the 243 will do just dandy for deer. id load it with 95 or 100 grain bullets. try nosler partitions and they wont fail you.

I have used the factory federal in red box with 100 gr partitions with good results. Thanks guys for the input

If the gun will group them 100gr CoreLokts do just fine... ;)

I'll second the 100gr. Hornady Interlocks! My 6MM Rem. loves the 100gr. Interlocks with 35.0 grains of IMR-3031 pushing them! The deer don't like them so much, they just fall over or run about 20-30 yards, leaving a blood trail that a blind city-slicker could follow and give up the ghost! (I know I can get hotter loads, but I'm not going to mess with success this season!)

duck, I honestly like to go heavy for caliber in almost all my rifles. I try to go with the heaviest that my twist will accommodate. Except in most of my 30-06's. I generally stick around 180gr with those except in one of my builds off a K98 action. It absolutely LOVES 220gr RN Interlock and it's usually my go to Moose gun anyway. Speed is all well and good but momentum and stored energy is where you get the "umph" from in a bullet. Light for caliber bullets have a tendency to destroy themselves and a lot of meat in the process. Especially in the .243. Just seen too many deer hit with the little fast bullets from that caliber all tore up and a whole quarter deer absolutely shot all to hell.

+1; I don't know how many deer my .243 took with this bullet. And all but one with a single shot. the little 6mm bullet really causes a lot of internal shock and damage.

That's no joke!!!!!! I have seen some of those hogs that they have shot trying out the projectiles for me and it was a sight to be hold!! They tried from brain to butt and they all went down with a flop for the most part. I load them exclusively in my 7mmBR pistol for hogs and 'yotes and it just flops em!!!

I have tried the 100 gr nosler partitions and had great results and I really like those bullets. Never tried the interlocks. Heard good things but no range time or hunting time with them. Just have had several discussions in camp about the barnes and people swear by them. I honestly don't wanna go any lighter than 100gr

Eh, those Barnes TSX's are pretty good for the most part. But in all honesty, I'm just not a big fan of the mono metal bullets. People are swearing by them but I just don't feel they are needed. Whitetail aren't armor plated. Any well bonded bullet works well on them. Granted in the .243 you want a tougher bullet, especially for close range on a shoulder hit, but I've seen a lot of folks that just can't get the 85gr-95gr TSX's to fly worth diddly out of their .243's. You already know a 100gr will fly well. Give the Interlocks a shot and if they fly well you can bet you will be 100% satisfied by their terminal performance. Not to mention they are quite a bit cheaper than those Barnes.

Thanks guys for all the great info. I will definitely give them a try. I had a bad experience with hornady a few years back with the sst so have honestly been scared to try hornady again. But it's worth a shot