...

www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com

BC Blacktails: Hunt of a Lifetime on Haida Gwaii • BC Outdoors Magazine

Every year it’s the same old routine – mule deer, whitetails, maybe even a moose or an elk. But why stop there? British Columbia has some amazing hunting opportunities that can not only fill your freezer, but make for an interesting way to explore our own back yard –...
www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com
 
u2slow said:
as far as calibre; island deer are little things...

www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com

BC Blacktails: Hunt of a Lifetime on Haida Gwaii • BC Outdoors Magazine

Every year it’s the same old routine – mule deer, whitetails, maybe even a moose or an elk. But why stop there? British Columbia has some amazing hunting opportunities that can not only fill your freezer, but make for an interesting way to explore our own back yard –...
www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com
Click to expand...
Okay, 100 grain .243 pills ought to be the ticket on sitka. I live where deer can be tiny or nearly midwestern in size. .243 will do, but I've lost more than one with a good shot. The .243 just doesn't leave a good blood trail.
 
Weasel said:
say what? I don't see how any of the above happens anymore. I mean maybe way back when AR and AK were not common but now?

Mine was wood and blued, had it painted up. Would do it again or go with Ceracote.
Click to expand...

All I can say is crap happens. No, I’ve never forgotten an AR magazine going to the range, but it’s different when you’re packing for a hunting trip at 11 pm after a few bourbons or at 4 am before any coffee.

I literally forgot my entire rifle in the truck on a hunt last year. Boots, check. Thermacell, check, backpack, check, climber, check. Walked in and found a good spot to hang the stand, realized my gun was back in the truck. :laughing:

Same hunt I dropped my cell phone out of the stand, same can happen with a magazine fumbling with it after getting settled in.

Stuff gets unorganized after opening week too, you get back to the truck, take the magazine out, toss it on the seat, it falls down underneath. Next hunt you assume its in your pack and head out there. Had it happen with a headlamp before waiting in a buddy that was so late it was after daylight when we finally walked in. Took it off my head, threw it in the truck, forgot it wasn’t in my pack next hunt when I shot a deer right before dark.

If you hike in with your rifle strapped to the pack, most bolt guns have stupid big flappy paddle mag releases thst could easy get hit with a vine or branch.

You could argue that it’s a stretch or you could forget/lose anything, but a detachable mag serves ZERO purpose on a hunting rifle. I don’t understand why people are so enamored with them. Again, the only possible situation I can see it being useful is if you’re carrying it to ensure a kids gun is empty and you hand it to them in the stand, it’s easier for them to do than pushing cartridges in the top.
 
Island rules said:
canada doesnt let you supress anything. i mainly hike or drive. I dont have the patience for sitting still to long.
budget 2k and under. I like wood i like synthetic. Probably stainless over blued just because it rains so much here.

Im also considering the sig sauer cross in 6.5 Creedmoor but im not sure i can slow that down enough for the small sitka deer in the charrlotes. Unless i want to practice headshots, it might be overkill as far as meat damage goes for those tiny deer up there.
I will end up buying both the sauer cross and a relatively nice .243
Click to expand...

A 100 gr bullet from a .243 is going the same speed as a 120 out of a 6.5, it’s literally half a millimeter larger diameter. Its speed and thin jackets that obliterate meet, go look at one shoulder shot with a .22-250.

I haven’t shot anything with them yet, but I have some Hornady 160 gr Interlock round nose bullets for a 6.5 Creedmoor woods/stalking rifle I’m building. I hunt thick swamps a lot where if something doesn’t drop within 50 yards it’s hard to find and there is no blood trail. Hoping for something that will put the smack down on deer without a bunch of recoil and blood shot meat.
 
Pony_Driver said:
Okay, 100 grain .243 pills ought to be the ticket on sitka. I live where deer can be tiny or nearly midwestern in size. .243 will do, but I've lost more than one with a good shot. The .243 just doesn't leave a good blood trail.
Click to expand...

It can happen with anything unfortunately. I’ve had two deer with double lung shots and exits that left zero blood trails. One with a .30-06 and 165 gr soft points, one with a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 143 gr ELD-X. Dime sized exit holes, deer ran 10-40 yards, just walked in the direction they ran and stumbled across them.

It‘s another thing if the bullets aren’t expanding, pencil through and the deer run a ways or don’t die.
 
