Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .243 Win. and whitetail deer ???

My Grandsons Savage likes the Factory 95g Federal Fusion..

Factory 100 grain Core-Lokt.

20yrs ago, I and some friends hunted the big West Texas Mule Deer, South of Van Horn. The "best shot" on the ranch, they all said, was the Foreman. I visited with him and his rifle was a Mod 99 .243 Economy model with a 4x Bushnell scope! Back then Winchester was selling the factory loaded 100gr Power Points Moly coated (Power Point Plus) . He had no trouble, he told me, killing those big deer, even at extended visits. It also "worked" , he hinted on "Mexican Mules". Even pointed out a huge canyon he said they and their cargo ended up. Wow.

Maybe, but my RL22 recipe at 3010 works too!


not a WT, but I did whack a mature mule deer at 438 yards with my 243 load 3 weeks ago. the 95 NBT is impressive. also killed a cow elk at 535ish a few years back. I've killed a few WT with this as well, but not sure on the yardage, all under 200 yards and they just dropped there. hope this helps.

Not my every year rifle, but I've taken a few with the 243. 95 NBT and 95 NPt with a stiff dose of H4350 have been favorites.

Amax were my favorite until I ran out. Wanted to use the 105 HPBT but my factory 700 barrel would shoot them under 3” @ 100.

I’ve swapped back to 95 Ballistic Tips.

I’ve shot deer with many different bullets out of my .243s and haven’t had an issue yet. I like 2 holes and the 95s have always done well for me there.

I have as much faith in my .243s as anything. I’ve seen a lot of guys around here upgrade due to losing deer shot with them...funny thing is they’re still losing deer with their magnums as well.

Blue. Box. Federal. 100gr. Can't better it for the price. Cheap, available, accurate, works.

My kids each use Remington ADL .243s to deer hunt. One is stainless, the other blued. Both have 24" barrels with a 1/9.125 twist. Both of them shoot the same accuracy nodes. Here are some loads the shoot under 3/4 MOA in both.

Sierra 85 gr HPBT
Win Brass
CCI 200
37.0 gr IMR 4064 (yields 2950 fps)

Hornady 87 gr VMAX
Win Brass
CCI 200
37.0 gr IMR 4064 (yields 2944 fps)

Nosler 95 gr BT
Win Brass
CCI 200
Over max charge of H4350 (work up to this charge and don't blindly use this) - yields 2936 fps - this load absolutely bugholes

Speer 100 gr BTSP
Win Brass
CCI 200
Over max charge H4350 (work up to this charge and don't blindly use this) - yields 3025 fps - this load absolutely bugholes

Lastly, the Sierra 85 gr HPBT and the the Speer 100 gr BTSP shoot to the same POI at 100 yards. This provides some flexibility based on what I want to hunt. I have more faith in the Sierra 85 gr HPBT than I do in the Nosler 95 gr BT. I've had the BT's come apart on shots under 100 yds and not provide pass-throughs. I'm anxious to see how the Speer 100 gr BTSP will perform.

95g nosler partition!

Some people just can't shoot!

Buck fever gets to a lot of folks and some feel a bigger caliber/cartridge (there is a difference between caliber and cartridge) makes up for piss poor shooting ability/shot placement.

If I have time I still snap a pic or 2 of a buck before I lower the hammer on him. I can still get excited.but not lose my wits.

You are absolutely right. And to add to that point, there are so many people who will take ANY kind of shot, no matter how ridiculous.

.243 Win is my primary deer rifle / meat harvester / pig eliminator

Savage Stevens 200 factory barrel .243 1x9.25 twist

SWFA Super Sniper FIXED 12X scope........Thank You Formidilosus.

SPEER 85 btsp............$15.00 for 100 at Grafs and Sons..........kills chit flat dead.

Winchester brass........loaded...I forgot how many times....

Winchester Primer

39 grains IMR 7383 (pull down powder) Same burn rate as IMR 4350.........about 2730 fps as per my chrono...

Works all the way out to 300 yds......six pig can attest to that.....2 dead deer....one spike and one 8 point.

Where we/I hunt can be rocky and filled with cactus and small hills....to heavy brush under growth with lots of small mesquite..more cactus..and kind of flat land......So it varies a bit........All South of San Antonio Texas...

Everybody in our camp carries a gun for snakes (you have to). Mine is .410 Bond Arms Deringer or my LCR with home brewed .38 shot shells.


Best
Heavy

I have 99’s in 243. I load the 80 TTSX

I swapped a guy out of an 80's vintage Remington 700 years ago. It was a 243. He really wanted to keep it but I had a Savage Fox double that he wanted worse so we swapped. He went on to tell me that the rifle loved the Sierra 85 gn. HPBT so that is the bullet I've always used, currently over Varget. With this combination the rifle easily does 1/2 MOA if I do my part.
Over the past three years, my boys have killed every deer they've shot at with the 243 and the little Gameking from ranges of 15 to 227 yards. This has been a total of five deer with the biggest being a buck that field dressed at 182 lbs.
I have tried 100 gn. Nosler partitions but the rifle didn't seem to like them. That being said I have some 100 gn. Sierra's and some 95 gn. Partitions that I'm going to try because I thought the 85 was a little light with kid's behind the trigger but so far its performed admirably.
As another poster said, the Sierra 85 HPBT is a bullet that kills way above it's weight and I agree.

Federal blue box 100gr in south Alabama pine thickets and peanut fields.Most shots under 200 yards...

100 grain Nosler Partition, 42.4 grains of IMR 4350, Winchester brass, Federal primers, 2.70 COAL.

>243 works real well with 105 Scenar and H-4350 last 2 day's work shown above, if you going to shoot SHOOT if your going to talk, Talk, if your going to Hunt get off the COUCH!! Rio7

Lady hunter shot this buck with a double main beam, she said this is the first freak I have ever killed, she was funny as hell. Rio7

Lot of good eatin hanging there.

I have a 257Roberts and a 6.5x284 Norma so why would I need a 243 ?? I don't know but I still want one and reading this makes me really want one !!!!