243 for Deer hunting

[KBP75]

Just a quick question; What is the lighest bullet effective for Deer hunting? I usually use a 100 gr soft point but how light can you go and still have an effective weight bullet for Deer hunting?

[WmMunny]

Might be worth an inquiry to your state agency that regulates hunting-- Department of Natural Resources/Fish and Wildlife Dept., etc...

[georgehwbush]

this is not a recomendation by any means; but the 22LR has been used to poach deer affectively by many people that's a 34 to 40 grain soft lead maybe hollow point... it's much more about shot placement than caliber velocity and weight...

now that being said if you are a good shot and don't get "buck fever" and just take any shot that comes along... anything 243 is very deadly. within it's nominal range of course.

i would suggest nothing less than 75 or 80 grain. and prefer 100+

[Shadow9mm]

From what I have read, if one were to hunt deer with a 223 (which most people advise against) 62g is kind of the bare minimum and the 75g is preferred, while the more common 55g bullet is considered too light based on my reading.

One must also consider bullet construction, you want something that is not going to come apart, bonded, solid copper, partition, tapered jacket construction like the sirocco.


If I may, why are you trying to go as light as possible?

[GeauxTide]

100gr bullets are the standard for deer hunting. Speer, Nosler, and Sierra make good ones.

[tangolima]

I don't hunt, but I have heard people hunt with 75gr bullet on 6mm ARC. .243 drives bullet faster. 62gr will work?

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[105kw]

Washington state says 6mm, 85gr or heavier expanding type bullet.
I haven't checked the new regs, but it has been that way for a while.
I would bet that most hunters are using 100gr bullets.

[44 AMP]

What is the lighest bullet effective for Deer hunting?

That would be the lightest bullet MADE for DEER hunting. In other words, made for controlled expansion and penetration, NOT a varmint bullet, which is made for maximum expansion on the light resistance of small game.

The lightest deer bullet may or may not be the lightest bullet legal for deer where you hunt. The state game regs will tell you.

Keep in mind that while generally lighter bullets are for varmints and heavier ones are for bigger game, it is entirely possible to have any weight bullet made for either use.

Contact the bullet maker to find out what use they designed and make the bullet for. If they say varmints, don't shoot deer with it. Period.

[totaldla]

I think there is a much larger selection of 6mm bullets today. In days of old, when the .243 was a popular kids gun, the 100gr Cup&Core was popular. But at 3000+fps, you didn't get much penetration - but a lot of deer went in the freezer.

[44 AMP]

the 100gr Cup&Core was popular. But at 3000+fps, you didn't get much penetration -

3000fps was rarely possible with the 100/105gr bullets from a .243 Winchester.

Getting to 3,000fps with that weight generally needed specifically tailored max loads and barrels longer than 22".

Speeds around 2900fps at max was much more common with most rifles. But, either way, if you're not getting the desired penetration, no matter what the speed, you're not using the "right" bullet for the job. Cup & core, bonded, interlocked, partition, etc., all of them can do the job, if built "right" but choosing which ones are the best and which are adequate, and learning which are not is a learning curve that only actual performance in the field can teach.

A LOT depends on not just what you are using, but HOW you are using it, and how WELL you can use it. Around 40 some years ago, I met an old boy who had just taken his 6th elk with his .243. He considered the .243 an outstanding elk rifle! He shot Remington Core-Lokt and still had 12 cartridges left in the box!

He hunted deep timber elk, took only neck shots, always passed up any shot that wasn't what he felt was perfect. Six elk with six shots. Few of us would choose a .243 for elk, and fewer of us would or could use it as well as that fellow did. For what that fellow did, cup & core was quite successful.

Bullet construction matters, but what matters more is properly matching that with proper bullet placement.

[jmr40]

There is more to it than bullet weight. Bullet construction matters more. All bullets are designed to work between a range of impact speeds. Most standard cup and core lead bullets tend to work well if they impact between about 1800-2800 fps.

Any slower and they may not expand, much faster and they over expand and don't penetrate. I'd use the heaviest bullet that falls between those 2 speeds at impact at the ranges I plan to shoot.

For standard bullets somewhere around 100 gr is a good place to be, but with some bullets you could go lighter.

Some of the premium bonded bullets will stay together and give you better penetration without overexpanding at faster impact speeds at close range. The tradeoff is that they often also need to impact faster at long range too. You probably want 2000 fps minimum to get expansion or they act like FMJ.

The solid copper bullets will generally stay together at any speed and give good penetration even with the lighter weight bullets. But once again the tradeoff is the need for more impact speed at distance, and they cost more. Those tend to work best with a minimum of 2200 fps and will stay together at over 3500 fps.

You could go pretty light and the 243 becomes a legit elk gun with the right bullets. Of course you sacrifice long range capability since the bullets need to impact pretty fast to get expansion. And of course the expense.

