.243 Partition for Deer?

[cfx90]

Hey guys I'm thinking about picking up a box of the 85 gr Partitions for my .243 for whitetail this year. It would be the Nosler Custom Ammo as I don't have the free time to play with loads. That leaves either the 85 gr or the 100 gr Federal loads to choose. I am not a Federal fan. Nor am I a fan of bigger bullets, because we have small deer, 80-125 lbs are most common. I'm sure everyone has an opinion of big vs small bullets and I'm not after that discussion right now :lol: but mine is that on smaller deer the bigger bullets can't open all the way and don't function as if you shot a similar aged northern deer with a lot heavier body weight than our small South Carolina deer.

Will the 85 gr be the ticket? I shot 80 gr hollow points for years, just looking for a good premium factory load. I understand that it's 110% about bullet placement and I will never aim for the shoulder. Always base of the neck and high lung shots. I'll be shooting a 18" barrel 1:10 twist Model 670; it's my woods gun since it's light and maneuverable for shots from 10-50 yards and may occasionally shoot 150 but that's as far as I stretch it.

 

[hardpan]

HI CFX,
You pretty much covered it. The smaller game (125 lbs at the high end)should not be a problem at all. The .243 Partition with velocities over 3000 fps will due the trick nicely, and you already mentioned bullet placement. Frankly, almost any center fire rifle will take game with a well placed shot. My concern is what about the non-ideal shot? Can you still make a quick humane kill?

Both the gun and the bullet are up to the task. My son's first hog went about 200 lbs. Shot at 185 yds on the range finder and with a Partition in a .243. The bullet went into the hog, broke a rig, did a lot of damage, broke another rib before stopping in the far hide. The hog has both heart and lung damage, and ran about 30 yds before stopping. A deer is a lot less tough and a lot smaller.

Be confident, and take pictures to show us later!
Hardpan

 

[DrMike]

Welcome to the forum; good to have you on board. Federal makes some very good ammunition. Generally, I have found it to be quite consistent in measured velocities. I believe they are loading the PT in 100 grain, and the 85 grain loads are either Sierra GK or Barnes TSX in their Vital-Shok loadings. Providing you hold yourself to the conditions you describe, any of the loadings you list will work.

 

[cfx90]

Thanks for the reassurance. I have a box of the 85 gr Custom Trophy Grade on the way.

 

[JD338]

cfx90

Welcome to the forum.

Either one will work for the smaller WT deer you are hunting. If you are going to hunt larger deer, I would say go with the 100 gr PT. You want all the penetration you can get since you don't have the weight of the larger calibers.
Pick the one that shoots best in your rifle.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

I haven't shot the 85gr PT on deer, but did use the 85gr Sierra GK on a WT doe. Broadside at 75 yards, it destroyed the lungs and exited. I was pretty happy to see that kind of performance out of a 243. This was a Northern NY doe that dressed at 140lbs. I think the 85gr PT would be a hot ticket. Good luck, I hope it shoots well from your rifle. Looking forward to seeing your test target! Scotty

 

[Guy Miner]

Got a big ol' grin on my face at the mention of the 85 grain Partition!

I see Nosler loads it to 3200+ fps! Very cool. Way back in the dark ages, okay - the 1970's - Dad gave me a 6mm Rem, primarily for varmints, but I wanted to use it on deer too. Was a real velocity nut (following in my Grandfather's footsteps - he liked his .257 Weatherby mag...) and I loaded up some of the old screw-machine turned 85 grain Partitions way back then... They worked just fine, and todays bullets are more accurate.

These days in 6mm I tend to use the 95 grain Ballistic Tip, which is also an outstanding deer bullet with superb accuracy and very good terminal results. For me, it's been a quicker killer than anything else in 6mm dia. Last year my son shot a modest size mule deer doe with a 100 gr Nosler Solid Base bullet from the 6mm Remington. What a great little rifle - all the Nosler hunting bullets we've used over 30+ years of hunting with it have done very well. Am having a hard time remembering any deer we shot with that rifle that wasn't taken with a Nosler. Not sure there have been any... That thought hadn't occurred to me until just now!

