Bullet for wifes 243

nv_hunter

Very Active Member
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I just bought my wife a new rem 243 for deer. Was looking into what bullet I should use in that rifle. It seams that the 80 grain seams to be a great round for that gun. its over 3000fps and 2000 energy. What does evryone else think? Keep in mind she most likely wont shoot over 300.


nevadaanimatedhelmetwd2.gif
 
my wife also shoots a .243 and i shot the same gun as a youngster.i have always used the heaviest bullets i could find. to reduce the amount of drift i used to reload 115 gr. boat tails.haven't reloaded for ten years. i think what i buy now is either 100 gr. or 105 gr.
 
I have used the Hornady 100 gr SP interlock for years on deer and I have also killed a spike bull with them. I drive them out at 3150 and they are very accurate. I don't even bother shooting any other bullet. Ron
 
>I just bought my wife a
>new rem 243 for deer.
>Was looking into what bullet
>I should use in that
>rifle. It seams that the
>80 grain seams to be
>a great round for that
>gun. its over 3000fps and
>2000 energy. What does evryone
>else think? Keep in mind
>she most likely wont shoot
>over 300.


90 or 100grn Nosler Partitions. And limit her to 250yard shots. You want to shoot further step up to a slightly bigger rifle with more oomph at distance, ie 25-06, 7mm-08, 270 etc.

My wifes killed alot of deer and antelope with her .243, even a caribou with it. Work within the limits of the gun and use a good bullet and it will be an amazing gun for her.


-DallanC
 
Check out the Hornady light magnum in 100 grain bullets. It uses the interlock bullet.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
I agree with the other guys that mentioned the hornady light magnums in 100 grains. I've never shot that particular load in 243 but i do shoot the hornady light magnums with both my 270 and 30-06 and they perform outstanding. They're tough to beat when it comes to velocity and knock down power.
 
When I first started using the .243 for deer, I opted for the Hornady Light Magnums with the thought that it would give a little more knock down and would be a premium ammunition. I almost gave up the .243 for deer thinking it was too light. I found that it was the bullets fragmenting. (100SPBT) I switched to the cheap Rem Corelokt 100grns and never had another problem. That was a few years back and maybe they've made some bullet adjustments but I sure was not impressed with Hornady after that.


Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. --Ronald Reagan
 
Thanks guys...Lots of usefull information. Has anyone ever used the 80g and had a problem? The balistics read that theres a huge change in fps from the 80 to the 100 and the 80 has more energy. Im more of an archery guy but I would think that the 80 would be better since they are the same calibur and its faster and more energy. Dont get me wrong I dont know balistics well but it just seems like 2 plus 2 to me.


nevadaanimatedhelmetwd2.gif
 
Yea like i said i've never used the hornady's with my 243. With larger calibers the light magnums seem to mushroom up great and i've never noticed much if any fragmentation. Most of the time i find the lead fully mushroomed just beneath the hide when skinning the animal. But then again maybe the heavier loads just hold up better.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-12-08 AT 05:54AM (MST)[p]Foot lbs of energy is only one thing to look at. It doesn't tell the whole story. I just think that 95-100 grains is the absolute minimum lead to throw at a deer sized animal, especially a big mulie.

Ft lbs is ONLY a mathmatical formula and DOES NOT always translate into KNOCK DOWN power. It squares the velocity, always making the faster bullet look better, but speed isn't everything. You could theoretically make a 25 gr bullet go fast enough to look good too, but I wouldn't use one. The 80 grain 243 load may very well have more ft. lbs than a 45-70 due to its speed, but the 45-70 has lots more knock down.

If I were using the 80 gr, I would limit my shots to 100 yards. But then I would limit my shots with the 100 grain to 200.

Someone mentioned the nosler partition. I see that Federal makes a 100 grain with the nosler. That would be hard to beat too.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
I shoot Nosler 95 gr. Ballistic Tips on top of 41.5 grains IMR 4350,has been very accurate.Taken several mule deer and antelope with this bullet.
 
I agree with all said. The 95+ grain is the way to go.
I have shot several deer with the Hornady Light Magnum 100s.
 
