Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Which bullet = least meat damage?

So I got this new .243 and am wondering which bullet will cause the least damaged meat. It's a BIT quicker than the Swede that I normally shoot. Is the Barnes monolithc type bullet in a fast mover like the .243 better than a cup and core bullet? How about the Partition? What say the experts?

I say shoot for the ribs. With whatever bullet you want. Barnes seem to have a reputation for lessor meat damage when put into shoulders. I've not used them, so I haven't validated that. The forward ribs are my always target, and I rarely lose anything but flank meat. I also prefer softer, faster opening bullets at moderate velocities. The bullet speed has a lot to do with how it acts when it strikes.

Shoot 'em in the head with whatever. No meat damage that way.

Haven't used a Barnes in a 243 but I have in a 257Wby. Shot a doe last year and little high and got into the backstrap. No bloodshot meat and could literally eat up to the hole.

This year I used a 85 Sierra HPBT out of my 240Wby. At 355yds through the ribs there wasn't much meat damage. Plan to work up a load with the 85 TSX before next season. I've heard great things about them out of the 243, figure the 240Wby is just more of a good thing.

I never let that influence my decision. Better to kill it, find it and lose a little meat than not ruin any meat and have it run off not to be recovered.

Yup screw worrying about meat damage. If you want impressive terminal performance out of a 243 win hull I would recommend the 95 Nosler BT. Shoot the damn things anywhere in the front half and watch them melt.

The one you shoot most accurately and practice with most often.
There is hardly and meat lost with a high neck or double lung shot.

358 win equals less meat damage...

To do that in a 243 go with a heavy TSX and stay low on the powder charge.

No question TTSX's are the best when it comes to less blood shot meat!

Pretty easy choice. Barnes.

Shootaswede: Its not WHICH bullet you use, its WHERE you place it!
Shoot the Deer through the heart/lungs and you won't waste any meat, the Deer will bleed out almost completely (enhancing the quality and flavor of the meat!) AND... the Deer will die a quick and humane death.
I have used both the Nosler Partitions and Ballistic Tips in 100 and 95 grains respectively for quick kills and great accuracy.
Best of luck to you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Heart and ribs are delicious; front shoulders are for shooting - just hamburger!

My $0.02

It ain't the bullet, it is fast twist you want to stay away from...

Shrapnel, this is a facory installed barrel, Am I safe to assume that the twist isn't too fast? What is the normal twist of a Remington installed barrel?

Shrapnel, this is a facory installed barrel, Am I safe to assume that the twist isn't too fast? What is the normal twist of a Remington installed barrel?

I prefer the freedom to shoot a deer wherever when the need arises. The Barnes ruins remarkably little meat even when contact the big bones is made.

My experience has been much the same. Compared to what most of you guys use, my bullet choice is absurdly heavy & slow. I typically take the lung shot and can eat up to the hole.

Where I hunt, sometimes you need to make sure they dont take a 70 yard death run (river, property line, etc.) When I hit shoulder or neck with the same 500 grain solid at 1100fps, its not always so clean.

we've been very happy with the 80 grain TTSX and how it's worked on deer out of the .243s.

I appreciate all of the feedback. I haven't hunted with anything but the Swede for over 10 years, so this is something new!

Anything 270. Can't hurt meat you don't hit.

There have been a few times that I have managed to come away from a hunt with venison ribs. I consider myself serious barbequer, and I have never gotten a good meal out of them. As a result, I never consider the loss of rib meat in the equation.

A shot that takes out both lungs and the heart will do just fine. I do not shoot .243 WIN-- been more of a .30 and .35 kind of guy. However, I did nail a deer with a 25-06 this year. Honestly, they all seem to do a good job. Depending on what gets hit on the way in and the way out, you may have up to a fist-sized hole in the off-side of the deer, but actual meat loss is going to be minimal.

Shoulders? Although effective, I think it ruins too much usable meat. I agree that a shoulder roast is a bit much work, but if you drop one in a slow cooker for half a day, the meat falls off the bone. An easy recipe is one shoulder roast, one bottle of Russian dressing, and 6 hours in the slow cooker.

I guess you can count my bewhilderment at this question, in with the guys that shake their heads at those of us that pursue that last 50fps of velocity in our handloads, but do people really fret over the kiddie meal hamburger worth of meat that one bullet might destroy over another?

Evidently they do.

It's like half think deer are armor plated and need big calibers and high dollar bullets, and the other half are on a quest to see just how small a cartridge they can use and still kill them efficiently.

I once had a guy tell me he wanted to buy a 300 Wby Mag, and when I asked why, he said his 257 Wby didn't have the power to kill a deer

Whatever; deer aren't hard to kill.

WRONG! Min caliber 338 WM, 340 Bee is even better. Use the best bullet you can find.................

In my opinion you save meat by lower velocity as much as bullet weight, style or manufacturer. I would shoot a hornady 100 about 2200 fps or so.

Truth of the matter is I'm used to the pedestrian velocity of the 6.5X55 which allows eating up to the hole and very minimal bloodshot meat. I realize the difference in speed and am looking to minimize the damage I have seen here on the campfire when velocity is high. Okiebowhunter, I seems like your information and the info I got from another member of the campfire via P.M. make the most sense. Thanks for the many opinions and information.

! Thats pretty funny

Shoot a barnes copper bullet so you don't frag out lead every where in the meat. Just because its not bloodshot, doesn't mean it doesn't have lead fragments in it.

Before you flame me, go to the MN DNR website and search for the lead in venison reports. It will make you think twice that eating up to the hole has a little more lead flakes than you want.

Ive shot them with Hornady Custom 100g interlock BTSP (whitetail is the same bullet) and damage to meat was minimal.

9 1/8 in the Rem....I think Sharpnel was joking with you.