I am posting this b/c of such positive feedback on this combo, though many still feel the 243 is 'too small'

Which bullet, animal, range, shot placement, results?

Anyone ever lose an animal or have a long tracking job on an animal KNOWN to be hit thru vitals?

In 2010 I went to WY for antelope and mule deer. I shot an antelope at approximately 175 yards with a Barnes 85 gr TSX. It went thru the heart and the antelope went about 10 yards. There was ALOT of blood. I was using Imr 4064 and I ended up seating the bullet 80 thousands off the lands. I believe it was Ingwe that recommended the 4064. I was
shooting a TC Icon.
Bill

65BR, I have been thinking of the same combo you have listed. I had this bookmarked from before:

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/4282437/2

I've killed several deer with the 80 TTSX from a 243. My daughter has killed a couple of does with the same bullet from a 6x45. All complete pass thru's and the deer were all recovered within 30 yards of the shot. Plenty of blood. I've busted shoulders, lungs and hearts all with the same result -- dead deer quick!

If Killertraylor sees this post he can tell you about how well it works. I'm pretty sure Joe has taken several deer with that exact combo.

I sure have become a fan of the .243 since getting my Kampfeld .243 last year, fine rifle & caliber!!

Those that feel the .243 is too small haven't used it. I was in that camp until about 6 years ago btw... Pard's wife shot a dandy 8pt that didn't make it 30 yards and was leaking from both sides on a Win. Power Pt 100gr bullet.

The 85gr TSX improves on that bullet in spades.

My 13-year-old son shot a fall black bear with a 243 and 85 grain TSX's. Shot was tight behind the shoulder, range approx 110 yards, distance traveled after shot was 10-15 feet and bullet exited.

I crushed a mule deer doe with an 80gr hornady gmx. 50 yards tough angle, didn't find the bullet.

The Berger 95gr VLD left allot on the table in terms of on game performance. Lesson learned back to copper monos

No need for monometal bullets here. I just busted my umpteenth buck with my .243 last weekend. One shot from a 100 gr. cup/core {Federal "blue box" factory} was all it took. Smashed the onside shoulder to smithereens, traversed the chest cavity diagonally and left a nickel sized exit on the far side. Range was 50 yds. and he dropped so hard I had to pry his pecker out of the ground with a shovel.

You carry a shovel in the woods?

Doesn't everybody ?

Never had one stop in a deer. All one shot kills. Most down into their shadow. Had one that hardly bled but three drops on the outside but everything inside the chest was wrecked, 30+ inches of penetration.

Id rather have a .243 with 80 TTSXs or 85 TSXs than any 30 cal lead core bullet.

Who the [bleep] said this thread was only about deer, dipshitt..

Large whitetail buck at ~125 yards
-broadside through lungs and heart
-no reaction to shot, kept running into brush, no blood trail for at least 50 yards
-found dead about 100 yards from initial hit
-full penetration, rather small wound channel compared to other 243 bullets, very little bleeding internal or external

Small whitetail doe at ~125 yards
-quartering away through top of shoulders
-DRT but with rather little internal damage and no external bleeding

Compared to a 130TSX in 30-06, they leave very little damage internally and do not bleed nearly as well IME. I think that there are better bullets for the 243 by far on thin-skinned game.

I've killed a truck load of deer with the 85gr X/TSX, both MD and WT, and I've only ever caught 2 bullets. Both were shot at hard angles, and both were recovered from the rear ham, after entering the front end, breaking the humerus, punching through the deer nearly lengthwise, and then breaking the opposite femur. The vast majority of deer that I've shot with these bullets have gone straight down, but I've had them run up to 100 yards when shooting the lungs. I nearly always shoot shoulder, and they nearly always go straight down.

Barnes bullets have proven to be the least finicky bullets I've shot through my rifles. It seems that if I toss together a decent load, it shoots sub-MOA, and I'm done load development. Just today I was out shooting the 80gr TTSX from my .243AI for the first time. I threw together a load with Lapua brass, 48gr of IMR4350, and seated the 80TTSX 0.050" off the lands, and the very first 5-shot group measured right at 0.56MOA at 100 yards, and averaged 3485fps. Load development complete, and I have no doubts that the terminal performance will equal what I saw from the 85's.

Talking 85TSX or 80TTSX?

85 grain, Mule deer, 100 to 300 yds shoulder, dead deer.

