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Got a (new to me) 243! Let's discuss big game bullets and loads

Boondox

Hello everybody. Picked up a 7600 in 243 (no such thing as too many pump rifles) lookin for some recommendations on a bullet for deer and possibly a bear if it walks by. A 200 pound buck is common where I hunt; I picked up a box of 100 grain sierra pro hunters cause I'm impatient and wanted to shoot it RIGHT NOW! They may be the cats pajamas I don't know never shot anything with them.

What would you fellers suggest for bullets? Personal experience is a plus and PICTURES is 10 points extra all day long. I've come up with a fairly short list of bullets I think would be good but feel free to chime in. Here's the list. 100 grain Speer grand slam, 95 grain ballistic tip, 100 grain pro hunter, 90 grain hot core, 90 grain scirocco 2 (credit score dropped just sayin that), Hornady CX in whatever grain it is these days (80? 85?) Barnes 85 grain ttsx.

I'm lookin for the best chance of a exit wound as possible but make no mistake I'm far more willing than most others would admit to absolutely mag dump into that deer or bear cause I don't negotiate with terrorists!

I'm sort of open to using a partition. Absolutely not open to using a accubond! Used one last year out of a 308 (don't ask)

Aaaaand GO!
 
One bullet if you can find it is the sierra 100gr BTSP. Very deadly on the whitetails here in VA. We've shot a lot of deer with the .243's and 6mm chamberings...the Sierras are hard to beat. Swift 90gr scirocco is a good bullet as well and have killed deer over 600 yards with a straight 6mm and 6mm Ackley but the Sierras are a different beast all together when loaded with RL 26 in a .243
 
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I have used the 95 gr ballistic tips a lot for deer, and they are wicked out of the 243Win and the 240 WBY. I haven't killed as much with the 95 gr partition but they were very accurate in my rifle and killed one of my best bucks. If I thought that I would take a shot at a bear, then the partition is what I would favor. I used the 80 gr Barnes TTSX this past season out of the 240 just to try it and it resulted in a bang-flop on a big doe with a pass through. For the record those Sierras are very accurate, I just haven't shot anything with them.
 
I've been shooting the 243 Win since the mid 60's.

My favorite bullet for many years for the 243 Win is the Sierra 85 BTHP which I have used for deer, varmints and predators. It's a great multi-purpose bullet for a multi-purpose caliber such as the 243 Win. However, all the deer I shot with the 243 Win were nowhere the size of those you stated in your post, most were mountain bucks or does well under 150 lbs.

When first started hunting deer with the 243, I used factory Remington 100 grain Core Loke's for several years. I have also used a variety of other bullets for deer including the excellent Sierra Pro Hunter and Nosler 90 BT's. They are all worked fine, the key is proper shot placement and not overextending the range for this caliber especially for deer as large as you stated in your post.

I had my best results with bullet heavier that 85 grain using IMR 4350. For 85 grains and under IMR 4064 or Varget gave me the best results.
 
I'm not a fan of deer hunting with the .243 based on the number of animals I've seen others loose. It's a marginal cartridge for that use based on my personal observations.

And yeah, that's gonna irritate a whole bunch of people.

I calls 'em like I sees 'em.
 
Boondox said:
Hello everybody. Picked up a 7600 in 243 (no such thing as too many pump rifles) lookin for some recommendations on a bullet for deer and possibly a bear if it walks by. A 200 pound buck is common where I hunt; I picked up a box of 100 grain sierra pro hunters cause I'm impatient and wanted to shoot it RIGHT NOW! They may be the cats pajamas I don't know never shot anything with them.

What would you fellers suggest for bullets? Personal experience is a plus and PICTURES is 10 points extra all day long. I've come up with a fairly short list of bullets I think would be good but feel free to chime in. Here's the list. 100 grain Speer grand slam, 95 grain ballistic tip, 100 grain pro hunter, 90 grain hot core, 90 grain scirocco 2 (credit score dropped just sayin that), Hornady CX in whatever grain it is these days (80? 85?) Barnes 85 grain ttsx.

I'm lookin for the best chance of a exit wound as possible but make no mistake I'm far more willing than most others would admit to absolutely mag dump into that deer or bear cause I don't negotiate with terrorists!

