Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best single bullet for 243?

95-100 gr of your choice. I have had great luck with the standby 100gr core loct.

If limited to one bullet, I would pick the Sierra 85 gr HPBT. It is my tried and proven bullet. It also works with 4350. I have used it for over 30 years on a whole wide range of game and varmints.

Do you hunt where it's windy? What's your maximum shot distance for hunting situations? Do you have a habit of trying to shoot animals lengthwise from the rear to chest?

If you don't go for Elmer Keith shots (rear end shots) and you hunt where the wind blows, then you might consider one of the Berger hunting bullets (87 or 95 grain depending on the twist of your gun).

It may seem like heresy, but, I have settled on the Sierra 100 gr Pro Hunter. I use it for everything from woodchucks to deer.

95 NBT has killed and killed and killed pleny of deer for me.

The more critters I see killed by my clients, and shoot personally the less I think it matters.

That said I love partitions.

my fil likes the 100gr hornadys i load for his marlin. very accurate. his coyote load with 55gr bal tips at around 4000 fips is unbelievably accurate. less than half inch for 5 shots.

for me, it's a handloaded 100gr nosler partition. i have no idea as to speed, but it kills deer and hogs quite dead.

I shoot the 85gr Sierra flat base out of my Ruger 243. It works well on deer. Should be light and fast enough for varmints.

My rifle was not accurate with 75gr hp, 100gr Hornady fb, 95 gr Nos bal tip, Federal factory 100gr Nos sb.

100 gr partition. Little extra on the bullet but nice to have when a black bear walks by in VA.

We just get to wave at the black bears.

I've pretty much standardized on the 95 Partition out of my 18" barreled .243.

Over the past 30 plus years I've used most all of the standard 100 grain bullets on deer and hogs and they all pretty much worked. The only one I personally won't use anymore is the 100 grain Sierra BTSP. That one is a tad fragile in my experience, but that is just me. The 100 grain Horn is another good one and saw allot of use out of my rifle.

Now that mine gets used more by kids that hunt with us the 95 partition is all I use anymore.

i'd pick either the 85 gr sierra game king or the speer 90 spitzer...

have used both a fair bit and both are stunningly accurate bullets that have never failed on game.

actually have a lot more experience with the 85 bthp gameking, and have used it on whitetail, muleys, antelope, black bear, hogs, coyotes, fox, coons, and just numerous truckloads of game.

there was a time when i spent more time hunting than i did on the internet.
different world...

80 TTSX

I prefer the TTSX to the 85 TSX as I believe that the tip will more reliably initiate expansion over a wider speed range.

85 Sierra HPBT....IMR 4350..deadly combo.

I love Nosler bullets but what I dont get is why they consider the 80 grain nbt a "varmint" bullet and the 90 grain for big game? Every sectioned 80 looks just like the 90. Or is it a marketing ploy? I know some say all ballistic tips are for varmints but I have had some good results on game...

I would vote for the 95 Ballistic Tip. Has anyone ever had sub-par performance from it???

I plan to try the Hornady 85 Interbond this next year. IF it shoots accurately, and expands plenty wide, and holds most all its weight, and the advertised ballistic coefficient is true, THEN it just might be the best bullet to maximize what the 243 can do on deer.

I would not use any of the monos if you are a lung shooter. The TTSX, for example, expands just fine, but it doesn't expand big enough to get a quick kill with a lung shot. I was very dissatisfied with my experience with the 80 TTSX in that application. If you always hit bone, it would work. Having used the monos in 30 cal a bunch, I expected a lot more.

With your other caliber / cartridges, I'd load for varmint.

There is that.....

But the 243 allows for flat shooting with light recoil with enough power to kill deer well--and no heavier chambering puts that combo together quite so well, not even the 25-06.

I prefer the heavier Nosler options and I shoot 95 grain Ballistic Tips and 100 grain Partitions out of my 240 Bee....