243win
 

i just ordered another gun in the 243win. whats a good bullet for deer for shots ranging 15yds out?
i am guessing a good premium bullet that will take hitting shoulder up close and not seperate. i have always used sierra gamekings. or some type of hornady.

anyone think the SST would be good or break up to quick on a close shot?

Myself, I avoid hitting the shoulder on any game animal. Waist of good meat when you do so.

Take a look at this video and you decide what you need for a bullet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6uo0...eature=related

Everybody has their own choices in bullets to use depending on the game animal they are hunting. I have a few I prefer base on experience in the field and these have never failed me.

i just like to be well versed on any caliber i reload for and find out aswell what other people use and results. kinda of like reading a book on a subject i get one author's opinion and bases it on anothers in the same subject then i make my decision on the two. thats all

I don't think I would call it "over evaluating" just simply trying to understand what would be the right bullet choice for a given situation. A fair question to ask, wouldn't you say? Nothing wrong with having a good selection of bullets to choose from before you start your load developement and if your not sure the best way to find out is to ask the question.

On the SST bullet, I personally haven't had good luck with it on whitetails terminally however, as far as accuracy is concerned they shot well for me. The two times I shot deer with it, both times I lost either a shoulder or a rear quarter with a shot placement in the vitals. Both bullets I found in the animal and both bullets didn't expand. One shot was at 35 yards and the other at around 50 yards. Maybe they would do better a little further out but I stopped using them after that. But remember that was with my equipment and your results could be different. You need to find out which bullet works best for your possible situation and equipment but you won't know unless you try.

In my .243, the 95 gr. SST's have performed flawlessly at close range. My 300 Win mag is another story. Bullets seem to blow apart anywhere less than 250 yards. CJ

I remember reading on this site guys liked Sierra Gamekings in 85g just dont remember what powder they were using

A .243 has been my only centerfire since 1980 and I've killed over 200 deer with her...About 10 years ago I started killing 5-6 deer with each factory loading that my gun liked so I could compare the differences...

Frankly, the 100 gr CoreLokts killed just as well as any bullet out there...If you want a long range bullet, load up some 85gr Sierra GameKings HPBT...These bullets are actually made a little harder than the 100gr Sierra GameKing SPBT so you get more pass throughs...

While some like premium bullets in their rifles, I found the standard cup and core bullets gave faster kills on center lung shots...

+1

I use the .243 almost exclusively for deer and pronghorn and at ranges from 25 to 200 yards. RR's advice is spot-on. Years ago, convinced that "premium" bullets had to be better in every case than Wal-Mart Green and Silver box stuff, I reloaded quite a variety of ammunition. I loaded GKs, I loaded Hornadys, I loaded Noslers. In the end, I found a dead deer on the other end, just as I had with the cheap factory stuff. And, as a matter of discussion, I found in EVERY case that the GKs didn't reliably hold onto their jackets. Not at short range, not at long range. Not in 6mm, not in .308, and not in .375. Not in pronghorn, not in deer, and not in elk. Great for target shooting, but I won't load them again for game. I still haven't used up the six boxes of CoreLokts I bought almost 20 years ago, but that's my ammo of choice now for deer and pronghorns.


When surveying your quarry, and particularly when it's up close, one must consider the target three-dimensionally. Animals get a vote, too. They won't always present themselves in manner where destroying a large amount of tissue in an off-shoulder or ham can be avoided. You have a choice - you don't have to shoot in those cases. Troublesome are shots from either rear quarter (hitting the heart/lungs may necessitate a gut-shot). Not good - and a sure candidate to pass up. Same goes for guys hunting up high. What does the bullet have to angle through to hit a vital?

I've had more DRT shots with the .243 (including elk) than I've had with any other caliber. Ammunition selection's important, but it's secondary to the shot itself. If you want to overthink something, focus on the shot and game anatomy, not the bullets.

I shoot the Sierra HPBT 85 gr. in my .243's. They seem to like IMR 4350 powder the best.

90gr Scirocco II.....VERY tough little bullet with a good BC

I posted about those one time and I was using a mild load of IMR 4064.Also was loading with a Lee I think load all (The one where you beat the bullet together with a hammer......LOL)would put hole in hole out of a bone stock Rem.Model 788.with the .243 shot placement is more critical than most but if you back bone 'em or neck shoot them you should not have to look very far for them.......JMHO

Remington CoreLokts and Speer Hot Core bullets have worked well in the 243 for me. Shots have been anywhere from 30 to 150 yards and the bullets have done their job like intended. For close up shots I cannot see spending more than needed to kill a deer.

Same here, I load the 85HPBT with either H4350 or V100, around 3175fps and 1/2moa at 100 yards and 1moa at 200 yards with just a 3x9 scope. I also have a 270 and 06, I find the 243 will DRT just as well. Remember shot placement is number 1, and my 243 is the most pleasant to shoot and most accurate rifle. A lot my hunting buddies shoot the 300mag and 7mag and track a lot of deer because of bad shot placement. I like high shoulder shots that 95% of the time are DRT.

If you reload there aint nothing wrong with the old Hornady 100 gr Interlock. I've killed a lot of deer, and most were DRT, with this bullet and pushed by 40.5 gr of IMR4350.

I use an 87 gr Hornady VMax bullet and 44 gr IMR 4831 on my 243. I shot a doe with that load this year. She didn't take a step and was dead before she hit the ground! Shot went clean through. Hit the heart. Works great for me!

I have been using the 85 grain BTHP from Federal Premium for years. Great little round. I do reload but have not started on the 243 yet.

I would avoid the 100 gr Game king . We took a couple of mulies with them ,had they not been heart shot I believe we'd have trailed them much more than 50 yds. In both cases 3 shots they just penciled through.

i agree with 7mmxbolt, stay away from the shoulder shot if all possible. quiet a few guys here use the 243 win with 70gr nosler btip, 44 grs of varget. very devastating on deer. if a bullet passes through, you loose shocking power. the 70gr btip stays in the animal, deer absorbs all of the energy. we use the 243wssm case with the btip 70grainers. neck shot, neck shot, neck shot. hit 'em in the base of the neck. they can't die any faster. no trailing. small hole in, NO HOLE OUT. we killed everything from does to several 300lbs 200"+ bucks with it. from 7yrds to 311yrds. pics with proof, just my opinion.