Good post with lots of good info. If I were to break out the old .243
And this post has me thinking about it for my wife. I think I would return To the old Sierra Game King 100 gr. Going through the cigar box of elk teeth, Bear and lion claws I came across a bunch of mushroomed slugs. Damn Impressive performance. I just weighed some of them and they came in from
92 to 87 grains. 8 of them. My memory is a little faded since 30 years ago but
I think they all came out of elk. I remember putting that load all the way through deer Back then. We didn't hunt deer after the winter of 83-84 and by the time we got
Back to it I was bigger faster magnum mind set. Good post you just brought a good old
Rifle out of the closet.
 
A couple years ago I switch from shooting Remington 100 grain Core-locks to Barnes 85 grain Triple shock bullets and have not looked back since. The performance of the triple shock bullet has been second to none. My wife has been able to successfully take an Antelope (250 + yards) and a mule deer (200 yards) without any problems. The problem that you usually run into with the lighter 243 bullets is that they are constructed more for varmint hunt. Why to fragile for big game. I think if you select a good controlled expansion bullet you should be just fine.

400bull
 
nv,

I used a 243 for years. This is the honest to God's truth, 85 grain Sierra BTHP's are lethal on deer and antelope. In fact, I have not found any combination in any rifle work any better. Everything I shot dropped and they were pretty forgiving on a less than perfect shot. I would shoot a 243 with 85 gr BTHP at the biggest of mule deer out past 300 yards.
 
80 gr bullets are designed for varmints. The jackets are thin. 80 grainers are prone to too rapid expansion and not enough penetration on deer-sized game. As the above posters have stated stay with 100 grainers in the .243.

Phantom Hunter
 
I agree with the 85 HPBT. I killed a deer this last year with it. I've seen and killed deer with magnums but I have never seen anything drop so fast as that round did. Excellent calibre and bullet wouldn't be afraid to shoot any deer with it.
 
I use Sierra 6mm 100 GR spitzer boat tail (#1560) for my son/wife .243 Win. They are relatively inexpensive, high BC, hunting bullets. My son clobbered deer and antelope with this bullet, I was quite impressed with performance. I use similar Sierra .270 150 grain spitzer boat tail (#1840) for my .270 Win for same reasons. I think these are great bullets for the money.
 
phantom,

I see your point. I would tend to agree that the premium bullets would be the best choice, but like elk17, my experience was great with the 85 BTHP. It just works well for some reason. I seriously would not hesitate to use this bullet/caliber on any deer or antelope. I sold my 243 (and I regret it) for bigger guns. I have never had the same luck dropping them in their tracks like the 243.
 
I have two ten year olds that just passed their hunters safety course, here in CA. They will be in the deer and antelope draw in NM. With any luck, they will get a chance to put the Sierra 85 gr. BTHP to use. Sounds light, but is deadly on deer size game. Tames down the recoil a little bit too.

Don P.
 
My reason for the 100 gr preference besides the facts on jacket thickness is I have seen several smallish whitetails and a couple of bobcats shot with 85 gr bullets where the bullet basically exploded on impact with very little penetration. Normally doesn't happen with heavy for caliber bullets. Some of the newer construction bullets act different. To each his own.

Phantom Hunter
 
In 2006 my then 80Lb 12 year old son was lucky enough to draw (2) Superhunt tags here in Idaho(Deer and Antelope) and then the lucky little guy drew another antelope tag. He filled all three tags with a .243 shooting 95 Gr Partitions. His kills were all one into heart/lungs. Two times he hit the shoulder and broke the bone. The shortest shot was on an Antelope at 205 yards, with the other antelope at an amazing 370 yards, and the deer(weighed 280lbs) at 305 yards. These bullets don't have the highest BC, but up to 300 or even 400 yards it won't matter much. I think if a 280lb Muley can be taken out by this load you can be comfortable using it. Nosler Partitions will not blow-up.

Actually I just checked and Nosler is actually doing custom loads of Nosler Partitions at 85 grains, maybe that's your load.
 
phantom,

You are right, you need to use what works well and you feel good about.

peez,

I wish I had my 243 back for the reason you stated, young kids. I loved that gun. I had a Ruger M77 with a Leupold 3X9 AO on it. That gun was always on, never had to adjust it, and it killed deer/antelope like no other. Great choice for your kids!
 

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