Originally Posted by kalbrecht
Shot a fork horn mulie for the freezer behind my house this morning. Used a reload with a 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet. The bullet entered high in the ribs behind the shoulder and broke ribs on the far side but did not exit. Without a exit hole there was no blood trail and because the buck went down out of my view I had a heck of a time finding it.
I would appreciate anyone's advice on a different bullet that would give a reliable exit on a mule deer. I'm hoping there is something better without going to the expense of a monolithic or a partition. Thanks


100g Hornady FLAT BASE with a load of R#26 and federal 215's will exit deer most of the time, speed is a minimum of 3150 out of a 24" barrel and some barrels are most accurate at 3200 fps.

We shot a lot of large bucks in Nebraska with the 95g Partition which we found to be more accurate than the 100g partition with IMR 4831 and 9 1/2 primers. The deal on the 95g Partitions is complete penetration, breaking bones all the way.

I have total confidence in the 100g Hornady flat base bullet with R#26, and those Nebraska large corn fed white tails weighed 200+ lbs were shot no closer than 300 yards with a load at 3000 fps with IMR 4350. We have killed a Lot of deer and hogs with the 100g Hornady flat base and bt. The flat base is a stouter bullet in the hornady.

In the 243 that I have, throat is getting a tad long, and I shoot 44.5g of R#19 with the 85g tsx with a Win primer. This is a very stout load and work up to it in your rifle. Jump the bullet .050 from the lands. I have shot several does from end to end with this bullet. I am NOT a true believer on mono's and like to break them down with shoulder shots. I once had a 140 lb white tail Buck stand behind a 8" pine tree and stare at me at a distance of about 80 yards. I was sitting in a root ball of a big oak tree that had been taken down by a tornado the year before. I slowly raised my rifle, and aimed right for his chest knowing that the bullet would probably be stopped in the pine, but that buck flopped at the shot with that 85g tsx going through the tree. I called Barnes on the situation and they said that the bullet is not made to open up on trees, but flesh.

I have a friend in Ca that has had great luck with the 80g ttsx on hogs and deer.

HUNT for R#26 in the 243 for 95-100g bullets, fed 215's, speed puts the 95g Partition at 3300 at the accuracy node.

Hunting is often a proposition where you don't have exactly text book perfect shots. Consider quartering shots, coming and going, make your choice.