Best .243 bullet for marginal shot on a whitetail deer

[Bezoar]

placement. is. king. especialy with .243.


Core lokts dont hold up at SHORT range. massive cavities. not completely pass through.

Literature online says they need 100 yards to drop the 500 fps to give proper performance. They were meant for longish shooting

Premium isnt everything. Havent had standard federal fusion in 30-30 or hornady leverevolution beat 150 grain remington core lokt in 30-30

[reynolds357]

BeZoar, a .30-30 is not really running at a velocity that will tax the limits of bullet design.

[TimSr]

I don't shoot .243. My experience is with .30-06 and 7MM Rem Mag.

"Premium" hunting bullets are supposed to expand reliably and controllably, but at the same time, stay together in one piece. The general ways of achieving this was softer lead in the front, and harder cast in the rear, and/or jacket thickness variation. Standard bullets are often soft lead encased by a copper jacket of one thickness. Price is a factor for practice ammo, but when you are on your dream hunting trip where you may only fire one shot the whole trip, do you really care if the premium bullet you shot cost $.10 or $10?

I've had great results in many years past on bear, deer, and boar with Nosler Partitions and Speer Grand Slams (which I don't think they still make under that name.) Im sure others today work even better, but don't skimp on your hunting bullet choice, because you won't be shooting enough of them that price difference is an issue.


While the debate will always rage upon "expelling all energy in the animal" as opposed to "bullets passing through" let me offer this. It is undeniable that an exit wound bleeds much more profusly than an entrance wound, and since this thread is about the "less than perfect shot", which case would be easier to track the animal you just shot?

[manta49]

I would agree with practice in important. Someone shooting anything live should be able consistently be able to hit the kill zone at the ranges they are likely to be shooting. Or they shouldn't be shooting live animals until they can. If .243 usually does the job I don't think changing calibre is the answer.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by JimBob86

In my particular application, yes.

We could maybe agree that your situation is the Exception That Proves the Rule? In your situation, I'd probably choose a different bullet to the TTSX.

In any case, I've never really understood the strong aversion to gut shot (which continues to or comes from vitals) animals. I mean, I wouldn't choose to do it if I had a different shot but I've never once let an animal walk because I might have a smelly field dressing job. Our noses and gag reflexes are all different but it's just never bothered me to any great extent, with one exception. I did hit one through the guts with an arrow once and it took us about 18 hours to find him over a mile away. That one had me dry-heaving. Otherwise, fresh kills are just not that bothersome.

[TimSr]

BeZoar, a .30-30 is not really running at a velocity that will tax the limits of bullet design.

Agreed. In fact loading flat nose bullets designed for 30-30 into a 30-06 round at 30-06 veolicities tends to make a mess when you shoot a deer with it!

[Mike / Tx]

Core lokts dont hold up at SHORT range. massive cavities. not completely pass through.

Literature online says they need 100 yards to drop the 500 fps to give proper performance. They were meant for longish shooting

Hey did you also write up the State Farm commercial as well?

You know they can't put it on the internet if it isn't true right.

Hey I do appreciate the laugh through, even if I did almost blow ice tea out my nose when I read that.

Come on now post up the link to that "literature", I gotta see that for myself.

[dahermit]

In fact loading flat nose bullets designed for 30-30 into a 30-06 round at 30-06 veolicities tends to make a mess when you shoot a deer with it!

I once made a mess of a deer by shooting through both shoulders with a 180 grain, .303 British. The bullet hit the near shoulder, turned the bone into secondary projectiles, blow out the off-shoulder. The meat was bruised from the font shoulders all the way back to the hind-quarters. I concluded that the shoulder was not a real good place to aim if you were concerned at all about the meat...which I was. From then on, I only shot behind the shoulder (avoids heavy bone), and never experienced such a mess again...even when I shot them with a 6MM Remington and an 87 grain Hornady varmint bullet. I would wager that when 30-30 bullets are shot at 30-06 velocities, if you shoot them behind the shoulder, there will be no big mess.
If the deer is not standing broadside, wait until he is. If the deer is too far away to assure a hit behind the shoulder, get closer. It is called hunting...bow hunters do it all the time.

[cjwils]

When I was young, I killed quite a number of deer with a .243, using my dad's handloads. He usually loaded 85 gr or 95 gr Noslers, with powder charges near or at the published maximum, and muzzle velocity around 3000 fps. With a .243, even a kid doesn't need to be concerned about recoil with maximum loads. With a light weight, very high velocity expanding bullet, even mediocre bullet placement will usually cause a smallish deer to collapse like a wet noodle and not get up again. I don't think I ever had to track a deer that was hit by a .243. Isn't that what the original poster was looking for? And by the way, in my scenario, exit wounds don't matter.

