Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Sierra 85 HPBT .243

Are these tough enough for whitetails in the 150 lb. and under range?
<br>I would like to use these for a combo deer coyote bullet if they shoot well enough in my Sako Classic. TIA

I have shot them very accurately in my 243.
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<br>I use them on Prarie dogs. They turn them inside out. I would not recommend using them for deer as they expand too fast.
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<br>They should be excellent for coyote if you don't care about the pelt.
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<br>I would recommend the Nolser 55 gr BT for coyote and varmints, outstanding performance, and you can really crank up the velocity!
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<br>If you like sierra bullets go with any of their game king line up for deer, you won't be disappointed.

They are a gameking.

I heard they were deadly on cape buffalo too. Just pick your shots. They use M-60's chambered for the .243 and take lung shots.
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<br>Right from the begining in other forums you have been looking for someone to say it's OK!
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<br>Instead of typing all this stuff I suggest you read and understand this site http://ulfhere.freeyellow.com/ballistics/wounding.html
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<br>Then go out and buy some Nosler Partion bullets. Use your 87's up for coyotes and varmints and then buy some lighter bullets for varmints to reduce the richocet danger and pelt damage.
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<br>Now that 85 gr Sierra will kill deer with a easy shot. If your just poping does that are walking in front of you OK. But for running, facing, going away shots where bullet placement is not certain then its a poor choice.
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<br>Also get some Sierra's that are the same or similar weight to the Noslers. Then you can zero in with the heavier Sierras and practice with them too and just fire a few Noslers into the paper and save them for hunting.
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<br>This is really the best deal to avoid loosing a wounded deer.
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<br>"a single shot is the best group"

Don, you are wrong on several counts.
<br>1. I didn't do a lot of typing, I just copied and pasted.
<br> I'm sure you know what that is.
<br>2. I'm not looking for someone to tell me it is ok to use this bullet on deer. I was looking for someone that had actual experience with this bullet. Have You? I have asked you that already and you haven't answered, you just put a link that you choose to believe.
<br> I'm not asking you to use this bullet. I don't care what bullets you use or feel appropriate. Again, have you ever shot anything with this bullet?
<br> You are the only negative response I have recieved, but you also seem to be the only person that doesn't have actual experiences to back up yor cause.
<br> I do use Noslers when I want to, matter of fact I bet I've shot more Partitions in the last month than most people that don't work for Nosler.
<br> I have been trying to find the right load for a custom 300 win.
<br> As I stated in another forum, I was looking for a combo bullet for my 243.
<br> I don't necessarily just shoot the 243. I mainly shoot a 270 or 300 or 338.
<br> You should buy a box of someting beside partitions, you may find that a deer dies just as dead and usually doesn't travel as far after the shot, in my experience.
<br> Get a box of those 85's and go shoot some Cape Buff's.
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This like asking someone if they crossed the atlantic in a Snark. Since nobody has and lived to tell the tale it's difficult to get a response.
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<br>So when you shoot a deer in the shoulder and it falls down and then gets up and runs off you can say "It was just a nick, there was only some hair on the ground"
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<br>I have used the 85 gr Sierra HP BT. I have owned a .243 since 1957. But I did not answer you in a direct manner as I thought general advice was needed. And I still do.
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<br>"use enough gun" (Robert Ruark)

I thought considerable before chimeing in as feelings on this subject run deep.
<br>Can a 243 kill deer with bullets designed for an animal of it's size, yes. Should a 243 be used to kill an animal of it's size, ONLY if you are an ethical Hunter/Sportsman willing to accept it's limitations! Period......

