I will be looking to settle on factory ammo for a new-to-me .243 Win. The most likely use will be for short-range whitetail deer.

My plan is to create a preferred list of ammo and only progress down the list if the first and subsequent choice doesn't shoot well. Please critique my list, or my overall plan.

1. Barnes Vor-TX 80 gr. TTSX
2. Federal Premium 85 gr. TSX
3. Federal Premium 100 gr. Nosler Partition
4. Winchester Supreme Elite 95 gr. XP3
5. Hornady Superformance 80 gr. GMX
6. Remington Premier 80 gr. Copper Solid Tipped
7. Federal Premium 100 gr. Sierra GameKing BTSP
8. Federal Fusion 95 gr. Spitzer BT
9. Winchester Super-X 100 gr. PowerMax Bonded Protected HP
10. Remington Premier 100 gr. Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded PSP

I am sure everyone's list would vary somewhat, but if anyone has a good reason why my list should be different, I'm all ears.

Thanks.

You don't need premium bullets for deer. Standard 100 grain Core-Lokts work great.

Wouldn't a premium bullet give me more margin for error, especially on a less than perfect shot - say a quartering shot that hits heavy bone?

Pretty safe list.Myself wouldn't use that Sierra for nuttin but paper.Prolly try the Federal 85gr TSX 1st.Can't see that load not shooting excellent.

Deer are very easy to kill. If you want to spend more money go ahead.

In all fairness Swampman is correct.

They even die when you shoot them with a 223.

OK. Then, for the sake of argument, assume that the rifle may also be used for a black bear hunt, even though the chances of shooting a bear here are relatively small. The bear can range anywhere between 80 - 700+ lbs.

Start with #8.

Though I am running reloads with the Barnes 80TTSX, I think the Fusions do a better job for most scenarios unless you really need to take a rear end shot.

Next in line would be the Remington Premium ammo with the Scirroco 90 grain.

But I thought Swampy swears by the '06. Why shoot such a high powered rifle if they are so easy to kill (which I don't doubt that they are)?

What is more "overkill" - a .243 with premium bullets or a 30-06 with 180 gr. Core-Lokts?

If you want to shoot premium bullets at deer, you might want to choose the premium that had a similar ballistic coefficient and velocity to the cheapest ammo available in your area (e.g. , Federal blue box or red box at Walmart for around $13 per box of 20) so you could practice a lot for not much dough. As others have said, deer aren't that hard to kill, so any of the premiums should work, as should any cup-and-core 100 grain .243" bullet designed for deer.

A .30-06 isn't a "high powered" rifle. It's a normal deer rifle.

I shoot a .30-06 so I can use the same rifle on everything.

i'd start with the 100 gr partition. if they shot at or under 1.5" at 100, i'd quit right there and just hunt. ymmv

The .243 isn't a bear rifle but a 100 Nosler Partition in the brain or heart will do the job I suppose.

Others may have different views, but if I (me personally) was going to shoot a bear with a .243 Win, I would be sure I shot it like I would with a bow and arrow - with the bear slightly angling away so the bullet would go through only ribs before getting to the lungs/heart, and avoid the shoulder. In that scenario, I don't know that bear would be that different than deer in terms of bullet needs. That being said, a stout premium like a monometal (Nosler E-Tip, Barnes TSX of some variety, or a Hornady GMX) or a Partition would probably give me more peace of mind if bear was possible.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I think I would try to match the stout premium to the cheap practice load because I doubt there would be much difference among the stout premiums in taking a deer or putting a bullet through a bear's ribs.

Wasn't comparing rounds.Just believe the cup core standards such as Win Power Points Hornady Interlock and even the lowly cor-loss are more than enough for the largest deer that walks.Also theirs nuttin wrong with using a TSX either if it shoots.

That's a great suggestion. I just looked at the Barnes Vor-TX 80 gr. TTSX and compared it to the Federal Blue Box 80 gr. soft point. I didn't see any BC data, but the published velocity of the TTSX is 3350 fps and the Federal 80 gr. SP is 3330 fps. With a 200 yard zero, the TTSX is 1.1" high at 100 yards, and so is the Federal Blue Box SP. At 300 yards, the TTSX is 5.7" low, and the Federal is -5.6".

