Bullet selection .243

[brokeasajoke]

Plan on taking my son this fall to shoot his first whitetail deer. I have a couple of .243 rifles I may let him use. An Ar10 and a Rem bolt. He has shot the .30-30 lever and .308 but they are a little much I believe for his size. They hurt his shoulder but he don't complain about it as I have to get it out of him to even admit it. The shots will more than likely be inside of 75yds. I have some 100gr interlocks as well as some very light nosler BT though I don't remember the weight. I also have a box of factory Winchester silver tips but I would like for him to assemble his own rounds and take a deer with one. Is there a best or better choice of bullet for this range?

 

[Mark W]

I’m not sure the 243 will recoil that much less than a 30-30. Remington used to have some low recoil rounds for 30-30 that would be great for a child shooting 75 yards and in, but who knows if you could find any now.

In 243 I would choose a substantially strong bullet so as to get penetration into the vitals. An 85 grain Nosler Partition should do the job nicely.

 

[rwj]

What is the barrel twist? Many factory barrels are 1:9 inches and that may not fully stabilize a 100 grain bullet. Good thing is that there is an easy way to find out… load and shoot some! If you’re not happy, try the lighter bullet recommended by @Mark W above…

 

[Gary in MD]

My son and daughter both took their first deer with my 243. I loaded the 95 grain ballistic tips with IMR 4350.
I have also used that bullet in the 243 for a couple deer and also used it out of my 240 Weatherby. All deer were one shot kills with good expansion and full penetration with no deer traveling far. Accuracy is all that a person could ask for out of a hunting rifle.
Gary

 

[mikeinct]

Broke as a joke. I don't know the rifle or the kid shooting it. But if I may suggest. Your handloads may not be at full power, not a biggie really. If I was doing a short range [under 150yds] I'd use a round nose 100 grain to achieve maximum expansion for hunting smaller deer. mikeinct

 

[wbm]

Sierra 85gr HPBT with H4831. Light recoil and deadly bullet at the distances you mentioned.

 

[CJ6]

Of the bullets and range you mentioned I'd use the Interlocks. The "lite" BTs are Varmint bullets and would likely blow on impact with little penetration.

 

[snert]

85 gr Barnes TTSX and a light load of powder, punch both shoulders and game over. My 5'2" 120 pound daughter uses it for her 700 youth model.

 

[WyleWD]

If you can find, beg, borrow, or steal some Sierra 85gr HPBT or Hornady 95gr SST. Those are my 2 favorite bullets from a 243 for deer as long as you have a 9-10tw barrel or there abouts. Get him out to practice as much as possible between now and hunting season. JME. WD

 

[brokeasajoke]

I have 80gr Nosler BT spitzers. Thanks for the info and ideas. I've had several people tell me the 95s work well.

 

[CJ6]

I have 80gr Nosler BT spitzers. Thanks for the info and ideas. I've had several people tell me the 95s work well.

The 80 gr. BTs are classed as Varmint by Nosler.

 

[Gb300wm]

90 gr nosler accubonds work well on deer too

 

[rfwind]

My son, a friend and I have used the plain old Hornady 100 gr Interlocks I loaded quite successfully on a couple of pronghorns and several whitetail deer.

 

[billdo742]

My wife and daughter both shoot Hornady 100gr. interlocks, great bullet for deer.

 

[243winxb]

Google Hodgdon Youth Loads.H4895. If you cant find H, IMR 4895 works for me.

Factory ammo - Hormady

243 Win 87 gr SST® Custom Lite®​

Example.

 

[Tommie]

What is the barrel twist? Many factory barrels are 1:9 inches and that may not fully stabilize a 100 grain bullet. Good thing is that there is an easy way to find out… load and shoot some! If you’re not happy, try the lighter bullet recommended by @Mark W above…

Standard .243 Win twist is 1:10 and that’s fine for 100 grain bullets.

 

[jds holler]

243 was my first dedicated "deer rifle" and everything else rifle also. I started shooting deer with it in 1975, and there wasn't the dedicated game bullets like we have now. My choice then was the Speer 90 gr. spitzer, which these days would be considered more of a varmint bullet.

Every deer I shot, (twenty some) dropped almost always on the spot. Tissue destruction was dramatic, and a bad shot would result in considerable meat loss.

I was a desert hunter, and most of these deer were killed between one and three hundred yards. It would be an odd deer that won't fold up like a cheap suit-case at 100 yards or less with ANY 243 bullet. jd

 

[K22]

Been shooting the 243 Win for over 50 years now. There are a lot of excellent bullets these days for deer in this caliber.

My favorite is the 85 Sierra BTHP. In my experience, it does a better job of putting the deer down quickly than the various 100 grain offerings. The only caveat is avoiding shots on the shoulder, go for a broadside slightly behind the shoulder shot which you should anyway regardless of the bullet in this caliber.

Another bullet I found effective is the 90 Nosler BT with the same aforementioned shot placement.

However, at the distances you mentioned, the 100 grain should work just fine with proper shot placement which is the key to most successful hunting outcomes.

I would highly recommend that you have him practice in a field shooting position on a paper target as chose as possible to simulate a deer and teach him how to locate the vital area and place the shot there. To me, this more important than the bullet you select.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Been shooting the 243 Win for over 50 years now. There are a lot of excellent bullets these days for deer in this caliber.

My favorite is the 85 Sierra BTHP. In my experience, it does a better job of putting the deer down quickly than the various 100 grain offerings. The only caveat is avoiding shots on the shoulder, go for a broadside slightly behind the shoulder shot which you should anyway regardless of the bullet in this caliber.

Another bullet I found effective is the 90 Nosler BT with the same aforementioned shot placement.

However, at the distances you mentioned, the 100 grain should work just fine with proper shot placement which is the key to most successful hunting outcomes.

I would highly recommend that you have him practice in a field shooting position on a paper target as chose as possible to simulate a deer and teach him how to locate the vital area and place the shot there. To me, this more important than the bullet you select.

I draw deer on cardboard for him and put a circle behind the shoulder for the optimum shot placement. My Remington 770 is 1in9 or something like that. The armalite Ar10 243 I don't remember the twist off hand.

 

[5spd]

Any bullet from 80g to 95g does what you want. If you handload just try a more moderate load in the 2800to2900 fps, no need for 3200+ speeds at 200 yds or less.
Sierra makes a nice 80g jsp bullet, accurate in my 6mm' s