Quote Originally Posted by jackal1 View Post
Firstly well done Elliot on the group, good shooting. I knew you would come to the dark side eventually and get a 204.

Dave don't ask me why because the answer will simply be "i don't know", however i had far, far more runners with my .223 than the .204. Whether i used 40grn or 53grn it made no difference. After trying my current night vision equipped Supervarmint in 204 for about a fortnight i realised the 223 would remain in the cupboard, so i sold it and bought another Supervarmint for day use. I did briefly try my 243 at night but didn't like the fact that i lost sight picture due to recoil so gave up on it. I use 32grn bullets and rarely get a runner, certainly not if they have been hit in the engine room. They don't often leave any marks on the fox, you sometimes struggle to see an entry wound but on recovery of the carcass it sounds like a bag of jelly.
Sounds similar to my experience with 50 gr z-max out of the .223 AI, apart from my permission n west wakes where the foxes are of slighter build.

Surprised you're losing sight picture with a light bullet in .243, I have no issues with 85s in the creedmoor at 3350 fps, though that a 24" varmint so weight may come in to play.