7mm08

My son is 8yo and shoots a 243, which if the deer run after the hit it doesn't leave much of a blood trail. Would a 7mm08 be to much gun for a kid?

Try the 80gr TTSX if you want a blood trail in a 243

No a 7-08 wouldn't be too much for some kids, would be for others. I'd switch bullets in the 243 and keep using it though. Nothing wrong with a 243 on whitetail and they're great for kiddos.

I started shooting 7mm08 when I was 10 or 11.

Like said above, your problem isn't with 243, it is with your bullet selection. Either get you some of the bullets he recommended or a Nosler Partition(Federal Loads them) They will make a huge difference.

Also make sure to spend some time shooting it for practice. A blood trail really does not matter if you put the .243 right through a major vital organ like the heart.

1. Use a good bullet like Remington Corelokt 100gr, Nosler Partition, Federal Fusion, TTSX.
2. Shot placement in major organ, or if you're worried about them running, front shoulder.
3. Practice. Practice. Practice.
4. Teach him (and you) to watch where the deer runs after the shot, noting the trails and which he might have taken.
5. If the deer runs and you don't witness him fall, give him at least 30 minutes before you start after him.

this ^^^

Berger VLD on that list for some big shock

[qwouldn'te=BOBO the Clown]

Try the 80gr TTSX if you want a blood trail in a 243 [/quote]

I wouldn't get a 7MM-08 for that age, .243 is plenty. I used this exact bullet this past weekend on a doe and it left a good blood trail.

Tell him to start shooting them in the neck.

Don't think I would recommend a corelockt bullet I've seen a lot of them not exit.

He shot a doe Saturday, he hit her exactly where I told him to (middle of shoulder)she ran 5yds into a tree fell down got up and ran back to where he shot her. We used corelokt's and it went all the way through her, it did alot of damage on the inside but a small hole in and out. I'll get the 80gr TTSX.
Thanks for the info...

Define 'a lot'. We've shot over 150 deer with 100gr .243 Corelokt and while I'm sure there were a few that didn't exit, I can't remember a single time that I did my job that the bullet didn't do its. If the bullet isn't exiting, then you're either taking a long (or wrong) angle or hitting some major bone, both of which should be lethal.

I'm willing to bet that over 90% of the time when somebody says they need a larger cartridge it's because they aren't doing their job.

TTSX will generally do less internal damage than a cup-and-core bullet like a Core-Lokt provided no major bone is hit. All else being equal, it will penetrate better of course...

Confused about the small hole in and out coupled with much internal damage. Maybe a fragment exited? IDK....

So, 5 yds to the tree and 5 yds back is 10 yds? Lots of internal damage? I guess I'm not seeing the problem. Are you using the 80gr or 100gr? What size exit are you expecting? If a .243 doubles upon expansion, you're still only getting around 1/2" going out. If you're shoulder shooting and not catching that much of the lungs, it's going to be a weak blood trail until the cavity fills up with blood to the height of the shot. Catch a lung, they'll be spraying from both muzzle and holes then.

As NP said, if you don't hit any bone with that TTSX you're going to get an even smaller hole than with the Corelokt.

If you says so... It helps to have actually used them before you slam them. 80gr TTSX 243

Ill agree with this too. While im not a big corelock fan they do a decent job. If the hit was higher in the top 1/2 of the body sometimes they run more than 10 yards before you will find blood even with bigger calibers and bigger exits.

Care to show an interior photo of entrance and exit?

That's exit

This is entrance




That's an 80gr bullet leaving barrel at 3320ft/s

I know, I'm asking to see the interior of the deer, because I'm betting you caught a rib on the way in, which would be the part where I said 'hit bone'. I'm not knocking them but I've heard at least 5-6 guys on here say you better hit a bone on the way in or it will be through and gone before you know it.

My experience with them is limited to tsx (not ttsx) in calibers above 243, like 270 and 300 wby I have had trouble getting expansion even when hitting large bones. With light fast calibers 22250 220 swift light 243 etc they expand well even on soft tissue.

I don't typically take inside pics. But that's pretty typical results Ive had with lung area hits. Shoulders it's worse.

Their experience with the TTSX is with the bigger slower calibers. Or small slow calibers.

Even I say no on the bigger cal. And always say run light and fast ...the plus 3200 muzzle velocity range.

IMO the smaller the caliber the better off you are with a tough bullet like the Partition, TTSX, Sirocco, A-frame, Accubond, Trophy Bonded..... when wanting an exit. With those in a 243 you will get good penetration, plenty of damage to kill effectively and get an exit one almost any shot.

The small exit hole in the OP was most likely from a piece of the bullet core after it came apart from the description given of internal damage and small holes.