So to answer the OP’s question finally, I’m a fan of Weatherby Vanguards. They are built way better than most other mid range guns without costing an arm and a leg, are accurate, and have good triggers. You can get synthetic, wood, or fiberglass stocks, 20 or 24” barrels, and blued or cerakote. They used to make stainless but have discontinued a lot of the cool models recently.

IMO, they are the way to go unless you’re going to build a custom. By the time you get to a Bergara, nicer Browning, etc, you’re not that far away from having something done exactly the way you want it.

Tikka‘s are usually shooters too, but kinda “plasticky” for my taste.
 
Howa makes a great rifle. You might be able to find a ranch land compact in 243. They also make the Weatherby Gatorgrizz suggested
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
You could argue that it’s a stretch or you could forget/lose anything, but a detachable mag serves ZERO purpose on a hunting rifle. I don’t understand why people are so enamored with them.
Click to expand...

Prairie dog hunting with said rifle, But really that above is probably correct. You are round limited in most states for hunting anyways.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DMG
Gatorgrizz27 said:
All I can say is crap happens. No, I’ve never forgotten an AR magazine going to the range, but it’s different when you’re packing for a hunting trip at 11 pm after a few bourbons or at 4 am before any coffee.

I literally forgot my entire rifle in the truck on a hunt last year. Boots, check. Thermacell, check, backpack, check, climber, check. Walked in and found a good spot to hang the stand, realized my gun was back in the truck. :laughing:

Same hunt I dropped my cell phone out of the stand, same can happen with a magazine fumbling with it after getting settled in.

Stuff gets unorganized after opening week too, you get back to the truck, take the magazine out, toss it on the seat, it falls down underneath. Next hunt you assume its in your pack and head out there. Had it happen with a headlamp before waiting in a buddy that was so late it was after daylight when we finally walked in. Took it off my head, threw it in the truck, forgot it wasn’t in my pack next hunt when I shot a deer right before dark.

If you hike in with your rifle strapped to the pack, most bolt guns have stupid big flappy paddle mag releases thst could easy get hit with a vine or branch.

You could argue that it’s a stretch or you could forget/lose anything, but a detachable mag serves ZERO purpose on a hunting rifle. I don’t understand why people are so enamored with them. Again, the only possible situation I can see it being useful is if you’re carrying it to ensure a kids gun is empty and you hand it to them in the stand, it’s easier for them to do than pushing cartridges in the top.
Click to expand...
True, but some people use their hunting rifle for more than just hunting. My buddy just got started shooting and hunting. He bought a Ruger American 6.5cm with the detachable mag because he wants to try a local club PRS league. Its a decent rifle that will do both.

He bought 3 or 4 mags and I put a wood block under the follower in one to limit it to 5 rounds. Now hes legal for hunting and he can shoot the league. Its not perfect but it will work. If he likes it he can buy better.

I bought one myself just for a hunting rifle. I want to retire my currnet rifle as its a bit too nice to be beating around the woods anymore and id like to keep it that way and Im trying to consolidate calibers. Plus I just prefer a detachable mag. Using my tree climber for example. Drop the mag empty the chamber and Im good. My other deer gun has to be cycled to clear the mag, no bottom plate. Tie it on pull it up and go. Yes I could close the bolt on a loaded mag but I prefer not to.
 
Last edited:
Gatorgrizz27 said:
Tikka‘s are usually shooters too, but kinda “plasticky” for my taste.
Click to expand...
They are for sure, like a lot of modern mass produces rifles, but the one I got ticked all the boxes for me. 10 round mag, pic rail, 24" threaded barrel, I don't hunt anymore, but it had no problem hitting a torso sized target at over 1300 yds, and if I do sometime pull tags it will be the one I take.
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
All I can say is crap happens. No, I’ve never forgotten an AR magazine going to the range, but it’s different when you’re packing for a hunting trip at 11 pm after a few bourbons or at 4 am before any coffee.

I literally forgot my entire rifle in the truck on a hunt last year. Boots, check. Thermacell, check, backpack, check, climber, check. Walked in and found a good spot to hang the stand, realized my gun was back in the truck. :laughing:

Same hunt I dropped my cell phone out of the stand, same can happen with a magazine fumbling with it after getting settled in.

