Do you want to know where to shoot a deer with a.243?
If you are thinking about using this type of rifle to hunt deer, then you are at the right place. We will cover just exactly how to use this weapon to shoot a deer and how to produce a clean kill.
Whether you are a beginner hunter or one who has some experience, this post is for you. Let’s get right into it.
Contents
Pro Tips On Where To Shoot A Deer With A.243
First things first – what’s the a.243, anyway?
Basically, this is a type of rifle that is designed for entry-level hunters. The rifle results in a low recoil, which is great for new hunters who are looking to avoid developing bad shooting habits.
It comes with a small, yet decent cartridge. But it is all about knowing the right bullet weight to use. When it comes to a.243, you can kill a 150 up to 250-lb deer or any animal about this size. As you get better at using this weapon, you should be able to precisely place that tiny bullet on a deer’s vitals and kill it efficiently and cleanly.
Let’s talk about the best bullet to use for your .243 rifle. We recommend a 100-grain type of bullet that has ample powder that can propel projectiles about about 2900 feet per second. With this projectile velocity and bullet weight, you can ensure the ideal kinetic energy to result in a clean kill to 400 yards.
Right off the bat, you can most certainly kill deer with a.243. Additionally, you can use it to hunt other animals this size such as antelope, wild pig, and even sheep.
But the secret is all in how well-placed and precise the placement of your bullet is. Do take note that deer are relatively tough creatures. You need to make sure that you hit them on their vital organs, otherwise wounding or crippling them instead of killing them in one shot.
Where To Shoot Deer With A.243
To begin with, you need a calibre bullet for your a.243 to get the best results. With that in mind, here are the best places to shoot deer with a.243.
The ultimate best is the broadside, specifically a double-lung shot. This is the one we recommend the most. However, if you are unable to do this, you may go for the broadside heart shot. It is still decent, but only a small target tends to hit this portion with great accuracy.
We also consider the broadside liver shot as an okay shot. It is usually the go-to spot of hunters when they see the target stepping forward at the right time.
But there are also other shots such as the chest, neck, head, and even the rear two-thirds of the creature’s body. However, these shots often result out of impatience or desperation. Suffice to say that we do not recommend these shots as they do not always work. Mostly, they fail and only cause the deer to get badly wounded.
The odds of a deer recovering from a single spinal or lung shot are low. On the other hand, they may also end up getting wounded and being unable to recover.
As for the best distance, there is a certain number to consider as the other ones do not result in anything good. When using a.243 rifle, you can ethically kill your target at 400 yards the most. You can probably take the animal down at a farther distance. But then it is not always the case. Hence, you may want to consider 400 yards as your benchmark – or go lower than this number.
Factors To Consider When Shooting A Deer With A.243
It takes about 1000 feet-pound of kinetic energy to kill deer effectively at a particular distance. When using a.243, the distance is around 400 yards before your 100-grain bullet drops lower than the 1000 feet-pound threshold for kinetic energy.
If you go farther than 400 yards, there are so many odds that you will end up in a clean kill. This is why it is best to just stick to this number.
As for the most optimal bullet weight or caliber, it is a highly opinionated matter. Others would consider 95-grain as optimal while there are those who may argue with this and think it is not optimal at all.
Moreover, if you check out factory ammunition offerings available for the .243 cartridges for hunting deer, most will find these are the widely available options: 100-grain, 95-grain, and 105-grain.
Generally, the 100-grain .243 is the most popular and most common, while the 105-grain .243 is the least preferred.
But for the most part, it all boils down on what you personally have experienced to produce the best results. You may want to test various brands, bullet construction types and bullet grain weights to know what suits you the most. This way, you can shoot accurately with your .243 rifle.
This is not to say that the 105-grain or 95-grain will not work. But it is all about testing various factory loads from different brands and discovering the one that specifically matches the preference of your rifle barrel. This will then determine the accuracy and impact points you can get from varied grains you have tried.
Read More: Where To Shoot A Turkey With A .22 – Pro Tips For Excellent Results
In A Nutshell
So when it comes to where to shoot a deer with a.243, you should always aim for the three parts we have mentioned earlier – double lung shot, heart shot and liver shot. Other areas are okay such as the neck and head, although these are tougher and require greater accuracy and precision.
But more than anything, be sure to use the right bullet weight based on what fits your needs best. Consider the right distance, as well, which is about 400 yards. Then, keep testing different grains on your .243 rifle and practice more for best results.
