New bullet for deer

[markT]

im looking for a deer bullet for a 243.
Been using 65 gr Vmax hand loads.
What do you guys recommend?
What bullet? Powder? and who would have them in stock?
I’ve got H322, Varget and imr 3031 in my inventory.

 

[Kermit in Va.]

I like the 90 gr. Accubonds...
Don't remember what powder been awhile since I had to load'em.


Donnie

 

[PRR1957]

Just a thought. Something heavier then a 65 gr varmint bullet. The animal should be " Lights out", DRT, not made to run off suffering before finally dying. Other here can weigh in on bullet brand and type.

 

[muleystalker]

And something other than a varmint bullet. I would go a 87gr Berger VLD or the 90gr Classic Hunter Berger. If your barrel twist will handle it I would go heavier myself with a 108gr or 115gr Berger. https://bergerbullets.com/product-category/bullets/?caliber=6-mm&bullets-line=hunting

I have been fooling around with the Badlands Bulldozer 79gr or 80gr Mono in my 6x204 and it has shot very well, it would be a screamer in a .243. https://badlandsprecision.com/product/243-79gr-bulldozer/

Badlands Has a 6mm 100gr Mono hunting bullet that has a G1 BC of .575 that I'm going to load in my 6 SST as soon as its done but it requires a minimum of 1:7 twist barrel. Its not on their website, you can call and order them.

 

[slm9s]

90 ballistic tip is another great option.

 

[markT]

Just a thought. Something heavier then a 65 gr varmint bullet. The animal should be " Lights out", DRT, not made to run off suffering before finally dying. Other here can weigh in on bullet brand and type.

I thought I might catch some flack from post about the 65 gr. Where I hunt I’ve never taken a shot past 90 yards. My box stands have shooting benches in them and I’m completely steady. Almost as good as at a range. I can place the shot pretty much where it needs to go. Most deer run maybe 20 yards into cover drop. Thanks

 

[stork]

sierra 85 gr HPBT.

 

[WyleWD]

sierra 85 gr HPBT.

Best 6mm bullet ever made for deer is the 85gr HPBT from Sierra. Next best is a Horndady 95gr SST.

 

[284winner]

im looking for a deer bullet for a 243.
Been using 65 gr Vmax hand loads.
What do you guys recommend?
What bullet? Powder? and who would have them in stock?
I’ve got H322, Varget and imr 3031 in my inventory.

100 Nosler Partition works. H 4831 sc. Grand daughter shoots the 95 Fusion ammo in hers. Drops deer instantly. Surprising for sure. If you could find just the bullets, they are a great deer bullet.

 

[NC308]

Cheap Hornady interlock. Great deer bullet regardless of caliber!

 

[std7mag]

100gr Sierra SPBT over a charge of RL26.

Just don't share that too much as the 6.5 Manbun crowd has already discovered RL26 is faster than their pixie dust, making powder for cartridges a 10yr old & up would shoot, neigh on impossible to find!

 

[JEFFPPC]

im looking for a deer bullet for a 243.
Been using 65 gr Vmax hand loads.
What do you guys recommend?
What bullet? Powder? and who would have them in stock?
I’ve got H322, Varget and imr 3031 in my inventory.

Not just a though but from experience, 75 gr Sierra hollow points.

 

[Coonman300]

Using the search function look for loads for 6mm Rem/243 and look for posts from forum member AckleymanII. He has shared multiple loads/bullets for deer hunting and is a wealth of knowledge.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have never been to SC but have been in Alabama, the deer seem half the size of the deer in Mn. If you have never had a problem with your current load, why change. I don't think I would consider the vmax to be a deer bullet here, at least I would go to the Nosler bt. Do the vmax exit on rib cage shot deer?

 

[troupe]

Sierra Gameking SPBT or the 85gr GKHP Both kill great, normally very accurate and are not expensive and have been doing so for many years, long before the super hype best polymer tipped coated wiz bang bullets. Sometimes old technology just works.

 

[AckleymanII]

Mark, I am in SC, also. If you are a shoulder shooter, go with a 95-100g partition, they will penetrate the deer from all angles, coming and going. Late afternoon hunting is a challenge for deer that run off as I am sure you are aware. We use IMR or H4350, Win primer, close to a max load for the rifle with great accuracy. Accuracy with the 95g seems to be a tad better than the 100, but hard to say what a barrel will like. R#26 with a cci 250 or Fed 210 will get you 3150-3200 out of a 24" barrel, but finding R#26 is a pipe dream right now.

100g Hornady is a hands down winner, I prefer the flat base if you can find them, 4350's seal the deal on speed and accuracy. We killed some big Kansas deer with the 100g Hornady btsp with a very accurate IMR 4350 load with a MV of 3050 fps. Most shots were between 200-325 rattling them in from a long ways out with Horns.

95g Nosler ballistic tip
95g SST are both tough bullets, great killers and are very popular with the 243 guys, 4350's for both of these

I prefer the 85g Speer btsp over the 85g Sierra bthp as penetration is better with the speer, hot load of R#19. The Speer 85 is a big game bullet, NOT a varmint bullet. I LOVE R#19 with these weight bullets.

If you want to drop down in bullet weight from the 95's, the 80g Winchester loaded with an over book max load of IMR 4064(Fed 210) will be very, very accurate, and deer drop. I prefer Lapua brass, or brass made from all the same year, New Lake City brass because the brass is tough and the accuracy node for Rem 700's is up there in pressure.

With your box stands and tight cover, use a bullet that is constructed where you can still break shoulders and heavy ribs. You know that when those bucks are chasing does, the shots can be rushed, and at times a Hail Mary!

Learn where to shoot on neck shots if you are shooting over a corn pile to avoid ruining meat. It is easy to mess up a neck shot, so be careful.

I have not seen a deer yet shot with a 243 that produced huge blood trails. For this reason, I am darn careful on late afternoon shots.

Best of luck

 

[Bill K]

Numerous deer have fell to the 100 Grain Partition/Nosler for me, over the years.

 

[Siko12]

.50 cal TC Silver Elite
100 gr T7 granulated, Musket cap, TC 275gr Maxihunter.

 

[searcher]

For an inexpensive, yet accurate "light weight", Speer Hot Core. My preferred bullet in recent years is the 85 Barnes TSX. I'd not use the V-Max (or any other varmint bullet) on deer. I know everything works when shot under ideal circumstances - but.....

 

[Kurz]

I thought I might catch some flack from post about the 65 gr. Where I hunt I’ve never taken a shot past 90 yards. My box stands have shooting benches in them and I’m completely steady. Almost as good as at a range. I can place the shot pretty much where it needs to go. Most deer run maybe 20 yards into cover drop. Thanks

I've been able to test a couple of dozen 'deer' bullets in the last many seasons especially when doing depredation hunting. I haven't had the advantage of shooting from a box stand with a bench though. I do have two categories I use:

Old school - Nosler Partition 100 grain. Never fails for me.

New school - Hammer Hunters (88 grain) or a couple of other solids.

I'm a meat hunter. Racks are nice but they don't taste like much. I have never used a shoulder shot on deer, elk or antelope because of the loss of excellent meat. I wait for the shot I need and make it carefully. Now, Cape Buffalo is decidedly different!

Be sure to check the twist rate of your rifle before buying anything and match to bullets to that twist rate.

Enjoy!