A friend is going to get a .243 this year and I'll be teaching her to shoot it. I'll likely eventually load for it. What bullet do you recommend for deer? I'm assuming either a 95 gr or 100 gr. But I'd like your thoughts on brand and model. I love Sierra Game Kings for my .223 (hog gun - loves 55 gr. slugs). I have been shooting Hornady Interlock 180s in my 30-06 with excellent results. I'm not tied to any one brand or type. Thanks!

Short range the 80gr TTSX has great results

Is Hornady SST available?

Sierra Game King 100 gr SBT #1560. Outstanding bullet

I have had the best consistency with Nosler 100 gr Partition, but not all rifles with shoot 100 gr bullets well.

This.

90 gr ELD-X is also a good choice.

^^^ my first pic, they are great on game especially for lighter calibers. My second is a 100 grain Sierra prohunter.

95 SST is what I load for my daughters. They just work.

Hornady Interlock 100 gr BTSP

That's what I use too.

Mine loves 85gr Sierra HPBT's with IMR4064 and it's killed everything from mule deer, whitetail, pigs, coyotes, to fox. The only animals that have taken steps after receiving one of these are pigs that i don't make an earhole shot on bc they were moving.

95gr Nosler BT.

90gr Speer Hot core. Usually drop on the spot. Shoot at maximum velocity.

One of the top bullets I load in the 243 Win is the 87 grain VLD-H (for common 243 Win twist rates). It performs well across the course for medium game. For hunting, I like the heavier bullets. The ELD-X has done very well.

Some other good one's are:

90 and 103 ELD-X
80 grain Tipped TSX
95 SST
105 Hybrid Berger (with proper twist)
108 Elite Hunter Berger (with proper twist)

I can’t say I have ever personally killed anything with a .243 but have guided hunters who have used them.

From my experience, the 100 grain performance has been inconsistent…sometimes the deer drops or runs a very short ways, other times they run like they are not even hit. Bullets used were usually either core-lokts or partitions.

Talking to a friend of mine who was a serious hunter in his hey day, he loved the .243 as a deer caliber but hated 100 grain bullets. His favorite was a 80 grain sierra game king.

2 mature bucks down this year so far. These boys been using it for the past 5 years. 100 grain partitions, nothing but flawless.

Beautiful bucks! Congrats to you guys.

Easy, Nosler 95 grain BT. This bullet was literally designed for WT Deer.

That's what I load in my wife's 6 CM and it has been nothing short of fantastic and easy to get shooting small groups.

I’ve used various of the loads mentioned. And various combinations. Some worked better in a certain rifle but not the best in a different one.

It will likely be out of a Savage Axis or one of the Mossberg Patriots. There's no point in her buying an expensive rifle since she'll probably not use it much.I suspect 100 yard shots will be the limit.

I didnt count but yall listed a huge number of different bullets-interesting.

I've watched my buddy's son kill over 1000 inches of mule deer bucks with his Tikka .243/95gr BT combo. It's a superb killer.

I copied this from 24 hr cf. The man that posted this is no longer with us also used the 95 gr bt considerably and spoke highly of it.



The .243" 95-grain Ballistic was designed by Gail Root. Gail was perhaps Nosler's most talented ballistician.

Gail is and was a .243 Winchester NUT and he designed the 95-grain to be HIS big game killing bullet. Goodness only knows how many big 6X6 bull elk Gail took with the 95 and most of them with a single well-placed shot.

I know of at least one record-class Nilgai bull that Gail killed with the 85. Nilgai have the well-earned reputation of being almost bulletproof. The bull fell at the shot.

Gail also used the 95 to collect his magnigicent B&C typical whitetail.

Gail was proud of the 96=5s performance of big game; it's great penetration, superb accuracy and killing performance is amazing. This is one bullet that never had to go back for re-design.

Yes, I've killed big game with the.243 95-grain Ballistic ... maybe thirty head of assorted mule deer, whitetail, antelope and one quite decent black bear. And, YES, one raghorn 5X5 bull elk that measured about 285 B&C. I've never had to shoot any big game animal more than once and the animals either dropped in place or struggled for less than 20 yards.

The single bull elk I killed with the 95-grain fell as if electrocuted. I was using a Runger Number One in 6mm Remington Normal.

Naysayers will cuss and discuss the Ballistic Tip ... and that ain't my problem. I'm only telling you what I know for a fact and I have considerable experience with the 95-grainer and have found it to be a superb big game bullet.

Steve

Good stuff Dean.