Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game A "little" bullet performance report from my son's hunt

I know we've had some discussion recently on how some factory stuff performs, so I thought I'd give a quick report on the 243 Federal Power Shocks that the 243 my son shot this year liked so well.

They were crazy accurate - stacked them really tight every time I checked (which was 3 or 4 times). Incidentally, these rounds have shot sub MOA in two other 243's - Federal is doing something right with the Power Shocks, Vital Shocks and Fusions IMHO.

Anyway, the boy was hunting with his granddad and busted a couple of nice sized (for the Texas Hill Country - probably dressed 80-85 give or take) does.

No field pics - and it was all I could do to snap a couple before my Dad had them gutted - he just chunks them in the truck and gets them clean - not a big field photo guy - although he is bragging on and enjoying the ones I take and has acknowledged they're sure nice to have!

Anyway, it was raining and right at dark - so this is all I got. Better than nothing, but not by much!



He shot the first low through both shoulders and the heart and broke both shoulders - bullet exited on about a 100 yard shot.

The other was a longer shot with more angle.

I was proud of the boy on both shots. I always coach him on the angle and just where to shoot, but my Dad just says, "See that doe? Bust her!" I've talked to him a good bit about aiming for his exit and looking for a deer's tail to make sure she's broad-side and adjusting his shot accordingly.

The first doe was looking at him quartering pretty hard toward him, and he put it on the point of her near shoulder and angled it through slick as a whistle to the back of the off shoulder.

The second was quartering away hard and he slipped it behind her near shoulder and the bullet came to rest just under the skin on the point of the off shoulder on a shot between 200 and 250 yards.

Found this bullet just under the hide of the second doe...









Little 100 grain SP held together pretty well - weighed around 60 IIRC, might have been less, but mushroomed nice and got the job done.

The one that didn't exit went through quite a bit more deer - not enough of a raking shot to catch any guts - just into the back of the lungs in front of the liver and came to rest just under the hide on the point of the off shoulder.

Little bullets are so accurate, they are hard not to use, but will probably work up something in an 80 or 85 TSX for next year. Won't be a bit afraid to use these again if we need to, though.

Hope the info is helpful.

DJ

Those bullets look pretty darn good. I have been using Federal ammo for years, though not in .243 caliber. Federal does make some accurate ammo. Congrats to your son. He'll never forget that experience. I have 2 young Grand-Daughters, whom I love dearly but no Grand Sons yet. I may end up taking one or both of them hunting, when they get older.

DJ,

Great pics and write up. That bullet looks straight from an advertisement. Perfect performance.

I would ask why mess with a good thing by changing loads but that would be a silly question. Then to be fair I'd have to get up and go look in the mirror and ask myself the same question, because I 've done it a hundred times! LOL

Bill

Great post DJ. Good to see them boys are raised right. I was brain washed as a youngster that a 30-06 was the only thing that would bring down a WT deer. When I was bout 17, my girlfriends uncle asked "Why you shooting that damn cannon son, they are just deer".

He (Marvin), brought out his little .243 one day. Marvin drove a nail in the center of a white paper plate. It was 100 yds from his porch. He handed me the rifle and said have at it.

I told Marvin that I could hit the plate with a rock from there. He laughed real big and said,"Shoot the nail Stupid". It took a couple shots. I fell in love. Marvin's handloads were sweet.

He said if you can hit the vitals like you hit the nail, the deer won't know the difference. He let me shoot 30 rounds or so. I told him I wanted one. He told me it didn't have to be fancy or expensive, just as long as it was a Rem 700.

Marvin's little .243 is the only centerfire rifle he has ever owned. WT deer, muledeer, elk, etc. I bet he'd hunt T-Rex with it.

I still have mine too. Its smoked lots of deer and smaller critters. I mostly shoot 100gr Interlock's.

Fun, fun, fun

My son's older sisters killed 6 deer this year. The girls can absolutely get it done.

