with the proper bullet and a reduced load the 243 win. makes a fine turkey gun and you will find very little meat damage , much less than any of the 22cal. centerfire factory loads.
I have a friend that used a 243 for fall turkeys and he showed me some of the ones he got, mostly gobblers, he always shot for the wing butt just a hole bout the size of a quarter, hardly any breast damage at all. I believe he used 80 grain for them, but he never used FMJ, says they don't expand enough and had some get away from him.
I agree , i never use the FMJ bullet for any game , normally no expansion just a small hole in and out with no tissue damage. am not sure but i dont believe the FMJ is legal to hunt with in pa.
the book says " single projectile ammunition" for fall turkey
darkhollowarcher said:
I agree , i never use the FMJ bullet for any game , normally no expansion just a small hole in and out with no tissue damage. am not sure but i dont believe the FMJ is legal to hunt with in pa.
Yeah, kind of like using rifles for deer. Not very sporting or challenging. Give me a break!
As for the original question, if you use the proper bullet, i.e. one not designed for violent expansion, you can get away with using the .243 and not causing too much damage.
Please , in all your infinite wisdom tell me why it is less sporting to call a fall gobbler into range and place a well aimed shot with a rifle , yet in your opinion it is sporting to do the same and use a shotgun .
if i had to choose one of my guns, i'd probably take the .204 ruger and aim at the base of the neck. the bullet will blow up and shouldnt cause any meat damage. If i miss the small target, oh well.
I have shot at least 10 fall turkeys with a .243. Those who have told you to use the right bullet and load are giving you good advice. In the past I have shot 70 grain hornady SP's downloaded to around 2800 fps. Shoot for the butt of the wing. No problems.
I have since switched to a .222 with 50 grain hornady sp's at the same velocity, but there's nothing wrong with that .243.
No i do not but i was planning on learning the right bullet and having a co worker that does, help me out. A close friend also has a loading kit so i may be able to learn from him as well.
I never shot a turkey with a .243.In fact,this past year was my first year having any experience with one on deer.I loaded 95 ballistic tips way down for my son and between the two of us,killed 4 deer with that load.That was a very mild load with a rapidly expanding bullet and I can tell you for a fact,it would demolish a turkey.
I never shot a turkey with a .243.In fact,this past year was my first year having any experience with one on deer.I loaded 95 ballistic tips way down for my son and between the two of us,killed 4 deer with that load.That was a very mild load with a rapidly expanding bullet and I can tell you for a fact,it would demolish a turkey.
Did you get exit holes? What velocity were you pushing?
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