Which 243 projectile for game.

[JoeBru]

Just purchased my first 243 and have started some load development. The 95 grain SST Hornady look to be the goods on paper for game.
Has anyone had experience with this projectile?
Not interested in varmit projectiles I've a bias towards projectiles that exit on a side on shots

[Redhawk1]

I know someone will blast me for mentioning it, but Barnes 85 gr. TSX are great for what you are asking for.  

[Lawdog]

Just purchased my first 243 and have started some load development. The 95 grain SST Hornady look to be the goods on paper for game.
Has anyone had experience with this projectile?
Not interested in varmit projectiles I've a bias towards projectiles that exit on a side on shots

I have tried the Hornady SST in many calibers.  While showing excellent accuracy on paper their performance on game leaves much to be desired.  You’ll get those that will tell you that bullet placement is everything.  Up to a point what they are saying is true.  But without a bullet holding together, penetrating into the vitals you’re not taking home any game.  In the .243 Winchester I would suggest that you load up with either the Nosler 100 gr. Partition or the 85 gr. Barnes TSX.  Lawdog
 

[nomosendero]

I agree with Redhawk1 & Lawdog on this one. The SST numbers look good on paper because of the BC which reflects higher Kin. Energy, but
that is meaningless without proper bullet performance. I like the SST for
Deer OK in the bigger calibers & in the heavier weights, when the bullet has a high sectional density & weight for forward momentum, in other
words enough to penetrate even with dramatic expansion. But with a .243
you don't have that.
I know that the .243 is used by alot of Deer hunters (but far less than in the past) & it can be effective even with less than perfect bullets, but you need a premium bullet to effectively reach the vitals 100% of the time, especially when the animal is angled more than you thought, yes it really happens, at least to me & others I hunt with.
When my boys were small, they used a .243, I would sit with them & let them shoot the Deer up close, we found a factory load with the 100 Gr. Part. worked well & I handloaded some 85 Gr. Barnes X bullets that were very good. So by experience I agree with Lawdog's two choices.

PS or PMS, whichever applies: I know some will be bothered by what I
said, but I want to state my opinion based on scores of dead Deer & if
it offends some, I am sorry but if it helps 1 person come out of the woods this fall with a big trophy that they would have otherwise lost, that's cool
with me.

[Val]

I'm gettingm very good accuracy using the 100 grain Nosler Partition from my .243.  I'm using 41.5 grains of IMR 4350 with a chronographed muzzle velocity of 2872 FPS.

[Ramrod]

JoeBru, you could do just as well with a standard bullet like, say, a 100 grain Core-loct ! You just have to learn to not shoot your deer in the ass. :-D

[nomosendero]

That would not enter the mind of a real hunter, I just cannot relate, sorry.

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

    Maybe a "Real" hunter would not take such a shot. However there are an awful lot of shooters out there during deer season that will and do take any shot at any deer. I have only visited the US once so far hunitng deer and I am sorry to say that I met some very disrespectful shooters of Deer in my short stay. A group camped next to our group and they shot up deer to say the least, some of which should really have been let walk to grow on more. I can recall one poor small buck which had about 6 bullet holes in it .

    I remember after on days hunting whilst were were doing a little cooking around the fire that one of these shooters wandered over rather the worse for drink to ask we got on that day and what we hed shot. He then related how he had fired until his rifle was empty at some deer but didn't drop one, he never bothered to check or perhaps never thought to check if he had hit any they didnt' drop so he assumed he had missed. He wondered why he had missed then asked us if he thought to two cases of beer he had drunk may have had anything to do with it  :roll:  :eek:

     Luckily we were hunting on private land so were no where near them and their antics. But I got to see road hunters looking  to poach deer off the farm we had permission to hunt via a lease. Saw then slowly crusie the bisecting farm road in a pick up with the windows rolled down then speed off when then saw us watching them. Later we heard a shot from the other end of the farm. Next day we took a ride up there and sure enough found a gut pile just off the road  
 
