Factory ammo Recommendations - 243 and 7mm-08?

[ssramage]

Looking to maybe change things up this year. I've been shooting the Hornady American Whitetail rounds for the last couple of years because of availability and have had decent success, but have also lost a deer (with the .243).

What factory loaded ammunition would you recommend for these calibers for whitetail deer at normal ranges (50-250yds)? Both would be shot through a suppressor if that matters.

Primary .243 is a CVA Scout 20" 1:10
7mm-08 will either be a Tikka Compact suppressed or a Model 7 not suppressed

I keep threatening to get into reloading, but I just don't shoot enough.

 

[david2duck]

7mm-08 the Hornady precision hunter 150eldx does well out of 2 of our rifles.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Looking to maybe change things up this year. I've been shooting the Hornady American Whitetail rounds for the last couple of years because of availability and have had decent success, but have also lost a deer (with the .243).

What factory loaded ammunition would you recommend for these calibers for whitetail deer at normal ranges (50-250yds)? Both would be shot through a suppressor if that matters.

Primary .243 is a CVA Scout 20" 1:10
7mm-08 will either be a Tikka Compact suppressed or a Model 7 not suppressed

I keep threatening to get into reloading, but I just don't shoot enough.

Thats just a 100gr interlock. Its not fancy but they have killed a pile of stuff. If it shoots decent, why change?

 

[ssramage]

Thats just a 100gr interlock. Its not fancy but they have killed a pile of stuff. If it shoots decent, why change?

It shoots ok... I lost one deer with it with the .243 a couple of seasons ago. I've had a couple of deer with pretty spotty blood trails that were tough to find. Most have been DRT with no exit wounds.

I've probably killed 20 deer with them though.

 

[taskswap]

7mm-08 the Hornady precision hunter 150eldx does well out of 2 of our rifles.

I'll add a vote for the Hornady Precision Hunter. I took my first bull with this so it has sentimental value for me. Always performed well.

I've also had good luck with the Sierra GameKing HSM. The Hornady has been on/off available since the pandemic - they seem to only run it in small batches. The Sierra is more readily available if you need a backup.