243 is devasating on Tennesse whitetails. Average weight is running 100 lbs to 175 lbs. My 243 kills have all been one shot kills with Hornady 100 gr soft point. None have traveled more than 40 yards. Only those head shot have dropped right where they stood. I always aim for heart at distance over 50 yards no matter the angle. I pass on deer going directly away because of too much meat damage with rear end hits.
Sierra has some lighter bullet that work well on lighter deer but break up too easily for my preferance. The kill but i prefer a through and through bullet.

236 yards, Barnes 80gr TTSX out of my 243. Head on shot in chest, recovered from rump roast in textbook condition.....







The same gun/bullet combo is up to bat again on Monday for opening day in PA. Wish me luck!

Good Luck

Nephew just shot a very large Idaho whitetail. Skinned out, legs and head removed the carcas still weighed 160 lbs, we estimate live weight at 300. It was shot at approx 80 yards with a .243 using 85 gr TSX pushed by a stiff charge of IMR 4831. Broke one shoulder, destroyed both lungs and exited with a 1 " hole. Dead on the spot.

Will post some pictures as soon as we get home. Nephew is 16 and he couldn't be happier. Taxidermist in Moscow Idaho said its the biggest whitetail he has seen in 40 years.

I was impressed by the amount of internal damage done by that combo.


Lefty C

Good feedback. No doubt, a mono is going to perform best when running into more muscle/bone thru shoulders IMO than soft tissue like lungs broadside.

Doesn't sound like anyone has yet lost an animal who's reported. What I like hearing is that when the chips are down - it will perform regardless of shot angle. I use and will continue using 95 BTs on deer, but plan on using Barnes for my next several kills whether from a 243 or 6BR.

The pics of that 80 TTSX look great. JS- nice speed - thanks for the load/chrony info. Must be a 24" or longer - I was getting about 3100 in a 20" Ruger #1 RSI, via IIRC 45/IMR 4350 in FC brass.

My one experience is here -

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ger_1_International_Who_has_#Post3091822

Hog hit at 240 yds above, shoulder, wrecked lungs/heart, clipped spine, off shoulder, stopped in fat of the hide offside, DRT, in tracks. Pic of 85 TSX, again, remember, 3100 mv, so longer bbl and better load might add another 50-100 yds of terminal performance.

My MO is always trying different bullets and cartridges, in the name of R&D

Shot placement always rules, and I pick it according to a bullets design.

No doubt Dakota Deer - if I had nothing but broadside deer, an 85 BTHP GKHP or even a 95 BT would do fine, as most cup/core, even a 105 Amax, done it w/70 TNTs myself in a 6BR at 200 yds...ran about 40-60 steps, (2-3 seconds) and hit the brakes and fell over.

Whelenman- nice pics/bucks, thanks for sharing.

Steelhead - what twist are you running in the AIs? Thanks for the bullet info Scott.

Black bears hate that combo.

37 yards - doe -100#. Went 30 yards. Same performance as a doe shot hours before with 90 nbt. Plenty of damage.

26 yards - boar hog - 225-250#. Head shot no real info

60 yards running away - sow - 150#. Quartering away hard. Center hit on back right femur approx 1-1.25" in diameter (golf ball) and penetrated 30" of pregnant hog. Found in front left shoulder. .55" expanded diameter. 85 grain retained weight.

All from 243 WSSM at 3100ish I think. 85 tsx.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._grain_TSX_performance_243_W#Post5934586

Thanks!

Used the 85 grain for the first time this year. Unbelievable how it put the deer right straight down! Hit him far back in the ribs and he was dead when he hit the ground. Best bullet I have used in the 243 in 45 years.

This was going in.

Good looking buck Rod.

Skinny bugger, huh?

Auschwitz buck?

My Grandfather died at Auschwitz, March 1944.

I agree,i too would never thought of the 243 being able to kill deer as effective as my 30-06 until i bought on and tried it........ kills them just as dead !

You are in rare form today.

??? Seriously, he did.

I'm sorry that you lost your Grandfather in Auschwitz.

I flipped a coin between asking if the buck had come from Ethiopia or Auschwitz, and decided that the Ethiopia reference was a little dated.

Some things ought not be joked about. I get that.

That's ok it was an accidental death when he fell from the guard tower....

Man, my timing is completely off. I should have tossed you that softball a couple of hours ago.

80TTSX

They work as designed, but probably not the best for lung shots. Having used the 130TSX 30 cal, they make a big enough hole anyways that the deer will still bleed a lot even with a lung shot.