      I met some really friendly and well meaning folks of the hunting and non hunting kind, we even had a family come over to the barn where we were skinning my 9 pointer to have a look at him and congratulate us. This stunned me as it would not likely happen here in England I am ashamed to say :oops: A few times we ate in the local diner and met some really friendly fellow hunters, like wise at the check in station, it's just a pity that I had to meet so many of the other type

    My friend the game keeper here in England uses the .243 win a lot, he prefers the Federal premium 100 Grn loading if he can get it and has had excellent success with it over the years, and he shoots more deer a year than some of us will shoot in a lifetime.  Last time I spoke to him had had shot 8 deer that week. This was during the cull the carcases are sold to the game dealer then onto the markets for resturants and butchers. In his rifle the Winchester 100 Grn loading does not shoot so well, the S&B 100 Grn is better but not quite as accurate as the Federal.
     
Since the 2003 trip I have not been able to afford the return trip much to my dissappointment. Maybe next year  :wink:

[JoeBru]

Ramrod, not looking to shoot things in the rear end with a 243, just looking for a projectile that will handle a quartering shot on game without going to pieces.  
Like Lawdog said, if they don't get into the vitals, they're of no hunting value or words to that effect.

[Ramrod]

Brithunter, you have just described about half the hunters I have met in my lifetime. Many use these "hunting camps" as nothing more than an excuse to get away from their nagging wives and get some serious drinking done. Be carefull though, because anytime someone posts anything negative about these yahoos, he is liable to get flamed with all sorts if crap about how us hunters have to "stick together" and other such nonsense.
JoeBru, any decent 100 grain bullet, fired by any decent shooter, from any decent angle, is going to get you a piece of venison.

[nomosendero]

Ramrod

Amazing experience you have there & unfortunate. I do some out of State
hunting each year, so I would like to know what State has such a high
ratio of slob hunters (50%), as I do not want to hunt close to those guys.

I have heard stories of slob hunters & drinking in Deer Camp here in AR.
but they are very much in the minority, especially in the last 10-15 years.

[Ramrod]

nomosendero, I think you might be pretty safe where you are. I only know what I see, I'm talking about the north-eastern states. And it's not just the city hunters that scare me, most of the "take the gun out once a year" type country folks are just as bad.

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

     We were hunting in Northern Missouri, in fact our camp was behind the American Legion Post on the edge of a small town so we actually had electric hook up. Those guys saw my American friends camped there the year before and then got in on the act although I don't think they liked it much for soem reason the follwong year they went and camped on the farm where they were shooting.

     Oh whilst talking about the difference in Deer hunting season between the US and Britian, the main yahoo simply stated that he shot deer anytime he felt like he need one  What was even more of a shame was thet they had a young teenager with them and were teaching him their ways

    Oh it was not 50%, no where near it, I met plenty of hunters who seemed to be just like us. There was one other guy called Patrick who shared the lease, because he was not confortable with shots much past 150 yards he just watched the deer that were further out without raising his rifle. later that first week he moved from his stand and did a little still hunting and tagged out on another part of the 1100 acres of the lease.

   We have poachers here too and plenty of antis but nothing quite as blatent as these were, there were 5 of them in that group and the two in the pick up paoching from the road so seven in all. I must have met near 30 other hunters during my stay at the Check in station or the gas station whilst filling up with hot drinks in the morning before heading out to the lease.

     My friends dad used to have a place in Southern Missouri and the locals were quite brazon about how they hunted it when the felt like it. Even though they had no permission and no rights to do so. It's a shame that these fellows spoil it for others but that's what they do.

   I am lucky in that the group I go with when I get the chance in Missouri are real hunting types who mostly like to shoot often. One brother is not quite so keen but he didn't shoot a deer whilst I was there, had the chance but it was not the one he was looking for. No Bucks will they shoot unless the Antlers are wider than the ears, and they do shoot does for meat as well. I saw quite a few deer every day and I tagged 3 during the season. The sorry thing is that I am not allowed to bring any home so the only venison I got was what we ate during my stay. The rest was jointed up and shared out amongst the others except the buck which was the first I shot on day two. This was given to some local friends of theirs who were having a rough time of things in general, none was wasted.

