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Old November 21, 2012, 08:04 AM   #1
Jevyod
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243 Ammo for whitetail

I was wandering what in your experience is a good 243 load? I don't have time to reload for this and was wanting to pick up a box at Cabelas. I have had some bad experience with the ballistic silvertip and want a good solid bullet that will hold together well and penetrate well at 300+ yards. I was thinking of 100 grn Hornady interlock or maybe see if i can pick up some Federal with 100 grn partitions. Any suggestions,thoughts?
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Old November 21, 2012, 08:25 AM   #2
Saskhunter
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Partitions.
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Old November 21, 2012, 09:20 AM   #3
Art Eatman
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I've tagged a couple of dozen bucks via the Sierra 85-grain HPBT (now offered by Federal). However, they were all inside 200 yards and I limited myself to neck shots or cross-body heart/lung shots.

For angling shots and on larger deer, many have done quite well with the old standby, the 100-grain CoreLokt.
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Old November 21, 2012, 09:35 AM   #4
KenL
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My son shot several with a .243 using the Federal factory loads. 85 grain loads, not sure who's bullet it was. Shots were up close though, nothing was more than 75 yards away.
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Old November 21, 2012, 10:38 AM   #5
TheNatureBoy
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100 grain remington core lokt will do you good.
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Old November 21, 2012, 10:58 AM   #6
Rebel9793
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Core Lokt
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Old November 21, 2012, 11:05 AM   #7
Brian Pfleuger
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If they have it, Barnes Vor-TX.
The price will make you find the time to load your own though.
You can buy cheaper ammo but you can't get more effective bullets.
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Old November 21, 2012, 11:06 AM   #8
jlove1974
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Let's do the algebraic math:

Fusion > Core-Lokt in performance due to true bonded core. Core-Lokt's fail.
Fusion < Partitions in price and >= in performance

sum = Fusion 95gr (and Winchester Powermax) best whitetail bullet period

I've got stories, pictures of entry/exit wounds, and a few trophy deer to prove this equation
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Old November 21, 2012, 11:24 AM   #9
TheNatureBoy
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Your personal opinion/experience and I respect that. I hunted for years with a Ruger M77/.243 using 100 grain Core Lokt pills and never had to track a deer more than 20 yards. My longest shot was about 120 yards. They've done me well, but what do I know
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Old November 21, 2012, 11:52 AM   #10
jimbob86
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If you can't kill a whitetail with a 100 gr Remington PP or Winchester Super-X load, the 3-5 dollars extra for the bonded Fusion won't help any....

These bonded/solid/Partition bullets for whitetail are just silly, unless you are using a varmit caliber cartridge: they just are not that tough to kill.

Also, if you are using a bonded bullet, you have to take great care if the animal is facing you, or your center of the chest hit will carry on through to make field dressing a really crappy job.......

If you spend the money (ammo) to practice much with your deer rifle, spending the money on these superdooper bullets will cost you more than the rifle did......
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Old November 21, 2012, 11:57 AM   #11
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Unfortunately, so many hunters think that picking up a box before deer season is all the ammo they need ...... "One Boxers" ....... (exits, muttering)....
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Old November 21, 2012, 12:42 PM   #12
Panfisher
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I actually reload the .243 with 100 grain Hornady Interloks for my wife. They are wonderful bullets. Stick with the 100 grain in standard loads and shoot well, no problems. If you want to go lighter then take a look at the Barnes bullets, fantastic bullets. Do your part and most any of the 100 grain bullets designed for deer sized game will work fine. Assuming of course that your rifle likes that bullet/load and as you know there is no way to predict that. It may love the Hornady load and hate the Rem Cor-lokt or the opposite.
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Old November 21, 2012, 12:58 PM   #13
Jevyod
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Thanks for all the imput! A disclaimer; this is actually for my brother. I know it seems weird to me to just go buy a box of shells but with loading for my own rifles, it just doesn't come high on my priority list! Hopefully till next year I can load a good load of Hornadys for him!
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Old November 21, 2012, 02:39 PM   #14
JimDandy
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Make him come over and load them himelf. My brother used to do my reloads. I figured it looked like fun. And it is. But I also didn't realize how much work it was, so I feel bad for all the rounds he made up for me. Additionally, I don't want to think how either of us would have felt had a round been loaded wrong... at least now when I load my own, it' my own damn fault.
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Old November 21, 2012, 07:26 PM   #15
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I've had good luck with Remington 100g Core Lokt out of a Savage 110C.
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Old November 21, 2012, 07:49 PM   #16
Art Eatman
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Hey, jlove, were your deer deader than my deer?
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Old November 21, 2012, 09:04 PM   #17
kraigwy
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We use Berget 87 gr Hunting VLDs in my wife's Model 70 243 for Mulies and Antelope.

Never had to shoot one twice.