They almost look like ballistic twins with this limited data as a guide.

My son has been shooting the "blue box" Federals in 80 gr out of an SPS Remington.
They group very well and put the hammer down hard on coyotes with fairly minimal pelt damage.
I suspect they will handle blacktail deer very well.
$22 per box locally.

Federal Blue Box 100's, Fusions, Win PP 100's, or 100 R-P's whichever of these shoot bestest is what I'd go with

Dober

The first part of your post is the most important. From what I've seen of 100g factory .243 loads over 30 years time, you are overthinking and overspending for short range .243 deer ammo with that list.

If you were hunting large, trophy sized deer at long range, or Elk etc, then the loads above would be needed. Given your requirements listed- not at all.

These three will do the job and are available most anywhere ammo is sold. And, they all run $15-$20 per box which is about half what most of the other loads on your list run.That leaves more $$ for buying ammo to practice with before season starts.


Federal 100g Power-shok
Remington 100g Cor-Lokt
Winchester 100g power point

I've used all of them- especally the Federals and Remingtons on lots of deer and antelope. They simply work ..

I've seen the 100g Federal loads shoot through 2 yearling antelope bucks standing side by side at 350 yards. Both stone dead with lung shots. The Remington 100g bullets are also stoutly constructed from what I have seen from 30 yard shots.

If you cannot find a load from those three that shoots well in your rifle, then get "fancy".

Otherwise-K.I.S.S.

My first South Dakota deer rifle was (still have it) a Winchester 670 .243. Paid a whopping 125.00 bucks for it going on 19 years ago.

Took probably a dozen deer using 100g psp, ranges from 5 yards to 300. Anything over a hundred yards I seldom had a pass through, which I prefer but than again none of them went very far either.

[ I just looked at the Barnes Vor-TX 80 gr. TTSX and compared it to the Federal Blue Box 80 gr. soft point. I didn't see any BC data, but the published velocity of the TTSX is 3350 fps and the Federal 80 gr. SP is 3330 fps. With a 200 yard zero, the TTSX is 1.1" high at 100 yards, and so is the Federal Blue Box SP. At 300 yards, the TTSX is 5.7" low, and the Federal is -5.6".

They almost look like ballistic twins with this limited data as a guide.[/quote]

They are very similar. Both shoot lights out from my 10 twist 243. The blue box uses a spear hot cor which, if you believe the data, has a slightly higher BC than the ttsx. I shot the blue box ammo to 500 yards last summer and have no reason to dispute the published velocity or BC of .365

PS - both the 80 and 85 barnes have shot great for me. Can't speak to on game performance but I'm hoping to do some testing on some pigs in the next month or so...

I've also heard good things about the federal 95 ballistic tip but haven't shot it

The question is about relatively short-range deer hunting. Instead of obsessing over which factory loads had the deepest-penetrating bullet, or the bullet with the highest ballistic coefficient, or even accuracy, I'd probably look in all the local stores for the 100-grain .243 factory load that cost the least.

My experience with the .243 is fairly extensive. It kills deer well with plain old bullets, and I have yet to find a factory load that doesn't group well enough in almost any rifle for most deer hunting.

Over the last 26 years I've shot a lot of antelope and some deer with the 243 mostly handloads using the 100 Hornady SP, 100 gr Nosler Part and 100 gr RP Corelokt plus factory loaded 100 gr Corelokts.The rifle was a 700 BDL with a 22" barrel and loads were based on IMR 7828 running over 3000fps at the muzzle. The Hornady's allways gave me an excellent wound channel and an exit hole with short blood trail to a dead animal. My experience with the 100 gr NPT was also good but a smaller wound channel and occaisional a recovered bullet. The 100 gr Corelokt loaded faster than factory loads I had also did a good job and exiting. Some of the animals shot at even 150-250 yds with the lot of older RP factory loads that chron'ed at avg of 2920fps rarely gave an exit hole but killed well.Used to find the well mushroomed Corelokt just under the hide on the far side too many times to be a coincidence. Not samples of one either. Same with any other cartridge you need to put the bullet in the right place.Well tuned handloads with the 100 gr Hornady IL SP are hard to beat in my book. Never saw any of the 100 gr Corelokt come apart either.
Never shot any bears but the next time I go like the last time, I will carry a rifle chambered for a heavier cartridge than 243 win. JMHO Magnum Man

