If I hadn't reloaded my rounds, I was going to try the Hornady American Whitetail. You can find a box of 20 for $20-25. I just heard a lot of good things about the BTSP. Like the previous post said, get some and try it out for yourself. When testing my reloads I shot some Winchester soft points as a reference and they shot less than 1.5" groups at 100 yds. Unless you are planning on stretching out distances, I think just about any 100 gr bullet would work.
Why are you looking at 243 only? If you already have one it makes sense. If not, whatever a 243 can do for deer a 308 caliber can do better and still be good for larger game.
Dead is dead and a .308 won't make a deer any deader. Unless he is planning on hunting out of state for something elk size or larger in the near future, the .243 is a perfectly reasonable choice. Everyone has their favorite cartridge(s) and there's nothing wrong with that.
Why are you quoting me? My post says nothing about degrees of deadness. All I did was suggest that if a person did not own a rifle already, there may be better choices. Unless the 243 is already owned, why not choose a different caliber that offers more flexibility than the bare minimum legal requirement. I would never go after moose, elk or bear with a 243, and I highly doubt many outfitters would allow it either.
If a 243 is already owned, then a person already has an adequate firearm for deer.
I quoted you because it sounds like the OP has at the least already made a decision and there's really no reason to try to talk him out of a perfectly acceptable choice.
I would never go after moose, elk or bear with a 243, and I highly doubt many outfitters would allow it either.