Stuff gets unorganized after opening week too, you get back to the truck, take the magazine out, toss it on the seat, it falls down underneath. Next hunt you assume its in your pack and head out there. Had it happen with a headlamp before waiting in a buddy that was so late it was after daylight when we finally walked in. Took it off my head, threw it in the truck, forgot it wasn’t in my pack next hunt when I shot a deer right before dark.

If you hike in with your rifle strapped to the pack, most bolt guns have stupid big flappy paddle mag releases thst could easy get hit with a vine or branch.

You could argue that it’s a stretch or you could forget/lose anything, but a detachable mag serves ZERO purpose on a hunting rifle. I don’t understand why people are so enamored with them. Again, the only possible situation I can see it being useful is if you’re carrying it to ensure a kids gun is empty and you hand it to them in the stand, it’s easier for them to do than pushing cartridges in the top.
Click to expand...
The only issues I see here is you not being organized. Stop throwing shit wherever it’s convenient and your problems are solved. When I get to the truck, everything goes into my pack or hunting coat pockets. Nothing just tossed wherever it lands.
 
NORDFORD said:
The only issues I see here is you not being organized. Stop throwing shit wherever it’s convenient and your problems are solved. When I get to the truck, everything goes into my pack or hunting coat pockets. Nothing just tossed wherever it lands.
Click to expand...

True, that would be better. However when you’re sweaty, have boots full of water, and been violated by mosquitos for 4 hours standing in the dark on the side of the road reorganizing my pack before going home isn’t top priority.
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
All I can say is crap happens. No, I’ve never forgotten an AR magazine going to the range, but it’s different when you’re packing for a hunting trip at 11 pm after a few bourbons or at 4 am before any coffee.

I literally forgot my entire rifle in the truck on a hunt last year. Boots, check. Thermacell, check, backpack, check, climber, check. Walked in and found a good spot to hang the stand, realized my gun was back in the truck. :laughing:

Same hunt I dropped my cell phone out of the stand, same can happen with a magazine fumbling with it after getting settled in.

Stuff gets unorganized after opening week too, you get back to the truck, take the magazine out, toss it on the seat, it falls down underneath. Next hunt you assume its in your pack and head out there. Had it happen with a headlamp before waiting in a buddy that was so late it was after daylight when we finally walked in. Took it off my head, threw it in the truck, forgot it wasn’t in my pack next hunt when I shot a deer right before dark.

If you hike in with your rifle strapped to the pack, most bolt guns have stupid big flappy paddle mag releases thst could easy get hit with a vine or branch.

You could argue that it’s a stretch or you could forget/lose anything, but a detachable mag serves ZERO purpose on a hunting rifle. I don’t understand why people are so enamored with them. Again, the only possible situation I can see it being useful is if you’re carrying it to ensure a kids gun is empty and you hand it to them in the stand, it’s easier for them to do than pushing cartridges in the top.
Click to expand...

You sound like a hot mess :flipoff2:


I've never lost a magazine. I've never had one fall out of my gun. I also never leave the truck without an extra.

I've never forgot to clean and check my pack when I get done hunting, so it's ready the next day/week/year.

Why are you dragging your rifle up the tree? Get a decent sling.
 
Nice. I’m confused by the photo of the PRS style stock though. And the bull barrel if this was meant to be a close range stalking rifle.
 
its not a bull barrel.i ordered it online because all my local store had were the bull barreled version which is 2 times as big as this barrel. the deal on that stock fell through. i still want to find an adjustable cheek rest and thumbhole or pistol stylestock for it. it was a bare bones stock i ordered because i will find one i really want anyway. i tried tikkas version at my lgs and was underwhelmed with their adjustments and quite frankly the fore grip on their adjustable stock felt to wide to me.
 
Last edited:
I have a couple of the standard Bell and Carlson stocks and have been happy with them, they make one with an adjustable cheek piece but otherwise closer to sporter style.

Bell and Carlson: Tikka T3/x Long Range Sporter, Adjustable Cheek Piece

Bell and Carlson is a leader in synthetic stock design, technology and manufacturer of the highest quality fiberglass, aramid and graphite gun stocks available.
www.bellandcarlson.com
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
Nice. I’m confused by the photo of the PRS style stock though. And the bull barrel if this was meant to be a close range stalking rifle.
Click to expand...
It looks like a sporter barrel but whats with the heavy nightforce tactical scope with the parallax knob? Kinda stupid for hunting unless youre planning 500+yd shots. Not to mention costing twice what the rifle does.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh