Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Go to bullet for deer in 6mm?

I personally haven't had any problems getting deer on the ground with either the 243 or 6MM Remington. I used the 80 gr, Remington SP on a bunch of animals with good results. I preferred the 95 gr. Ballistic Tip and used the 85 grain Partition for a while. But for big moving deer in the thick I would pick a bigger round. If you have tracking snow that would make it better. I have a lot of experience finding deer for others who used 243 rifles. Not all hits were really bad just that the deer went 75 to a 100yards in thick briar brush with thin to very weak blood trails. We lost some.

Have it rebored to 358 Winchester!

I would lay money on it that most of those lost were shot with 100 grain bullets.

I don't have any issues with 100s on a high shoulder shot but through lungs I will take the 80-85 grain bullet every time. Those light bullets simply tear the hell out of things when pushed north of 3200 fps.

Partitions give me that super fast initial expansion of the light bullet but that rear base ensures an exit. Haven't busted lungs with them though, simply shoot high forward and eliminate that tracking bullschitt.

Let me resurrect an OLD post from a great guy, Steve Timm (dogzapper), that may help to answer your question:



The .243 95-grain Ballistic was designed by Gail Root. Gail was perhaps Nosler's most talented ballistician.

Gail is and was a .243 Winchester NUT and he designed the 95-grain to be HIS big game killing bullet. Goodness only knows how many big 6X6 bull elk Gail took with the 95 and most of them with a single well-placed shot.

I know of at least one record-class Nilgai bull that Gail killed with the 95. Nilgai have the well-earned reputation of being almost bulletproof. The bull fell at the shot.

Gail also used the 95 to collect his magnigicent B&C typical whitetail.

Gail was proud of the 95's performance of big game; it's great penetration, superb accuracy and killing performance is amazing. This is one bullet that never had to go back for re-design.

Yes, I've killed big game with the.243 95-grain Ballistic ... maybe thirty head of assorted mule deer, whitetail, antelope and one quite decent black bear. And, YES, one raghorn 5X5 bull elk that measured about 285 B&C. I've never had to shoot any big game animal more than once and the animals either dropped in place or struggled for less than 20 yards.

The single bull elk I killed with the 95-grain fell as if electrocuted. I was using a Ruger Number One in 6mm Remington Normal.

Naysayers will cuss and discuss the Ballistic Tip ... and that ain't my problem. I'm only telling you what I know for a fact and I have considerable experience with the 95-grainer and have found it to be a superb big game bullet.

Steve

PS. If I was shooting foxes, coyotes and bobcats, I WOULD NOT use the 95-grain Ballistic Tip. It is for this purpose that Gail designed the 70-grain Ballistic. Gail was justifiably proud of both the 95 and the 70 ... they each were made for a specific purpose and they both accomplish their goals wonderfully.

By the way, Gail pretty much killed stuff with two rifles. Literally ALL of his big game was slain cleanly with his .243 Winchester Normal.

And for prairie dogs, varmints of all types and predators, Gail shot a Remington 700 that he had barreled and chambered for .221 Fireball ... and he loaded 40-grain Ballistics.

Truly, many times, my friend Gail has whopped my ass seriously with his .221 Fireball rifle, while I was using my max-loaded .223 Ackley Improved. Gail will always have my total and utmost respect as a man, a ballistician and a stone-cold killer.

God bless,
Steve

Yep mostly in various factory loads. I really liked how quickly the 80 grain Remington PSP killed deer with broadside chest hits but I usually shot for the neck right in front of the shoulder. I think the problems my lease partners were experiencing were due to treating the 243 as if it were a 308 and taking less than optimum shot angles. The real issue to me was light to no blood trails. In open country, thin brush the 243 was just fine.

Powdr- look hard at the Swift scirocco. I’ve tried many many bullets and these seem to be the real deal and higher velocities.

Another vote for 95gr Partition. 100gr if I can not find the 95gr variety. Have yet to catch either in KY WT’s…

95 grain Nosler Partition. Have been loading it in my custom 6mm for 20 years. It got the nod over several good bullets mentioned here because of how it shot in my varmint barrelled Mauser: under 1/2 MOA all day long. A few years ago I bought a .243 and stayed with the 95 NP because I have it on hand.

Have killed several whitetails, several blacktails, black bears, antelope, one large bull elk when it was the rifle in hand and likely some I'm forgetting. The 95 NP is a consistent killer with deep penetration, plenty of wound along the way, and almost always an exit.

Only downside is boring consistency.

That is what we use. My daughter got a Savage 10 in .243W 20 years ago when she was 9 years old. We bought a box of Federal Premium in 100 grain partition and they grouped tighter than the Remington. Under an inch easily. Then my cousin taught me to reload and we came up with a 100 grain Nosler Partition load that was hot and just as or more accurate than the factory load. She has killed 22 deer with 22 shots with that rifle and we have not kept up with the number of hogs. Our biggest Russian hybrid hog ever was killed by my daughter with that load and that rifle. The load is just a tad over max of IMR4350. It clocks in the high 29s in cold weather and a little over 3000 in the summer.

Thanks for posting this.

One granddaughter killed her first mulie with a 95 gr ballistic tip pushed by my Rem 700 in 6mm-284.

I bought her a Ruger tang safety 25-06, so she does not need to borrow one of my rifles anymore. But her little sister walked out yesterday with my Wea Vanguard in 243 and 50 rds loaded with 100 gr Sierra SBT.

Either one will kill a deer quite adequately.

I've been very impressed with the 80 gr TTSX and have recommended it to several friends who have been equally pleased. Maybe it only works for women and children, but after watching my daughter shoot 13 deer in four seasons, I have no reservations with any deer, at any angle, at any sane distance.

95 grain NBT, one shot kills on many deer. For at least 15 years my son has used that bullet with success on whitetails, my handloads. Previous to that for a few years when he was very young he successfully used 100 grain Hornady Interlock on a few deer and one year killed a deer with a 100 grain Sierra GameKing bullet, again my handloads.
Honestly the only reason he switched to 95 grain Nosler BT was me wanting him to try it, it worked and from then on that is all he wanted. For a young guy, the NTB had a more "cool look" than the exposed lead tip of the Hornaday and Sierra!

Most dead in their tracks?

If not were there good blood trails?

Back before Barnes were an option (now my favorite bullet in any caliber) I used Sierra 100gr GameKings or ProHunters in both a 243 Win and a 6mm Rem. Glad Barnes came along...

Not to hyjack but I would think the Sierra 85 HPBT would be a good combo coyote/deer bullet? I used the 90 NBT from a 6mm/284 on a pronghorn and it was pretty nasty! I think it would also work well on coyote/deer in the 243. I only used the 90X in my first 240 wby, but it killed a big coyote easily. A second one used the 95PT. Many around here favor that 80 TTSX in the 243, etc,, but I don't normally use any 6mm for deer/antelope anymore, but when I did I used the 85xbt in the smaller 6mms. I do try to work on coyotes as much as I can...Back in the early 90's, I met two brothers out here who used the Barnes 100X in their 243s for elk! I have another friend who only uses the Hornady 100 SPBT in his 240 wby. He has killed many elk with it too.

A lot like the 85 hpbt Sierra but I have seen 3 or 4 deer and 1 coyote killed with em, too tough of a bullet for me.

The 85 grain SP Varminter gives me DRT results on both and exits deer better than 75% of the time.

That HPBT always exits deer but I saw runners on deer and with the 1 coyote he had a silver dollar sized exit about 1/3 of the way up the body maybe 2" behind the shoulder. Covered about 200 yards before going down.

If I were still shooting my 6mm on both coyotes and deer I would go back to the 85 grain Varminter SP or use the 80 grain Ballistic Tip.

I was about to ask if anyone was using the 85 grain Sierra BTHP. I've not used it but have heard good things about it.

Mine was the Speer 100 BTSP, though I didn't try many others. Antelope to elk and especially deer, it was fine.

The bullet is legit. It’s way tougher than the HP designation - punches hard and straight works. If you can find them I’d not hesitate. I mostly used them on hogs but most of the time they exited a multi-angle rib cage shot instead of blowing apart like many Sierra SP do. I still load them with confidence after about 20yrs of experience.