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I actually have identical Stainless-Synthetic Ruger KM77RFP MKII Rifles, 1 in .223 and 1 in .243. While I love both Rifles and do not want to part with either one, when it comes to Whitetail Deer the .243 is the first choice. I handload 95gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips to a muzzle velocity of 3071 FPS in my .243. I have taken 3 Whitetails with this bullet so far and all have been one shot kills. In addition all had exit wounds about the size of a 25 cent piece which caused lots of blood to leak out. However tracking wasn't needed as all 3 Deer never traveled more than a few yards after the shot.
On a different note I shot a Whitetail Doe with the Ruger .223 a couple years ago. I was using Winchester / USA White Box 55gr. Pointed Soft Point Ammo. The shot was through both lungs. At the shot the Doe took off running but after a few yards slowed to a walk. She traveled roughly 200 yards from where she was shot to where she collapsed dead. Yes there was a small exit wound, but hardly no blood on the ground.
According to the formula I use my .223 Load churns up just under 4 foot pounds of free recoil, and my .243 load churns up 10 foot pounds of free recoil. As a comparison the ammo I load for my buddies .30-06 (150gr. Bullet at 2984 FPS) churns up 20 foot pounds of free recoil.
While the .223 produces less than half the free recoil of a .243 the .243 produces half the recoil of a .30-06 for comparison purposes.
If it were me I'd opt for the .243. After my right lung collapsed the second time it was glued to my chest wall to keep it from collapsing again. My Dr. told me to be careful how much recoil I subjected my right shoulder to so as to not irritate the bond between my chest wall and my lung. The .243 has never caused a problem for me, but a .270 Winchester did.
Larry
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