243 Win/6 CM and monos: Your experiences?

[SloppyJ]

85gr TSX’s all sub 100 yards.




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The largest exit that I’ve seen from the 85 or 80gr (it’s not as large as it appears- about the size of a quarter-
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I’ve shot quite a few deer with them, typical Barns sized wounds, however unlike others- exits were not common. I believe the first 5 deer, 4 caught the bullets. Runners were normally 80-120 yards, several took multiple vital shots after a bit of chasing. They kill fine if mono performance is what someone wants.

Those are some cute wittle pokey holes! Thanks for sharing, that's about what I saw out of the 150s granted the holes were marginally larger due to the diameter. Appreciate you digging those pictures out for the thread. I am surprised on the lack of exit holes though.

Maybe I'm wasteful because we get so many tags but I'll happily wreck an entire shoulder with a different more aggressive bullet to not track an animal in the thick shit that we have down here. Sometimes it's the difference between finding an animal and not, or at least multiple hours worth of searching and potential to compromise the meat.

 

[JFK]

85gr TSX’s all sub 100 yards.


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The largest exit that I’ve seen from the 85 or 80gr (it’s not as large as it appears- about the size of a quarter-
View attachment 894747

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I’ve shot quite a few deer with them, typical Barns sized wounds, however unlike others- exits were not common. I believe the first 5 deer, 4 caught the bullets. Runners were normally 80-120 yards, several took multiple vital shots after a bit of chasing. They kill fine if mono performance is what someone wants.

Not doubting your experience but that’s pretty interesting that 4 out of 5 stayed in the animal. I wonder if it’s something about that specific bullet? Looks like you are using the old TSX. That bullet is two iterations behind current mono bullet design and probably the worst representation of what a mono bullet can do. The tipped variety work better and are widely available. I’ve killed or been present for roughly 50 animals shot with monos and the number of bullets that stayed in the animal is single digits. That’s from 50-500 yards, smallest cartridge being a 25-06, some 6.5, most from 270’s, some 7mag and 30-06 as well. Mostly LRX and some TTSX. No TSX. Small entry/exit is pretty normal but everything in between is trashed.

 

[nm.otter]

I’ve never looked into whether the 6creed has more or less case cap. then the 243win.

Case measurements (including the shoulder, but not the neck) indicate that .243 Winchester has 6.4% more capacity than 6 CM.

 

[TaperPin]

I’d say what Form showed is about what I saw with early Barnes X, so went back to Nosler Partition. You can eat right up to the hole with a copper mono, but it’s disheartening to have them run off around the corner out of sight before falling over. I like the idea behind the Hammers, a little fragmentation makes a lot of sense, but haven't tried them yet, and since our gut piles are pooped out by coyotes, don’t really see regulations changing and requiring monos. Having just jinxed us, mono regs will be coming soon.

 

[06 SB]

Me and my kids have killed a pile of whitetails with the 85gr TSX in the 243/6mms. Most run a short distance but all are recovered. Every single one was a complete pass through. I did have one that the petals broke off. It was a 3 yard shot (yes, 9 feet) and the bullet exited the muzzle at 3300 and change. The shank of the bullet exited. I know it did not “pencil through” because petals stayed in the heart.

 

[CJ_BG]

Between myself and the other 243 users in the family we have 6 with monos. Two with 85 tsx, two with 80gr ttsx, one with 90gr e tip, and one with 69gr absolute hammers. Wound channels haven't been that great, the only exception would be the absolute hammers but that wasn't until they were about 3/4 of the way through the deer with an impact over 3200.

Both with the 80gr ttsx were high shoulder shots. One ran 15yds which I thought was unusual for a high shoulder shot, and the other dropped but needed a follow up because the wound channel was so small it never actually damaged the lungs. That kind of opened my eyes a little and I've moved to bullets that make wider wounds.

 

[2-Stix]

I took 8 big game with TSX, TTSX and LRX...all pencil hole wound channels. I have to use copper in CA.

 

[KHntr]

I took 8 big game with TSX, TTSX and LRX...all pencil hole wound channels. I have to use copper in CA.

Out of curiosity, what has your bullet placement been?

 

[2-Stix]

Out of curiosity, what has your bullet placement been?

1 gut shot on a moving buck but quick kill surprising, 3 heart shots of varying degree of devastation, 1 liver (photo attached), and most caught lungs. See attached picture from 2023 when I was turned on to start looking at the wound channel. There is good reason to run eldX or M for a full wound channel. Lots of into on this site about that. Monos act like an archery shot because there is no fragmentation. I have never recovered a bullet. All dime size entry and quarter sized exists. I have been lucky to not loose an animal yet.

 

[SDHNTR]

If you didn’t have to install the tips yourself (probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen a bullet company do) the Hammer HHT is the best 6mm mono out there, imo. And I’ve shot piles with the TTSX too.

 

[z987k]

If you're going to shoot a copper mono, I think the apex afterburner has the best terminal results. Followed by maker. Those have the largest copper mono wound channels I've seen.

 

[KHntr]

1 gut shot on a moving buck but quick kill surprising, 3 heart shots of varying degree of devastation, 1 liver (photo attached), and most caught lungs. See attached picture from 2023 when I was turned on to start looking at the wound channel. There is good reason to run eldX or M for a full wound channel. Lots of into on this site about that. Monos act like an archery shot because there is no fragmentation. I have never recovered a bullet. All dime size entry and quarter sized exists. I have been lucky to not loose an animal yet.

I was a dedicated mono guy for better than a decade. Typically had the best results shooting for shoulders.

Recovered quite a few of them over the years, surprisingly enough, from 264wm/280AI/300 Ultra.

 

[SouthPaw]

If you're going to shoot a copper mono, I think the apex afterburner has the best terminal results. Followed by maker. Those have the largest copper mono wound channels I've seen.

The PVA Cayuga 100g, and possibly the McGuire 93g, are supposed to tumble. If so, the wounding potential could be decent for a mono.

 

[Leinad]

Federal trophy copper 85 grain.
275 yards. Out of an old ruger # 1 I have never chronographed.
No complaints. Did not take a step. Exit shown.