Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .243 - Shoulder shots or lung shots?

I might have to give the TSX a go.

Seeing as how both of those bullets are relatively thin jacketed bullets, I'd have your son aim between the individual ribs........

On the other hand, if you use enough bullet it doesn't matter where in the front half of the deer the bullet may hit.

Casey

I've seen the 100 CoreLokt go through quite a few deer. I would never hesitate to bust shoulders with it, or to take out lungs.

If it wasn't so stubby it'd be a good all-around bullet for the 243.

I realize that my experience with the 243 is limited to pronghorn, muleys, and elk rather than whitetails, but I have not been impressed with the corelokt on any of them.

There are so many better bullets out there for the 243........

Casey

I have the 95 grain Ballistic Tip loaded, and I'm not worried about deer shoulders.

I wouldn't be either. My kid sent one through both shoulders on a mule deer last year and it worked great.

The 95-grain Ballistic Tip is one of the BT's with a thicker jacket. It penetrates really well.

My wife has shot through both shoulders and the spine of a couple of mature Montana whitetail bucks with the 100-grain Nosler Partition, both bullets exiting. Partitions work too, despite having lead cores.

I shoot the 80 ttsx. I would not hesitate to take a frontal shot, neck shot, or even a Texas heart shot in a pinch. If I had to use any leadcore bullet in it, the gun would not see deer season.

MD, off subject but between the .308 165 and 168 is one "thicker' than the other?

As I recall, no, but you might want to contact Nosler on that.

Same jacket thickness, just longer. I asked Nosler.

Don't forget the Speer 80 grain Deep Curl...

Thanks both of you.

Did I miss something?

OP said his son has been using it for two years, what's he been shooting? Coyotes or something?

I guess deer hunting and deer shooting ARE technically two different things....

Mike

Two .243 kills from this month, 105 A-Max both dropped in their tracks

Neck Shot


High Shoulder Shot

Great pics! I love the pics with the kids in them. I have had two of my quickest kills with the old Hornady Spire Point 100 grain. The first was a head on shot entering the chest low and I found the jacket separated in the bucks diaphram. The deer dropped and never quivered. Range, 50 yards. The second was a clasic broadside shot at 175 yards. Hit him right behind the shoulder, two bounds and he piled up dead. Found the expanded bullet under the far sided hide. I would think that those Hornady bullets would be real comparable to the CoreLokt which has also served me well in my 30-06 150 grain. I don't bust shoulders, don't need to when deer go down so quickly from heart/lung boiler room hits.

Pretty good stuff right there.

I have heard the "high shoulder" was pretty effective but those fellows get it done. Flat freakin Bad assed and in the best way.

How would the old hornady 100 gr interlock round nose stack up against the op's sierra 85 bthp and 100 gr corelokt?

80 gr TTSX does things all out of proportion to what it should and at reasonable ranges shoulders won't phase it much!

I have no experience with the Sierra but with that weight in a C&C/HP it sounds more like a coyote bullet. I think that if you hit the deer in the chest cavity it would be bang/flop. Shoulder shots, I wouldn't but it would probably kill also but with huge meat damage. The 100 grain CoreLokt in 6mm is designed for deer so I wouldn't hesitate to use it on any deer sized animal. I'm sure no expert on shoulder shooting damage because I don't shoot them there. Behind the shoulder works well for me and that's why I shoot them there. Looking at some of the photographs on this site would sure turn me against shoulder shooting. Some of these animals look like there is no edible meat left in the front third of it. I just aim 1/2 way up the body behind the shoulder and it gives you the largest kill zone. Dead on you get a double lunger. If you hit high, you get the main artery to the rear or spine. If you hit low you get the heart. If you hit left or right you get the shoulder/lung or the liver, all of these on the ethical broadside shot.