Bone smashing .243

[James R. Burke]

100 grain Nosler Partition. Or if your stuck with just the three a f.m.j.

[FrankenMauser]

Unless you know your .243 can handle 100gr bullets, stay away from them. Many .243s puke all over themselves, when you stick almost anything in the 100gr range in the chamber. The 85, 87, and 90 grain projectiles are usually a better choice (and 87gr is what the cartridge was designed around).

[James R. Burke]

No doubt your 100% correct on knowing what that .243 will handle. Lots of them do not have the correct twist for the heavier grain. My wifes does, and that is why we got it, and tryed a few differnt ones thru it like you suggested. Hers handles the 100 grains great, but you are correct on trying a few differnt ones, because lots of them wont be very accurate with the heavier grain. It is good that you pointed that out. Lots were made with a twist for a lighter bullet so it could also shoot the varmint stuff well also.

[Fat White Boy]

In case you guys didn't notice, he mentioned shooting brumbies. We call them Mustangs over here. I know there has been an ongoing problem between cattle ranchers shooting wild horses and the horse lovers up in Nevada...

[butta9999]

Hey skulls, use the 100gr Hornady Interlock. It has been a huge success in my .243 over the years. Quite a hardy bullet.

Want receipes let me know ill e mail them.

[Art Eatman]

Could be that for whatever reason, the 6mm diameter is more sensitive to twist rate? My 1:10 doesn't seem to do well with 100-grain. Okay, maybe a 1:9 would be the answer. I dunno for sure.

I guess the question for those having success with 100-grain bullets as to group size is, "What's the twist rate of your rifle?"

[crghss]

Since your second shot required experience was do to shot placement rather then bullet performance see which bullet is the most accurate in your rifle and go with that.

Any of the three will penetrate a cows skull from a .243, even at a 100 meters. So I'd look for accuracy.

[briandg]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but being as the .243 will be traveling at almost 3k or more, will have a solid lead core, and will have the momentum of an itty bitty freight train trapped on turbo speed, i don't think that ANY bovine, when hit on bone that has brain behind it, is going to survive a hit from any size bullet. The impact is going to drive splinters into the tissue and the shock from that impact would be enough to induce a brain bleed, even if there was no penetration of lead into the actual cavity. Any cow type animal, when hit in the brain pan, should go down just as if it was hit with an 8 pound hammer swung by a burly rancher. If you don't see spray, by all means, follow the shot up.

[butta9999]

Art- ill have to check the twist in my .243 but the bullets shoot great on paper and perfrom well on any animal i have taken.

No evidence of high pressures or key holing.

I get them doing about 2900fps at the muzzle.

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day.
I E-mailed somebody in town that I know does a bit of reloading. He may have a few projectiles I can try. He will get back to me soon with options (make and model).

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day, I'll be going to pick up a few projectiles this weekend. The choices now are.

Sierra 85 gr
Hornady 87 gr
Sierra 100 gr and
Hornady 65 gr V-Max.

I am keen to try the Sierra as I have their manual.

[briandg]

With the Vmax, I'd try to keep those rounds as tight in on the brain as I could. they are not meant for large critters, and they will fragment on bone.

If you don't feel certain about hitting brain, I'm pretty sure that they could sever spine.

[2rugers]

For the criteria you listed any of the three choices will work fine.

Side of the head in the ear was a good suggestion, but certainly don't hesitate to put it just high of "between the eyes" either.

For what it is worth I have put down more than a few with a 22lr and 38 specials in pistols.

With the 22 (if possible) you want to shoot them in the back of the head in the soft spot just under the boney protrusion. Avoid the between the eyes because I have on occasion not had the 22 get through the nasal passage (between the eyes) and penetrate to the brain.
This causes a bloody nose and a hurt, mad cow.
Not pretty.

[LanceOregon]

Partitions and Grand Slams would work, but they are pricey bullets.

All of Speer's bullets have a good reputation of penetrating deep, due to the process they have of bonding the jacket to the lead. I would believe that Speer's new DeepCurl bullets would do the trick, since that is exactly what it is designed to do: penetrate deep and then expand. And they are much more affordable than the Grand Slams.

Even more expensive would be bullets from Barnes, or the new Hornady GMX, both of which are totally lead free, and penetrate super deep. They would probably give the best possible penetration in bone, but would also cost the most.

