Dylan,

You might want to put a question like this under 'General Hunting' so you don't get questioned by someone.

Your question though is a good one, and among hunters is a pretty subjective topic.  The answers you get will depend on the hunting situation, the range, to some degree your skill, the rifle you're using, and often just a hunter's preference. 

Many hunters when they're hunting doe will shoot them in the neck to ruin as little meat as possible.  Sometimes a neck shot is the only one you have, especially if you're still hunting in heavy cover or rattling.  Most of the neck shooters I know are good shots that practice a lot, and several of those will limit their effective range to suit what they feel is their level of competentcy.  Some hunters will neck shoot when using small caliber rifles like a .220 Swift, .223, .22-250 or even a .243.  I sure don't recommend that, but I know several good hunters that do.

I've always been a heart/lungs shooter.  Its a quick, humane kill that leaves the most room for any shooter error.  And even in the best  of situations things can and do happen.  Lung shots also leave a great blood trail and when properly done don't ruin a lot of meat.  Sometimes I'll take a shoulder shot if a lung shot for some reason is not available, like when an animal is quartering towards you.  It'll  immobilize the shoulder, hit the upper lungs and, depending on the angle, keep away from the stomach/intestines.  If all other options are not available, and if I feel comfortable enough, I'll take a neck shot.

Dana,

I certainly understand that a lot of guys use a .243 to hunt whitetails, and like you they often swear by them.  Frankly, a lot of people hunt with even smaller rounds, like a .22-250 or a .220 Swift too.  Guess my opinions here are largely shaped by experience...along the way I've known of other deer besides that mulie, whitetails in particular, that have been hit by a .243 and have run off never to be found.  Unfortunately that's happened to me once (not with a .243) several years ago and I was about sick over it.  As well, I'd hate to encourage someone to get a smaller-cartridge rifle when they're just getting into hunting since rifles, ammunition, and optics are increasing in cost at a pretty good clip.  These days a lot of hunters can't afford more than one good rig.

And, like you, I'm hoping to get my crack at some bigger deer someday, whether they be Saskatchewan whitetails or New Mexico mulies or somewhere in between.  Right now its a dream, but if you're going to dream, dream BIG.

Keep your head down over there. 

Matt,

The .308 is an excellent whitetail round, and you should see deer run off a lot less versus that .243.

I shoot a .308 as well (as does my eldest son), but for some reason it doesn't like 150 grain bullets very well.  Different rifles seem to like different bullet weights, so I'd recommend going with the weight/bullet design your rifle groups with best.  Try several types of ammunition as time and budget allow.  My particular rifle can shoot a 165 grain or a 168 grain equally well (right at 1" at 100 yards), depending on the manufacturer.  The difference in trajectory and performance is minimal versus a 150 grain but the increase in accuracy is worth it.

I'd also recommend that you break in your barrel.  There are a number of different methods to do this, so look around on the web for the one you like best.  Most of them generally go something like this: shoot a round, clean your barrel.  Shoot 2 more rounds and do it again, then shoot 3 more, etc, etc.

The 2nd Amendment wasn't discussed that much during the election and Obama has schmoozed all around the issue.  But, have no doubt about it...while he says he's 'for' 2nd amendment rights if you listen to what he says, and what he's historically done, his "common sense gun control" is the same old leftist rhetoric we've been hearing for years.  He's gonna try to finish what Clinton started, and unlike Clinton he's got he house and senate behind him now.  Get ready for a fight, because its going to come.  I have no idea when, but it will.  There are too many folks with the same opinion as Obama in power now - they won't be able to help themselves.

FYI there's a letter from someone in the Illinois State Rifle Association posted on this site that explains something about Mr. Obama's opinions concerning gun issues. 

Texas is pretty diverse in its habitat and there are a lot of variables that dictate body size. It can depend on where you hunt in Texas, the age of the deer, genetics, deer density, the availability of food that year, and the degree to which food is supplemented by the landowner/manager...up in the NTX area (Shackleford Co.) you can see free range deer drress out easily in the 150-170 lb range.  WTX can get up to 150-160 lbs, and of course STX can get over 200 lbs. 

