Hi All,
As for the .243 Win cartridge, well it's certainly taken enough game over the years to prove that it's capable of doing so. However I do believe with the 6mm's that bullet selection is paramount. There are simply a lot of varmint bullets in the 6mm range which is something I have to look into as I will be looking at a rifle in 6mm Remigton in a week or so.
Now as to Deer not showing a hit and then running, Hmmmm I can relate to that. My only Whitetail Buck so far did this to me after a about perfect broadside shot which put a 7mm 139 Grn BTSP at about 60 yards taking out the top of the heart and both lungs, yet he just started runnning at an angle down the deer trail behind me where he stopped to look back and I out the second one through him which dropped him.
The thing is called "Messamastics" which is pre programmed muscle movements, the Deer is a prey animal and nearly always ready for flight. The Buck was looking my way, so perhaps he saw me move to aim at him
but he certainly felt the bullet hit which triggered th flight mode. He would nto ahve gone a lot furhter with both lungs punctured and the top of the heart destroyed, but he may have made it into the creek so I shot again. Plus at 60 yards I didn't hear the bullet hit
.