Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 243

In my experience, it's pretty common, but nothing to be concerned with at all.

The next one you shoot may leak like a 5 gallon bucket without a bottom.

In the past 30 years, I've shot most of my deer with fast bullets that make Jello out of the insides. More times than not, I have to dump it all out when I gut the deer. Fills the cavity. But they never go anywhere that need trailing either.

My last elk, I shot with a 243 95gr NBT. He took about 3 steps, wobbled and fell. Same filled up cavity.

We shoot the Hornady Superformance 95gr SST & love it.

The only time I didn't get an exit was on a quartering to shot. Inside facing shoulder & the bullet was found just under the hide, just behind the last rib.

Insides were mush, popped the diaphram & deer went 20 yards.

On complete broadsides (ribs only) it's not uncommon to find lung material at the hit site & a blood trail Stevie wonder could follow.

As meat hunters, we have learned to stay off the shoulders anyway.

For the same shot on similarly large deer are you getting exits from the 85 Sierra?

That kind of performance is why I quit shooting SST's. Even though every deer I shot with them did die, I wasn't getting the kind of blood trails I prefer in case the deer runs a ways. I switched to Accubonds and Partitions and am happier with the terminal performance.

I use a T/C Venture compact 243 with 20" bbl. Very quick and easy to get on target from my tripod stand located in tree line. Have not lost a deer shooting 243. The one negative I have found is no blood trail. Fortunately I hunt a long Cotton field and seldom does a deer travel more then 30 yards. Most deer drop within a twenty yards.
If I am expecting shots over 200 yards, I use Weatherby Vanguard 2 in 243 with 24" bbl shooting Sierra 100 grain Prohunter bullets. I have permission to hunt this area ONLY and neighbors are anti hunting. I need my deer down quickly. Shots are at standing or walking deer. I do not attempt running shots.

I have kept a record of deer kills for about 40 years. 30% of the deer shot with 243 dropped where they stood. Only one ran more than 50 yards and that was my poor judgement. I took a neck shot at a walking buck at 180 yards. The bullet hit the neck below spine and the deer traveled about 200 yards. I watched it circle the tree lines so no trailing was needed to the tree line where it collapsed. On none of my kills with 243 was there a significant blood trail. Tennessee deer usually weigh from 90 to 180 lbs. The bullets on all of my shots have passed thru with no bullets recovered. All bullets used were Hornady 95 SST or 100 gr soft point flat base by Hornady or Sierra 100 gr ProHunter.

My most efficient caliber was 270 Win. Over 50% of shots resulted with deer dropping where they stood. There was a blood trail but not needed as no deer traveled more than 50 yards. The best kills came from a 1967 Winchester model 670 carbine in 270 Win with 20" bbl. 80 % of shots using Hornady SST bullets resulted in deer dropped where they stood. To be fair, this rifle fit me the best and all shots with this rifle were at standing or browsing deer from 30 yards to 175 yards. Wish I had not sold that rifle.

The least productive was Savage in 7mm-08. The rifle was very accurate using Hornady SST bullets. I had no deer drop where they were shot. Most traveled 30 to 50 yards. I lost 2 deer which were my fault, not the caliber. Those two shots were from bench rest shooting under small barn roof. Both shots were at bucks slowly walking a wooded ridge 175 yards distant. Both shots were at Bucks angling up and away at 50degree angle. The first buck was hit on nearest shoulder breaking bone. I followed slight blood trail 200 yards thru wooded area until it ended in 400 yard long open field. Searched for hours but never found any more blood sign. The second buck was hit low with white fur on ground and no sign of blood. Last I saw was white tail flag bounding away thru trees. No blood trail found.
One large buck was shot broad side just before dark. I watched the deer come down a 300 yard hill and walk directly across from me. I was shooting 7mm-08 using 139 gr SST. The shot was offhand at 70 yards striking high lung area, The buck ran 200 yards and dropped just before reaching a heavily wooded tree area. Even though 7mm-08 has not been my most efficient caliber, I do have a T/C Venture in 7mm-08 that I do trust. It will be my go to rifle if fortunate to hunt in the Western state again.

OK, maybe I worded that wrong !

Only once, have I not got an exit & halographic blood trail using the 95gr SST.

Due to the circumstance outlined above. That bullet traveled through nearly 3 feet of deer, before lodging under the opposite side hide.

Stay off the shoulders & bone & you're good.

IMHO, too many people are fixated on exits, OR DRT !

I love a bullet that uses most of its energy inside an animal.

I also, do not mind blood trailing or tracking an animal after the shot & I hunt in a hell hole of a tamarac swamp &/or mature Boreal forest.

YMMV

Is most of your hunting on the snow?

About 1/2 n 1/2.

Sometimes it can be the whole season.

Last year, 2nd week of October, we had a foot of snow on the ground.



2 weeks later, opening of deer rifle session, no snow, just wet brown leaves. let's just say, this was a difficult tracking job at last light.





This is the hell hole I described above.

2 weeks later again;

The best I can remember, just about every deer I've shot using the 85 Sierra was a under 100 yards neck shot (I know, we're not supposed to shoot them in the neck), on does when I was meat hunting. Most dropped in their tracks, a few ran a few steps before dying. I saw some exits, and some bullets that didn't. On the deer that my son has taken using the 85 Sierra, I've not been there for all of them, but I do know he's had a few exits. But, with the exception of a couple of bucks, most of his deer have been meat does, shot at close enough ranges where the shot can be placed exactly where you want it.

A bud of mine shot the 85 grain BTHP one season and killed a few deer with it, best I can recall he had exits on all of them with tight to the shoulder long shots.

After that season he said of the 2 Sierra 85 grain offerings he liked the SP version best. Maybe a little more fragile and gave faster kills on those lung shots.

He probably needed more kills with the HP version to get a real good base but he always seems to think 1 or 2 kills tells him all he needs to know.

I never tried the BTHP as the SP 85 grain bullet is what my dad shot in this 6mm from the early '80s until I bought the rifle in '07.

I have seen and have killed a ton of deer with the 85 grain Sierra Varminter 85 from both 243 and 6mm, good little bullet.

Shooting the 95 grain Partition right now, have only killed 2 deer with it, one was DRT and one went 50 yards or so but was leaking good the whole way.

I really don't know what made me switch to the Partition as I never lost a deer or had trouble killing them with the 85 and I would have no problem going back to the 85 but as long as I can keep getting the 95 grain Partition that will probably be my main bullet in my 6mm and any 243 that shoots them well.

I always wanted to try the 85 grain Partition as my 6mm bugholes the 85 grain Sierras but never have bought any and given them a whirl. I have no doubt they would be killers.

10gaugemag- used those 85 grain Sierra's - they are Gameking not Varminters though. Exact same results. Can't recall any deer dropping and usually get the stadard 70 yard run and drop.

Not sure why but I am giving the 100 grainers a try and am waiting for results.

Hunt 4646 strange with your 7-08. My 260 using Sierra 140's have never had a deer go more than ten yards and always exited. Just amazing performance.

That's what he said about the BTHP as well.

I get about 50% DRT kills with the 85 grain soft point Varminter, the other 50% are lucky to run 20 yards.

I cannot recall a deer running over 50 yards when shot with the 85 grain Varminter SP.