243 Win - 85 gr Sierra BTHP vs Hornady 95 SST

Is there a benefit to using one or the other for whitetail deer
hunting? I have both bullets. I guess I could shoot both to see which one shoots best in my rifle, but it being a Browning BAR, I'm not expecting benchrest accuracy out of it anyway.

I'm a heavy bullet guy by caliber. However the bullet that gives you the best accuracy in your rifle is what to use. The deer will not know the difference if you put it where it belongs.
Have a great day.
Jim

I always have a fair supply of the 87 BTHP, and never bought the 95 gr SST. Based on both the price, but have had plenty of experience with the 87 BTHP along with the 105 grain BTHP. They work great... so why reinvent the wheel?

I have a couple of rebarreled rifles in 6 x 45. I ordered them with a 1 in 7 twist... to be able to shoot the 100 SPs and the 105 BTHP.... they also shoot the 103 ELD and 108 gr ELD, at over 2500 fps. But I have a couple thousand of the 105s and about 1000 of the 87 gr BTHPs....

Didn't know Sierra made a 87 HPBT. They do make an 85 grain HPBT. Having used both the 95 SST and an 85 Sierra, there's not much difference.

sierra makes a 87gr HPBT bullet, is it new, Hornady makes a 87gr bullet

My bad - I meant 85 gr BTHP.

When I had and used a 243W, I used the Sierra #1530
with good results. Never had a problem. Accuracy
was good. Never used your other choice.

The Sierra must be a capable projectile, because
they were scarce for a long time. IIRC I sold the
last of what I had to a member here when they
were still hard to get.

Good Luck

one of two choices....

1. seafire is displaying Old Timers Confusion Conditions

2. Hornady's is SOO GOOD, that Sierra had to throw one on the market not to miss out on all the sales Hornady gets.

my money is on the latter....




On # 1.... you guys will be there soon enough.....also.

If you're a lung shooting kind of guy, then the 85 HPBT. If you're a shoulder shooting kind of guy, then the 95 SST.

I've used both on a number of deer and I'm with JamesJr. Not much difference.

Go with the one that shoots best and have no fear, Deer are usually pretty impressed with either. I use 100 gr interlokt boattails only because I have an elk tag in my deer areas and am not against sticking one in an unfortunate elk.......

Yes. Go with accuracy.

Thanks, gentlemen.

BTW, irrespective of accuracy, how fast should I be trying to push either one of these bullets for good performance from say 50 to 300 yards on whitetails?

you can push an 87 or 85 grain in a 243 to 3150 fps MV or a little more if you want it to be as hot as possible.

I only have experience with the 85 Sierra and the 87 Hornady BTHP, but I'd tend to run them at the 2800 fps MV...

Slowed down some I think I've gotten deeper penetration than at the higher MV. Both being HPs, they will give a hollower wound, at the faster velocity, wider but less penetration. no one ever seems to consider the resistance of the deer's meat.

Think about slamming your fist into water, while in the lake. Hit it real hard you feel the resistance of the water..

Hit it with your fist slower, and you feel little to no resistance....Same concept in soft material such as meat.

The 85 grain Sierra is an unparalleled killer in the 243. I’ve seen many mule deer and elk cleanly killed with that bullet. That includes some bone broken too. Just works.

Don’t care for sst

Slower will be better for me, since the main reason why I'm fooling around with the .243 Win. in the first place is for a reduction in recoil.

Have you used this particular SST out of a 243 on deer?

I have had immense success with it in .270 Win. Would you expect anything different in a .243?

Used them out a 25-06 several yrs ago not impressed

That's a different ballgame. Especially if you're talking about 100 grain bullets in the 25-06.

The 95 grain, 243 SST is a flat based bullet with a relatively long shank section. It has done quite well at my camp out of a 243 on top of about 41 grains of H4350.

Have used several ballistic tips out of 243s I’ll stick with interlocks

The 95 grain Ballistic Tip has been very successful for us too. Which ones did you try?

I should add, the SST is an Interlock.

Seafire….care to share some of those reduced loads?

I’m thinking 4895 might be a good choice here??

Yep - sure 'nuf is.

I normally go with faster powder. A lot of my work, has been inspired via Boy Scouts. I work with a lot of 12 to 14 yr olds, that inherit Dad's or Granddad's 06 or 308, after completing the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge. Powders I use a lot of for these boys, and let them load them, with Dad's presence and my supervision is either 4198s ( I prefer IMR's ) or RL 7. 3031 is also a good source to use for youth loads.

I use a lot of these loads myself in the field, as I have the philosophy that I don't need a 1000 yd elk load to take some blacktail deer at 100 yds or less....or even at 199 yds or less. Most common load I use and recommend is 30 grains of 4198. This is from 243 up thru 30/06. It will duplicate velocity of a 30/30 or better in an 06 or 308. Lighter bullet equal a 300 Savage. This charge doesn't matter if the bullet is a 110 grain up to a 180 grain bullet. You are not over SAAMI spec pressure limits., yet it will easily take a deer to 250 yds, without any real "Kentucky windage".... ( I'll expand on that a little in a following post ).