Thanks for mentioning the good ol' 85 grain Partition. If it's a Nosler hunting bullet and you put it in the vitals, you're going to have venison.

Regards, Guy

 

[cfx90]

Yep they load it fairly hot. I will report back when I crack a big ol deer.

 

[FOTIS]

It would work great as would the 95 gr BT

 

[6mm Remington]

I used the 100 gr. Nosler solid base boattail until they stopped making those and then switched to the 100 gr. Partition in my 6mm Remington. They both never failed me and I do not see any reason the 85 gr. Partition would not work wonderfully for you especially considering the size of your deer. I like to place my shots just behind the shoulder in the heart/lung region and they do not go very far! Good luck and I hope your rifle likes them!!

 

[Oldtrader3]

I am not a .243 used much for deer. However, I have killed a few mule deer with the 85 gr Partition with a muzzle velocity of about 3150 and they worked fine at 100 or so yards. I shot the deer through the ribs with a high lung shot and they dropped where I hit them. You can't ask for more then that. On 150 mule deer forkhorns the 85 Partitions went all the way through the chest and expanded perfectly.

 

[Murphdog]

I have killed a lot of deer including some very big mule deer including one that had a carcass weight of 190 lbs. On the other end of the sprectrum I have killed some itty-bitty little whitetails. My load is 100 grain Nosler Partition, Win cases, IMR 7828 45.5 grains, Fed 210 primers. Velocity is just over 3100. Note this is the Max load for Reloading Guide # 6, the max for Guide # 3 was much higher but even a grain under max would flatten primers.

One of the things I like about the load is that it is very easy on meat yet it kills with authority. At 300 yards it will break both shoulders and exit on a mature mule deer(multiple times). At 100 yards it will almost go lengthwise through a big muley buck.

One of the most interesting kills I have had with the 243 was a whitetail doe in a patch of Quaking Aspens. I was only about 30 yards but the bullet hit a branch and bullet was tumbling when it impacted the deer. It really smacked her almost taking her off of her feet. Dead before she hit the ground but one of the few broad hits that did not exit.

 

[cfx90]

I know this thread is from last year but I finally had a chance to take a couple deer with the Nosler Custom .243 85 gr Partitions. All I can say is wow. They both easily penetrated double lung shots with one quartering away hitting a bit of liver as well. The first was a 2.5 year old cull spike. He made it maybe 20 yards and piled up. The second was this evening on a young spike that I thought was a doe. Couldn't see spikes since he walked perfectly broadside and never looked towards me. Unfortunate but he will eat as well as a young doe. He took about 3 steps at a run, 3 slowing down, and 3 to stop where he stood and fell over in sight.

The results have been amazing. Complete penetration with exit holes .4" up to .6" so far. Neither went far enough for a blood trail. Organs are smashed and the amount of bloodshot jelly on the entrance and exit are very large for the .243. Up to 8" across if not more. I will be buying some more when I run out of these loaded rounds and work up a load myself. I love taking the small .243 since its so easy to maneuver in a stand and in the woods.

Hopefully someone will stumble upon this if they're looking for the same info and they can be at ease whatever the reason for shooting the good ol .243, you're not undergunned at all.

 

[Mountain Goat]

I've shot and witnessed deer being shot with the 243. It's a fantastic cartridge. The nicer aspect to the Partition is that it isn't over-designed to do anything other than kill game animals. The jackets have changed over time, but the location of the Partition and jacket thickness has remained very much the same. Other bullets have not seen such a stable production life. With the Partition, you get a nice rapid expanding front, much like any cup and core would react, with an in-tact rear section that continues to penetrate. That 85gr Partition will absolutely hammer the vitals of a deer.