Posted: 1/24/2025 11:03:35 PM EDT
Would a 243 Winchester youth (8-10 years old) rifle be adequate for deer hunting? Would the 6.5 Creedmoor be a better cartridge choice? 
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| Youth? I hunt deer with a .243. Kills them just as quickly as my .308 does. I used to think I needed magnums for deer and hogs. I was wrong. The .243 shoots as flat as most of the whiz-bang cartridges and is very effective out to at least 300 yards. Choose good bullets and shoot true! |
Am Yisrael Chai!
Don Alejo Garza Tamez, a man among men
Don Alejo Garza Tamez, a man among men
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7mm08 would be better but .243 has taken lots of deer. Even a Ruger American 7.62x39 might be a good choice . The Ruger and the Savages shoot well. I had a .223 Mossberg and when you close the bolt it fired - I sent it back but never trusted it so installed a Timney trigger then traded it. My grandson same age shot one last year with Henry single shot 44 mag and this year with .350 Legend TC Encore. FYI: both Ruger and Savage are updating their rifles this year. Ruger American Gen 2 , and Savage Axis 2 Pro … so the gen 1 guns should go on sale |
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Deer are super easy to kill. .243 has killed millions The 6.5 manbun will kill deer too. I’ve seen lung-shot deer QUICKLY die from 10 pumps and a BB from a Crosman. More than once. Deer are super easy to kill. |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Set the eye-relief up CORRECTLY for the firing position the kid is most likely to use during the hunt. People get eye relief wrong all the time. Be sure the kid understands that some “shadow” in the view is OK. |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Originally Posted By inGobwetrust: Youth? I hunt deer with a .243. Kills them just as quickly as my .308 does. I used to think I needed magnums for deer and hogs. I was wrong. The .243 shoots as flat as most of the whiz-bang cartridges and is very effective out to at least 300 yards. Choose good bullets and shoot true! Came here to post this. The .243 works well for deer and is a good lower recoil choice for a kid. My 13 year old grandson took his first buck with a Ruger American Youth this past season using Federal blue box 100gr ammo. 186 yards with a high shoulder shot dropped the buck in his tracks. It surprised the hell out of me and when we peeled the hide off I was amazed. The bullet was a pass thru than never hit the spine and left massive evidence of shock. I have used a Browning Micro Hunter in .243 for years and have always had excellent results. |
I suggest we trade a question mark in for a maybe.
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Originally Posted By W_E_G: Deer are super easy to kill. .243 has killed millions The 6.5 manbun will kill deer too. I’ve seen lung-shot deer QUICKLY die from 10 pumps and a BB from a Crosman. More than once. Deer are super easy to kill. Not doubting you, I consider BB guns more dangerous than firearms due to the lack of respect they get. But I've got to hear the story to that! |
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