.243 or .270

Im going hunting this October at the Double V Ranch over near Graham and I am kinda in a situation. If anyone has gone its a high fenced ranch and im going to be taking a big buck. I know the .243 can take Texas Whitetails in just a little nervous about wounding it and not getting the kill. I would love to us our .270 but i have had 2 surgeries on my shooting shoulder so im just a little worried about the recoil. what do yall think?

I think you will be fine with good bullets. Its better than going bigger and then flinching. or

get one of those shoulder shooting pads for 30 bucks

I don't think the recoil difference between the two would be very noticeable. Put a recoil pad on it if you need to.

If you keep the shots under 200 yds or so, just use managed-recoil ammo.

I have taken several Texas bucks with a .243..a double lung shot is more important than caliber. I don't recall much of a difference between these two (esp compared to my .35 Whelen).

Why, just get that 243 and let speed knock them out

I would just use the 243. Prefer to use a good bullet. Put it in the lungs and enjoy your trophy.

^^^^^ You will be shooting a 115 grain bullet. I have seen it work on South Texas bucks with shoulder shots and get a pass thru. Same felt recoil as the .243

270 these will be bigger deer that are protien feed year round. chance of getting your biggest buck you will be excited and might not get the perfect shot at your buck. In this situation the bigger the better. you will be so fired up you wont feel your shoulder. good luck

270

270

When's the last time you've shot the 270? why not go a gun range and see if you can comfortably shoot it? if not then you'll know the answer.

X2

.243 is fine, I've killed tons of whitetail and 2 big Muleys with a .243 and folded em. Like always break the shoulders and you'll have nothing to worry about. Also as far as recoil stuff a folded paper towel in a slip on recoil pad .

i personally love the .243 and dont think you will have a problems with putting one on the ground. just be more careful with shot placement and you will have the big boy hanging on the wall before you know it.

243 is fine... Its a great round! I personally think your gonna be way better off feeling comfortable about the recoil and that equaling a well placed shot. I would take a well placed shot with a 22 caliber round over a poor placed shot out of a 30-35 caliber...I always think of it as, guys are killing deer all over the US with arrows and blades... a 85-100++ grain bullet going 3000 fps has pretty good odds at killing a deer too!! Good luck!

I'd only shoot a mature trophy buck with a .243 if it was my only option

.243 will work just fine. However, i do hunt with a .270 with a slip on limbsaver pad. I must admit that i am a sissy when it comes to recoil (some bad experiences in my youth), but that slip on pad works wonders.

Others have pointed this out: last year for the first time I tried a rifle (a 270) that had a recoil pad. It came with the rifle, but I think it was about the same as a limbsaver brand. I could not belive the difference in the felt recoil. I could have shot that thing all day.

Frankly, a 270 with a recoil pad has less felt recoil than a 243 without. Therefore, no matter which rifle you chose, consider getting a recoil pad.

I shoot a .243 as my primary rifle. Never left me down yet and got a few wall hangers. Its all about shot placement.

YES 243 IS A GOOD GUN AND I HAVE KILLED NUMEROUS DERR WITH ONE. ONE THE OTHER HAND YOU BETTER MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD SHOT. I HAVE ALSO LOST A GOOD BUCK I SHOT WITH IT KNOWING I HIT HIM BUT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN PERFECT. ON THE OTHER HAND YOU COULD HIT THE DEER ANYWHERE WITH THAT 270 AND YOU WILL PROBABLY FIND HIM. I HAVE RETIRED THE 243 FOR DEER. STUCK ON THE 300 WSM NOW AND HAVENT LOST 1 YET AND NOT MUCH OF A TRACKING JOB. IM ALL ABOUT THE 270 OVER THE 243 EXPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE ALOT OF $ ON THE LINE.

243 with magic bullets.

I've knocked down some pretty big whitetails in South Dakota at over 200 yards with a .243 firing 85 grain Sierra Gamekings. Some pretty much fell right there some ran 50-100 yards. Get a good double lung shot, thats what is important.

ANYWHERE??? I THINK NOT!

I would go to the range and see which shot best and use that.

If it is the 243, I would go buy a box of federal premium 100 grain np's and break both front shoulders.

I WAS BEING A LITTLE SARCASTIC POINT BEING YOU DONT HAVE TO MAKE THE PERFECT SHOT AS NEEDED WITH A 243.

and you DONT HAVE TO BE YELLING ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love both rounds....I wouldnt dout the .243 for one second...iv seen a .243 with 85gr tx bullets ground check some huge bucks and iv dropped some 250+lb pigs with a sholder shot...

like the both too but if you are comfortable with 243 and can place a shot even close it will do FINE!! this was last year with 243, 700lb stag!@! and I took it to Africa and killed everything less Kudu so just take 243 IMO

Ya, the 243 is a good one to use. You could put a pillow on your shoulder and use the 270. And you'd save $30!!!

What's he saving $30 on?

If you are comfortable with the 243, go with it. It is more than capable of dropping any size deer in the state of Texas. Been using one for 20 years and have not lost a deer yet.

Yeah cuz pillows aint cheap

I'd figure someone would have enough common sense to grab a pillow of their bed to use but I guess not.

I

I'm not intending for that to indicate yelling. I write in all caps and type in all caps at work all day. I hate having to hit the shift to start a line..Sorry for yelling then if that's how u took it redchevy.

You might want to check with the high fenced ranch on caliber to take . I know some of them a 270 is the smallest gun you can take .

