the best 243 win bullet

[Ringbill27]

This right here is the problem. I have met many of these types of “hunters”… totally half assed approach. Cheap rifle, crap scope, crap rings, cheapest ammo (sometimes different types at once), “zero” the rifle on a paper plate with a couple of shots while leaning over the hood of the truck, no practice, etc etc…

This is a people problem, not a 243 problem, and honestly an embarrassment to the hunting/firearms community and totally unethical/irresponsible behavior.

Your experience is based on the worst of circumstances and behavior; garbage in- garbage out.

I’m with you here. I believe a good shooter can still shoot a cheap rifle better than the person to described above. Most rifles can out perform the shooter.

 

[Rich M]

I dropped to 243 and shot a 150# class deer with it. 100 gr partition. 50 yds. Drt. Was like “cool”.

Prior one for me was a 300# mule deer 220 yards, federal blue box 100 gr. 6 inch penetration on high shoulder shot, never even fell over. 2nd shot behind shoulder dropped it and was found under skin. Still got up and run when i walked up to it. Shot it again. Thing was freaking huge.

That’s all 243 experience i got. Like the gun, shoots nice, no recoil, just got these little bullets.

Seen others shot w 243 and helped track em. Not a premier caliber. 350 Legend is better if inside say 200 yds. Makes a big leaky hole and tyically has enough weight to punch thru.

 

[Jdunning4152]

For all copper- TTSX/LRX. For bonded Accubond/ABLR

 

[gooses]

The 80gr Barnes TTSX is the most effective bullet I have used in any cartridge.

Every deer I've ever shot with it just dropped. People make fun of the 243 but nothing else I use can do this.

 

[FLHunter87]

so i am wanting to know the best 243 win ammo for deer hunting i shot 2 deer at about 100 each with the horandy superformance 95 grain sst and first deer no blood second deer three drops and no more. i shot some remington corelokt 80 grain and they didnt group good so i am gonna try some fedral powershock 100 grain but i want to know the best bullet for blood on deer 100 hundred yard shot i can not have them run no more than 250 yards. also do you think a 300 weatherby mag is too much for deer with a 180 grain accubond because i asked in a diffrent thread the best bullet out of that 180 grn to 200 grn projectoille range and people was like why do you need such a big gun on deer at 100-150 yards and i explained to them about the 243 and what happend to me and my bad experince. also i kinda think its personell perfernce because my brother shot a deer with a 30-30 and it wasted more meat with a 150 grain bullet than my 300 weatherby wit a 180 gr accubond.

Man i was going to say the 95 SST are money. My mom shots that with her 243. We have never had an issue with tracking a deer and have yet had to do that. They all have dropped or have gone 20-30 yards at most. She has had about 50-200 yard range with all her shots and all end the same way.

Any caliber will work. Shot placement will always matter especially with the bigger calibers. I use a 6.5 PRC and this past week I put the 147ELDM reloads to work. Bullet impressed me, very minimal meat damage if anything, the only thing I disliked is that it literally blew everything thing up internally, even guts. All good shot placements as well. They are a killing machine, I personally not a fan of the blowing everything up, as it made a huge mess and stunk stunk while skinning.

 

[ZipsNLbs]

85.tsx do the trick !

 

[ZipsNLbs]

The 80gr Barnes TTSX is the most effective bullet I have used in any cartridge.

Every deer I've ever shot with it just dropped. People make fun of the 243 but nothing else I use can do this.

Yup! That’s a good load ..We take I’d say 90% of our does with .223 53-55gr vmax “that’s a terrible choice for deer” I call BS! I have NEVER had one not drop on the spot . It does damage sure , but we aim upper neck (white patch or higher) . I’d say if we lose 2# of meat out of the neck roast that’s being generous

 

[Ringbill27]

.223 53-55gr vmax

we aim upper neck (white patch or higher) .

I’d say most bullets of any variety would drop them with that shot.

