Question of calaber of a deer rifle

[dgray64]

Hey all, my son-in-law who is a disabled vet has been loaned a 243 Japanese rifle (about 4 rounds in the integrated clip) for hunting deer.  I looked at that little bullet (real familiar to an old vet) with the big powder charge behind it and wonder if this round won't just go through the deer and leave him running away.   Anyone have any experience with this caliber with hunting deer?  It's nice to shoot.  Has a nice scope.  Goes off by itself once in a while (twice in 20 rounds) when my son-in-law ran the bolt).   I told him to give it back and get a bigger  rifle (30-30 maybe here in Texas?)  Thanks for your help.

Dave       

[Hazcat]

The caliber is perfectly do-able if you can shoot.

That said I would not use a gun that "goes off by itself".  If your worried about recoil a .270 does a great job on deer.

[JohnJacobH]

That said I would not use a gun that "goes off by itself". 

No kidding. That could be anything from a sticking firing pin to a screwed up trigger mechanism.

Get thee hence to a gunsmith immediately. Lives are at risk.

[dgray64]

Thanks.  I've got him convinced to give it back or get it repaired by a gunsmith.  I still think the bullet is too small and too fast for a deer, but I guess we'll find out when he gets it fixed.  Thanks again.

Dave   

[blackhawk]

Get that rifle fixed! and find some hunting ammo ,soft points,for it. don't use Military surplus,Full Metal Jacket,better yet Trade it in on an inexpensive rifle,such as an N.E.F. New England Firearms,single shot in 243Winchester!

[Sponsor]

[Bidah]

Yes, get the rifle fixed.

As for the caliber, yes .243 is suitable for deer.  I have taken deer, antelope, and yes (gasp), Elk with it.  The rifle is now loaned to a girl next door when she started hunting with her family.  In 2 years she has taken all her tags with it ( mule deer, antelope, elk ).  Maybe next year she will be big enough to handle the .270 her dad got for her. As with anything else, it comes down to bullet selection and shot placement.  We have lots of selection today. 

I will second the NEF rifles.

-Bidah

[dgray64]

Thanks everyone, especially Bidah.  It's nice to have some experience to call upon.

Dave

[Scott Moore]

Dave,
When you say a .243 Japanese rifle do you mean a Japanese military rifle, rechambered to .243 or a commercial Japanese rifle in .243. Or is this rifle one on The 10’s of thousand’s 6.5mm Arisaka military rifles brought into the country since WWII?
Either way anytime you have a gun firing when you close the bolt it’s not a safe gun and should not be used until a gunsmith corrects the problem. It sounds like a sear problem which is the most common problem when the hammer follows the bolt down.
Back to the caliber question, both the .243 and the 6.5 x 50 are great whitetail deer calibers, especially in areas where you don’t have to bust brush as the light weight bullet is easily deflected and of course you have good shot placement, remember they’re not a bone-crushing bullet. If it’s a 6.5 remember you have to find softpoints as military FMJ bullets are not usually allowed for hunting.