The same charge will work with a 243, with any bullet weight, without exceeding SAAMI specs. from 55 grains to 105 grains. It will even allow a varmint bullet to be effective on any decent sized deer on down. On the other end, its not a good choice for a partition, but will work great with a Barnes X, TSX or TTSX. IN fact these will often penetrate further at the lower speed, than at higher velocity many times. Depends on the size of your animal of course...But they are more lethal at the slower speeds for a variety of reasons. Just don't use a bullet that is known for being really hard, and you'll be fine. A Sierra Game Changer is not recommended by me tho... there was a whole lynch mob on me over finding out that one didn't work well, as it was too hard.. It needs to be driven hard to maximize its design parameters.

Shorten up the distance you may want to take game, say 100 yds or so.. and these charges can be dropped to 20 or 25 grains of 4198 and they will work within most bullets design envelope.

Blue Dot, Alliant Steel and also even Unique can be used if done so in the right parameters. Even worked on some of these loads for women and younger gals to use... like 10 yr olds and even younger in a few instances. A 30/30 with 10 grains of Unique and a 110 gr SP/RN bullet ( normally for a M1 Carbine ) will work just fine for 100 to 125 yds....done this one for some young kids, "hunting" with Grandpa off the front porch, when either the kid or grandpa are handicapped.

anything from 243 to 06 and about any common cartridge in between, I've worked with folks with these loads for kids and women.. even dads and granddads seem to like them if they don't care for recoil, yet they still will bring home venison all day, within range parameters... which I set at 250 yds, and that takes in about the range 99% of most deer are taken within.

I can tell ya Holston, ANY of these will work within the area you live in.... for deer or bear. I may live in Oregon, but I am from where you are from.... for 17 generations.... was born in Bluefield. descended from some of the first people to settle in that corner of Virginia and what is now Southern WVa...

Good info, I appreciate it.

My 8 year old got a little too used to shooting a suppressed Blackout, I think the Tikka compact in .243 was a little too much with my normal 95 gr BT load after 7-8 rounds.

And yea, I hear ya on any of them working around here. I was hesitant about subsonic loads, but the 2 deer he killed with them this year went about 40 yards total after the shot.






Sorry for the derail….

Damn! What bullet? That blackout nearly split that doe in half!

Ha, he wanted a pic of his gutting job!

220 Sierra RN at 1050.

I've also used both the 85 Sierra BTHP and the 87 Hornady BTHP in a 6mm. I'd have to pull my notes but it was in a 18" Model 7 so speeds were down. I can say based on my results that the Sierra is most definitely a tougher bullet, but both work.

The Sierra 85 gr is the best of both worlds IMO. At least at milder speeds which is all I have to go off of. Opens up easily but plows on through. I wouldn't expect an exit on a hard quartering shot, but cross body shots were not an issue.

Must have been one of those 9mm rounds that Biden was babbling about. 😁

I use to use that bullet exclusively on northern White Tail when I lived in MN and hunted there and in Wisconsin, out of an 06... but even at distance, I have taken a couple of big bucks at 300 yds plus with it.... dime sized hole going in and a dime sized exit hole. However the lungs, and the upper half of the liver and/or heart also, in the chest looked like it was stirred with a running chain saw.

That is why I prefer heavy for caliber Round Nose bullets, but sadly most hunters nowadays prefer something that is long and sleek and dream of shooting a deer at 1000 yds.. A 220 gr RN nose hits something, the sectional density of .330 or so, will still pass right thru....never experienced something that wouldn't pass right on thru with that 220 RN.

Out of a 300 Win Mag at 2900 fps +, its quite the hammer... even at 300 yds.

The 165 30 cal SST is a bomb at 3000 fps.

The 123 SST is just right out of my Grendel at 2450 fps.

Never shot either of the bullets the OP asks about, but would bet that either could be shot hard enough to make them blow up out of a 243. Just my guess

Actually in my limited experience with the 95 SST in the 243 they're a stout little bullet.

Same for the 85 grain Sierra BTHP Gameking. This one is definitely too hard for my liking. Stouter than either of the 100 grain soft point offerings from Sierra. On a handful of deer I had runners and on 1 coyote he covered about 200 yards with an exit hole about the size of a 50 cent piece. Lung shot, no heart or shoulders hit.

The Sierra gets a lot of praise but it is too stout of a bullet for my liking. Won't knock those who like it, just not what I want in a deer and coyote bullet.

The 85 Sierra is the most accurate bullet that I have tried in my 243's. The bullet I am curious about is the 85 Speer #1213. I loaded up a dozen last night to see how they shoot. Midway has them for 25 cents a piece while the sierras are 38 cents. Have any of you guys shot any deer with the Speer 85's and if so how did they work?

They work very well behind the front leg in the lungs. Softer than the Sierras for sure.

