Yet another 243 thread

[Kermit in Va.]

The 90 accubonds has done good for me ...

 

[rjtfroggy]

Always used the 100gr. soft point and never lost one. Most just dropped.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I tell you a bullet that works extremely well if your gun will shoot them. That’s the federal fusion. That bullet always hold together. Bonded and preforms awesome out of every caliber I’ve used them in. If I could find just the bullet it would be my go to in anything smaller than 30 cal.

My son and his family live in Idaho. My grandson and granddaughter have killed numerous deer and elk. No bad results , all good. All with 243s and Federal Fusion. Now for Psucodog, I have you by 2 years, 1947 here. I am with you, many years of DRT deer with 243s and 244s.from myself and 2 friends.95 percent shot with 75 or 80 grain hollowpoints. I shot one deer with the 100 gr Sierria and was not happy. Deer running straight away up the opposite side of the hollow. Drilled it right between the shoulder dead on the spine. Bullet blew into shrapnel, did not break the spine. Deer went down, flopped around, got up.....shot it through the neck which broke the bone and it was dead.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I was reading somewhere on here the other day that the Speer gold dot bullet was the same as the Federal Fusion bullet, but have no idea if that is true.

 

[NC308]

I was reading somewhere on here the other day that the Speer gold dot bullet was the same as the Federal Fusion bullet, but have no idea if that is true.

I would like to know if this is true! I also found so 90 gr 224 fusion bullets I may try

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

95gr Ballistic tips

 

[pintopete]

Anybody have first hand experience with the discontinued 100 gr Sierra Semi-Point #1550 bullets? I have a bunch intended for my Rem 722 in .244 with 1:12 twist. Some say these Sierra’s were intended for 12 twist rifles. Stability aside, I wonder about terminal performance on white tail?

Thanks, Peter.

 

[George Foster]

I use to use them in my 6mm Rem a lot. One day I killed two doe at about 225 yards, the first one went right down and the other one ran about 20yds. I killed quite a few deer at closer range and they worked very well for me.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Lost track of where I wanted to post this, so copied from thread down below. Any love for the Nosler 90 & 95 BT? I see the Capt likes the 95. I am using the 90 gr in my 6x45 with good accuracy and it literally knocked a large doe down when I shot her behind the shoulder, no exit.

 

[Joe Maisto]

First off, I was born in 1949 so you do the math. But I've been using a 243 Win of some sorts for many many years and can not remember ever loosing a deer with the 243. Today, Sunday, I thought things had changed and for the worse. My deer season has really been tough as almost all the deer have stayed nocturnal due to warm weather and full moons. Yesterday I saw a yearling fawn and that was it. Last night the forecast was cloud cover and cold for Sunday. Well we had cloud cover but temps were low 50's. Anyway, I'm in the stand before sun up, waiting and hoping today would be better. My rifle is a Sako and wears a Leupold 4.5-14x40 and I'm shooting a Sierra 100 grain Pro Hunter bullet. Just about 7AM, I see a large body deer about 100yds away and coming my way. Of course I get antsy and ready for action, but no clear shot. I finally get a good look and its a nice big 8 point with his nose to the ground and in no hurry. All the time I'm watching him get closer but I have no shot. Finally he gets within 60 yards and there is an opening in the trees and I put my cross hairs on his shoulder and let the Sako loose. A clear wide open shot, and he trots off like nothing happened. What the heck just happened? How do you miss a deer at 60 yards? I climb down from my stand and go to where the buck was standing and no blood.......nothing. I do this three different time and nothing. I ended up very upset but stayed in my stand hoping he might come back or maybe another would come by but nothing. My buddy messaged me and wanted to know what I shot and I told him the story. He said he would come up and help me look. Well, he takes a short cut to my stand and walks right to the buck. Seems the Sierra took out his shoulder and hit vitals killing the buck. He went about 30 yards and expired in the tall grass. From my stand, I never saw him go down. There was not a single drop of blood. Nothing for me to even know which way to start looking. I actually thought I missed him. Of course finding the buck sure changed the mood and if it hadn't been for my friend coming to help I might have fed the coyotes tonite. I can usually track a blood trail but this one had me stumped. Even worse was thinking I missed a deer that close. That;s a hard pill to swallow being rifle chairman at my gun club. I'd never heard the end of that. Sorry for the long story, just rantings of an old fart that still loves to hunt.

Many of us have been there. Whitetail can be misleading at times , especially in WI. woods.

 

[markT]

This is the first bullet I have been able to recover. 85 gr Nosler. Partition. Happened last evening. 95 yards. Buck was facing me and turned to about 1 o’clock. If that makes sense. Shot his left chest and bullet broke bones and came out other side of body and stopped against his hide. Dropped in tracks.

 

[Gary in MD]

The 95 grain Ballistic Tip is where it’s at for the rifles with a .243 hole in the barrel.
I have used them in the 243 Winchester and the 240 Weatherby. Super accurate with good expansion and have always got an exit. They readily expand but are also tougher than people think, they don’t explode like a varmint bullet.
Gary

 

[Joe Maisto]

I really didn't go into a lot of detail about after the shot. When I shot the buck, he really gave no reaction of being hit which I thought was very strange. I hunt pretty heavy woods and was also on the top of a draw. I did see the direction he went but only for a very short time as he headed down the draw and out of sight. I guess the lack of a reaction from being hit and no blood just through me into a WTF just happened and just didn't look in the direction he went. Dumb on my part. It wrecked his shoulder and did kill him, but was so unusual I just started thinking I blew it. I'm not a big fan of shoulder shots either and usually try to double lung deer. The shoulder shot was probably a mistake on my part but at least it turned out for the best.

For me...I have always believed that, if they can't breath, they can't run. For that reason ( and another).. If possible on a standing shot, I will go for the rib cage and lungs. No meat lost and they don't go more than perhaps 40 yds.

 

[Bottom Gun]

The Gold Dot and Fusion bullets are the same. They are excellent bullets and are currently my first choice for an all around bullet in .243. They penetrate well and retain most of their weight. These were recovered from water jugs.

 

[adigger]

i think I m going back to my 7 mag , first year with 243 95 gr game getters. Shot 2 doe yesterday first 100 yards , hit her a little far back diaphram area. She ran off ,we have 1 inch snow. No blood I trid to find her buy have knee issues , side of hill in slippery snow is not a good place for me. I figured she was dead just a matter of finding her. So I went back to shack while wife hunted , in mean time another big doe came out. I shot her about 120 yards double lung . Went 20 yards which is great but again almost no blood. Wife walked and saw a patch of hair on grond followed track with no blood, found her piled up by a tree. We don t always have snow here and I know my fault with placement on first one but this no blood thing has me spoked.