The 243 will do the job for sure

270, with a recoil pad if you think the recoil will bother you.

I don't like the long action of a .270 but I dislike the lighter bullet weights of the .243 for deer size game even more. I would pick the .270.

i've been shooting a .270 ever since i was 12 and weighed 70 lbs.

its not a cannon

Well said sir!

I always here people toughting the .243 and how awesome it is and displaying picks of deer killed with them.....

Heres a mental image for you, standing next to a guide on a Ranch looking for a Pi$$ poor blood trail and hearing the words..

"Well you drew blood so you gotta pay for it regardless!"

We took 5 kids hunting on youth rifle season last year and 4 used a .243 with bonded bullets; while the kids made EXCELLENT shots and all deer were recovered. I noticed some things that I didnt like.

1. All bucks were shot well within 100yds and none of the bullets penetrated.

2. All deer were recovered but none of them left a decent blood trail.

3. We recovered bullets from the deer while cleaning and while they perfectly mushroomed and did their job, I was not at all impressed with the results that were from a "deer rifle" at less than 100yds with premium ammo.

The 5th kid who I guided brought a .243 as well and we couldnt get it to shoot right(scope problem) and time was agasint us. I knew the kid could shoot so we take my Ruger 77 .270win

I put a snapcap in the chamber as soon as we got in the blind and had him dry fire at horse apples for practice; 30min later a 200lbs 140" 8point comes in.

He put a 140gr Interlock btsp right on the shoulder and dropped it; the first thing this kid does is look at me and say..

"Man this is a .270! I know what Im getting for christmas!"

As for you with your shoulder surgery...Get a LIMBSAVER recoil pad; you can install it in 5min with a screw driver and will help alot if it doesnt already have a good recoil pad.

I think you would have a hard time with the .270. Beating a flinch when your brain knows it could hurt is no easy task. I wouldn't risk a hunt on something like that. The .243 will do the job fine in any case, unless they won't allow it. Have access to a .308?

What bullet was used?

i've seen alot of deer shot firsthand with a .243.

its one of those calibers it either works or it dosen't.

last year we lost a really good buck that was shot in the shoulder from a 6mm ackley improved.

a .270 would have waylayed his ace

I've seen deer run off from being shot by a 270. Seen then run off from a 30-06. Seem them run off from a 308. Seen them run off from a 243. And I've seen a .17 drop one in its tracks. Shot in the shoulder.

Take what you are comfortable shooting. Its a deer.



Ok, you got me. The deer that got hit with the .17 ran about 50 yards. Point is any caliber will work and any caliber will fail.

I friend of mine shoots some 100 grain partitions out of a sako 243 winchester. He has yet to have a bullet not go straight through the deer.

I shoot 60 grain NP's out of my 223 rem and I have yet to recover one from and animal. Sounds like they need to try a different bonded bullet.

I started shooting deer with a 270 win at age 10-11 like txtrophy85... but at the time Im sure I already weighed twice what he did

dee- "what bullets were used?"

The .243's were shooting a mix of

Federal Fusion 95gr
Winchester PowerMax Bonded 100gr
Remington Premier ultra bonded 100gr

The ones we recovered averaged 80% or better weight retention and were full mushroomed; you couldnt complain about how the bullets performed. However I was rather disapointed with the terminal performance of the caliber at less than 100yds; with GOOD shots being made.

I know all to well of the variables of hunting but as one person said earlier in this thread..

"Those deer will be bigger and have full year protein"

Like was stated about the Highfence hunt, we were hunting in Oklahoma and the deer are big bodied for southern deer.

If your shooting a 130lbs buck you have alot less mass to stop the bullet from blowing through vs. a 200lbs buck; and where is the majority of this weight centered?.....RIGHT AROUND THE VITALS

The best qoute I have about the .243 being used on a Highfence deer hunt came from the owner of the ranch from the only Highfence hunt I have ever killed a buck off of. I guy came to his beautiful ranch that had 200"+ bucks on it near Brownwood with a .243win and he stated the following.

"You brought what caliber to try and kill a 200+lbs buck? Listen I have no dought that it can kill a buck, but I dont spend $300,000 a year on feed for nothing. These deer are big and the brush is THICK; I take over a dozen sick and crippled kids a year hunting out here and if those kids can handle a .308 then theres no reason you cant!"

I haven't seen one run off from a 45-70, but then, that would not help with the shoulder much , huh?

Thanks for all yall's input, I went and bought a limbsaver slip on recoil pad and took it to the range today and it worked like a dime. I am going to take the .270 using 130gr Federal soft points they really work well with my Mossberg!

Acouple limb saver pads? Lol.

Last one I killed with a 45-70 ran about 75 yards, quartering awayshot behind near shoulder out the farside shoulder. He ran on 3 legs but still ran.

A 243 was the first rifle I had for deer hunting and have used it for almost 30 years and killed mule deer, antelope, several different types of exotics and of coarse whitetail deer. The whitetail buck I got last year with my 243 shooting the cheap blue book federal ammo weighed 286 pounds before cleaning, he was hit in the shoulder and he ran about 50 yards..
I would say to use the 243 if you are comfortable with it..

I've got some 100gr .270 rounds if you want speed.

.270 then Advil

I have both calibers. 99% of the time I'm carrying my .270 into the stand. I plan to use the .243 a little more this year because I hope to get my wife into hunting with me.

.270

My vote is .243. Definate recoil difference between the 2!!