[HiBC]

I have no advise for a magic bullet.Far better the young hunters place the shot well.I hope they have a great,clean,quick kill hunt.

IMO,the best way to poorly place a shot is to anticipate recoil ,close your eyes,and pull the trigger.

Modest recoil loads,always using ear protection,and a rifle that fits will help a lot.

I suggest ,when practicing,to make "calling the shot" a big part of the game .Ask them to focus on the crosshairs as they pull the trigger.have a target at the firing line where they can point out where the reticle was as the gun recoiled.

Verify with the spotting scope,and praise a good call as much as a good shot.

You can only call the shot with open eyes.Calling the shot gives a focus to the shot.

If they get where they are calling the shots every time,ask them to call the shot on the deer.

Encourage them to hold off shooting if they are not steady enough.

I believe if you all can achieve this,you won't need to worry about a marginal shot.

[bamaranger]

Gut shot is gut shot. Good luck on a recovery. A liver shot is better but not by much. Maybe you've trailed an archery liver shot? It will be fatal, but requires time and patience to recover. A rifle hit improves the odds, but not by much on a border line shot.

While the shoulder is to be avoided in archery, A deer shoulder will not stop a .243 slug. Depending on deer size and range, you may find the slug under the hide on the off side, or caught by the opposite shoulder. But that will be a very dead deer. The exception may be a super light varmint slug not intended for deer. (what 55 gr or something?)

By suitable, we mean a slug intended for deer size game and not varmints. I used to be a .243 basher but am not anymore. Bamaboy and I both have taken a few with 100 gr core loks, and now days, 100 gr Partions. We recovered 1 corelokt on an opposite shoulder, but that deer fell at the shot (broke the near shoulder). I think Rem has done a very good job of setting their 100 gr .243 slug up right. The rest (Noslers and Core Lokt) have all been pass through's.

The Partition seems a good compromise between effectiveness and price. The alloy bullets are all just a tad steep for my pocket book, especially with the Noslers working so well. Nosler makes a lighter Partition than the 100, and if you want the velocity, that may be the way to go. I've got a .243 carbine that seems to favor lighter bullets and I may load some at a point in the future for that specific rifle. But I like the idea of a triple digit slug myself.

[Mike / Tx]

I got my first .243 when I was 7, and shot standard 100gr factory loaded Rem CL's through it up into my teens and dropped my deer every year. When I finally did start loading for it, I tried out several bullets of varied weights. The two best I came across then were the 85gr and 100gr Nosler Solid Bases. Still today the 100gr is what I use. Unfortunately they discontinued them for their Ballistic Tip line which I feel was a step in the wrong direction as they continue to out preform any of the of the Ballistic tipped bullet I have tried in equal weight and caliber.

That said I would teach your kids to shoot where they need to, and not to take any type of shot other than a broadside through, or just behind the shoulder shot. Yep they might have to pass on a deer or three, but they will learn patients and what it means to make a clean one shot kill and not have to track a wounded deer or possibly even loose one. It is a whole lot better to be out in the woods for a second try at a deer rather than to be back out there hoping to find some sign of where one hit bad went.

If I were to pick a bullet today, it would be either the Hornady 100gr line or the Rem CL. Not because of any fancy marketing scheme, but from time tested on game performance. My friend and three members of his family all use the Hornady factory loads and over the past two decades I have watched them pile up deer and hogs year after year. These are folks who could easily pick any rifle caliber between a .220 and 300 RUM, but they are content using the .243. The deer in that area that I have taken usually run around 150 - 180# on the hoof, and the hogs can be anything from 30 to over 300. When you hear them shoot you know your going to be cleaning something when you get back to the barn.

I know if I could get this through the head of my then 3yr old grandson when he wanted to get him a hog, you should be able to get it through to the older ones. He got his hog, and hasn't let up since,

[dahermit]

In any case, I've never really understood the strong aversion to gut shot (which continues to or comes from vitals) animals. I mean, I wouldn't choose to do it if I had a different shot but I've never once let an animal walk because I might have a smelly field dressing job.

My strong aversion to a gut shot, is that the animal my live a long time and be lost, and to the fact that it may live a long time and be in great pain. In my case, a messy field dressing experience is not a factor...it does not bother me.

