Blue Ridge

I decided to try the Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertips this fall in my .243. I sighted them in at groups around an inch. I had to try them out on grounhogs Sunday and killed two with amazing performance. This first one was virutally gutted by the shot, the second had a good size hole blown out the side of the neck.

I just hope this round will maintain enough shape to bring down deer suffciently. It is the only round that comes up for deer on Winchester's cartridge selection utility.

timbercruiser

I will take a good bonded bullet like the Hornady's any day over a ballistic tip........JMHO based on seeing a number of deer lost with ballistic tip bullets. Good luck.

Superpig

As long as your shots are broadside you will be o.k. The 243 develops around 3000 fps with this bullet, so close shots need to definitely in the heart/lung area. Don't shoot a deer in the shoulder at close range. Once your out past 100 yards the bullet has shed enough velocity that it will maintain its integrity better and penetrate deeper. I prefer the Federal Premium 100 gr. Nosler Partition load the the load you are using for deer.

A bolt fan

I have used the Winchester ballistic tips before and do not like them. They are accurate, but they are unpredictable when they hit an animal. I would try the Wichester fail safe of Federal premium Nosler Partition.

Blue Ridge

Was that the 243 load you used?

Blue Ridge

FWIW- I found this on Nosler's website:

CT Ballistic Silvertip bullets are aerodynamically efficient, impact extruded, boattail designs made expressly to maximize long-range bullet stability and accuracy. In varmint weights they are constructed for instantaneous, violent expansion on varmints. In hunting weights, jackets have been thickened and cores hardened to blend generous expansion with judicious penetration-ideal for light and medium game at extended ranges.

"Judicious Penetration?"

Rebel Hog

DITTO!

paco97

I read an article in one of my magazines about a guy using a .243 and 6mm rifles for deer hunting and he talks about shot placement as being more important than the cal of round. He said with a .243 he was told by a vet to aim behind the sholder, then move forward 4" and aim in the middle of the neck. He said you either miss the deer completely, or you break its neck and it drops instantly. I'll try to find the article so you can reference it. I'm not saying that I necessarily agree with this guy, but htough it was interesting. He also says you need to be able to shoot accurately.

Also, I think its the Outdoor Life magazine this month talks about the different bullets and they use a ballistic buffalo made out of wet paper and plywood to judge expansion, penetration, and weight retention, and accuracy. Excellent article. A must read.

Todd1700

You will find pretty much a love'em or hate'em school of thought when it comes to ballistic tip bullets.I personally do not like them because despite being generally very accurate bullets I find that they fragment too easily and over expand which causes excessive meat damage and hurts their ability to pentrate deeply. As others have said this is even more of a problem with close range high velocity impacts. I am also particularly leery of them in light weight versions like those you would be using in a 243. Common sense tells you that if these things fragment and shed weight rapidly then it would be better if the bullet started out heavier rather than light.

However if you always wait for a perfect broadside shot and then place your bullet behind the shoulder in the front half of the ribcage you will probably be okay. The problem is that this isn't always the shot youwill bepresented with and shot placement isn't always perfect either. I like a bullet that I feel confident will drive through a shoulder on a quatering to me shot if a mature monster steps into view. Of all the wounded and lost deer that I have heard of; had first had knowledgeof; or been directlyinvolved within the last 5 years I bet ballistic tips have been involved in 75 percent of the cases.

ranchand99

Winchester does have 100 gr power points for a .243 also.They work a little better in brush country,and do not fragment like ballsitics.With that said Among all of my friends and me there have been approximately 30 deer taken with the ballsitics.With only one deer being wounded and getting away.I have had great success with those power points in my 30-06.The ballsitics are very accurate,fast,and powerful.They do tear up alot of meat.They will deflect if they hit something.They may expand to rapidly in larger magnums like the 300WSM.But they do so much damage,it is hard for an animal to recover from them.I always go for the shoulders,and have gotten complete pass throughs with the ballistics.No shoulder meat,but I get the deer.I have shot deer in the shoulders with power points,and 80% of the time it will hang up right under the skin on the opposite side.That tells me he took the whole hit.I like that too.The power points are cheaper,and you can find them at almost any gas station.No wasted energy.If you hit him in the shoulders he will be within 30yds of where you shoot him.