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I am gonna deer hunt again this year. Looking at a 243. Anybody use one? Are neck shots the only way with one?

I used to use one. May not make it all the way through on a body shot, but it will do the job to kill the deer. It just may make the blood trail tougher to follow.

That's all my Dad and Brother have shot for as long as I can remember....I have always shot a 25.06. They have never had any problems in clear areas. If you are in thicker brush you may want to reconsider.

Shooting open food plots at under 200 yards you should have no problem with it.

I wanted a 308 at first. My friend is trying to talk me into a smaller caliber, as he has been killing deer and trophy bucks for years with a 223. Neck shots mostly, but has dropped some with lung shots.
I used to use a 270, but like the idea of less recoil.

Go to a 25.06. I shot a .250 for years and my son shoots it now. The 25.06 is a good compromise from the .270.

I have heard that a 25.06 is a good one. I am also looking at a 7mm08.

7mm08 It will have knockdown close to a 270. It kicks a little more than the 243.

All around, 270 is the best. you will most likely just feel the recoil one time anyhow.

The .243 with a good bonded bullet like the Barnes, Partition, Interbond, Scirocco, etc will kill anything that walks in the United States with a lung, heart or brain shot. There's a video floating around of a woman killing an Elk with a lung shot at 700 yards with a .260 Remington which is just a .243 necked up to a 6.5mm... I see clowns all the time at work that think you need a 300 Win Mag or 7mm Mag to kill deer with, it's not necessary. The .243 is a fine deer cartridge that is light kicking and flat shooting. Incidentally, the .243 shoots flatter than any cartridge mentioned in this thread so far.

WDM Bell killed some 1000+ elephants, 200+ lions and 600+ Cape Buffalo with a 7mm Mauser which is slightly less powerful than the 7mm-08 and a 6.5x54. He made an astute observation that animals die just as dead when you shoot them in the right spot with light calibers compared to heavy ones and they also run off when you make a bad shot with either one.

I suggest a 45-70 I hit them in the hoof and they die!

Love my .243 loaded with 85 grain TSX. Complete pass-thru with a .75" exit hole. Less kick means better accuracy for most people.

7mm Mag....who knows when a liberal might get in the way!

.243 can be a reasonable deer rifle if you use good bullets and pick your shots. Not many people are willing to let a good buck walk because it is not in a good spot for shot placement. The larger calibers will give some leeway if you have a bad angle or pull the shot. I have a friend who shoots a .300 WSM at little Florida deer because he thinks they are going to die faster, they usually walk away because the bullet is so heavily constructed that it never expands. When I hear people talking about recoil in standard level calibers i.e. 30-06/270 etc. it usually means their is a flinch problem not a recoil problem. Good hearing protection and practice will usually overcome that. You can kill a grizzly bear with a .22 LR if you hit him in the right spot... but that doesn't mean it is a grlzzly cartridge. The 7mm-08/.308 Win. is a very efficient cartridge group that most people can shoot comfortably and they can be had in a nice compact rifle, my mom shoots a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08 and she is death walking when she doesn't get too excited... Muzzle blast from 7mm Mag. and up is also a factor that causes a lot of people to think the magnum recoil is too much. My favorite cartridge of all time is a .280 Remington but eventually it comes down to bullet on target.

Personally, I shoot a .270 with a 130 grain bullet and it is more than sufficient. My 13 y/o son shoots a 7mm08 and he loves it and does not feel like it kicks him at all. The biggest deer I saw taken last year was shot at 150 yards with a 55 grain bullet from a .223. Of course, he put it in his ear. Pick a gun you like and shoot it until you know what you and it are capable of and then have the discipline to stay within those limits when you are in the field. As mentioned in the other posts, a .223 in the right spot is much better than a .50 cal poorly placed.