If they shoot well in your rifle use the 100gr Remington Core-Lokts. The plain old core-lokts kill them just as dead as any other bullet out there. They shoot under 1.5" in all three of my .243s too.

The Federal Fusions give as large of a wound channel as PowerPoints and CoreLokts, but penetrate deeper. I've not recovered a Fusion yet, and have busted a few shoulders and taken angled shots that exited. At $3/box more than the cheapies, they are the way to go, especially since they tend to be more accurate in more rifles.

I have shot most of the older bullets on your list and my experience is the standard cup and core 100gr. bullets may kill faster than the premiums.

Only way to get into trouble is to shoot 80 grain varmint bullets.
The 85 Nosler and 80-85 gr. X's are not varmint bullets and work very well.

An old Handloader's Digest had a good comparison of 6mm bullets, the tester liked Barnes, Trophy bonded and Nosler as well as the old style Speer Grand Slam.

The cup and core and others like the Nosler that have a limited amount of fragmentation seemed to kill faster than the stoutest controlled expansion bullets. A hard driven X bullet might be an exception. Next loads I test will be the Accu-bond as I think it may be the best compromise.

When I go factory I get the Green & Yellow Remington or the Fusion and save the fancy stuff for reloading. This includes use on all but the biggest Hogs which to me are similar to Bear or even tougher in their reaction to being hit.

So, if I am reading this correctly, the majority consensus is that premium bullets offer no real advantages over 50 year-old bullet technology in normal hunting situations. They just cost more.

Arguably, the .243 is mainly considered a deer/antelope cartridge, with the ability to do varmint work as well. I imagine the premiums would provide an advantage on larger/tougher game, but the vast majority of the work for the .243 will be medium game and varmints.

My initial reasoning (which most seem to not agree with) was that a caliber/cartridge which is on the smaller side of what is commonly used for a specific category of game is one area where premium bullets may provide some extra measure of useful performance. However, if the majority reasoning is correct, which I assume it is, shouldn't/wouldn't it apply equally to all cartridges and not just the .243? In other words, premium bullets only provide an advantage when a particular cartridge is pushed to its extreme limits, whether that be range or size of the quarry.

If there is not much reason to use a premium bullet from a .243 on deer, then there should be not much of a case to be made for using a premium bullet from a .270 Win on elk, or a .300 WM on moose, or a .338 WM on brown bears, etc., etc., uless extreme distance is a factor. Am I wrong?

Do premium bullets ever offer an advantage in the .243 on deer-sized game? Maybe at long range?

No.Black bear deer caribou ect are made up pretty feeble compared to a moose elk or brown bear.

I used to follow that argument for the 6mm's but the more I shot the less it seemed to hold water. That is a small caliber needs all the help it can get.

Premiums = insured exit wounds and reliable penetration from all angles. Also more likely to break both shoulders on a double scapula shot.

For longer range shooting a more frangible and aerodynamic bullet like a Berger VLD or Noslet Ballistic Tip is called for, not a tougher bullet.

Most of the 6mm bullets premium and conventional alike are pretty good as all the heavier bullets are designed with Deer in mind and they only have to perform in the relatively narrow velocity range of the .243 Win. to .240 Weatherby. A much narrower design parameter than say a 30 caliber bullet that may get used in a 300 Savage or a 30-378 and used on anything from Coyotes to Grizzly Bear.

It is more difficult to design a good smaller caliber bullet and even the best can fail.

Accuracy trumps all else. With that in mind, try the Federal loaded 85 grain HPBT gameking.

