Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting SPEER 105 gr. FAILURE in .243

Rost...Would that 165 btsp be the Sierra GameKing bullet??
I suspect it is.
Funny that one passed through and on this site we have a multi page rant on how they just blow up and go to pieces.
Go figure. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

TH,
Yep. Hasn't happened since, and never happened before. And I've gone through about 3.5 boxes of them for my buddy so far. 50 something of Varget in an 06.

Shot was 100+ a bit, broadside, in through a rib, out through a rib. Never opened, only a few specs of blood, some fat, a bit more meat tissue, never saw any bone at all. Buck was very unique as a cull, and killed 3 weeks later with a head shot. Cartilage in the lungs, healed up altogether.... Round Mountain deer so not large.

Its another reason I go with X series for any game animal any more. I"ve yet to see a failure one way or anohter. And I"ve seen some holes that are awful small on exits, but always have opened from way fast, way up close through bone, to way out there, way slow, through bone and not through bones.... BUt most don't like how they work for me, IE the animals tend to run a bit(I don't shoot for CNS unless its head shots on meat deer) I"m a lung shooter.

PS X series have allowed me a couple of hard raking shots that totally penetrated, vs same done years back with Partitions that did not(dead animal nonetheless save the Nilgai that had to be shot a second time.)

I hear you on that other thread....

Jeff

let me see....small caliber....less than ideal shot placement....one shot fired...and still a dead deer...while I agree the bullet should expand, I don,t see the results as a total failure, so much as a wake-up call for both more practice time and sellecting a softer bullet.
those 105 grain bullets are designed with a thicker jacket than the 100 grain boattails
Ive used these for awhile in my 6mm rem. and if anything they expand slightly faster than I prefer, and kill deer very effectively with heart/lung hits

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000211220

Hey, I just came up with part of the answer, sounds like the exit wound is the issue. Bullet hit bone, fragged all over the place, ran out of steam as the core seperated from the jacket frags and a small part of the core actually exited, while the rest was absorbed by the animal as small frags.
Let me just say that I do taxidermy at times, used to do it full time. Just shaved another deer yesterday after mounting my caribou.... Its always amazing on a fleshing wheel, where you can shave into(and dull the crud out of your wheel) bullet and jacket frags, how far away from the wound.....

I bet the bullet did it the best it could and the small exit was a frag!

Jeff

If ya didnt hit the lungs there will not be much blood,,,,,

The 105 grain Speer is a favorite of mine and I don't see any sign of a failure on the deer your daughter shot. But try another bullet anyway, your results won't change much. I have noticed generally the 6 MM's don't seem to give really large exits most of the time and this is especially true of the partition.

See the problem? Actually seems pretty remarkable the deer died that quickly all things considered.

That's pretty much what went through my mind when I read your first post.

I'm getting the 243 itch, and if I scratch it I'll more than likely be hunting with an X of one stripe or another.

mathman

Want some exit holes??? We started with a 243, Dad had never hunted at all, shot one deer with 12 ga and #2 and then bought the rifle. We were really hunting turkeys mostly, and the idiot at Oshman's sold us WW 80 grain power points, saying lighter bullets for lighter game..... Lets just say better hit the turkey in the neck or high back..... Deer, I saw exits as large as canteloupe.... Then went to 105 Speer and were happy. I"m 99% sure that 85 tsx would be it if the 243 is ever used again.

Jeff

Thanks for all the help guys. I was thinking about either switching to SIERRA 85 gr BTHP or HORNADY SST 95gr for next fall, or possibly the NEW FEDERAL FUSION 95 gr. Any thoughts?

Yes, quit worrying about the bullet and start practicing more on placement, as I said above.
You're getting the cart ahead of the horse.

According to Sierra, the 85gr HPBT was designed as a varmint bullet. I know a lot of guys use them and like them for deer. No doubt they work fine on rib cage shots. Better stay off the shoulder, though! Good luck whatever you decide.

u cant go wrong with plain ol winchester 100 grain powerpoint

I'd have to agree with the others who don't see this as a "failure" of the 105 grain bullet. I have used the 105 for quite a while, primarily to gain extra penetration with the .243. This round is very marginal for use as a deer round and can use all the help it can get to assure complete penetration...........the 105 does this very well.

With the quick dispatch of this deer, I'd suspect that the bullet exspanded and then the remainder of the core exited....resulting in a caliber size exit wound. Not much more could be asked of such a small bullet. The highly praised Nosler partition most often gives just such a performance and it is considered one of the best small-caliber bullets ever made.

The 105 penetrated one shoulder and still exited......pretty good performance in my book for a round that is really too small for the task. Many here are fans of the solid copper bullets (TSX) and they may work fine, but I tend to not trust "gimick" bullets and like to depend on a heavy-for-caliber bullet if penetration is a requirement. Keep using the 105 and I think you will be very pleased.

I would strongly advise against using the Sierra 85 grain BTHP. I had 2 of them blow up on the hide and totally fail to penetrate through the rib cage and into the pleural cavity. Same/same for the 90 grain .257" Sierra BTHP.

I'd recommend the 95 grain Partition for deer and the 95 grain BT for coyotes. Both bullets shoot to the same approximate POA in my 243 and 6mm rifles.

Jeff

I've seen this happen before and can tell you undoubtedly that it was not a bullet failure, but a shot placement failure.............2MG

Huh?????

Jeff

Sorry, was addressing the original poster, Hogbuster............

I'm going to a .50 BMG AP/Incendiary round. Deer are just too tough
anymore. Must be global warming.
I have killed a bunch with sierras and hornadys by hitting lungs and
livers and other organs. Obviously won't work any more.
What will the poor bowhunters do? Bob <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I watched a 4.2" motar crew wack a small herd of whitetails on the Fort Riley, KS, impact area. That was overkill, even with an impact fuse, rather than a VT fuse.

Jeff