The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Browning_grrl wrote:I had to look up Roe deer - never seen one - how much meat can ya get off one? I should think the dressed weight is pretty small. Is it worth the bullet? It sure isn't gonna fill your freezer.

look up Muntjac, now they are small! however unlike the US we don't have a limit on how many Deer we can shoot, and the seasons are such that there is always something in season (poor old Munties) and at $1 or so a shot its definitely worth the bullet

Interesting game - strange animals - the shot itself , I imagine, would have to be a head shot, like coyote (so as you don't ruin the pelt), otherwise you won't have much left to eat....... .223 - 55 gr??

Muntjac is superb eating and my absolute favourite food for Christmas day.

Browning_grrl wrote:Interesting game - strange animals - the shot itself , I imagine, would have to be a head shot, like coyote (so as you don't ruin the pelt), otherwise you won't have much left to eat....... .223 - 55 gr??

My Pa has shot a decent number of muntjac in the UK with his 223 but also with a very lightly loaded Hornady 160 grn roundnose shot out of a 6.5/06. Neck shots for preference, but a heart and lung shot will still leave plenty of meat.

We don't have muntjac here in NZ, but I use a 260 Rem, which seems to work very nicely on most things.

Coming back to the original question; 243 is a nice, versatile round if you've got the barrel twist to handle the heavier 100+ grain bullets. It is a bit of a barrel burner, but if you're only using it for hunting this shouldn't be a major issue.

Gaz

Hmmm, we don't like the sound of 'barrel burner'

Just buy a Tikka T3 in .260 Rem or .308, there's really not much you can't do with either of them

Browning_grrl wrote:Interesting game - strange animals - the shot itself , I imagine, would have to be a head shot, like coyote (so as you don't ruin the pelt), otherwise you won't have much left to eat....... .223 - 55 gr??

.308 150Grn soft point works for me never had to worry about meat damage.the coat to be honest tends to go to waste anyway as I personally don't tan them.also even more than most deer, they rarely stop moving for long and the head is a small target at 100 yards when its bobbing around.
my personal favourite to eat is Sika, but Muntjac is a good second.

.243 for deer. It has it's place, for those that know what they're doing and need what it offers - fast fragmenting bullets in light weights.

Better to play it safe, and have more than you need. Better to be overgunned, you can't get too dead etc. etc.

Go for 6.5 minimum, maybe even 7mm for a capable allrounder, as I told you on another thread.

Much more important is the correct bullet construction for the quarry species and the type of shot you are wishing to achieve.

If you are trying to chest shoot a woodland stag during the rut, then you may want a different bullet to someone neck shooting roe.

High for weight 6.5 x 55 bullets are intended for large quarry for example Elk and Boar, try shooting a roe the size of a labrador and you might find the lack of expansion causes you problems. Reputations are hard won and quickly lost, if you have injured deer running around the place, chances are neighbouring landowners/stalkers will soon get to know who farked up.

I know some people swear by a-max for deer, but that my stripey friend is another matter entirely!

I've lost count, but I think I've owned at least 3 x 243 Win and one 243 Ackley. I don't own any at the minute, but I do have a couple of 260 Rems for pursuing deer. Even with the 260 Rem, some care is required when pursuing sika. I suspect in years to come I will pursue sika with a .308 Win.

I also remember being told to leave the 243 Win in the car.

Regards

JCS

Sometimes ammunition availability factors in the decision as well. Here, if you go to the local gun shop you can find 17 choices of brand and bullet weights in .243, while in 6.5 you have 8 to choose from. Generally speaking - .243 is easier to come by than 6.5mm.