Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 243 and 6mm kills - do tell

Yes we can include other 6mm rounds.

Tell us about your field results - list details, load info, and pics if want.

Since many feel these are SMALLISH hunting rounds, let's see the Reality.

Over the years myself, my dad, and my late uncle have killed a BUNCH (200 +)of deer with the .243, 6mm Remington, and .240 Gibbs (my uncle's) with several different bullets with fine results.

My current .243 deer load is the 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, 41.0 grains of H4350 @ 2954 fps from a Tikka T3 and around 2800 fps out of a Remington Model 7

In my experience those who pooo-poo the 6mm's have either never used one much or put way too much weight on what they read from some gunwriters, internet forums, and reloading manuals.

first handful of deer i killed were with a Browning BLR 243. shot factory ammo 80gr powerpoints. i think the furthest one ran was 30 yards. a couple were nice size bucks. picked up a 700 in 243 a cpl months ago itll see some time in the woods this fall

I had good performance from the Hornady 100 grain Interlock flatbase, very accurate. But, it's discontinued and none are to be found. I still have a couple hundred, so if need be, I can get a couple seasons out of my stash.

I've shot several with the 85 TSX, with the usual results. All died, and I never found a bullet. It seemed to me that the blood trail was sparse, though. I didn't have a problem finding any of the deer, they usually went down within sight, but I could tell that it would be a semi-fun tracking job if they didn't. Still, a very dependable bullet, especially for up-close shots that really stress bullets, but this bullet is not as accurate as I'd like.

So, last year, I tried the Sierra 100 grain Pro-hunter. On a smallish 4-pointer, I got a close-range raking shot that I put under the last rib on the right, angled towards the left shoulder. That deer ran 80 yards in some of the thickest brush without a drop of blood hitting the ground. The insides were absolute soup, and the shoulder had not been touched. It was simply asking too much of this bullet to stay together at the range I shot that deer, though I don't doubt it would be a dandy bullet once it had put 100 yards or so behind it.

This year, I have loaded the 80 TTSX, and it is accurate, much more so than the TSX. I have no doubt about the bullet perfomance, either.

I have 95 grain BTs and 95 grain Partitions to try out, I haven't even loaded any yet, but I think I'll try the Ballistic Tips first.

Sounds like my experience. I tried all kinds of bullets in the .243 shot lots of deer, a few antelope and a couple elk, plus a bear with it. The easy favorite was 100 gr. Flat base Hornady, filled by 100 NPT ( Never could tell a difference in performance...)
And likewise, Im stoked to go with 95 Gr. NBTs right now, but haven't sunk any into meat yet.....

Started in with a 6mm Remington back in 1974. For the past 10 years or so my youngest son uses it for mule deer and whitetail. It's a great little cartridge!

Favorite load for it is the superb 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip over enough RE-22 to get about 3,000 fps from the 22" well worn, 40 year old barrel. He dropped another whitetail with it last season:



This one was straight into the chest as the buck faced him, from a quickly assumed kneeling position at about 70 yards. We did recover the bullet, from the hip. It had gone through the chest, hit the spine, then angled down and into the hip, caught by the skin. 49 grains, and expanded to about .5" or so.


Typical kill we've come to expect from the 6mm Remington. Instant. Also the only time we've ever recovered a 6mm bullet from deer... We've also used the 100 gr Nosler Solid Base bullets with pretty much the same results. Pass-throughs can be expected on broadside shots.

Same young fellow, ten years ago with his first deer, a muley doe at about 275 yards. We had the rifle in a Rem youth stock then. Broadside shot. Bullet exited through the off-side leg, shattering it, after destroying her heart. Instant drop and death.


So that's it in a nutshell. Accurate. Lethal. Easy to shoot. Deadly effective on varmints, coyotes & deer size game. I used that rifle for a long time and now my youngest son has used it for ten years. We know it will do what we ask of it.

Guy

Guy, it looks like the young man has confidence in his rifle. He apparently hasn't wanted to change.

Poobs, my routine for starting with a new rifle was to try the Hornady Interlock, and the Speer Hotcor, then pick the most accurate one from there.

More often than not, the Hornady was more accurate.

I have an old 6mm Rem 700 BDL that I picked up from the 60's. I have not used it yet this season, but will do so in short order. Using 95 gr BT's over 47 grs of R-22 and getting 3070 fps. It shoots 3/4" @ 100 yards.

I have an 03-A3 w/ Sako barrel chambered to 6-250 that shoots about anything I feed it.

My buddy borrowed it last deer season. Load was a 90 gr NBT pushed to almost exactly 3k using RL15 (insanely low EDs on that load!!). He had a doe some in close (50-ish yards) quartering toward him. He hit her in her left shoulder & bullet exited just behind right shoulder. She didn't run 50 yds, bled heavily, and dropped dead.

Someday I'll give my 25s a break and take this one into the field after deer!! Certainly wouldn't hesitate.

Witnessed a mule deer kill at a bit over 350yds with a .243 last Friday. 95gr Berger went through him and made a splash in the dirt behind him that looked like a miss....until the buck kicked, took a few steps and tumbled down the mtn. I've always been a 30-06 guy and curious about .243 performance - after witnessing that, I would like to pick up a M70 Featherweight in .243. Looked like a very capable cartridge to me.

A couple from back in the .243 days...( which are still going on to some extent...)













Its capable.

^ When did John Cleese take up deer hunting?

My first 6mm deer was running wide open at about 100 yards. Bang flop right there with 80 grain corelokt factory loads.

He does reach for the old .30-06 when we're after bear or elk. But yes, for deer, whitetail or mule deer, he prefers the 6mm Rem.

Shortly after I gave it to him, I was really missing it. Replaced it with a .25-06 I've gone bonkers over, but tell you the truth, I can't see any difference between the two in the field. He's shooting a 95 or 100 gr bullet at 3,000 fps and I'm shooting a 115 gr bullet at 3120 fps... Not really much difference there.

Good deer cartridges, those 6mm's.

NICE bucks Ingwe!

Regards, Guy

Really like the 243 and 95 BT. Would use that combo for elk as well under the right circumstance without reservation.

The last victim.

Tell me he's not a two point!


I would LOVE to kill one of those monster two points!

He is the second one.

The other one is larger, I'll try to dig up a pic.

YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

Good posts and pics. What I see as a theme is when good bullets are deployed, and shot placement is handled, enhanced by low recoil and flat trajectory, results are solid. Re: blood trails, I wonder how many 'lost' deer were dead in a reasonable distance and not recovered?

Vic, the Sierra is a killer, but a Barnes, 95 NBT, or say an Interlock would surely give you a better exit. Odds are the fast expanding highly destructive 85 BTHP will put them on the ground quicker than a 100 BTSP SGK, and if you are not getting a blood trail w/100s, I would choose a different bullet myself. I did lose a deer once, and it was a 100 SGK, shot placement was why as it was facing me, and my POI in the frigid temps was lower than when I sighted in, I never got that slug into the boiler room, and admit I lost confidence. My then Brother in law later told me he saw a deer limping. I saw hair fly on shot/impact, but no blood. I think from my tall tower stand I grazed it near it's armpit if you will. That was in the 80s, thankfully my skills and knowledge have improved since, as has my confidence in 6mm's, having used the BR and 243 successfully on several head of deer and a hog.

No, JR sucks.

Yes he's bigger than me.

Awesome buck, my first mulie was a 27" forkie. Dad told me if I wanted to shoot a big buck I couldn't be shooting fork horns, I did both!