I'm sort of open to using a partition. Absolutely not open to using a accubond! Used one last year out of a 308 (don't ask)

Aaaaand GO!
Click to expand...
I have shot a lot of deer with a 6mm, my dad shot a ton with one also. I would stick with a 100 gr partition, or a TTSX or Hornady CX. I have never shot 100 gr grand slam, but they would probably be good. You will get complete pass throughs on most shots, good blood trails and dead deer.
A 243 gets a bad rap due to bullet failure, but there is nothing wrong with a 243 with good bullets. I have seen regular cup and core 100 gr bullets splash on a deer and not penetrate. I would also stay away from a boat tail, to easy for the core to separate.
 
If you can find the 90 gr. Nosler Accubond it will do well with putting deer down quickly. The little bullet simply does a great job even with end to end shots. Last one I shot was @ 75 yds. head-on frontal chest. Bullet stayed together and stopped between the hams.
 
DShortt said:
I'm not a fan of deer hunting with the .243 based on the number of animals I've seen others loose. It's a marginal cartridge for that use based on my personal observations.

And yeah, that's gonna irritate a whole bunch of people.

I calls 'em like I sees 'em.
Click to expand...
I've taken several dozen white tails and mulies with 223, 6mm, 243, 260, 270, 8mm Mauser, 30-06, 300 WM, 338 WM & 41 Mag over the last 50 years. More with the 243/6mm than any other. My bride and son are also successful 243/6mm deer hunters. Good bullet construction and proper bullet placement get it done. A poor hit with a 338 doesn't make it a poor choice any more than a 223 makes a great 500 yard choice.
Quality time spent on the range in a variety of shooting positions is never wasted.
 
DShortt said:
I'm not a fan of deer hunting with the .243 based on the number of animals I've seen others loose. It's a marginal cartridge for that use based on my personal observations.

And yeah, that's gonna irritate a whole bunch of people.

I calls 'em like I sees 'em.
Click to expand...
There are many factors that contribute to a success kill on a deer.

At deer camp and in other deer seasons over the past 50+ years I have seen deer lost to the 7mm magnum, 30 06, 308, and 270 to name a few. Shot placement even with these more than adequate deer cartridges are still important.

Is the 243 Win ideal for deer? No in my opinion. Can it take deer reliability? Yes, if shot placement is proper, distances are not extreme, and an effective bullet is used. I have never lost a deer to the 243 Win if I hit it. Oh, I missed a few but never lost one I hit. However, I was careful with shot placement (broadside behind shoulder) and distances were all under 185 yards. Also, the deer were under 150 lbs. or so.

The reason I started with the 243 Win in the mid 60's was I needed a dual-purpose cartridge for deer and varmints/predators since I could only afford one rifle. It fit that need quite nicely.

The two largest buck (175 and 155) I ever took were with the 308 Win. The reason for the 308 was I began hunting local farms that had large bucks (compared to mountain bucks) and I wanted some extra margin of energy if I obtain a deer of a lifetime shot which I did on two occasions. Would the 243 Win had taken them? Probably / maybe. But quite honestly, the 243 Win would not be my first if I was selecting a cartridge solely for big game hunting so your comment does not irritate this fellow. ;)
 
Some people shoot a .243 better than a .30 cal. because of difference in recoil. Both work well for deer. Bullet selection and shot placement are important. I have found the 95 grain ballistic tip to be very effective on deer.
 
DShortt said:
I'm not a fan of deer hunting with the .243 based on the number of animals I've seen others loose. It's a marginal cartridge for that use based on my personal observations.

And yeah, that's gonna irritate a whole bunch of people.

I calls 'em like I sees 'em.
Click to expand...
Well said. When my son was 10 we trapped a bear. He shot the bear 5 times with a 243 before getting it off of its feet. If a true giant black bear comes out where would you put one of these so called "well placed shots". They have extremely thick tough ribs and you need to get both lungs or more then likely the bear will not be retrieved.
I did buy a new 243 Rem 1.5 years ago. I load 95 gr Berger VLDs for coyote. I had a doe tag so I did use it on the doe. It worked fine but if I was hunting to fill my buck tag I would not have taken it.
 
It would be tough to beat the 100 gr grand slam, especially if you want exits. Close range(under 50 yards) exits with tipped/hollow point bullets leadcore will be unreliable. Bear hide/hair/bone a big issue for many high velocity tipped bullets at close range.
 
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