.243

Im looking to buy a new rifle for deer out in south dakota. I was thinking about getting a .243 for a combo gun. Something that I could hunt deer with and also yotes (without destroying hides that much) Is this a good option? Or should I be looking for something different?

Thanks,
Lardy

Lardy, ballistics and rifles are not my strong point, but in my opinion I would say generally the .243 would be a little light. Depends on the area you hunt in SD, but I have been faced with some longer shots in SD and a .243 would not have the oomph I’m looking for to consistently bring down a whitetail or Muley. Sure if you hit a deer where you are supposed to you should find him, but we all know not everything goes as planned.

Again not being a ballistic wiz, I would probably guess something like a .270 would be a great gun for you. A flat shooter for those longer SD prairie shots, enough power to take down a deer, and I’m guessing not enough to do too much hide damage???? Good Luck , you might want to try posting this under the “Shooters Test Bench” forum and let the Ballistic Gurus try to answer this. Good luck!

I think a 243 would fit the bill perfectly…great ballistics that closely match the flat shooting 270..I think it draps about an extra inch at 300 yards or something and packs plenty of punch out to that distance…I wouldn’t shoot anything much farther just because you start to lose energy, but a deer within that range with a well placed shot is table fare. I am not a predator hunter but I would imagine the 243 has a strong following as a yote gun

If you have a perfect shot, on the perfect day a .243 is good for deer hunting, i dont like it. if you get a misplaced shot cuz you pulled the gun or the deer moved at the same time you pulled the trigger it doesnt do enough damage to get the job done fast enough. IMO 30 06 is the best all around gun, yeah it will tear up yote hides but so does my .243 wssm

.270 WSM. My .02 cents
DT

my opinion a 243 would serve you just fine for most deer situations as long as you use a heavyier grain bullet, as far as coytes i shoot a 243 with a 55 grain bullet and love it. if you goto remington web site they have a real good ballitics chart there that you can put in up to 3 guns at a time and compare ballistics with any bullet. oops i got off your ? sometimes my 243 tears up the hide pretty bad and oters it dont at all ,I have no clue as to why.