Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting need 243 load for grandson for white tail

I know 243 is good but minimal medicine for white tail deer, the Va variety. I got my grandson's 243 mounted in a youth stock (thanks fire members) and now need a load suffice to do the job, but light enough for a 9 yr old. He is a big boy for his age, but don't want this to be overwhelm him. Anyone been in this situation that can recommend a 243 load?

Thanks

Charlie

Factory or handload?

A 243 is far from minimal for deer.

Try an 85 grain Sierra Varminter SP, not the HPBT.

Labeled as a Varminter but I use it at full throttle from a 6mm Remington and it kills our Midwest whitetails just fine. Shoots through most.

Never used the 85 grain Partition but that would be another damn fine bullet.

The 80 grain TTSX gets good reviews but I dont think you need a mono on a little critter like deer.

Don't see it as minimal at all. I see it as plenty. Good 100gr bullet at 2800+=dead deer. Some like the lighter ones too; 95gr BT, 85gr NP, 80gr TTSX, but I have no experience with those as yet.

You could probably go slower too, since the shots will probably be closer than older "boys" might take.

Partitions are likely to give two holes, helpful for tracking, as are hits below the center line, because the blood will begin sooner .

Yeah..I'd shoot something in the 85ish gr. weight at a lower velocity...say 2800 or so. Wont kick, and deer will die in front of the kid...

85 grain partition or Sierra hpbt h4350 and around 32 grains of h4895. Nice 3000 fps load with low recoil and noise

I use IMR4831 and a 85 gr HPBT game kings, they shoot outstanding. Going to cull a few doe this weekend with some.

Yep...those bullets are super accurate in every 243 I have tried them in.

All good loads I loaded some fairly light loads for my daughters .243
70 grain nbt powered with 33.7 grains of imr 3031
She slammed a nice doe this year at 45 yds with it.
Bullet blew on through her and she ran about 40 yds

85 grain TSX with 44.5 grains of IMR4831 is the load my daughter has used since she was about that age. It has made me a believer in the 243 as a deer cartridge. She has filled a couple truckloads of deer with that load.

Several buds have used that 70 grain Ballistic Tip on our local deer population and say it works pretty good.

Son in Law started the kids with the 95 Partition downloaded to around 26-2700. Limited to under 150 yards off a good rest and it worked fine. Don't see any reason the 85s would'nt do as well.

I worked up a load for my young cousin a few years ago. 85gr Sierra HPBT over 25.5gr IMR4198. Accurate, almost zero recoil, a little over 2500fps. Load suggested by Seafire.

70 grain Nosler BTip
18 grains Blue Dot

Shoots through bone and lungs, usually exits. Recoil is barely there.

Great info guys. Thanks alot

Either factory or handload.

Charlie

Using a 90gr Nosler BTH and H4831 and it puts the SC whitetails down easily. Anything in the 80 to 90gr range should be great and taking a couple hundred fps off with handloads he'll likely never feel the recoil with a hunting jacket on. Best of luck!

I found the 95gr Partition makes around 2,700fps when loaded with a book max load of Varget. Quite low recoil and blast. No thing to move up to a slow burning powder in a year or two and make 3,000+ with the same bullet.

That's almost 300 fps shy of what Hodgdon's data shows for a max load of varget.

85TSX/45gn Ramshot Hunter for me. Should be 3150-3175 from a 22" bbl. I've taken a bunch of deer w/that combo. It's very effective and predictable.

Buddy shot a medium-ish mule deer buck last weekend @ 150yds w/his 243 M7 and the 80gn TTSX went in on the point of the shoulder and exited just ahead of the off-side rear quarter.

Contrary to what many would tell you, a 243Win doesn't really bounce off of deer.

I noticed that as well. Even bumped it a half grain over their max to little effect. (20" R700 youth rifle with two chronographs on different days). I can see the barrel length accounting for about 120fps, but that still falls a good bit short of their numbers.