Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game .243 Wolf bullet. 95 gr Berger VLD

Looking to get out and finally shoot a wolf this January, and trying to figure out what I should use in my .243 win. I've got some Nosler 55 gr ballistic tips I've been messing with for coyotes, but I don't trust those on a large wolf from bad angles. I've got some Barnes 80 gr ttsx loaded up that worked well on my antelope this fall, and I've got some 95 gr Berger hunting VLDs I bought to mess around with. Thinking if I can get a decent shooting load with the Bergers I'd like to give em a try on a wolf, just worried they might exit on a broadside shot and that would get messy. Anybody got some experience with those bullets and their terminal effects? I know the TTSX will work, but looking for something fur friendly as possible.

I've had 40g BT or V-MAX (not sure which) leave a softball sized exit after exiting a coyote on a broadside. I would fully expect a heavier, rather frangible bullet to do the same on a wolf.

Not an apples to apples comparison , but the 95 gr berger worked well on antelope for me, left about a four inch exit hole on the base of neck at the point if the brisket, from a quartering away behind the shoulder shot. Antelope went about 40 ft down the side of a steep knob and left a foot wide blood trail.....

I would run the 55 BT’s, seen lotsa deer smashed with via 243 at 4000 FPS

I have killed a bunch of wolves with 70 grain nosler
ballistic tips in my 243. They were awesome. I have killed a buch with 85 grain sierra hollow pt game king too. They also work really good. My friend has shot a couple with the 95 grain berger and they worked good too. They die quickly with any decent bullet that is well placed.

Sent you a pm atse.

I’m loading 87gr Vmaxs in my 243 AI and 243 Win. Still working on the load for the vanilla 243, but in the AI the 87 gr Vmax and the 85 gr tsx shoot to the same poa out as far as I could reasonably expect to hit anything.

The 95gr VLD is an awesome bullet in the 243. Load it over some 4831 or 7828 and you won't be disappointed.

Fur friendly = Barnes

Not a 243 but 85gr. BT's work just fine out of a 250 Savage

not really a lot of wolves one can shoot around here....
F&G would have a melt down... they want them here to wipe out the deer population
so they can stop deer hunting, the liberal PETA lovers they are...

but back on topic...If I want to put a hole in something to kill it without
doing a lot of damage to the hide....

I'd road test a 87 gr BTHP Hornady....against say an 87 V Max...

I have loaded .243 ammo since 1968. recently tried Re-26 and 95 grain bullets . accurate and fast

We shot three deer this fall with 70 grain Nosler BTips. They blow the insides pretty good, had small exits. We found the base of one bullet after it broke a leg bone and penetrated into the other leg.