243 ultra for deer

[jpstrait]

I'm interested in buying a 243 ultra for deer hunting but have heard thoughout forums, including this one, that the ultra won't stabilize 100 gr. bullets. However 85 gr. seem to do very well based on what I've read. My question is this adequete for deer hunting? I'd like that one shot kill, and my shots would not be more than 300 yards. Anyone deer hunt with the 243 ultra in this load? Opinions would be appreciated.

[gwhilikerz]

Although I have no experience with the Ultra 243 my grandson shoots a youth model NEF 243. He has taken 4 shots at deer in the last 2 years with 4 deer to his credit. True, three of these deer were only in the 100 lb range but one was about 160 or so and the range on all was under 100 yds. They all went down with one shot and no tracking required.  I would have to double check the bullet weight but I think they are 85 gr. Rem. coreloct. I would not hesitate hunting with a 243 for deer sized game. ( If you want to actually see what a 243 will do watch Ted Nugent's "Spirit of the Wild" tv show. He and his entire family use the 243 and he swears by it) btw he uses 95 grain bullets.

[borg1]

The rule of thumb I use for selecting a load/caliber combination is will the bullet produce 1000 ft. lb. of energy?  Then, i limit shooting to within the yardages where there is at least that amount of energy.  This will ensure the one shot one kill you're talking about IMHO.  My buddies use 90gr. loads and have no problems anchoring deer within 200 yds.

[safetysheriff]

I'd only buy the .243 if I couldn't handle the recoil of a .270.     The .243 Remington Model 700 I worked with recently was very accurate....but that barrel was burning up after 3 shots with 100 gr' projectiles.     I still say, the .243 is hard on barrels!      

If you need the .243 then I'd go with Hornady's 87 gr' spire point and never look back.     It'll move out faster than a 100 gr' bullet, and the deer will get the message at 300 yds' I would believe.      I base this opinion on the lightweight spire points used in .223's that I've seen put down some pretty big deer for some landowner friends of mine.

Speed Kills!

Take care.

[Paul5388]

The .243 or 6mm is more than capable of taking the average sized deer.  It doesn't need 100 gr bullets to do it either.  I used 85 gr Nosler Zipedos for years in my 6mm Rem Mod 600, without any problems.

Nosler has re-introduced their solid based bullets, like the old Zipedo, but it only comes in 100 gr for the .243/6mm.  Nosler also makes two ballistic tip bullet lines for the .243/6mm.  85 gr and under is a varmint bullet with a thin jacket that is uniform in thickness down to the solid base.  The 90 and 95 gr bullets are hunting ballistic tips that have a jacket that gets thicker as it gets closer to the solid base.

There are illustrations of this difference at http://nosler.com/noslerbullets.html.  Just select the bullet type and a seperate page will open with the details.

[Howell Reeves]

My daughter has a 243 handirifle she has shot 2 deer with the nosler 95gr partistion bullet Both exittedthe deer and  left a hole big as a 1/2 dollar.
I myself have killed lots of deer with my Rem788.You have to put the shot in the vital areas  as with any caliber.
You talk with the Sierra tech support folks and they can gine some infro.1-800-223-8799.

[flintlock]

jp...Go with the Federal Premium 85gr Sierra BTHP...it does a good job on whitetails....see my other posts on Deer Hunting about this bullet...titles are "243 ethical"   "Field Report on 85 gr BTHP" and ".243 85gr BTHP for Deer?" Good Luck...flintlock

[handirifle]

JP
There is someone selling a 243 in the classifieds section, I believe.

[Mohawk]

Used a Remington model 600 .243 carbine on deer for ten years and it worked everytime. All I used was standard 100gr. soft-point

[BuzzKill]

Straight-  I have a 243 Ultra and have been down the same path as you.  I say that a 243 is very good on deer with a bullet from 85 to 100 gr.  If you follow the minimum 2000 fps/1000 ft-lb rule of thumb, some of these 243 loads maintain these figures out to 350 or 400 yards.  However, here is the problem.  In the H&R 243 Ultra (heavy barrel), many owners have not been able to stabilize the standard 100 gr deer loads, as infact you have read.  A few have, but many cannot.  I have a hunch, as do many others here and on the old NEF site, that the Ultra heavy barrel was meant for varmit shooters and thus lighter bullets and thus possibly a twist closer to 1:12 than the advertised 1:10 twist on NEF 243 barrels.  Why can't the company verify this or prove wrong? I don't know.  I have tried to measure my twist rate on the Ultra with no such luck.  I just can't get an accurate enough turn.  Well, on to the solution for you.  If you want to use your 243 for mostly deer, possibly the standard handi with standard size barrel would be best for you as most owners of this model have reported good luck with 100 gr. cartridges.  Yes, I know this is not the Ultra and does not have the Ultra stock, but you can buy an Ultra stock from NEF and they are all interchangable.  This setup may also prove to shoot varmit size bullets well also.  Second option is to purchase the 243 Ultra and see whether that particular gun will shoot the 95/100 gr. deer loads.  If not,  try the 85 gr. Sierra BTHP as these are a classic 243 deer getter with some folks.   This bullet does come loaded as a Federal Cartridge option.  This is where I am at currently, as my upper limit seems to be at 80 or 85 gr. without keyholing.  I am very happy with this as I can shoot my 55/58/70 gr. varmit loads as well as the 85 gr. BTHP for deer.  Some will not agree with the notion of a 243 for deer, but it just plain works.  It has very low recoil, very good trajectory and sufficient energy.  It just has a smaller frontal area, so choose a soft point bullet for expansion.  DO NOT use a 243 ballistic tip on deer.  My own opinion, but the ballistic tips on the 243 are too thin and the velocity is too high.  Good Luck and please let us know how it shoots.  BuzzKill

[Bis]

jpstraight

 I am one of the lucky (or unlucky) owners of a ultra 243 that will not shoot 100 grain stuff. I did the ram rod thing with a tight patch and came up with a 1:12 twist rate, I also had several friends do the same test on my handi and they also came up with the same twist rate. I called H&R and was told that all 243's had a twist rate of 1:10, I asked why my 243 would not shoot 100 grain stuff and was told that I should send it back to them so they could check it. I get 3 shot groups with factory stuff (80 grain) with all rounds touching at 110 yards, I don't want to argue with success and don't want them messing with a great shooter. I even called Federal and told them my problem and they sent me another box of their ammo ( 100 grain) thinking it might have been a bad batch. Same results.
 I don't know if you reload or not , but I called Sierra and went thru the whole story and told them that I didn't want to buy 100 bullets , shoot 5 and find out that I now have 95 fishing weights. So they sent me 20 bullets  (85 grain HP BT) that seem to work just fine.
 Sorry I go so long winded. I hope this helps some. Federal sells the same bullet (Sierra 85 grain HP BT)with their loads for $14.95 a box in our area.
 Good luck.