On a deer, I've shot several with the 85 SP Speer. The load was 30 grains of 4198. I've loaded them up for kids to use and they have all been successful in taking their deer, and that is all that they cared about. I've taken deer each time I have used it myself.... BUT... several points:

1. 30 grains of 4198 is a light load, and the bullet can be pushed faster, with say a load of 4064 or 4350. Last buck I shot with it, was a big blacktail.... 180 lbs, shot behind the shoulder at at 50 yds. Fell on its side, grunted twice and expired.
Took it to the butcher and they asked if I wanted the remains of the bullet, so I said yes.

2. The bullet remains I got back, there wasn't much left of it. It had not exited. The buck died instantly, and the bullet had expended ALL of its energy and lethality within the deer's body at 50 yds at a lower MV. If I had used a load with 4064 or 4350, and it was traveling faster, I'd say I would have had a real mess, with a lot of blood shot meat.

3. Since that last experience, I pretty much use 90 grain Speer SPs. It opens up well, even at the lower MVs, yet its core stays together better, for deeper penetration. The 85 SP Speer would be more conditioned for me to use in my 6 x 45, than say a 243. The 6 x 45 had been built AFTER I had the above experience.

4. If cost is not an issue, the Sierra 85 SP or the Hornady 87 grain SP would be a better choice in the 243 or 6mm Rem.
Any of the 90 grain bullets on the market would be a better choice if wanting a stouter bullet than the 85 grain Speer.

5. If cost is a selling point, then I'd recommend using the 85 SP Speer, with a lower MV, say in the 2400 fps range., especially on smaller deer such as a doe. I know western PA can get some good sized bucks. I wouldn't want to lose one, or have a ton of blood shot meat, just to save a few dollars on a box of bullets. I'm not a big " premium" bullet guy. I think 'premium' is just a marketing dept term, but from what I have seen using the Speer 85 SP, I'd say there are better choices out there..... and this coming from a guy who is a big fan of Speer bullets and shoot a lot of them each year. Like several thousand or more.

Just my feed back based on my experience, for your question...best of luck on whatever your choice may be.

cheers,
seafire

I have loaded the 85 gr. BTHP for decades with 42.5 grs of 4350. It is a very accurate load for the .243.

Man, for a cheap hunting bullet, where the OP is only looking to shoot out to "300 yards" on deer, I'd be looking at the 100gr Hornady BTSP interlock too. Last year, when Scheels had a 15% off sale on reloading components, I was buying those bullets for $21/box. Those bullets are also very easy to find. Unlike the Sierra 85gr BTHP. I've used the 85gr Sierra, and those shoot real well, but a couple buddies of mine, use the 100gr Hornady BTSP interlock, with great success on deer sized critters. Because of that, and the price, that is what I load in my girlfriends .243, and my new to me Sako. Both rifles love that bullet. We practice out to 500 yards with those rifles, and they shoot very well out to that distance. I don't know how many the OP has of the other bullets, but when he runs out, I'd suggest he tries the 100gr Hornady BTSP interlock.

I generally consider price point, as well as accuracy/precision and bc, when looking at bullets to use. The BTSP definitely has a leg up in the price department. Last I saw, the Sierra's are in the $36-$39.00 price range, when/IF you can find them. BC is .311.

Now, compare that to the 100gr BTSP interlock. Price= $24.99 and BC of .405

Then the Hornady 95gr SST: Price of $36.99. BC of .355

I don't know about you, but I can see a clear winner there... Just my way of thinking.. Probably because I shoot a lot, so price is top of the list of requirements. Lower price= more practice.

Killed a couple of does last year with a Ruger American Compact 243 using the 95 gr SST. I used StaBall and loaded it to around 2800 and those bullets worked like a charm. For higher veocity hunting loads in the 243 i Use NBT's and R26. However zero complaints with the SST's.

Another vote for the 85gr BTHP. I knew a guy in CA who only had one rifle and only shot one bullet - that 85gr "loaded as fast as it can go".

He had over 100 deer and a half-dozen elk with that setup...

Tried a 85 bthp.on two deer before, both were Angled shots deer ran 70-100 yards and died. Very little blood trail and entrance and exit holes were very similar, small!
Never used the 85 gr again.
I did have very good luck with the 100 gr gameking, every deer shot struggled to make it past 50 yards and exit holes were impressive.

Shot a doe at 410 yards with a 85 gr Sierra BTHP over a medium charge of 4064. The slugs went through both shoulders and exited. I attributed that to the speed it was traveling upon impact, I don't think it would've passed through if it was a 100 yard shot.

Concur completely.
They are fine at longer distance or lower velocity. Not every caliber or even weight within caliber seem to perform the same. Have seen both good and bad performance from them.

Sierra hpbt have a thicker jacket than the sp, direct from their engineers.

If you want to use a Sierra 85 grain bullet use the SP Varminter. I have killed tons of deer with his bullet in 253 and 6mm.

If they make it 20 yards they covered a lot of ground.

Far quicker kills than I got with the BTHP.

I've moved on to 105 vld , they kill like lighting. Recently loaded some 105 scenars but haven't killed yet.