which bullet to use??
 

Ok ive had my Savage .243 for 5 years now and have killed 10 deer with it. NO DROPS. I have hit atleast 4 of the 10 exactly perfect but they always manage to run. Now theyare recoverd but still. I have used Core-lokts and ballistic tip. which bullet will give me the best chance at dropin a deer. i know it can happen ive seen where plent of ppl have done it w/ 243s

RE: which bullet to use??
 

What is the distance of those shots? Did they pass through or penetrate without an exit wound?

RE: which bullet to use??
 

I use 100gr Federal Nosler Partition or 95gr Win. Ballistic Silver Tip.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

Not probably as much the bullet as it is the shot placement...maybe just a touch off. You may use the same bullets for the next 5 years and get drops on every one. All depends on a few things...and luck. Keep in mind, as good as a .243 is as a great whitetail round, it's not throwing the same downrange energy as a 7mm, .30-06, etc..

RE: which bullet to use??
 

i too am wondering the same thing. the closest ive ever gotten to dropping a deer was when i shot a doe last year. she did like a barrel roll and got right back up and ran down a hill. but i need a good bullet and grain to use with my .243 as well

RE: which bullet to use??
 

all with in 80 yards, and i know 2 of the shot w/ ballistic tip left no exit wound... make that 6 perfect shots cause if had 1 pass through w/ ballistic tip adn all 3 of the core lokt have passed through

RE: which bullet to use??
 

For a folded up drop dead deer you will probably need to go with the high shoulder shot. If you are hitting the lungs they usually have to bleed out to fall. I would suggest the 100 gr Hornady BTSP, I don't like a balistic tip.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

Why the obsession to drop one?

RE: which bullet to use??
 

I have shot deer with many different calibers from .243 to 300 win mag. some have dropped, yet the last one I shot with my 300 win mag., I shot at 35yds with a 180gr. speer bullet and it ran 75yds. before it fell.

All that matters to me, isthat I get the deer.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

i've only had 1 drop without taking a step my entire life and that was this year. it took a .50 caliber 295 grain Powerbelt to the neck (only shot i had) to do it. to me, as long as their is a recovery, i'm happy.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

Put it in the boiler room and save the meat. You'll recover the deer within 50yrds almost everytime...

Any deer ive shot with my 270 and had it dropwas right through the front legs or in the neck....A high shot towards the spine can drop em quick too, but y hurt those backstraps? My 12gauge slug gun will put em down in a hurry as well, but it is a much more crude form of hunting than using amuch more preciserifle.

Last year i shot my 8pt and it ran probaly 75 yrds before i found it. He mainly fell downhill....It was a good shot with little meat wasted. I shot a doe the following morning and dropped herwhere she stood. Right through the front shoulders she was not even 100lbs, and the majority of the shoulders had liquidfied from the impact and had burns on it as well...Needless to say i was able to save some of the front shoulder that was already small to begin with.

If i had my choice id shoot all the big bucks in the lungs wasting no meat and all the does in the neck dropping them in their tracks, but as long as i can hunt and claim an animal from time to time, i am happy.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

You normally get the drops when they get spined, shoulder, neck, or head shot. It doesn't happen too much on good ole lung and heart shots. As long as you're still killing them with it, and with good shots, then why switch?

RE: which bullet to use??
 

It ain't the bullet, it's where you put it...

If you want them to drop, put it through the shoulder blades or at the base of the neck...

RE: which bullet to use??
 

I use a 30-06 with 180gr.core-lokt psp. And I have already shot a buckand blew half of his heart away and he still ran 60yds. Go figure

RE: which bullet to use??
 

I have shot all my deer with either a 7mmRemMag. or a 308 win. Most hit the dirt with a heart/lung shot. A few still run, but still die. Dont worry about dropping them. If you were losing deer, that would be another issue. Dont get hung up on the 'Drop Shot' Or, if you really want, get more gun, but that doesn't ensure the "DROP"

RE: which bullet to use??
 

i dont mind trakin one in open hard woods but i hunt a good bit of thick undergrowth in pines and it is extreamly hard to trak and recover the deer. oh i just remembered of one deer ive ever droped but it was w/ my 50 cal muzzelloader and that was a shot about a quarter in above the but hole and somehow didnt hurt a bit of meat

RE: which bullet to use??
 

I'm a big fan of Federal Premium Ammo, I'd recommend one of the following for .243

Nosler® Partition®







The Nosler Partition was one of the original Premium® big game bullets and it continues to be a standard for consistency. Designed for medium to large game animals, the partitioned copper jacket allows the top half of the bullet to mushroom, while the bottom half remains in tact. This design provides deep penetration and ultimate stopping power

or the





Barnes® Triple-Shock® X-Bullet







This non-lead performer is designed for improved expansion and deep penetration. It reduces pressure and barrel fouling while increasing accuracy and features all-copper construction for high weight retention to bring game down hard.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

I wouldnt worry about dropping them on the spot. I shoot a .300WSM and that packs a hell of wallop and it still doesnt drop all of them in there tracks with a perfect shot. Sure some face plant on the spot with out a twitch and otherswill run 40yards and then decide to face plant. Either way you hit em in the boiler room there going to fall within sight of where you shot them.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

Yep.... shot placement is the critical key. Personally, I'd rather just put one through the lungs, it's your highest-percentage shot, and the blood trail wouldn't give Helen Keller any trouble.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

i agree with most of the others with the shoulder shots and all... but personally i love tracking my deer, it adds to the challange.

RE: which bullet to use??
 

I think you should drop the idea of dropping them in their tracks! As so many others have said, a lung shot is not really expected to put them down in their tracks.

Raising your aimpoint to try to hit spine is a foolish notion in my book. Doing so lowers your margin for error if you don't hit where you are aiming. Shoot just a little too high and you miss.

Bullet type is not going to significantly alter this equation. Bonded bullets, in my experience, kill deer less quickly than non-bonded bullets.