Thanks.

I caught this 80 gr. TTSX this year. Broke both shoulders of a 200# whitetail and stopped under the hide of the far side. I have seen however a "pencil" wound channel on lung cavity hits where a rib was not hit upon entry. If a rib is hit upon entry the wound cavity is much greater. Only put three of them into game but all 3 hits told me something about the bullet. All shots under 100 yards and game was recovered.

I just bought a box of the 85's to try in my 243. Hoping they might be a good coyote bullet without tearing the hides up too bad.

It worked.......



Another 80gr Barnes TTSX @ 215 yards does the job.

Sweet!

Details of the terminal effect would be appreciated.

I shot two doe today with a load using the 85 grain TSX. 1st was at 58 yards, Boiler-room shot. She did the bronco-buck and made about a 40 yard dash, then piled up.

Second was at 99 yards, broke both shoulders, down right there.

Bones were broken, no bullets were found, and the blood trail was more sparse than with the Interlok/Gamekings I've used in the past, but the meat savings, especially on the shoulder-shot deer is a good trade-off. Internal damage to the lungs was complete.

I'm sold on them for a .243.

So this load works great on deer, is it too much for a coyote?

Dale

Tried them on paper today through my 243, at .050" off the lands. Groups were lacklustre. I think I am going to try seating them closer to the lands. I was able to get about 1" at 100, but no better.

Maybe 3" over the point of the shoulder, just about perfect broadside angle. He did that little drop at the shot where they look like they just got hit by a Barnes 80gr TTSX!

I obviously new he was hit hard and heard him crash about 75 yards into the locust trees. I couldn't ask for more. Interior damage was considerable. Lungs were damaged behold repair. Note the blood coming out the mouth. The blood trail was ample.

Have only shot one coyote with the TSX, in the neck broadside. Blew out the other side about 3" hole.

Try .060 or .070 off, I have a couple of rifles that like the bigger jump to tighten up the groups.

Good info, congrats Lawdwaz, Vic, and others.

Wow! This sounds like a great combination. Several of your fellow .243 shooters don't fair as well in these parts of N.C. I am not sure what bullet these guys are using, but they clearly don't get the results shown above. A fellow that I go to church with hit one this year that bled a good bit for maybe 75 yards. After that the trail got thin and we never found the deer. I am sure it must have been a marginal hit, but it sure bled like a vitals hit for a while. I also have a .243 but I only shoot it at varmints and targets. I have very little confidence in the round despite the results that you guys get. For some reason it seems like deer hit with a .243 seem to have the blood trail thin out after a bit.

My son dropped a 200lb hog this past weekend with his Remington 700 Compact in .243 shooting Federal Premium with an 85g Barnes TSX. One shot, 120 yds, impacted behind shoulder and high, massive damage. The feral pigs are tough and this one was done.

I shot 100-120 pound dink last year at 40 yards with a 700. first round hit just behind the shoulder and exited between 4-5 ribs. He actually ran about 15 yards and stopped and started feeding again. second round hit about 2" from the first exit wound and exited the center of his chest. he ran 25 yards and piled up.
That was the last barnes I shot and the last deer I will probably ever shoot with either a 243 or a Barnes.

My results with a .243 pretty much sound like ringworm's observation. I shot a small buck tight behind the shoulder, broadside... he just looked up , turned around and started feeding again. I put another round through him from the opposite side about 2" from the exit hole. Range: 200 yards. 95 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. Have had other situations with the .243 that leave me less than enthused.

Ringworm, sounds like he made it 40 yards from the first hit?

FWIW, I hit a small buck w/a 338/06 yrs back, 200gr BT at 2910fps, range 40 paces, deer ran about 100 yds.....go figure, it turned and ran straight to me and turned just before my stand, and blood was GUSHING out of it about the size of a silver dollar. Bullet failure? Cartridge Failure? Not enough Power?

I think not. SLAMMED a few other large bucks, one at 200 yds was a DRT. I think sometimes the smallish deer lack enough mass to fully absorb a bullets energy.

Wonder what the insides of those deer on the above 2 posts looked like?

65BR, I bet it was the distance that made the difference. My buddy shot a nice blacktail with my .243 using the same ammo that I did and his was DRT while mine ran a ways. The only difference was the distance, mine was close and his wasn't.

So you had a deer run 40 yards and die, with two entrance and two exit wounds and you think it was the bullet?