    It's a shame things didn't work out so I could return this season, maybe next year! A fw slobs have not put me off hunting in the uS. It's just the cost of travel really.

[Redhawk1]

nomosendero, I think you might be pretty safe where you are. I only know what I see, I'm talking about the north-eastern states. And it's not just the city hunters that scare me, most of the "take the gun out once a year" type country folks are just as bad.

Now I have to say something. It is not just the hunters in  the north-eastern States. I happen to live in the North east and myself and my fellow hunting crew are very clean and courteous hunters,I have not run into many slob hunters here. There are a few all over the "world", but not just in the North east.  :roll:

Before you make such a bold and stupid statement, think think think. I can't stand someone that points his finger like he is high and mighty. You are just spuing garbage and should think before you post. I just wish I was sitting next to you when you wrote that.   :twisted:  :evil:

[Barstooler]

Back to the original question........

I always like to use "heavier" bullets for any given caliber on game.  With regard to the 243 Win, for deer I prefer the 100 or 105 gr Speer and IMR 4350.   Either has always produced positive kills on Whitetail sized game.

Barstooler

[cal sibley]

I've used the Hornady 95gr. SST in my .243Win. and in 6mm Ren., but only at the range thus far. It's a pretty accurate bullet.  Being a flat base instead of a boattail I imagine it'll hold together better.  I dug a couple out of a dirt mound behind the targets, and they've held together nicely.  I can't say about performance on deer as I haven't got one with that bullet yet.  Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[Ramrod]

nomosendero, I think you might be pretty safe where you are. I only know what I see, I'm talking about the north-eastern states. And it's not just the city hunters that scare me, most of the "take the gun out once a year" type country folks are just as bad.

Now I have to say something. It is not just the hunters in  the north-eastern States. I happen to live in the North east and myself and my fellow hunting crew are very clean and courteous hunters,I have not run into many slob hunters here. There are a few all over the "world", but not just in the North east.  :roll:

Before you make such a bold and stupid statement, think think think. I can't stand someone that points his finger like he is high and mighty. You are just spuing garbage and should think before you post. I just wish I was sitting next to you when you wrote that.   :twisted:  :evil:

I think you had a little too much coffee today.
I don't think you are one of the dumb-asses I'm talking about. But I do take exeption to your reply.
First of all, Delaware is what is geographically known as a Mid-Atlantic State. It has never been considered part of the North East.
It is also historically, a bastard state. A slave owning state that did not have the intestinal fortitude (balls, for the less politicly correct among us), to leave the Union! And the proper spelling for what you call my post, is spewing.
That said, seeing how land where I live is still relativily cheap, I see alot more idiots in the woods, than responsible hunters.

To get back on topic for everyone else, I have to say, use an explosive bullet only if you have the sense to hold out for a perfect neck or lung shot. That is the only way to kill big game with varmint bullets. I have not found deer hard to kill with the .22-250 but shot placement is the key.

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

     Sorry but I did not intend to stir things up :oops:

     My friend from Missouri last season used a .243AI and for that he loaded 95 grn Ballitic Tips. They performed well on the deer but are a little on the destructive side. One Doe he head shot it took off the top of her head. Another was laying in her bed and never moved just dropped her head as if asleep :-)  I personally am not keen on head shots  but for some they seem to work.

    I do not know what he is going to be using this year, I do kow he really likes the 6.5x55 cartridge and has a nice Ruger 77 chambered in that. With this rifle he uses the Nosler 125 grn partitions.

[Redhawk1]

Hi All,

     Sorry but I did not intend to stir things up :oops:

     My friend from Missouri last season used a .243AI and for that he loaded 95 grn Ballitic Tips. They performed well on the deer but are a little on the destructive side. One Doe he head shot it took off the top of her head. Another was laying in her bed and never moved just dropped her head as if asleep :-)  I personally am not keen on head shots  but for some they seem to work.

    I do not know what he is going to be using this year, I do kow he really likes the 6.5x55 cartridge and has a nice Ruger 77 chambered in that. With this rifle he uses the Nosler 125 grn partitions.

