In December of 2014, Academy was running a sale on the Tikka T3 Lite in stainless. They were listed at $449, a smoking deal for the T3 in stainless. I haven't seen a price that low since. For whatever reason, 243 was the only caliber available. This was my first Tikka, and I could go on and on with how impressed I've been. I'll save that for another time, but IMO, the Tikka is a custom rifle killer.
Scoped and ready to roll, I put together handholds with the Nosler 95 grain Ballistic Tip. I've had good luck with Ballistic Tips in other calibers, great combo bullet for paper punching accuracy and whitetail shoulder punching. The 243 Ballistic Tip loads proved to be accurate, and the rifle spent the summer of 2015 ringing long range steel and poking pigs.
Fall of 2015 rolled around, and I wanted to see how the 243 stacked up against bigger, "more suitable" big game rounds like the 270, 30-06, 308, etc. I was confident that the 243 would be plenty for whitetail. 50 loads with the 95 Ballistic Tip were ready to for the October to February MLD deer season.
Results:
These four mature bodied bucks fell to the 243. A handful of smaller bodied culls and does also went from field to freezer after meeting the 95 Ballistic Tip. My intention was to hunt the 243 for a few weekends, then put it away to use my 270 and 308. Each time the weekend rolled around, I grabbed the 243. Each time I pulled the trigger, the on-game performance impressed me. Deer rarely ran from a shot in the crease, and they didn't go too far when they ran. Blood trails were small with the smaller exit holes, but always found the deer. High shoulder shots and neck shots anchored bucks and does. No deer were lost. A product of good shot placement? Sure it is. But also a testament to the 243's ability to match the performance of bigger calibers that burn more powder and pack a stouter recoiling punch.
I'm not the only hunter to discover the 243, just wanted to share my results and the 25+ whitetail test subjects that showed how capable the caliber really is. All deer were taken at ranges out to 275-ish yards, not long range by today's standards. But the 243 showed it had plenty of punch remaining for kills at greater distance if the shot presented itself.
Scoped and ready to roll, I put together handholds with the Nosler 95 grain Ballistic Tip. I've had good luck with Ballistic Tips in other calibers, great combo bullet for paper punching accuracy and whitetail shoulder punching. The 243 Ballistic Tip loads proved to be accurate, and the rifle spent the summer of 2015 ringing long range steel and poking pigs.
Fall of 2015 rolled around, and I wanted to see how the 243 stacked up against bigger, "more suitable" big game rounds like the 270, 30-06, 308, etc. I was confident that the 243 would be plenty for whitetail. 50 loads with the 95 Ballistic Tip were ready to for the October to February MLD deer season.
Results:
These four mature bodied bucks fell to the 243. A handful of smaller bodied culls and does also went from field to freezer after meeting the 95 Ballistic Tip. My intention was to hunt the 243 for a few weekends, then put it away to use my 270 and 308. Each time the weekend rolled around, I grabbed the 243. Each time I pulled the trigger, the on-game performance impressed me. Deer rarely ran from a shot in the crease, and they didn't go too far when they ran. Blood trails were small with the smaller exit holes, but always found the deer. High shoulder shots and neck shots anchored bucks and does. No deer were lost. A product of good shot placement? Sure it is. But also a testament to the 243's ability to match the performance of bigger calibers that burn more powder and pack a stouter recoiling punch.
I'm not the only hunter to discover the 243, just wanted to share my results and the 25+ whitetail test subjects that showed how capable the caliber really is. All deer were taken at ranges out to 275-ish yards, not long range by today's standards. But the 243 showed it had plenty of punch remaining for kills at greater distance if the shot presented itself.