My son used this combo this past weekend on a WT buck.

Bullet: 85 grain TSX, 243 AI 3400 fps @ muzzle
Range: 80 yards
Distance traveled after hit: 40 yards
WT buck given a second shot due to head being up after hitting the dirt.
Bullet Penetration: 11 inches. found under hide opposite shoulder

Recovered TSX, still weighs 85 grains

I've piled up a bunch of whitetails with mine. I don't have the exact details but will tell you the distances have been between 40 and 150y. All but one were drilled through the shoulders with either the 80g TTSX or 85g TSX. They were all bam-flops. The one shot behind the shoulder ran about 40y and bled well. I've never recovered a TSX or TTSX in any caliber in a whitetail.

After reading numerous posts how TSX's penetrate like nothing else on the market and many claiming to never recover one inside a critter, I've seen five animals catch and hold 3 bullets. Two of them were .30 cal 180's. One from a .300 Weatherby (elk) and the other from a 300 Win (WT buck). This is just the second animal my son has killed with the TSX's and a shoulder shot on a 2.5 year-old 4x4 buck stopped the 85 grain TSX. I don't doubt TSX's penetrate well, as many people attest to it, but I've possibly seen the impossible where 3 outta 5 stopped and 2 were deer.

Not that it really matters though because all critters eneded up in the freezer.

So you shot a deer through BOTH lungs, through and through, and it just loped on over 40 yards and went back to feeding like it had been stung by a bee? Really now?

I believe, strange things happen. Same thing happened on one of my bow kills.

Have to assume, THAT deer was feeding on Deer Cocaine

2007, 29 1/2 inch muley 385 yards, one shot boom flop. Tikka T-3 lite with 85 grain tsx. Bullet recovered under far hide, perfect mushroom and 95% weight retention.

2008 WA, 22 inch muley with lots of mass. 410 yards, one shot boom flop. Tikka T-3 lite, 85 grain tsx. Bullet went all the way through heart and exited.

2008-OR, forked horn muley. 325 yards, one shot, he ran 50 yards and piled up. Tikka T-3 lite, 85 grain tsx. Bullet went all the way through both lungs.
2008, 5x5 bull elk, 305 yards, one shot, double lung with exit. Bull walked 25 yards and fell over dead. Tikka T-3 lite, 85 grain tsx.

2009, 4x4 muley, 20" wide. 250 yards bedded down, facing me. Looked like someone dropped an Anvil on his head - by far the quickest kill ever. Bullet recovered under far hide behind last rib. Tikka T-3 lite, 85 gain tsx.

I've killed a pile of animals since 2009 and the only reason I don't take the Tikka is that I have 30 other rifles in the safe that have been abused. I wouldn't hesitate to hunt anything in North America with the .243 and 85 grain tsx.

Here's a few pics of animals who hate guns, and especially .243's

Most hunters I know have seen things like this happen in the field. Get out and start hunting and you'll see it sooner than later.

Shod

I put an arrow right into a muley's shoulder (and on into a lung and the heart) and he kinda jumped a bit, then stopped, turned and looked at me, walked off about 10 yards and fell over.

i've also nailed a couple does broadside through both lungs and they just kinda sat there, went back to feeding, then dropped over a few seconds later from all the blood that poured out while they were eating.

stranger things have indeed happened.

In 35 years of woods time I've never seen an animal, any animal, react that way to a lung shot. I've seem them slowly move away, stumble then fall over. But I've never seen or heard of one going back to feeding after such trauma. And I've killed hundreds of deer with everything from a 22-250 to a 7mm Mag to a bow. The reaction and results are identical regardless of weapon. Never seen one get knifed and belly back up to the buffet though. But hey, if you guys say you've seen then who am I to argue?

Shod, I don't doubt you, but sounds like the deer died very close to impact. Wreck the lungs and the animal will expire very quickly w/o Oxygenated blood.

That deer was dead, just did not drop on the shot. I say that was a success

.....from eating tainted white tail.

the Barnes bullet made be a believer
My Mohawk 243 cal and a 85 gr. TSX
I took a large doe in the N.E. Woods average shot better then 130 plus,the bullet entered the left side just behind the shoulder and travel threw the center of the deer
I did recover the bullet in the rear right quarter it did turn the lungs into jelly one large entrance hole no exit
deer only took a few steps
the bullet weight 85 grains

I shoot through the shoulders, not behind the shoulders, forget running.