As a side note, they electrify coyotes at 100 yards.
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Old November 21, 2012, 10:58 PM   #18
jmtbiggin
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PPU aka Prvi patizan 100grain Sp. No problem producing a humane harvest. About 12$ box of 20.Good Stuff
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Old November 22, 2012, 09:17 AM   #19
reloader28
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I personally wouldnt waste the extra money on Nosler or Barnse. Way more money for no more performance.

The Horn 95gr SST's have worked perfect for us on MANY deer. Longest shot my middle daughter took was this year. 400yds, one shot and he was dead after 40 yards.
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Old November 22, 2012, 09:44 AM   #20
ChasingWhitetail91
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the deer i took with core lokt looked pretty dead, how dead were yours?
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Old November 22, 2012, 10:30 AM   #21
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Be careful with the SST bullets at close range. There are many reports of the bullets expanding violently. I haven't seen any scientific experiments of what causes it but there have been enough instances that it can be concluded that it does in fact happen. My personal belief is the high velocity is what causes it.

Last edited by ripnbst; November 22, 2012 at 10:41 AM.
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Old November 22, 2012, 10:42 AM   #22
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Loaded up some Serria 85 BTHP for a fiend of mine. Him and his son both dropped them dead in their tracks with one shot each.
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Old November 22, 2012, 11:48 PM   #23
reloader28
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Ripinbst,
I've heard that too, but aint personally seen it. I've shot them in as close as 20yrds, but that one was a neck shot. The couple deer with chest shots at about 60-70yds worked fine too.

Not that it cant happen with proper shot placement, thats just my experience. I would agree that its probly the speed.


On a side note, I helped my uncle cut up his elk today that he shot with a Barnes Triple Shock I think he said. With his 270 WSM and that thing is pure junk as far as I'm concerned. It didnt even expand to full caliber diameter. It had lots of penetration. Quartering away and the bullet went thru the gut, thru the vitals and imbedded in the base of the neck by the shoulder. He did get the elk however.

Last edited by reloader28; November 23, 2012 at 09:10 AM.
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Old November 23, 2012, 08:02 AM   #24
Nathan
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Jlove:
Quote:
Let's do the algebraic math:

Fusion > Core-Lokt in performance due to true bonded core. Core-Lokt's fail.
Fusion < Partitions in price and >= in performance

sum = Fusion 95gr (and Winchester Powermax) best whitetail bullet period

I've got stories, pictures of entry/exit wounds, and a few trophy deer to prove this equation
I think you've nailed it, but I think we could add -
Core-Lokt(plus a few other hunting bullets) = good enough for most deer

Up close, the bonded core should keep it from blowing up, especially when hitting bone.
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Old November 23, 2012, 08:21 AM   #25
PawPaw
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OP
I was thinking of 100 grn Hornady interlock or maybe see if i can pick up some Federal with 100 grn partitions. Any suggestions,thoughts?
I use 100 grain Hornadys, pushed to about 3100 fps with a good load of Reloder 22. Very accurate in my Savage model 10. It's my go-to load in the .243 Win. I bought a bunch of them on sale four years ago, when they're gone I'll pick up another bullet, possibly the Barnes Triple Shock. Everything I've read about Barnes bullets say that they love speed.

I have had one of those Hornady's fail, but I don't blame the design. This may have been one faulty bullet out of a lot of 10,000. That bullet hit the deer in the rib at about 3000 fps and exploded, ruining the on-side shoulder. What was left of the bullet penetrated about 3", collapsing the on-side lung and shredding the heart. It looked like a small explosion had happened in that deer's chest. I know all this because I found him and dragged him out. He hadn't gone far.

Quote:
Originally Posted by reloader28
On a side note, I helped my uncle cut up his elk today that he shot with a Barnes Triple Shock I think he said. With his 270 WSM and that thing is pure junk. It didnt even expand to full caliber diameter as far as I'm concerned. It had lots of penetration. Quartering away and the bullet went thru the gut, thru the vitals and imbedded in the base of the neck by the shoulder. He did get the elk however.
When it left the barrel it was full caliber diameter. The bullet went through the gut, thru the vitals and lodged in the base of the neck. Y'all dragged it out. It sounds to me like that bullet did just exactly what it was designed to do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbob86
Unfortunately, so many hunters think that picking up a box before deer season is all the ammo they need ...... "One Boxers" ....... (exits, muttering)....
I had a rifle like that once, I didn't reload for the caliber, and just picked up a box of ammo. Four rounds later the rifle was zero'd and I had 16 rounds left to hunt with. Very accurate little rifle in 7mm-08, and as it turns out, I never loaded for that caliber. I'd pick up one box of ammo per year and I very seldom shot more than 20 rounds a year from that rifle. I didn't need to. Everything I shot at with that rifle fell over and kicked.

I lost that rifle during a divorce, and I admit that I miss the rifle a whole lot more than I miss the woman.
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