That 12 gauge will not do past about 50-100 yards at the very most.  I'd try rummaging around some of the gun shops, as well as checking online or in newspapers to see who's selling what, even going to garage sales that advertise guns for sale.  If you have a buddy that can tag along and knows something about guns all the better because the buyer needs to beware.  But, you'd be surprised at what you can dig-up if you pound the pavement a little and have the time to be patient.

One other thing...another great whitetail round is the 7mm-08, essentially a 7mm bullet in a .308 case.  Doesn't kick, and has surprising downrange performance.  Ammunition availability is a concern if you're in a pinch, but I'd definitely get go to that round before settling on a .243.  To kinda reiterate what's been said before a .243 with a good bullet is OK around Llano, but if you're trying to get one good gun get a versatile one because you might not always be hunting around Llano. 

Kevin,

Here's what I know about what was done your rifle (and there are plenty of guys on this site that can tell you this as well). 

If you're rifle is a straight BDL then the modifications were likely done by a gunsmith and not at the Remington factory.  If the gunsmith that did them knew his stuff, all of the above are very good modifications. 

 The trigger job just reduces the pull required to fire the gun.  Remington triggers are not great (takes too much to pull them), so that's definitely a plus.  They've tried to change this recently with a trigger redesign but I don't know how that's ended-up.

The barrel recrown supposedly helps with bullet stabilization as it leaves the barrel, helping the accuracy.  The Model 700 Senderos (as well as the PSS and others) have that done at the factory. 

Most of the aluminum-bedded guns I've seen have come from the factory too.  The action is set down in a aluminum bedding block so that when you screw the action/barrel into the stock it makes for a close tolerance fit, dampening action and barrel vibrations and thereby increasing accuracy.  The smiths I know usually work with fiberglass for bedding the action, in much the same manner. 

Two things I'd suggest when you start shooting: First, before you do anything I'd clean the snot out of you rifle.  A lot of folks don't clean their guns well and that can give you fits with accuracy, especially with hot rounds like the 7mm.  Try to get a brass rod too so you won't affect the rifling.  They're not easy to come by anymore and graphite might be another option.  As well, I'd run some copper solvent through it.  Copper build-up can really affect your accuracy.  Second, since it seems to me that most guns in a given caliber don't shoot all bullet weights well.  I'd get several weights/loads and try them out and see which does best (if you can, you might want to talk to the previous owner and see how the gun shot to save you some time, as well as the number of rounds put through it).  I'd also try to clean the barrel after every 10-20 rounds until I got a feel for when accuracy starts diminishing due to powder residue et al. 

Hope this helps.

My eldest son started with a .25-06 and had no problem with it, so we thought he'd hunt with that rifle.  Well, for several reasons I sold it and did a little looking around at recoil.  I'm sure there is some subjectivity in the numbers but what I saw indicated that the kick of a .308 was not decidedly heavier than a .25-06, so I got him one.  He did real well with that round and has hunted with it ever since. Of course, he was 12 when he first shot the .308.  For younger kids a 7mm-08 might be a better choice.

Don't want to stir-up controversy, but I wouldn't hunt whitetails with a .243 unless you used a well-constructed bullet (partition, triple shock, accubond, etc.), if at all.  Its a great round for varmints of about any type at any range.  And, I know that a number of people do hunt deer with one.  But, I've also seen several deer wounded with a .243 and not recovered, especially if they're shooting a thinner-walled 'ballistic' or spitzer type bullet.  This is especially true when shot placement is not right on, which is not uncommon for beginners or young hunters.

I had the same problem you did with my 25-06.  Like Paul said, don't shoot another round of that ammunition in your rifle.  Mine happened with commercial ammunition, so even with that stuff you have to be careful.

I would also shy away from lighter (100 grains and under) ballistic tip type bullets in a .25-06.  I've had them split on a deer's shoulder and make a real mess (made 2 entry holes and vaporized practically every organ in that deer's body cavity).  Maybe a stouter bullet design in those weights might work, don't know.  3200 fps or so is really moving along.

Every gun likes different ammunition, so keeping in mind the above I'd try these commercial loads:

Federal 100 grain Triple Shock

Federal 115 grain Nosler Partition

Winchester 110 grain Accubond

After my little problem I went with a Federal 117 grain BTSP moving just under 3000 fps and never had another problem.