If you rifle won't shoot that one well, you probably aren't going to have much luck with said rifle.

Dave

I've liked the XP3 out of my .243. So far, two shots, two dropped in their tracks.

The "problem" with premium 243 bullets is that they generally don't expand all that wide. In a larger caliber this doesn't matter so much, but if you are shooting lungs with a 243 it helps to have a bit more expansion and maybe a little bit of fragmentation.

For example, I perfectly double-lunged a decent buck this fall with the 80TTSX at about 125 yards. Obviously, the bullet exited. It left no blood at the hit site, and once he did bleed the trail 'dried up' before he went down. It took me awhile to find him in the brush. A bullet that expands a bit more probably would have kept the blood flowing when using a small caliber.

The 'perfect' lung bullet is a balance between opening enough to give a decent wound channel and enough penetration to get to the vitals from most angles. Most heavy 243 projectiles have been tuned to offer that over the years of development.

Was reading every post and thinking I was gonna slap down the trump card, but iddave beat me to it.

A TWRA officer turned me onto it: his .243 loved it so he had his brother with an FFL get them for him by the case. Killed everything with it, no problemo.

Once that barrel shot out, the next one took a likin' to Federal's 70 BT, and he turned around and killed everything with that!

"I will be looking to settle on factory ammo for a new-to-me .243 Win. The most likely use will be for short-range whitetail deer."

That's the opening sentence of the original post. I fail to see how super-fine accuracy will make the slightest bit of difference.

I guess I'm going to go against the majority on this one...

If the premiums shoot well, I would absolutely hunt with them.

I like to bust shoulders and anchor deer when possible, and I don't worry about a little meat loss or bloodshot meat on shoulders that I'm going to grind anyway. There are too many situations where wounded deer can be lost....places where predators, or poor tracking conditions, or weather, or public land with lots of hunters, or small parcels with no access to neighbors property for tracking wounded deer, or a host of other factors make it tough to recover deer.

Moreover, even if I didn't prefer to shoot bone, I might be required to depending on shot angle. I rarely get a pure broadside, and am almost always lined up on a shoulder on one side or the other, if not both.

To me, cost is a non factor on hunting bullets...and I'm far from rich. That bullet is the least expensive part of my hunt. IMHO, it is a no-brainer to practice with something cheaper, and hunt with the best bullet your rifle will shoot accurately.

The 243 is a fast stepping little round, and you ask about close range shots with it. Again, this is where premiums shine and cup and core sometimes suffer. Another reason to shoot the best bullet you can.

The cup and cores will get the job done just about every time, but I want two holes and enough penetration for whatever shot I may need to take, and the one time I don't get an exit and a blood trail or have a cup and core blow up on the shoulder of a buck I rattled within 10 yards is one time too many.

The insurance provided by good bullets is just too cheap. I'll gladly pay it if they shoot.

DJ

DJ,

Do you consider the Fusion a "premium" bullet for the scenario of the OP?

I know you've used them a bit.......

Dude...you're overthinkin this chit...ANY caliber bullet will work, it just has to have enough git go to either drill the shoulders (drive gear), take out the motor (heart), or the electrical system...(brain/neck)...putting the bullet in any of those "systems" will have good results...looking to "lung" shoot an animal is not your best option...

why isn't shutting off the air supply (lungs) just as good as stopping the motor, electrical system, or drive gear?

Was wondering the same thing?

this mirrors my experiance exactly. i have yet to recover a fussion from any deer i have shot with one. i have several deer now that the fussions either went through one shoulder then exited through the ribs or both shoulders and at close range and showed no signs of fragmentation when exiting. (i say that based on the exit hole)
i would npt hesitate to use any of the bullets listed though if one in particular shot well for a particular rifle. (at least for whitetail deer anyway)

They walk among us.
Jeez...


I think the OP is following a good line of reasoning. In smaller calibers, which most often are pushing higher velocities, with their lighter weights, at close range the chosen bullet performance is something to be concerned with.

Accurate for your stick first. Reliable performance second.
Nothing wrong with stacking the odds in one's favor.

