243 ammo

[riverman1]

What is the best factory ammo for deer in a 243?

 

[Dean Parisian]

The one that goes right thru his heart.........

I use everything from a 95 grain to a 100 grain in .243 and it tips over everything I shoot at.......big and small..........except when i miss......

 

[Roost 1]

I lIke Remington core lokt

 

[Gravey]

95-grain Fusions.

 

[knightrider]

any of the 95 to 100 grainers that your gun will shoot good, both of mine love the cheap gray box winchester 100 grain but the deer sure dont like em

 

[JJ3]

I like Hornady Custom 100 gr.

 

[rem270]

hornady sst

 

[Hardwoodmaterials]

I used the 100gr. Winchester Power Max hollow points. I killed 3 deer with them this year. 2 bang-flops and 1 ran about 50-60 yards. All 3 had exit holes about the size of a quarter and the one that ran left a real good blood trail.

 

[eightpointer]

95-grain Fusions.

Best.

 

[Poleaxe]

hornady sst

X2

 

[DaveB]

The Remmie core lokt will work fine. Go with the 95 grain rounds, works good with standard twist 243 rifles.

 

[Winchester]

The largest best built bullet I can find in this caliber, which happens to be the Remington 100 grn Core Lokt, proven performer on deer time and time again for us!

 

[Cabinfever]

My daughter has a 243 that I spent a fortune to try to get it to shoot good. I started out with the Core locks(grouped very good, but no pass through). Tried the ballistic tips by Winchester & Federal and it threw the bullets all over the place. I then tried the Hornady Custom 100gr BTSP. Very accuracy, pass through shots and good blood trail.

 

[riverman1]

Thats the reason i was asking this. I was shooting the winchester ballistic tips and they were all over the place.

 

[Pursuit Hunter]

Whatever is left on the shelf... these days.

 

[Hunter 257W]

There is no best ammo for any cartridge. There are too many variables such as range or position of the animal when shot which affects the amount of bone or meat the bullet has to penetrate.

There is however certain ammo that shouldn't be used for deer. That would be any light weight for caliber Varmint type bullet that's designed to expand violently on impact. Also the very tough Premium bullets designed for exceptionaly heavy game that will not expand on a deer. There is no ammo from the 2nd category for the 243 but there is a lot of ammo loaded with varmint bullets that should never be used for deer.

What you have to do is chose several loads that are loaded with a deer bullet and see what gives acceptable accuracy in your rifle. And while some would argue, 1" groups at 100 yards are NOT required for deer hunting!

 

[Viper (tp)]

100 grain winchester soft tips.

 

[LY]

100 gr nosler partions for over 30 years, daughter just dropped her second big buck with one thanksgiving morning. We've killed well over a hundred with them and never lost a one.

 

[dsa5455]

I had some concerns with using the 243 but decided to give it a try. I asked for some input on bullet choice from the guys on this site and was given many good recommendations. I decided to go with the Barnes VOR-TX 80gr. All three of the shots were 40 yards or less. All were either broadside or slightly quartering away. The opposite shoulder on two of the does were busted up pretty good. The blood trail was adequate and two of the does dropped within sight after a short 30 yard run. The third doe ran a different direction but approx. 40 yards. All three shots were pass throughs. The Barns bullets are probably alittle over kill but this setup has definitely boosted my confidence in using this caliber.

 

[Jowens]

80 grain barnes ttsx or nosler partitions in 90 or 100 grain. Both kill well.