To be honest I went to Partitions in the 7mm08 30+ years ago when a 140gr Remington "Core Lokt" bullet completely fragmented on the shoulder of a buck that weighed 150 live weight. I know for sure it did since the followup shot went through the ribs and destroyed both lungs qith bullet fragments in the offside rib cage, so I could see what the first bullet did. That was in the early days of the 7mm08 and after a lot of complaints Remington admitted for the first runs of ammo in that caliber they used a different bullet from another manufacture (Hornady) in the first few runs of ammo and those were the bullets that prompted me to switch to reloads with Partitions.

Get him the 7mm-08 use Hornady Custom Lite ammo, 139gr SST, great bullet great load. My daughters Go To killa

Buy this ammo at cabelas

Id rather shoot a 243 with quality bullet than a 7mm08 with an sst.

I've shot a few deer and many hogs with a 139SST never had one lost.

I'm not slamming the TTSX, just saying it typically makes a smaller wound channel than a cup and core if no bone is encountered.

I agree it is a great choice for smaller calibers where penetration is paramount.

Grab a couple 80gr TTSX in that 257wby. Hint don't get with in 5" of the shoulders. Even not hitting them offside will be blood shot...

i used a 243 for many years got an exit 95 percent of the time of those 95 percent were in and out holes but internally they were mush, lungs being liquified. right on par with every other caliber ive used. even the 708 left in and out pin holes. sometimes i think the 243 did more internal damage than the 708 with 140 gr bullets.
i wouldnt opt for a tsx if you want bigger holes, you want a bigger hole get a hollow point or a balistic tip. the 85 gr sierra game king hollow point loaded by federal is bad medicine.
heres a plain ol cup and core.







when i was using a 708 i wasnt impressed with what the 139-140 gr was doing so i tried 120s pushed fast. heres those results

My older son used the same rifle when he was 8-12yo and we lost a couple of deer because he didn't get good shot placement because there was no blood trail. All of the deer he ever shot with the 243 was with core lokt's and the insides were almost always completely destroyed, I don't remember but one that left a decent blood trail. Lockley we had a little Fox Terrier that tracked really good...

Good ole SGK!

i find it ironic people here want hp bullets for their 9 but then want a steel bullet for hunting

Major problem is getting deer to run into tree after shooting and then run back to where it was when the bullet struck. My technique has been all wrong.

Just switch bullets as previously stated. I had my friend shoot an ibex nanny and a sika doe with 100gr CoreLockts and the ibex was DRT. The sika doe was a low gut shot (bad light-dusk-new hunter, "buck" fever), but he did nick vitals, and she was down within 40yd. Followed up with a beauty of a head shot.

I don't think you should be having problems with 243. Maybe try shooting behind the shoulder, tucked close, or neck/shoulder joint?

Then again, you could just use this as an excuse to buy a 7mm-08.

Looks like this thread has been beaten to death already, but I'll add my 2 cents. I've taken a dozen or so deer with a .243 shooting a 95 grain Partition and only recovered one bullet. All others were pass-through and a couple of those were through both shoulders. Most ran less than 30 yards.

ive taken truck loads of deer and hog with every bullet ranging from 17 gr to 180 gr never thought i needed a bigger caliber or better bullet.
it aint the arrow its the indian

22 hornet 45 gr small doe 40 yds. small exit but blood shot all the way to the hind.








22 hornet to the neck of a hog.

243 entrance

210 yds at 8 years of age with a 243 come one guys theyre not bullet proof

CUSTOM LITE 129 GR SST

on a standard caliber dont be putting bonded ttsx partitions etc in them and even then shoot a cup and core in your magnum at the distances it was designed for 300 plus yds and your standard bullet will work

X2. I've killed 15 or so animals with a 22-250. This ran from rabbits/fox to red deer/Nilgai/oryx. All were DRT cept a goat nanny that took like 5 steps and a BB doe that was just bad shot that I followed up with a head shot. I've used Silvertips, Nosler BTs, soft/spire points, power points, and VMAXs. Shot placement is everything

Oh Lordy....

X2

Try Berger bullets. I shoot 95 gr. Bergers in my 243 and the doe I shot was DRT.

If you reload, you can load a 7-08 with a 120 grain bullet down to about 2500 fps and recoil will be about the same as a factory .243 load. If you don't reload, Remington makes a reduced recoil load that would work well.

I started my son with a reduced 120 grain load and can confirm that it'll kill deer quick without much recoil. Good luck!

As far as 7-08 being too much gun, if it's an option get him to shoot a friends and see how he handles it. I started with a 25-06 at 4yo and was shooting a 300 Jarrett around your sons age. Everyone handles recoil a little different.

+1