 

[ZipsNLbs]

I’d say most bullets of any variety would drop them with that shot.

This is true , I have a 55g tsx load that I use for coyotes and while it drops deer also with the same placement the vmax ends it a lot quick and a little more margin for error I have found .. entrance looks like a softball with them. The 55gr TSX with a high shoulder shot is great , wouldent attempt that with the vmax

 

[Ringbill27]

This is true , I have a 55g tsx load that I use for coyotes and while it drops deer also with the same placement the vmax ends it a lot quick and a little more margin for error I have found .. entrance looks like a softball with them. The 55gr TSX with a high shoulder shot is great , wouldent attempt that with the vmax

I would guess you lose fairly little meat with the 55gr TSX through the shoulders. I wonder if the vmax would make it through the first shoulder. I bet there would be a big hole.

 

[ZipsNLbs]

Very little loss with the TSX , I don’t know as if I would want to try a shoulder on it they do fragment pretty quickly on the flesh of the neck I wouldent feel to confident on sending one through the shoulder

 

[TechsanHunter]

FWIW - I’ve just purchased a .243 rifle and asked the same question. I’ve purchased from copper creek 95 grain NBTs and 108 grain ELD-Ms. I’m hopeful those NBTs work well because my research on here suggests they are the “best” in a 243.

 

[Ringbill27]

Very little loss with the TSX , I don’t know as if I would want to try a shoulder on it they do fragment pretty quickly on the flesh of the neck I wouldent feel to confident on sending one through the shoulder

I doubt it would make it. Varmint builds are designed to fragment immediately.

 

[gooses]

Yup! That’s a good load ..We take I’d say 90% of our does with .223 53-55gr vmax “that’s a terrible choice for deer” I call BS! I have NEVER had one not drop on the spot . It does damage sure , but we aim upper neck (white patch or higher) . I’d say if we lose 2# of meat out of the neck roast that’s being generous

Please forgive my ignorance here, but how do you approach this type of hunting and what type of environment is this in? Are you using like a super high magnification at a distance?

The concept of using a varmint bullet to sever the spinal cord makes sense to me, but im having trouble imagining how I would pull this off in real life.

 

[ZipsNLbs]

Please forgive my ignorance here, but how do you approach this type of hunting and what type of environment is this in? Are you using like a super high magnification at a distance?

The concept of using a varmint bullet to sever the spinal cord makes sense to me, but im having trouble imagining how I would pull this off in real life.

Believe it or not . Tree-stand at close distance most shots typically are under 100 and the rest under 150 yds . I’m going to post a picture , my wife got this doe last night 55gr VMAX out of a 18” tikka 223 t3x lite . She backflipped kicked a few times and that was it . I would also use this shot where we hunt I have a few stands that are relatively close to neighboring property and a deer that crosses is a deer I won’t be allowed to retrieve . This anchors then in place similar to a high shoulder but ive
Had some high shoulder shots ruin both front quarters and send bone into most of the backstrap before so I try to steer away from that

 

[ZipsNLbs]

Inside the neck was jelly . Esophagus completely severed, she was dead before she knew what hit her. I’ll note I’ve lost deer to a “perfect” broadside shot where as the neck I have never wounded one . DRT or walks away unharmed. AIM small miss small

 

[ZipsNLbs]

Please forgive my ignorance here, but how do you approach this type of hunting and what type of environment is this in? Are you using like a super high magnification at a distance?

The concept of using a varmint bullet to sever the spinal cord makes sense to me, but im having trouble imagining how I would pull this off in real life.

And no I think that gun of hers I put a leupold freedom 2.5-10x50 firedot if I Remeber . Cheap scope . Have a couple ar’s with an sig Romeo and the other with a cheap vortex sub500$ scope I wanna say crossfire but you don’t need much . You could totally do this at distance but it’s a small target and not a lot of wiggle room . I’m no marksmen just a hunter so I Wouldent feel comfortable trying it