What's yalls pick for deer bullet for 243win.
95 grain Ballistic Tips and SSTs have worked great at my camp.
1 x 8 twist 105 gr. Scenar Rio7
I shoot a 100 grain partition in mine with 42 grains of IMR4350. My wife shoots 90 grain Accubonds in her 243 with 44 grains of IMR4350.
Nosler 95 Ballistic Tips or Barnes 80 TTSX
Hornady Superformance 95 gr. SST, jello inside not much of a blood trail, best for private property.
In no particular order
Nosler 95 BT
Barnes 80 TTSX
Hornady 80 GMX
Hornady 105 BTHP match - if the twist allows them
90gr scirocco or Sierra 85gr hpbt. 100% 1 shot kills with both of them.
85 grain Sierra SP Varminter, not the BTHP. BTHP too tough for my liking.
100 grain Sierra Gameking or a Nosler 95 grain Partition.
Not really a nickles difference in the 3.
My next kill with my 6mm will be with a 90 grain Ballistic Tip.
I shoot a 100 grain partition in mine with 42 grains of IMR4350. My wife shoots 90 grain Accubonds in her 243 with 44 grains of IMR4350.
Nothing like keeping it simple..
Vanilla 100 grain hornady.
Barnes 80gr TTSX does a nice job for Me, and the 100gr Interlock ain't no slouch either....Hb
90 Nosler Ballistic Tip
95 Nosler Ballistic Tip
85 Sierra BTHP.
Works for me
Lots of good advice already.
For me, I’ve had success with the following:
95 gr NBT - this is one tough bullet and “hog approved” also.
100 gr Interlock
100 gr Sierra Gameking
I couldn’t get the 80 gr TTSX to shoot worth a darn, and given the prices/ perceived performance improvement vs the others I abandoned future attempts to make these work.
Barrel is 1 x 7.5 twist, bullet Hornady 108 eld match over a max charge of Ramshot Hunter.
80gr TTSX
95gr nosler BT
100gr interlock
80gr TTSX
95gr nosler BT
100gr interlock
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS
You guys that use interlocks, flat base or boat tails?
Does it make a difference?
I ask because both are readily available. I've had good luck with flat base interlocks in my 308.
They don’t make a 100gr flat base in .243 anymore.
With that said, I’ve had better accuracy luck with flat base than boat tail in 30-06, but only marginally. Also .277 130 flat base shoot great and not available in bt in 130 gr, but in 140 gr.
You guys that use interlocks, flat base or boat tails?
Does it make a difference?
I ask because both are readily available. I've had good luck with flat base interlocks in my 308.
Used 243 100 grain Hornady boat tails 25 years ago. They worked fine from about 10' to 50 yards.
I have used the 95 Berger Hunting VLDs with success. I also did some testing with Hornady 100gr BT Interlokt. At 500yds the interlokt gave perfect mushrooms and a decent amount of damage, I would not hesitate putting one in the ribs of a deer or cow elk at that distance. One problem I have with the Hornady. I have a few boxes of them and the bullets look completely different from one lot to the other, Different bt angle and length and noticeably different OGIVE.........
I load 100gr Rem Corelokts. They never failed from close range to 200 yards.
95 Ballistic Tips or Partition and the 100 grain Partition.
Sierra 85 gn. BTHP
They’ve killed several deer for me. None lost.
There are probably better bullets in 243 but that one just shoots so much more accurate in my rifle.
Sierra 85 gn. BTHP
They’ve killed several deer for me. None lost.
There are probably better bullets in 243 but that one just shoots so much more accurate in my rifle.
Every 243 I've owned, and there have been quite a few, have all shot this bullet very, very accurately. 45 grains of W760 and a Sierra 85 grain HPBT is the load I use, and it has killed coyotes and deer without fail.
This ^^^
Sierra 85gr HPBT hasn’t let me down ever. It’s counterintuitive but results are results. It’s a tough little bullet. (Blacktails, hogs & coyotes mostly)
They don’t make a 100gr flat base in .243 anymore.
With that said, I’ve had better accuracy luck with flat base than boat tail in 30-06, but only marginally. Also .277 130 flat base shoot great and not available in bt in 130 gr, but in 140 gr.
When I search bullets on line I look at several calibers. Must have mixed-up boat tails and flat bases in my head. I dug through my modest bullet pile last night yep, boat tail 6mms.
That 85gr HPBT has always been an enigma for me. A lot of guys on this forum don't think Sierra can make a decent big game bullet even when they try. And here we have a bullet touted by Sierra as a varmint bullet, and it receives rave reviews for lots of folks as a tough bullet and outstanding for deer. No comprendo...
That 85gr HPBT has always been an enigma for me. A lot of guys on this forum don't think Sierra can make a decent big game bullet even when they try. And here we have a bullet touted by Sierra as a varmint bullet, and it receives rave reviews for lots of folks as a tough bullet and outstanding for deer. No comprendo...
Their description is broader than that.
Lifted from the Sierra website:
For rifles chambered in 6mm cartridges, the #1530 85 grain hollow point boat tail bullet has proven to be highly effective on medium game, such as deer and antelope, and it is outstanding in this application. It is one of the best all-around bullets for rifles chambered in 6mm Remington or 243 Winchester. It is one of the most recommended bullets for varmints such as prairie dogs, groundhogs, coyotes, to medium game such as deer and antelope. Shooters using any rifle in the entire range of 6mm cartridges will find this to be an excellent bullet. This bullet shoots like a MatchKing and expands like a hunting bullet.
Thanks, mathman. Do you know if that description changed recently? I guess i need to keep up!
I don't know the timeline. The ones I've had for a number of years are all labeled Game King, not Varminter.
That 85gr HPBT has always been an enigma for me. A lot of guys on this forum don't think Sierra can make a decent big game bullet even when they try. And here we have a bullet touted by Sierra as a varmint bullet, and it receives rave reviews for lots of folks as a tough bullet and outstanding for deer. No comprendo...
The SP is their Varminter.
The HPBT is a Gameking.
The 85 hpbt has a thicker jacket than most traditional hollow points, giving it better penetration. My boy shot a big 5 year old mule deer buck with one at 410 yds one time. It made a good mess of his lungs, and the rear part of the jacket was just under the off side hide. Buck went about 50yds a d piled up. I shot a big wolf with one at about 350yds, and had an exit through the ribs that was about the size of a 50 cent piece. Killed lots and lots of deer with them without any fanfare. These bullets are extremely accurate as well.
That 85gr HPBT has always been an enigma for me. A lot of guys on this forum don't think Sierra can make a decent big game bullet even when they try. And here we have a bullet touted by Sierra as a varmint bullet, and it receives rave reviews for lots of folks as a tough bullet and outstanding for deer. No comprendo...
The SP is their Varminter.
The HPBT is a Gameking.
This is where I got my impression (Sierra 4th Edition Manual):
85gr HPBT GameKing:
"
Designed as a thin-skinned long range varmint bullet, this aerodynamic bullet shoots like a MatchKing and
expands like a Varminter. Probably the best all-around bullet for the 6mm Remington and 243 Win. Shooters using the entire range of 6mm cartridges wil find this to be an excellent bullet. This bullet has also proven to be highly effective on medium game, such as deer and antelope,
as long as the shots re carefully placed.Optimum, range for varmint hunting: 50 to 500 yards."
Guess Sierra may have toughened it up since then...
May have. Definitely not thin jacketed and for sure not aerodynamic.
They get a lot of high praise and they do work but too tough for me, the reason I like the 85 grain Varminter SP if loading a lighter bullet in my 6mm.