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- Whitetail Deer Hunting (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting-4/)

- - 243 bullet (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting/296686-243-bullet.html)

What 243 bullet do you guys suggest for whitetail deer? I picked up a box of Hornady BTSP interlock in 100 grain. I was thinking about a ballistic tip for the damage but I talked myself out of it.

from my experience, dont use ballistic tips, it destroyes too much meat and doesnt do well when it hits bone, you have the best thing

I agree with staying away from the ballistic tip. The Hornady you picked out is a good choice and the other one that I would use would be the Nosler Partition 100gr. Nosler gives real good penetration and does a great job of nocking them down.

I posted a similar question before, trying out some new loads myself, picked up a new .243, haven't used on game yet, antelope come this fall!

guys love that 85gr bthp

I'm gonna see how the 90gr scirocco shoots, that's a lil tougher than those ballistic tips and has a high BC for .243 bullets, good combo in my mind, if it shoots well I think that's gonna be my goto load.

those 100gr btsp also have a high bc...those were tougher in my test on phone books than either ballistic tips, but not by very much.

There's also those 85gr TSX by barnes...

IMHO you picked the best you can get over the counter in a Hornady 100 grain BTSP.

The 100gr Hornady BTSP is a great deer bullet, believe it or not the 100gr Winchester Super X works very well too. The 95gr Hornady SST works very well also. I have a friend that shoots a 75gr hollow point handload that is pure death on whitetail and mule deer. Put the bullet where it is supposed to go, and any of the above will do the job just fine.
Have fun!

I like Win super x 100 gr power point.I'v killed a buttonhead- a 300+pounder 13 point-a bobcat-and a crow with it.Everything dropped where it stood.(Remington 700 with a Leupold 3x9x40).

They'll do fine, they are a harder bullet and give reliable exits on lung shot deer...I've killed 12 or so and 2 buddies have killed another 50 or so with them...My gun shoots CoreLokts better so I use them and the Federal Premium 85gr HPBT...

See how your gun likes them, then shoot a dozen deer or so and see what you think...The beauty of a .243 is there are plenty to choose from...

I've had good luck with 100 grain Sierra Game King BTSP's. They are inexpensive, perform well on game, and very accurate.

dont use ballistic tips with a .243. i have one and hunt with it all the time for deer and i trust my life with Remington Core-Lokts 100 grain. personally i think they are the greatest bullet out there to use. you should consider looking at them and giving them a try

I like to se the Remmington Core-Lokt 100 grain and the Winchester Super X 100 grain. They have both worked very well for me and I haven't losta deer yet.

I disagree with everyone on here so far that advises not using a bal. tip .243 round. I have a Ruger M77 MARK II and hunt coyotes and deer with a 95 gr. Winchester Ballistic Silvertip. If you were using a .270 or a 30-06 then I'd strongly say do not use for deer but for a .243 which is known for it's flat shooting accuracy and not knock down power you will be fine. Aim for the vitals and at worst you'll have the same damage a .30-06 user will have with core lokt ammo. Plus, I have had issues with Rem ammo for years and will not use their ammo when Winchester makes a more reliable and accurate round like the Silvertip Bal. I have done a comparison between Hornady, Federal, Rem and Win. Hands down the best performing round out of "my" rifle was the Win Silvertips. Second was Federal Vital Shock and last was Remington Core Lokt. Go to Bass Pro and check out ammo reviews. The .243 Win have a rating of 4.6 out of 5 with a total of 75 reviews. Remington doesn't have that many reviews if you add up all the diiferent types of ammo they offer. They have a rating of 4.7 with 43 reviews.
The best thing you can do is buy a box of each that you are interested in and go to the range with your cleaning kit and shoot each manufacturerround at say 50 yds. make note of sight changes between rounds and then go to greater distances. I also take about a dozen thick phone books taped together tightlyand shoot each round into the stack to determine penetration and damage. Ido this at 100 yds. It isn't ballistic gel but it gives you an idea of the bullet's capabilities.

i shoot 100 grain federals

Might want to look at Hornady Light Magnum ammo

With a light hitter like .243 I think the extra 200 FPS will add some need knockdown power. They are available in 85 & 100 gr SP and SST.
I use the Light Mag 150 Gr in my .308 and get .300 mag-type performance.
I have also tested Remington, Federal, Winchester, in most of their permutations and have found no more accurate factory ammo.

Oh yes, I forgot IMHO.