[totaldla]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

3000fps was rarely possible with the 100/105gr bullets from a .243 Winchester.

Getting to 3,000fps with that weight generally needed specifically tailored max loads and barrels longer than 22".

Speeds around 2900fps at max was much more common with most rifles. But, either way, if you're not getting the desired penetration, no matter what the speed, you're not using the "right" bullet for the job. Cup & core, bonded, interlocked, partition, etc., all of them can do the job, if built "right" but choosing which ones are the best and which are adequate, and learning which are not is a learning curve that only actual performance in the field can teach.

A LOT depends on not just what you are using, but HOW you are using it, and how WELL you can use it. Around 40 some years ago, I met an old boy who had just taken his 6th elk with his .243. He considered the .243 an outstanding elk rifle! He shot Remington Core-Lokt and still had 12 cartridges left in the box!

He hunted deep timber elk, took only neck shots, always passed up any shot that wasn't what he felt was perfect. Six elk with six shots. Few of us would choose a .243 for elk, and fewer of us would or could use it as well as that fellow did. For what that fellow did, cup & core was quite successful.

Bullet construction matters, but what matters more is properly matching that with proper bullet placement.

Well, the Win M70 came with a 24" barrel, and slow powders would get a 100gr pill to 3100fps. But barrel life was an issue.

I agree that slowing down the bullet would increase penetration and extend barrel life.

[44 AMP]

Most standard cup and core lead bullets tend to work well if they impact between about 1800-2800 fps.

You are leaving out an entire group of cup & core bullets, those intended for handgun use and for rifles operating at black powder speeds, such as the standard .45-70.

Any slower and they may not expand, much faster and they over expand and don't penetrate.

This is true of every expanding bullet, all that differs is the velocity range in which this happens. Bullets designed for the higher velocity rifle rounds operate in one range, bullets made for lower velocity cartridges operate the same but their velocity range is lower.

BUT this is also modified by individual bullet construction. For example, push a Speer 405gr .45-70 bullet (designed to open up controlled expansion at black powder speeds) 500+fps faster and it literally "grenades" on impact.

Same thing happens with a .30-30 bullet fired from a big .30 Magnum or a 125gr .357 JHP designed to expand in the 1400fps range (pistol barrel) pushed to 2200fps from a hot load in a carbine.

More important than weight is matching the bullet construction to the intended impact speed. A varmint bullet and a big game bullet can be the same weight and appearance, but are built differently, with different jacket thickness and even alloy composition, to obtain different results in game. Knowing which one is which requires at least a little bit of research, which may be anything from simply reading and understanding the box label, to a conversation with the maker to understand just what the bullet is made for, and why.

I would also point out that bullet expansion, while usually a desirable thing is not the only thing what works. Lots and lots of game has been taken with non-expanding type bullets, and for some game (particularly the largest dangerous types), "solids" are the recommended choice.

[bamaranger]

After bashing .243 for half my life, I now hunt with one rather routinely. Two actually. One was my Dad's, and he was a basher to,....'till he started hunting with one and making shots instead of flinching. The other is a 20" Mossberg 800M carbine....odds are few of you remember or have heard of that one.

I had to rebarrel Dad's rifle due to a butchered re-crown job. It now wears a 24" tube and a reasonable charge of 4064 (I think) gets it close to 3000 fps, but not over with 100gr Partitions. The carbine will not drive 100 gr Partitions anywhere near the same velocity, and so I load and shoot (when I can find them) 85 grain Partions and they do break 3000 fps....easily. Both kill deer as well as any other centerfire I own. I have not had a Partition fail to exit from any angle.

After reading great things about Sierra's 85 gr HPBT on deer, I loaded up a batch for the carbine and took a quartering away shot at a mature buck. the bullet did not exit, being stopped by the shoulder blade on the off side. Internal damage was significant, but the deer bled exactly ONE drop over about 50 yds. I knew I had hit him, hard and proper, but had I been an idiot, could have declared it a miss and lost him. The next year, another shot at the near exact distance and angle with the 85 gr Partition, sailed on thru, as expected.

I think the .243 benefits greatly with a controlled expansion bullet. Nosler had priced the Partitions so high I'm a bit discouraged with them and the 85's have become hard to locate. I don't need many, another box would likely last me.

[MarkCO]

I've shot Deer (and Pronghorn) with 85 grain to 105 grain with the .243Win. 20 grains difference makes little to no difference as long as the bullet is well constructed.

[The Verminator]

Originally Posted by KBP75

Just a quick question; What is the lighest bullet effective for Deer hunting? I usually use a 100 gr soft point but how light can you go and still have an effective weight bullet for Deer hunting?

Ok for small deer and marginal for large (200 pounds and up).

You need premium 100 grain ammo or good heavy handloads with premium bullets like the Nosler Partition.