I don't know anything about a Snark, I guess thats some kind of boat.
<br> Don't plan on ever crossing the Atlantic unless I get rich enough for a safari.
<br> Heck, I haven't even shot one of these 85HPBT's yet.
<br> As far as no responses go, Don, these are some that I have received from other Been using them since 1968 on everything from prairie dogs to large mule deer, in 6mm Rem. and .243 Win.
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<br>I have witnessed my father kill about 15 blacktail deer with this bullet from his 243.Ranges have been from about 30 to 350 yards,with body weights ranging from 110 to 160 pounds.All deer shot in heart/lung area or shoulders.All deer either droped in their tracks or sprinted about 30 feet and droped dead.Have seen a few coyotes shot with the same combo,kills them pretty darn dead.
<br>If you use this bullet,you will like it.Keep them in the shoulder,heart and lung area and you will be fine.No small caliber should be used for "Texas Heart Shots" anyway.
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<br>They are absolutely good enough. I've been using that bullet for 7 years and my Dad has been for long before that. We've never had a problem, never lost a deer
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<br>The best all round 6mm game bullet I've ever used deer, antelope, and hogs
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<br>I used them for the first time this year in my .243 Ruger #1. Shot a Sika doe that <seemed> to weigh about 140 lbs and appeared to about 14" through the ribs. About 75yds with complete pass through, spray another 10yds behind her...she fell over in her tracks and kicked a couple of times.
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<br>Been using them since 1968 on everything from prairie dogs to large mule deer, in 6mm Rem. and .243 Win.
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<br>Don, I have killed some whitetail years ago with the 243, these with 80 grain factory loads.
<br> I know , I should have been ashamed of myself.
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<br>Whenever you get to feeling real adventurous, we might go hunting sometime. I could use a backup with a 375 with Noslers for these big old whitetails around here.
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Sakoluver. The Sierra 85 HPBT "Gameking" is a big game bullet. Any bullet with the "Gameking or Pro Hunter" designation has a tougher jacket for big game use. Two years ago I had the same question so I called the Seirra hotline. The technician highly reccomended this very bullet. In fact he was noticably exicited about remenicing about his 20+ years of experiance with it. He did caution about picking your shot. He recommend the lung shot. While he had had full penatration on shoulder shots, and would not argue aginst it, it would not be his first choice.
<br>Federal Preminum loads that very bullet. I found them to be very accuate in my rifle.
<br>I shot two does with that bullet last year. One weighing 135lbs. at aprox. 100 yrds. and one 115 lbs. at 140 yrds.
<br>The large doe was a double lung shot. The deer lunged foward and ran 20 yards and droped.
<br>The smaller deer was an angle shot. I shot her through the lungs on the side faceing me and the bullet exited through the opposite shoulder. Complete penatration.
<br>The deer ran about 30 yards and fell over. It looked like someone had threw cups of blood at every step. A novice could have tracked the deer through the thickest cover.
<br>My brother-in-law shot his first deer on his first hunt using the same bullet this year. He shot a 105 lb doe in the ham. The bullet hit about a 1.5" left of the anus, wet through the ham and into the chest cavity penetrating the liver. The deer simply layed down. The ham was a mess. It looked like it had been shreaded with a razor. The body cavity was pretty bad to. But the bullet did its job.
<br>That is the extent of my experiance with that bullet. But I like what I have seen so far. I would however reccommend picking your shots. GB

Any lead/copper bullet in this caliber/weight range will dispatch deer with authority! I wouldn't shoot a moose with it, but a deer ain't a moose.
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<br> I need to go off and see some of thes ironclad deer other folks are hunting one of these days I guess!
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<br>Mike

Since it's a Game King I'd use it and have no worries!
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<br>I trust Sierra bullets

Mike, -- Like they say, everybody has one, my opinion. Love the 243 for smalish deer, Ideal for Texas size deer, never shoot a deer in the shoulder unless it's a bad shot like I made this year. Also I never use less than 100gr for any deer with the 243. Let someone else load your rifle with different loadings, see if you can tell the difference in recoil or performance while hunting. Pick the one that does the best job putting meat on the table, not in the form of hamburger. -- no

Hey NO I agree with you! I use 100gr Partitions because I hunt in the woods were I'll seldom see a deer at 100 yds. I don't shoot unless I have a kill shot, granted this year I had to shoot quick, but it was still aimed at the heart lung region! Every deer I have ever killed could have been taken just as easily with a .22 mag and a head shot! I usually shoot squirrels in the head with it at the ranges and beyond that my deer are shot!!
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<br>My theory is plain old Rem, Win, Fed bullets have been used for many years on deer so people like me who load "other" bullets are just doing it to fulfill other hobbies...Probably very little need involved.
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<br>Mike

How did you get so smart so young? -- no

I ll take that as a compliment coming from such a wisened old sage as yourself
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<br>Mike
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<br>P.S. it's about too hot to fish in GA, supposed to be 75 today!! Where did Winter go?