[mxsailor803]

I grew up using a .243 for deer. As with several others pointed out, shot placement is much more important with these lighter than others. Now as far as bullet selection, I have not experimented with these newer generation bullets (barnes tsx, etc.). To this day I still use the same load data that my grandfather worked up for me in the early 90's. I've changed powders but I still use Sierra ProHunter 100gr. May be a little old school for some, but I've used those bullets on many occations to drop deer in southeast SC. Got a practice suggestion for you though. If you have them in your area, shot sycamore leaf balls out of trees. My friends and I use to sit in the yard with 3 or 4 .22's and a brick of cheap Wildcats. That was how we prepped for deer season.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Dahermit

My strong aversion to a gut shot, is that the animal my live a long time and be lost, and to the fact that it may live a long time and be in great pain. In my case, a messy field dressing experience is not a factor...it does not bother me.

Gut shot does NOT mean NOT vital shot. Taking any shot when the vitals can't be hit is irresponsible at best. Plenty of perfectly acceptable high angle shots will result in the animal being "gut shot" but a good bullet continues on and reaches the lungs. If you've got the penetration and you KNOW it, all you have to do is aim for the front of the opposite shoulder.

[dahermit]

Gut shot does NOT mean NOT vital shot. Taking any shot when the vitals can't be hit is irresponsible at best. Plenty of perfectly acceptable high angle shots will result in the animal being "gut shot" but a good bullet continues on and reaches the lungs. If you've got the penetration and you KNOW it, all you have to do is aim for the front of the opposite shoulder.

A "high angle" shot from the rear involves a chance that a full stomach will be hit and the faith that the bullet will pass through all that food and water. Also, an angling shot that hits the gastrointestinal tract will risk bacterial contamination of the meat. A "high angle" shot from the front risks blowing out the shoulder...with much very good meat. Furthermore, high angle shots, despite that fact that they seem to be acceptable in gun rags, and some hunters, add considerably to the depth to which a bullet must pass to encounter the vitals, whereas a broadside shot need only go through a hide, ribs to hit the vitals.
In short, I do not need to make a kill so badly that I would purposely use those tactics and possible results. I prefer to make a clean, quick, humane kill and have the carcass as clean as possible under field conditions...I'm going to eat it after all. I can hide and wait for a broadside shot. However, you do what you wish to do.

[BigD_in_FL]

Sierras 100 if it will stabilize in your rifle twist, although l had GREAT accuracy with their 85BTHP

[reynolds357]

I am not going to shoot an animal in the guts. The only time I "gut shoot" an animal is if it is walking toward me. The bullet destroys vital organs prior to reaching the guts. I would never shoot the guts first and hope a bullet makes it to vitals.

[HiBC]

You all can do whatever works for you.

IMO,if an animal is healthy,not infected with something,the body parts we consider food are pretty much clean and bacteria free.

The body parts of the digestive tract contain a great deal of bacteria,and are in the process of producing urine and poop.

Think about the e-coli meat recalls from the packing plants.Root cause,generally fecal matter contaminating meat.

For myself,ranking right there with the quick,merciful kill,picking the proper shot goes a long way toward safe,quality meat to put on the table.

My field dressing priorities are pretty much surgical,with great care given to removing the digestive tract intact.

I do not want my tenderloins marinated in buck urine,and I do not want to have stomach and intestinal contents in the body cavity.I don't enen want it on my knives.

My values,my way of looking at things,even if it means going home empty handed,I do not want to tear my tag on a mess.

Taking a pass on a mediocre shot is,IMO,just as good as releasing a big fish.

I'm not desperate.I get to do it my way.It all works out when I look in the mirror.And I'm not all that pretty.

[dahermit]

HiBC, you are the type of hunter I would allow to hunt on my land.

[Brian Pfleuger]

It's not as if you have to shoot a deer in the ass to hit some of it's guts.
The internet just blows my mind sometimes.

[dahermit]

"Red Herring" Fallacy? Why don't you just explain how fecal contamination is not a problem with "high angle shots" that go through the guts but still hit the vitals?

[Brian Pfleuger]

Nope. I'd rather not. I'm quite used to, though still unpleasantly surprised by, the internet's ability to bring out the asshattery in folks. I'm done and rather than urinating in the wind, I'll leave the matter to folks who put in reasonable effort to understand a point.

[dahermit]

Nope. I'd rather not. I'm quite used to, though still unpleasantly surprised by, the internet's ability to bring out the asshattery in folks. I'm done and rather than urinating in the wind, I'll leave the matter to folks who put in reasonable effort to understand a point.

Ad Homienem Logical Fallacy?

[pete2]

I've seen deer run off when gut shot with a 30 06 so don't count on anything there. a Nosler Partition, 95 gr., should blow thru the shoulders. I use ballistic tips in a .270 and they are great for expansion but shed the jackets quite often,
I wouldn't trust them to go thru both shoulders but they'd do some damage.