243 bullet choice

[browning2480]

95 grain SST. Bang Flop

 

[KurtR]

95 sst my kid is 16 now and been shooting them for 6 years and killed with one shot each time the last one being at 320 off the bipods. bang flops

 

[Lowg08]

My son and nephew shoot the 100 gr Winchester soft points. Deadly little round

 

[Oregonmuley]

My 243 loved the 95 grain federal fusion….when I could find them. Deer and other game didn’t

This, I've killed a bunch of deer and several truck loads of antelope with the 95 grain Fusion. Its been a great bullet, if they ever go away the 95 grain Ballistic tip will be the back-up.

 

[Triggernosis]

My favorite whitetail deer bullet, regardless of caliber, is the Hornady SST.

And if anyone knows where I can get a couple of boxes of .243 95 gr SST ammo, please drop me a line. Seriously.

 

[zwbonner]

have two 243
one really likes the Remington 95 Accutips. that sucker has dropped a bunch of animals

the other likes Rem 100 gr CoreLokt or Federal Fusion. both about the same. this set up has also dropped a bunch of pigs and deer

 

[Mudpuddle]

On broadside shots I've had nothing but pass throughs with CoreLokts and Fusions. With the Hornady Whitetail I've never had a pass through from any angle. All of these at typical whitetail distances, 100 yards and in.

 

[Chromeslayer]

Thanks guys.. seems like everyone likes something different.. ill just roll the dice find what shoots the best out of his gun and go with it

 

[Zappaman]

This, I've killed a bunch of deer and several truck loads of antelope with the 95 grain Fusion. Its been a great bullet, if they ever go away the 95 grain Ballistic tip will be the back-up.

This bullet is my "poor mans Partition" and I'm glad to see it continuing to gain favor with hunters. I stocked up on the "Gold Dots" in both my 6,8 SPC "pig rig" and my 260ai. It's bonded, but it expands well (at any distance) and usually comes out the other side (leaving blood I rarely have to follow).

AND... it doesn't tear up a lot of meat. Accurate enough for standing neck shots out to 200 off shooting sticks. But if further take the shoulder or boiler and it has always made the kill for me on about 6 pigs and a dozen whitetail deer (some shot with the 95G Fusion out of the 243 too- which is a very similar bullet to the Gold Dot).

The Gold Dots went up some in price, but are still on par with a lot of cup and core stuff out there. I'll take bonded every time- I like to eat all the meat I can. WHEN you can get em' I'd definitely check out the Gold Dot for reloading (and Fusion ammo).

 

[Mosby]

I use Barnes in my mags but I like the Speer Grand Slam in my 243.

 

[Rich M]

Do you already have the gun? If not, 350 Legend throws a heavier bullet with same or less recoil & noise.

I've got both - hard to get 243 stuff right now, reloading or otherwise. Easy to get Legend ammo.

Anyway - .243 I always liked Federal blue box 100 gr but it proved anemic on a big muley in 2019. 2nd shot dropped him. Since then been loading Sierra Pro Hunters and Nosler Partitions in 100 gr. Always thought the 243 was a little light. Whatever you do - don't hit the shoulder.

Also load 165 gr FTX bullets in 350 Legend. 2,350-2,400 fp-ish and easy to shoot out to 250. Would like to dial it all in for 300 yards. IMO, its a 300 yard gun with the correct bullet.

Always fun to hunt with your kid - enjoy the memories and get him plenty of range time. Lotsa guys think their kids should shoot as good as they do and forget that it is a learned skill.

 

[PantherCity]

My wife has killed 5-6 deer with the 243 Precision Hunter 90gr ELDx loads. All broadside shoulder shots, all pass throughs with short recovery and lots of meat damage. I’d rather her have good clean kills with no drama than preserve every oz of meat, so I advise her to wait for good broadsides if possible and shoot the shoulders.

Shoots well out of her 20” pencil thin Howa 1500


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[Newtosavage]

Lookin for some help on picking a bullet for a 243 for whitetail.. iv never been a fan of the round but starting out my 7yr old boy this yr and hes not ready to handle my 300wsm.. always been a fan of the nosler accubonds or ballistic tips.. is there something else i should be considering for this round? More than likely i wont be reloading for this gun either but can get ammo loaded with accubonds, ballistic tips, eldx, eldm, berger classic and vld

100 grain interlocks loaded to a reasonable velocity would work perfectly. They also tend to be extremely accurate when loaded in the 2700 fps. range, at least in my experience. I had a Tikka .243 that would cloverleaf 100 grain interlocks all day every day.

 

[Newtosavage]

My wife has killed 5-6 deer with the 243 Precision Hunter 90gr ELDx loads. All broadside shoulder shots, all pass throughs with short recovery and lots of meat damage. I’d rather her have good clean kills with no drama than preserve every oz of meat, so I advise her to wait for good broadsides if possible and shoot the shoulders.

Shoots well out of her 20” pencil thin Howa 1500


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That load is approaching .223/77 TMK territory, I'm sure that's why it's so effective on elk.

(sorry. couldn't help myself. )

 

[Anschutz]

I'm pretty sure every deer I've shot with the .243 (7 or 8) has been with the 100gr Winchester Power Point. Most bang flops, the ones that weren't left good blood trails. .243 entrance with about a dime sized exit.

 

[H80Hunter]

I’ve had incredible performance out of mine with the 80 grain Barnes vor-tx TTSX. They’re devastating at the 3300 fps or whatever. Pulled one out of a doe last year that passed through the cavity quartering towards, performed perfectly inside the deer and weighed 79.6 grains afterwards. Incredible bullet.

 

[Rufus]

My 13 year old son shoots a 243. I’m teaching him about reloading and he and I worked up a load with Hornaday 100gn btsp’s. Velocity is around 2650 - 2700fps. Shoots really well. He shot his first buck with that load this year. About 125 yard broad side shot. Bullet passed through. Deer went about 20 feet. Significant damage in chest cavity. Both my son and I are pleased with the results.

 

[jshelton2006]

About anything in the 90-110 gr range that’s designed for medium sized game will do the job well.

 

[jpmulk]

My only experience is with 100grn rem core lokts. Used it on mule deer and black tails. Worked great.

 

[Chuckmfcraig]

My vote for corelokt.. 100gr
The only problem I’ve seen with ballistic tips on smaller calibers, is them catching a rib and exploding… so far everything dropped where it stood so no tracking but I always notice there is ZERO blood from entry so if tracking was necessary, you’d be out of luck.
So a bad lick may end up being a lost deer.
The core lokt bullets seem to be a good all around bullet, easy to find, and inexpensive