Favorite 243 bullets

[TradLife406]

I bought the wife a 243 in a CDL Boone and Crockett for a wedding gift back in the day. Because we both needed a 243 lol!

We've shot a few deer with it with mixed results.

It seems like the Hornady SST is only good if it's put right behind the shoulders. Other wise they seem to just blow apart on the surface.

The Barnes in the smaller higher velocity calibers like the 22-250 and 243 seem to kill but only after sending the deer on a bloodless death run.

What's a good bullet that will hold together? Thinking about hand loading some Accubonds or Partitions.

 

[stevevan]

I've had excellent results with the 90 grain Nosler AB.

 

[brettkoenecke]

I do not care for SST bullets at all. I loaded some in .270 once and two bad experiences were enough.

I like the noslers in .243 either AB or NP.

 

[TradLife406]

Where are all the 90 gr Accubonds??? I'll check locally but online there's none!

Yeah the wife shot a big doe at about 200 with the factory Super Performance right behind the shoulders and it only went straight down. Then last year her aim was a little off and the bullet hit in the low neck or something far less than perfect. Obviously it's shot placement but the bullet coming apart doesn't help. She got another round into him and it got him but the bullet came came apart.

I love the cartridge, just trying to find a projectile that can handle bone.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[paleraider]

105 Berger Hybrids.

 

[Formidilosus]

Have used every bullet cited. 95gr Nosler BallisticTip is you huckleberry. They do NOT explode. The dude that designed it was a 243win nut and wanted his perfect bullet for deer and elk.

The Hornady 105gr HPBT kills very well and will penetrate both shoulders and exit. The Berger 95gr and 105gr VLD and Hybrid work well also.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

Last year 100gr @ 2700fps partitions worked great on a deer and mountain goat. This year the 243 was launching 80gr TTSX @ 3200 and has taken two doe mulies at 70 yards, a moose at 300 yards, mountain goat at 260 yards and a 3pt mulie buck at 125 yards. All shots exited. Two of the deer went 30-40 yards after the shot and the moose went about 70. No blood from the entrance - only from the exit wound and mouth/nose.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Those 80gr TTSX's work very well, and are my "go to". I have killed far more deer though with plain old 100gr Winchester Super X Power Points.

 

[DRP]

i load 85 grain sierra gameking BTHP's in my daughters 243, they are going about 3100 fps. she has killed a cow elk at 230 yards and 2 mule deer bucks, one at 261 yards and they other at 270 yards, and a spike whitetail at 80 yards. the bullet has performed flawlessly. all three deer made it less than 20 yards and the cow made it about 10 yards. small entrance hole and about a golf ball size exit hole.

 

[idelkslayer]

100 grain sierra gameking

 

[WoodBow]

I have killed many many animals with 100 grain coreloks. Not sure if they make it for .243 but i load amax for my 308 and love them.

 

[TradLife406]

How do those bigger 6mm bullets work in a standard Remmy twist barrel? I think it's 1-10 isn't it?

I think next year I'll get that aluminum bedding block I got installed in that rifle and get her all tuned up. Then launch a load development.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[TradLife406]

I called Nosler today, they are making more 90 gr Accubonds next month. Good news!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Jason Snyder]

I've never experienced a bloodless death run with my .243 using Barnes bullets. I have experienced a lot of two step tip overs.

 

[Cahunter805]

The factory twist is most likely 9.25. The accubond isn't a bad choice. The 95gr VLD is a hammer as well!

 

[cowboy300]

I have killed 8 antelope the last 2 years with 105 Berger Hybrids out of a 243AI. 8 one shot kills from 100 to 875yds. They work really well but they may not stabilize in a factory twist.

 

[mcseal2]

My favorites are the 100gr Gameking and 90gr Accubond. I've had good luck with the 85gr Gameking also but I don't trust it as much to penetrate on angled shots. It has been extremely accurate for me and exits on broadside shots though. The 90gr Scirocco and Partition in all it's weights should be excellent also but I haven't tried them.

I was a field tester for the 87gr Berger when they introduced it. It worked well also as have the 95gr Bergers. The deer hit with them never made it far. I still prefer exit wounds so I don't use it much anymore. Also they seemed to penetrate to far into coyotes before expanding and not drop them fast at longer distances where velocity slowed. My 243 and 6mm shoot more coyotes than deer.

 

[micus]

Those 80gr TTSX's work very well, and are my "go to". I have killed far more deer though with plain old 100gr Winchester Super X Power Points.

+1 for powerpoints.

 

[beetlespin]

For deer sized game I think the bonded or heavier duty bullets such as partitions and barnes are too hard. I shoot most of my deer with a 6mm rem and for all purposes it is essentially a 243. My favorite bullet for deer is the hornady 100gr interlock. My experience has been the stronger bullets tend to pencil through deer sized game and not create a sufficient wound channel. The deer is dead, don't get me wrong but I prefer not to always trail deer. We mostly do deer drives do lots of deer get autopsied. We get between 18-25 deer knocked down in 8 days. The best bullets seem to be your run of the mill jacketed bullets. most guys shoot factory and they work quite well. cor-loks and power points. I reload and have tried everything, returning to the tried and true hornady interlock. It will make a nice wound channel, not blow up, and will break through bone if needed. Seems to just plain work. I have not tried ballistic tips as they just sound fragile and that is probably just ignorant on my part.