Brithunter, it is hard to stay on topic when hunters start criticizing other hunters.

As for MR spell checker Ramrod, No matter how you feel about some hunters, lumping all hunter in the North east into one is wrong.   Geographically speaking....

[huntswithdogs]

I've used the Hornady 100gr RN and the 100Gr Sierra SP for years,with no problems. I've taken some shots that were off angle with fuul penetration. No bullets have ever been retrieved. I've hunted with this particular rifle for over 20 years and have killed deer with it every year.

HWD

[hunt4646]

Last three deer have been taken with 243 Howa ultralite 1500.  First was head shot between the eyes at 25 yards.  Bullets entrance and exit hole was about the same size.  Of course deer dropped at that spot.  
Next was at 175 yards quartering toward me at slow walk.  Bullet broke rib at breast bone on entrance and 4 ribs opposite side exiting.  Deer ran short distance in circle.
This year's deer was at 100 yards walking toward me.  Bullet penetrated breast bone and tore up three ribs on exit.  Deer dropped to ground unable to run.  All kills using Hornady 100 gr soft point and 41 grain of IMR 4350.  These deer in Tennessee usually run 100 to 150 lbs with only a few nearing 200 lbs.  The 243 has been very deadly and Hornady bullets are doing massive destruction to the soft bones.

[hunt4646]

Last three deer have been taken with 243 Howa ultralite 1500.  First was head shot between the eyes at 25 yards.  Bullets entrance and exit hole was about the same size.  Of course deer dropped at that spot.  
Next was at 175 yards quartering toward me at slow walk.  Bullet broke rib at breast bone on entrance and 4 ribs opposite side exiting.  Deer ran short distance in circle.
This year's deer was at 100 yards walking toward me.  Bullet penetrated breast bone and tore up three ribs on exit.  Deer dropped to ground unable to run.  All kills using Hornady 100 gr soft point and 41 grain of IMR 4350.  These deer in Tennessee usually run 100 to 150 lbs with only a few nearing 200 lbs.  The 243 has been very deadly and Hornady bullets are doing massive destruction to the soft bones.

[Thebear_78]

I have had poor luck with 100gr Rem core-lok  bullet on deer.  I have used the 100gr winchester PP, the 85gr sierra HPBT gameking, and my absolute favorite bullet, the 100gr Sierra SBT gameking.  It is deadly accurate in both my sisters and my rifles.  I have shot 15 whitetails from 60-280 yards and my sister has shot a couple more.  All have shown excellent penetration and expansion.  Most have been dime sized entrance and quarter to fifty cent peice sized exits.  Only one needed a second shot, and that was just because I hit too high on the first shot.  

I mainly shoot the federal premium load.  Its as accurate as anything I have handloaded and saves me some time.  It clocks along right at 2850fps out of my 20" barrel.   I have also shot the federal premium load with the 85gr HPBT gameking but my rifle shoots the 100gr load better.  From what I have seen my prefference for bullets in the 243 are

1- 100gr Sierra SBT Gameking
2- 100gr Nosler Partition
3-  85gr Barnes TSX
4-  85gr Sierra HPBT Gameking

Here is my latest deer with the 243.

[Maryland Hunter]

Here's a great article on this topic:  http://www.billsaccuracy.com/art1-p1.htm

MH

[hunt4646]

[hunt4646]

Yesterday harvested a 120 lb doe with 243 win using sierra 85 gr game king bullet.  Distance was 100 yds and shot was broadside hitting 1/3 up on body just behind the shoulder.  Deer was terminally hit but ran 40 yds into thick woods.  No blood trail and no exit hole.  The bullet fragmented and parts were recovered in the lungs.  There was less internal damage than I see with my usual hand load.  The usual load is Hornady 100 gr soft point pushed by IMR 4350.  Even tho the Sierra 85 game king is more accurate in my Savage 10, I'll go back to Hornady 100 gr soft points for their killing performance.

[rickt300]

I posted my recent experience with the 80 grain Remington PSP in the Deer hunting forum.  I wouldn't be unhappy with a lung shot deer that went 40 yards but the Hornady is a good bullet. I use the boat tailed version of the 100 grain Hornady at times.

