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ccoker wrote:I will agree 100% with Tom

I think the 243 makes a great all around caliber
223 or 243 kills deer dead fast with good shots

I go hunting and run into guys who think they need a 7mm Mag for Texas whitetail, I just chuckle to myself..

From what I have been told by those I know who hunt them, the vitals of a hog are behind the shoulder bone, and this is where my concern is. The .270 would be a much more appropriate round to penetrate the shoulder bones to reach the vitals of a hog than a .223. Since hogs were included in the list of possibilities in this post, .270 would seem the best option here.

Tom wrote:

NcongruNt wrote:Ah, ok.

Well, I'd say .223 might be a bit small to hunt with. My understanding is that you'll want something with significant more mass than a .223 would offer for hunting something as tough as wild pig. Something closer to .30 caliber would probably be more appropriate. I've heard .270 is a common hunting round. Since you can't hunt with FMJ here in Texas, I'd be worried that a SP or HP .223 round wouldn't have enough penetration to kill the animal efficiently enough and may cause undue suffering.

NcongruNT,

I cannot find a prohibition on FMJ ammo. Where did you see this?

glockoneniner,

Without going over the entire .223/feral hog discussion (I kill them quite dead with a .223)
a larger caliber is probably better for deer, assuming that you are NOT doing head/neck shots.

One of my neighbors takes 30-40 deer a year including Axis and Sika and uses a .243 exclusively.
He loads 95 gr Nosler Partitions and they are very effective on body shots.

A friend of mine shot a large Axis doe at my place with a .222 Rem and it dropped in its tracks.
It was a neck shot at about 90 yards and her first Axis. She later told me that after cooking up Axis
she would never go back to Whitetail. I hear that a lot.


If you are a meat hunter then get good at head and neck shots. They bleed out fast, don't run off,
and you don't ruin any meat. On the other hand, body shots are a lot easier to make for a casual hunter.

In either case a .243 makes a great TX deer gun. A step up from that would be a 6mm Rem,
then maybe a .308. It is not necessary to go any larger than that in TX.

Good luck with your choices, and your hunting.

Kind Regards,

Tom

Perhaps it's not law in Texas. I have read that it is widely against state regulations in the US to hunt game such as deer with FMJ ammo because it is less likely to kill the animal quickly, more likely that the animal will run off and have a prolonged death.

Ah, ok.

Well, I'd say .223 might be a bit small to hunt with. My understanding is that you'll want something with significant more mass than a .223 would offer for hunting something as tough as wild pig. Something closer to .30 caliber would probably be more appropriate. I've heard .270 is a common hunting round. Since you can't hunt with FMJ here in Texas, I'd be worried that a SP or HP .223 round wouldn't have enough penetration to kill the animal efficiently enough and may cause undue suffering.

I started the other way around. Bought the rifles first (Mosin-Nagant 91/30 and M44), and started learning to shoot. Shortly thereafter, I got a pistol and then took a CHL class and am waiting on the approval and plastic now. I've never hunted anything bigger than a pheasant, with a shotgun. One thing I have learned from my rifle shooting is that getting good with iron sights really forces you to develop proper shooting technique. I learned to become consistent with my shots with the limited iron sights, and when I finally got around to shooting someone's scoped rifles, it was a breeze - I had already come to understand the essentials of proper aim and control. This was because I was faced with the immediate challenges of grip, positioning, breath control, and sight picture, without handicapping myself with the "easy" point and shoot of a scope. I still prefer shooting with my iron sights to someone else's scoped rifles. I'm not chasing a bullseye in a scope, but rather disciplining myself to become more consistent and accurate by bettering my own skills and overcoming my own limitations.

I've only been shooting my rifles for 3 1/2 months now, and am confident that I can place an accurate enough shot to readily take a deer or hog at distances of up to 200 yards with my $70 Mosin-Nagant 91/30 rifle upgraded with a $50 set of "Mojo" iron sights. I took the advice of an experienced shooter friend by forgetting about scopes and simply learning how to shoot properly with iron sights. I am thankful I listened.

I'd say that if you really want to learn to shoot, get something that you can really learn on, have an experienced friend teach you to shoot properly, and work on your technique. When you get around to a scoped rifle, the hard part will already be behind you.