Not really. I think you missed my poor attempt at sarcasm. My original post could have been more succinctly stated in this way: "What bullet will optimize the performance of a .243 Win on whitetail deer?"

What I got from Swampy was a lecture about how easy whitetail deer are to kill. That may be so, but it had nothing to do with my question.

Let's say Swampy asked a question about what .30 caliber bullet works best for whitetail deer, and I proceeded to chime in with a response that shooting a .30-'06 at a deer is a waste of powder because they are so easy to kill, and that he shouldn't be concerned with his choice of bullet. While that may or may not be the case, it would not answer his question.

I've been hunting for over 30 years and have harvested more than a few deer. I don't need Swampy (aka Mr. .30-'06) giving me a lecture about the ease of killing deer with a .243 caliber rifle.

I would put them just below the TSX/TTSX. I guess I'd call them a second tier premium - but I like them a lot on whitetails.

I have used a bunch of the 140's in my 7-08 because they are so crazy accurate and perform extremely well.

I've also used a bunch out of a 25-06 for the same reason.

I've only recovered one - a long shot double shoulders on a big doe with the 120 25-06.

I have great confidence in them at 7-08 velocities, but I haven't run them too light and fast, although on some fairly close shots with the quarter bore they have done just fine in the 120's.

I need to kill a bunch of stuff with 95 Fusions out of my 243 to see how they perk, but the lighter the bullet and the faster it is pushed, the more I like the TSX/TTSX's.

I'm guessing a guy could stop a 95 grain Fusion out of a 243 in a big buck - which is why I'd rank the TTSX's ahead of them in that cartridge.

All that said...I want to be clear - if cup and cores shot best and the better bullets just wouldn't shoot out of a 243, I'd happily hunt cup & cores. I just might pass a rare shot that I'd take with a better bullet.

DJ

All that said...I want to be clear - if cup and cores shot best and the better bullets just wouldn't shoot out of a 243, I'd happily hunt cup & cores. I just might pass a rare shot that I'd take with a better bullet.

DJ

[/quote]

Spoken like a man with some common sense. Bullet location trumps all.

Dave

The point I was trying to make was that almost all of the 6mm bullets are better than when the .243 was first introduced.

The premium bullets are more reliable for off angles and especially larger game. But they may not kill as quick on the broadside shots.

The Fusion and Accubond may be the best of both worlds, the newer X bullets are in a class of their own. I doubt I will kill enough game in the future to make any definitive statements on the best bullets. I have shot over 50 deer with the older style 6mm bullets and only lost one due to a bad hit, that and the folks I was hunting with forbid hunting or even tracking on Sundays. That incident made me question bullet choices and religion both.

Spoken like a man with some common sense. Bullet location trumps all.

Dave [/quote]

I couldn't agree more, which is why my original post specifically said that I would be looking for bullets that shot well from my rifle. Also, four out of the ten bullets that I listed are cup and core, albeit the last three are bonded versions.

We've used the 243&6mm since '93.....not that long compared to some I know. Anyway we've used everything from 70gr btips to 100gr stuff. Since I started handliading we've hunted 85 TSX. Everything has worked and worked well. The TSX does out dig in shoulders if that matters?

CoalCracker you have a nice well put together list. Can't imagine why you would have trouble with any of those. Seems sometimes we just like to disagree. If you started saying you wanted to use cup n cores you would have been told to shoot premiums....? I can't imagine if your gun likes the 80TTSX you would ever wish for a cup/core bullet?

That is what I would say.

I'll either start with Fusions or, at the very least, bump them way up on my list. By all accounts, they have worked well for DD on deer from a .243 Win.

I shot Fusions from my .270 this year, and they proved to be very accurate at the range. The venison in the freezer speaks highly of them as well.

it doesn't get better than this.

Except that Partitions in the small calibers leave small exit wounds which don't seem to bleed quite as well.

entrance federal fussion

exit hole same deer

nice--that's about what I've seen.

I think the 100 gr Partition is about perfect for the 243. My hunting pard feels the same about the 95 gr Fusion, and its also a good choice.