{"id":12054,"date":"2015-08-25T17:54:31","date_gmt":"2015-08-25T17:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/?p=12054"},"modified":"2015-10-18T17:56:48","modified_gmt":"2015-10-18T17:56:48","slug":"all-the-deer-gun-you-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/all-the-deer-gun-you-need\/","title":{"rendered":"All the Deer Gun You Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"243-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was a just a lad at the time. I\u2019d taken some squirrels and ground hogs. I\u2019d even shot a few coons. I\u2019d never been deer hunting. I rode into town with Dad. He was going to buy his first deer rifle. Up until that time he\u2019d either borrowed a rifle or used his model 12, 16 gauge shotgun. It was a big deal. I\u2019m sure of this because just a few years ago I found the sales receipt he\u2019d saved for almost 40 years.<\/p>\n

We walked out of the hardware store with a Winchester model 100 chambered for the .243 Winchester.<\/p>\n

That year at deer camp an uncle tried to school Dad in cartridge wisdom by extolling the virtues of his .30-06. Him and Dad had both served in the military. Dad had shot at the enemy and they had shot him. My uncle\u2019s exposure to small arms fire had been limited to the range. What I\u2019m saying is, there was some separation with regard to their experiences.<\/p>\n

A few days later the uncle drug in a deer that can only be described as being shot all to hell. It was missing chucks of flesh and hide from multiple bullet wounds. He and his son stood in the yard looking at the unfortunate creature, admiring the damage done like desk generals admire carpet-bombing done right.<\/p>\n

Later that day, Dad drug his own deer into camp. We could not find the entry hole and the exit hole was the size of a quarter. Uncle once again proclaimed the .243 Winchester as a miniscule cartridge not suitable for anything larger than groundhogs. Suggesting Dad was \u201clucky\u201d the deer had decided to lie down long enough to be field dressed.<\/p>\n

\"243-2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Years later I would take one of my best West Virginia whitetails with a .243 Winchester at 180 yards. The buck dressed out at 165 pounds. Some argue this the upper limit for Winchester\u2019s 6mm. But, as Dave Petzal observes in one of his latest essays, \u201c\u2026a round such as the .243, which I used to view with extreme suspicion as a deer killer, can be counted on even for deer that you could saddle and ride.\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Before my wife\u2019s first safari we discussed cartridges. Not from the standpoint of how big it needed to be for that Africa game folks think is so tough. More importantly, from the standpoint of what she could shoot with comfort and precision. We settled on a Mossberg<\/a> bolt action in .243 Winchester. Her hairy chested coworkers at the mining company called her a fool and questioned my qualifications as a gun writer and even as a man.<\/p>\n

Three shots later she had wonderful impala, gemsbok and wildebeest trophies. The .243 worked because she shot it very well. It did not cross here eyes or make the slobber fly when she pulled the trigger. And, it worked because she used a good bullet \u2013 an 85 grain Nosler Partition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"243-3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Some kids who grow up in a hunting family are lucky enough to have a wise mentor. Some less fortunate have to learn things on their own through trial and error. Others, even less fortunate, must suffer through narcissistic windbags trying to compensate for failings in other areas with more cartridge than they can shoot well.<\/p>\n

Good hits matter more than what they\u2019re made with. It is, ultimately, all about the shot.<\/p>\n

Thanks Dad! Because of you I\u2019ve never had a detached retina or a Weatherby ring above my eyebrow. And,\u00a0my freezer is always full and the house is out of wall space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was a just a lad at the time. I\u2019d taken some squirrels and ground hogs. I\u2019d even shot a few coons. I\u2019d never been deer hunting. I rode into town with Dad. He was going to buy his first deer rifle. Up until that time he\u2019d either borrowed a rifle or used his model 12, 16 gauge shotgun. It was a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2522,1],"tags":[229,1113,13],"class_list":["post-12054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hunt","category-uncategorized","tag-243-winchester","tag-deer-cartridges","tag-deer-hunting"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-38q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8047,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/favorite-loads-factory-handloads\/","url_meta":{"origin":12054,"position":0},"title":"Favorite Loads (Factory & Handloads)","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m often asked what my favorite load for a cartridge is. I test a lot of different cartridges and I handload for just as many. However, the list of cartridges I use on a regular basis are not that extensive. And, I don\u2019t routinely handload for every cartridge I commonly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \".22 LR\"","block_context":{"text":".22 LR","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/22-lr\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CCI Stinger","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/CCI-Stinger-200x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14410,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/chasing-dad-from-under-orion\/","url_meta":{"origin":12054,"position":1},"title":"CHASING DAD – From Under Orion","author":"gunwriter","date":"August 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the first deer season I've spent without my father to tell\u00a0the stories to. It's just not as much fun. December 1964: The deer hunter set on a rock with his rifle across his lap. It was the last day of season and any deer was legal. He was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EDITORIAL"","block_context":{"text":"EDITORIAL","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_7512-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_7512-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_7512-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_7512-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_7512-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8009,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/neophobia\/","url_meta":{"origin":12054,"position":2},"title":"Neophobia","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Neophobia is the fear of new things. It is commonly associated with the fear of trying new foods but it exists in the world of firearms too. The logic behind the affliction is the same; you like pizza so see no reason to try a taco. Many gun owners\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"250-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/250-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/250-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/250-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/250-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8864,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/good-decisions\/","url_meta":{"origin":12054,"position":3},"title":"Good Decisions","author":"gunwriter","date":"April 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"There was a time when hunting was not all about the latest high tech camo clothing, ballistic reticles and trail cameras. The smell of woodsmoke, wet wool and gun grease would fill your nostrils and a plaid shirt and OD green field pants seems to hide you from whitetails just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"c-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c-2-1024x744.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c-2-1024x744.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c-2-1024x744.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c-2-1024x744.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16468,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/daily-blog-12-21-20-rifle-identity\/","url_meta":{"origin":12054,"position":4},"title":"Rifle Identity","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"How often have you heard someone refer to their rifle as a certain type of rifle? Maybe a deer-rifle, varmint-rifle, dangerous-game rifle, assault-rifle, prepper-rifle, or whatever other hyphenated-rifle you can imagine. Different folks have different ideas about all these rifle\u00a0types, just like some folks have different ideas about human gender.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Daily Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Daily Blog","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/daily-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/RI-5.jpg?fit=1000%2C519&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/RI-5.jpg?fit=1000%2C519&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/RI-5.jpg?fit=1000%2C519&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/RI-5.jpg?fit=1000%2C519&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9040,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/too-many-or-not-enough-and-nightmares\/","url_meta":{"origin":12054,"position":5},"title":"Too Many or Not Enough and Nightmares","author":"gunwriter","date":"June 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I was re-reading some of Cooper\u2019s comments last night and I found where he hypothesized that we have too many rifle cartridges at our disposal. I\u2019ve heard this from other shooters and it always boggles my mind. When is having too many a bad thing? I\u2019ve heard it said that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":".45-70 or .375? Why decide? Get one of each.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/I-3-300x277.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12054"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12059,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12054\/revisions\/12059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}