Ought Six

I definately would choose the Nosler Partition over the Sierra for anything bigger than a small deer. Having used the 243 extensively for hunting everything from woodchucks to mule deer, I am quite familiar with it's terminal ballistics. Using a 95 grain Nosler Partition, and pushing said bullet at a MV of around 2900 fps...you will achieve similar penetration to a 30-06 using a factory 180 grain Remington Corelokt load. Chest shots with Partitions vaporize the heart & lungs. The pay off of using the Partition is when things dont go perfectly. You have the bullet necessary to punch through a bone or handle a less than perfect angle. Without a premium bullet, the 243 is a poor choice for anything but a broadside side. With the Partition, you can accept a less than perfect angle. Also, I find it nice to have the bullet necessary for when things go bad. In my mind, a Partition is a fabulous hunting bullet. They open very rapidly, yet have the ability to penetrate like crazy.

Personally, I prefer the 95 grain Partition. I also prefer using H4831 SC, as I can throw it. Hornady lists 45.5 grains as max for H 4831 pushing a 95-100 grain bullet.