The Hornady Interlock is a less expensive bullet, that has a good reputation for penetration. Its Interlock design helps keep the jacket and core together. They make both a standard Soft point 100 gr Interlock, and also a Boat-tail Soft point 100 gr Interlock that would do a good job at reasonable cost.

.

[LanceOregon]

The Hornady VMAX bullet is designed to kill little thin skinned varmints like prairie dogs, marmots, and coyotes. It would offer very poor penetration ability.

If the person making these recommendations to you included the VMAX, then I would seriously question their judgment and knowledge.

.

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day.

Originally Posted by LanceOregon

If the person making these recommendations to you included the VMAX, then I would seriously question their judgment and knowledge.

The gentelman that has the projectiles says,

65 Gr V-Max not much good for large pigs in body, but will allow you excellent results if you can head shoot.

Thanks to everybody that have contribted to this thread. I enjoy reading all the helpfull sugestions about bullets I don't have the choice of.

[Art Eatman]

Either of the two Sierra bullets oughta do just fine. I've killed 20-some whitetail bucks with the 85-grain HPBT. A rib on the way in is no obstacle, and it's thicker than a cow's head bones. Inside? A double-handful of mush.

[Doodlebugger45]

Well... if they are cattle, then what you need is a cowboy, not a better bullet. A good cowboy could just ride up close enough to either rope it or shoot it with a pistol.

That said, I have had good luck shooting deer in the head with 100 gr Hornady bullets. I just put it about an inch behind the ear and they die instantly.

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day. I picked up a few Sierra projectiles today. 85gr HPBT & 100gr Gameking. Now to load them up and try them.

[phil mcwilliam]

When head shooting cows for butchering at 30 to 50 yards they are generally standing still & looking at you. If you do your part right I bet you notice no difference between the 2 bullets suggested in their ability to offer instant kills.
The cow that needed a follow up shot that you referred to in the OP was hit poorly. Shoot them in the wrong place in the head & you wont kill them instantly, even if you use a 375 H&H.

[LanceOregon]

I guess that a head shot for something as stationary as a cow would be feasible and effective.

I would generally rule out such a shot for any normal type of hunting.

A grand uncle on my mother's side of the family used to kill deer regularly with neck shots, and swore that it was an extremely effective shot to take, instantly dropping the animal to the ground stone dead. But it really takes a dedicated marksmen with outstanding skills, as there is not that much room for error.

Do you have shooting sticks to help steady your aim?

.

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day

Do you have shooting sticks to help steady your aim?

He was shooting from the drivers seat of the Toyota.

The cow that needed a follow up shot that you referred to in the OP was hit poorly. Shoot them in the wrong place in the head & you wont kill them instantly, even if you use a 375 H&H.

Without the follow up shot I think the cow would have died at least as quick as a double lung hit. Hit in the head it dropped like a sack of [color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color]. The other bloke just wanted to speed up the "dead" process with the second shot, as I imagine a lot of others here at TFL would want to.

The reason for the 2 different projectiles is so that the person that does the shooting can choose witch projectile HE prefers. Then I'll load what he wants, not what I think he might like.

[phil mcwilliam]

If a cow was head shot for butchering & was going to take the same time to die as a double lung shot, then the cow was hit poorly.
A properly placed shot to the brain of a cow will kill it instantly, although it may give a few kicks from nerves.
I say there will be no noticeable difference between a 85 grain or 100 grain bullet from a 243 if brain shooting a cow for butchering at distances of 30 to 50 yards with a good Toyota rest.
My father owned a cattle property that ran over a hundred head of beef cattle. Over the 25 years we ran cattle there were numerous occassions when we had to shoot cattle- drought, broken legs, sickness, & butchering. Mainly used 22 lr if in the yards, but if out in the open at distances of 30 to 50 yards a 222 was the largest caliber that was ever used. They dropped dead on the spot every time, but you have to hit them right.

[phil mcwilliam]

I do consider bullet weight & construction very important for hunting, but not particularly important for brain shooting cows for butchering.

[Jack O'Conner]

We've taken many large mulies with our older .243 Remington rifle. Lately, we've hunted with discounted PMP ammo from S. Africa that combines rapid expansion with deep penetration!

Jack