The girls liked to go with me, but didn't ask to hunt themselves until their little brother killed his first deer 2 years ago (he was 4 at the time - a few days before his 5th birthday.) All of a sudden, they wanted to hunt too! They all killed a couple that same year, and they've been filling the freezer every year since then.

I start them with BB's and 22's and graduate to a Youth 223 Model 7 that fits them well, and they have done great. They love to shoot. My son shot a few hogs at 5 that had the audacity to run off and die where we couldn't find them - no exit with the 223 even with Partitions (these were good sized hogs), so he insisted on moving up to a 243. I let him try it this year, wondering how he'd handle the extra recoil. Picked up a youth stock off the fire so it would fit him, and he loved it. First shot surprised him a little, but he grinned and said "I like that!" and loaded another one.

He's 2 for 2 with it.

DJ

I was pretty impressed with how they performed, Bill. The one I recovered really does look like advertising fodder.

I know what you mean about messing with a good thing, but I'd like him to be able to drive a bullet through a good buck at any angle with the little rifle and still have a good chance at an exit wound, so I'll probably play around. Nice to know the cheapest factory stuff I can buy will shoot this well, though.

It drives tacks out my Montana and A7 243's as well.

DJ

Thanks, gn308!

Love the story about Marvin's 243.

The 243 my son is shooting is a 700, as well. Great shooting little rifle - one of the Mountain Guide stainless Gander Mountain close-outs that I got a great buy on. Love that little rifle, and found a youth stock in a Ti take off to swap out until he grows into the original Ti stock that came on it. Should make a smooth transition.

Older I get, the more like Marvin I think I'm becoming in terms of liking less recoil, more accuracy, and appreciating bullets good enough to get the job done.

DJ

DJ thanks for the report and congrats to the hunter(s) and their guide. My youngest hunts with a T3-.243 and has also found that the 80g blue box stuff shoots well. We loaded up a bunch of 80 TTSX for use on his first deer this fall, a 150 lbs 5 pt., that teeny bullet put that buck down pronto.

thanks for the report DJ and congratulations to your son!

Excellent DJ!

Great story DJ. Paw Paw looks proud as can be. They boy no less. I've seen him shoot and he just doesn't miss! Your doing a fine job of raising a boy to be a man. One of these days we need the story of the skull in the background.
Amigo

That pic just put a smile on my face. Thanks for the report.

The little fella was laying them out! That's great.

Looks like the bullets did a good job as well.

Congratulations to you both!

JM

That's because he's too young and naive to know you're supposed to use bullets made of Indestructium forged by an evil sorcerer in the volcanic fire of Mount Doom.

Great stuff!

Congrats to your son. That bullet looks like it performed exactly like it should...very impressive.

That 80 TTSX is where I'd like to head with the rifle my son is using.

Any more details on your son's deer? Placement, distance, bullet performance, etc.?

Please pass congrats to your son on his buck!

DJ

Thanks, Jimmy & Greg - glad y'all enjoyed the post.

DJ

You know Paw Paw's proud! Of course, he's sure all sharpshooting skills are a result of his genetic influence!!

He is a shooter for such a little guy - he killed these deer with the same rifle he was using when he cut my hole after I shot it in at your place - perched on his knees over your bench, no less.

He shares your opinion about his never missing - he's still sure he hit that little pig across the tank off the shooting sticks...grin. That's one I think he missed, but he doesn't do it often.

It's amazing how these little guys can shoot - I never will forget "Little Amigo" nailing that hog at 300 yards when he was so little he had to stand up to use the shooting sticks you were using kneeling.

We better not let them read this...grin. By God's grace, they'll both be better men than their Daddys and friends forever!

I'm not sure that Rick has enough band width for the story with that skull...but you knew that!

Tell the family howdy!

Y'all get on any colts today? Hate to miss out on that!!!

DJ

Thanks. Great photos of the hunters and the trophies.
I have been using the blue box Federals for a couple of years on deer and pigs. So far, so good.
Damn accurate in my two .243's.

stumpy