[JohnClif]

I've had good luck with the Federal Premium 100gr Sierra BTSPs on the smaller whitetail of the deep South. I haven't shot anything but coyotes and crows with it out here in WA and it is one-shot deadly on both!

I've also shot a 130# buck that was trotting after being spooked by other hunters broadside at about 20 yards with a .30-'06/150gr Rem Core Lokt, and the deer ran about 40 yards before collapsing. I will say, though, that the '06 left one hell of a blood trail and I could tell where the critter was shot due to the blood spray, and everything above the diaphram (including the heart) was mush even though the bullet didn't touch a rib on the way in or out. So, if a deer can make it 40 yards with a destroyed heart/lung system on only the residual oxygen in his brain, then the only way to get a better stop is to hit the spine or brain. (Actually, if the bullet had hit the shoulder on the way out the deer would have most likely dropped and never got up, but the meat damage would have been extreme.)

As the other posters have said, penetration is everything with this caliber. There used to be a bunch of Nosler employees who referred to themselves as the ".243 Club" who hunted, and collected, elk every year with, yep... their .243 Winchesters. They used Nosler Partitions and had the discipline to only go for the behind-the-shoulder shot and never lost an elk.

I personally think that any bullet from a .243 that makes it past the ribs is going to be deadly... but you have to get into the chest cavity. If you like shoulder or quartering shots then you need to look at the Nosler Partition or an X-Bullet. If you are willing to only take shots through the ribs or from directly in front, then you can use the more expansive bullets like the Ballistic Tip or the SST.

[JohnClif]

(Forgot to add this to the last message)

I've hunted on the East Coast, the deep South, and the far West, and I can tell you that no one area has a monopoly on slob hunters.

In many areas where people have lived on, and off of, the land for generations, the prevailing notion seems to be that the game laws are okay to disregard. I know of people who have shot way past their limit on ducks because they liked to eat ducks and figured that it was okay to shoot twice the limit on weekends because they didn't hunt during the week. I ran into some elk hunters who felt it was okay to 'party shoot' and one member of the party killed three elk on opening morning after a herd ran past him... and then called the others to come tag 'their' elk. Of course, the rest of us in the area were denied the opportunity to bag those elk. I had a coworker from Pennsylvania and from his stories I think it would be safer to be in current-day Iraq than the Pennsylvania deer woods during deer season.

I have to confess that, as a youngster, I was pretty bloodthirsty with my air rifle although I mostly stuck to English Sparrows, starlings, and the occasional unwary grackle. Fortunately, I matured enough so that by the time my hunting and shooting skills were advanced enough to take most of the uncertainty out of hunting, my bloodlust was largely sated. I take it out now on coyotes and other varmints... and the occasional cheeky starling that eats from my suburban birdfeeder with impunity.

I think that most slob hunters behave the way they do because they believe it is the only way they'll have a chance to collect game (by cheating). With the exception of market hunters (poachers who sell their game) the slob hunters I've met were uniformly bad shots and bad hunters, and cruising with a spotlight at dusk was really the only chance they had to get a deer. I don't defend the practice; they should have put as much effort into learning how to hunt and shoot as they did figuring out ways to get around the game laws.

[rickt300]

Just purchased my first 243 and have started some load development. The 95 grain SST Hornady look to be the goods on paper for game.
Has anyone had experience with this projectile?
Not interested in varmit projectiles I've a bias towards projectiles that exit on a side on shots

If I was only interested in bullets that would exit that were not premium bullets the 105 grain Speer is a good one.  If you are looking for a bullet that generally exits after smashing both shoulder I don't know what to tell you. I don't have any experience with the Barnes TSX but it sure has a fan club on this forum but a lot of those boys don't care for the 243 as a deer rifle. Depending on the size of your deer a lot of bullets will exit on broadside ribcage hits that don't involve the shoulder. A lot depends on how far your shooting and what your impact velocity is. I personally prefer my bullets not to have much steam after going thru a deer in the interest of the cattle on the lease.