Bullets for the .243 Winchester

[Larry in SD]

I just recently purchased a new Ruger KM77RFP MKII Stainless-Synthetic .243 with a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5x14x40mm AO Rifle Scope. I am sure I will probably end up shooting Factory Ammo for Deer Season this year, but plan to load my own ammo next year for this rifle.

My questions are, what would be the best choice in bullet in this .243 Winchester for Whitetail Deer? In addition I am also going to be using this Rifle for Calling Coyotes, and am wondering if a 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip would be a good choice in bullet for this task?

This will be the first time I have hunted with a Rifle in years as I have been doing most of my hunting with T/C Contenders for many years, thus the reason for the questions.

Thanks

Larry

 

[squirrelsniper]

I would go with the 100gr Partition for deer. The 95gr Ballistic Tip will work too, but since the 243 is toward the small end of the spectrum for deer, I prefer to play it safe and go with the 100gr Partition.

As for the 55gr BT on coyotes, I haven't tried it. I use the 70gr BT for coyotes. I haven't been into yote hunting that long so I haven't gotten to field test it a great deal, but so far the terminal performance seems to be extremely good. However, like most 243 loads, it can do some serious fur damage depending on the range and shot placement. The 70gr BT is also the most accurate bullet I've tried in my 243.

 

[Val]

I ditto everything squirrelsniper said. I use the exact same bullets in my .243. I'm getting .75" groups with the Partitions and I haven't played with the OAL yet. The 70 grain BT's are approaching .5" groups without playing with the OAL. I could probably tighten the groups a bit if I played with the OALs but they are plenty accurate as is, for hunting.

 

[shortroot]

I have a ruger .243 K77VTL MKII. I have loaded 100gr. NP, 95gr. BT and 55gr. Sierra BK's for it. With each bullet I have been able to achieve exceptional accuracy. With the BK's the load I am using has shot a .3" 10-shot group @ 100yds. With the NP the most accurate round is towards the lower end of the velocity scale, when loaded they will shoot under .5" groups @ 100yds. I have loaded them hot, and they still shoot under a 1" group @ 100yds. I mostly use the BT's for deer as all shots I take are broadside or headshots. I like the extreme accuracy, for the shots I take I don't need penetration. I just don't take a poor shot that would require penetration.

I have yet to lose a deer using either the NP's or the BT's. Like SS said though, the BT's (or BK's) do extreme damage to fur. If you are legally allowd to shoot coyotes with a FMJ, then I would suggest doing so, they are much friendlier on the needle and thread after the day is done.

 

[NOSLER]

100gr Partitions!

 

[Rogue6]

My daughters stock unmodified youth mdl 700 in 243 win is shooting the 100 grain partitions right at 3/4 inch with imr4831, ww brass and ww lr primers. Thats a nice little blacktail spanking combo. Hard to improve on such a good thing.

 

[Thebear_78]

Shortroot-

I would strongly advise against head shooting deer. I have on three occasions whitnessed the aftermath of headshots gone wrong. A neighbor I used to have was famous for trying head shots all the time. THe first occasion was a week after rifle season I jumped up a pretty decent 8pt that had a hanging jaw. Apparently my nieghbor shot a littel low on the head and just blew out the bottom jaw so that it hang at almost a 90% angle to the head. It wasn't pretty and the buck could hardly get up to run away, luckily I was rabbit hunting at the time and could put him out of his misery. It hadn't been deer season for 10 days so it had been at least 10 days with a hanging jaw.

The second time was when I noticed a small doe wandering aimlessly in my back field about halfway thru rifle season. It was obvious that somethign was wrong with it. I grabbed my rifle and walked back to see if it was wounded. A good protion of its head was missing from the eyes forward, both eyes were missing and part of the nose. It was still dripping so it must have happened either that day or the night before. One 100gr .243 bullet behind the shoulder ended the ordeal.

The last time was in the late extended doe only season. I heard him shooting in the morning and saw three small does run out of his woodlot and bed down in my back feild. I kind of thought that one of them might have been wounded because of the way it was running. Just to be sure I walked along the property line to see if there was any blood. Sure enough there was drips and some spray of blood. It had been a couple of hours since his shooting and he hadn't made any attempts to track so I figured it would see if it was laying dead out there and drop it off at his place. I jumped it up in the tall grass and was able to get a shot at it at the end of my field, 100gr .243 bullet thru both shoulders did the trick. The whole end of its nose was a soggy mess, looked like the bullet endered about center of the nose and exited at an angle thru the upper jaw/nose bone.

Every time I hear somebody advocating head shots on deer these times come to mind. I actually got into quite a heated arguement with my neighbor over this and we are not longer on speaking terms as a result. In his case it was ego, trying to say he was so good he could head shoot deer with his 270. If I had a dime for every time I heard "clean kill or cleam miss every time, I don't even bother to trackem, cause if they ain't laying there I missed them" The actual vital part of the deers head is very small, and moves around a lot. I'm sure it has happened to work out for a lot of guys, but its a very poor percentage shot and should never be tried for.

Don't take this as a personal insult, its not intended as such. If I had never had these negative experiences with head shot deer I would probably think it was a good place to shoot too.

 

[Eagleye]

Thebear_78; How I agree with your observations on Head shots!!!! I, too have seen the results of those iffy shots on Moose and deer, and will never take one unless it is very close, and the only target offered. I am of the opinion that many times head shooters think they missed, when actually there is a terrible wound on the animal that has run off. It makes me very sad to think about an animal thirsting to death because it cannot drink, or slowly starving because it is unable to eat. I am also sceptical of most neck shots at anything over 75 yards or so, since they also are low percentage shots. We owe game the respect that comes from a quick, certain kill. Regards, Eagleye.

 

[knobmtn]

I'm new to this forum but I've been using Nosler Partitions in 243's since around 1969. I've killed a LOT of deer with them. I've come to prefer the 85 gr version if I can get them to shoot in a particular rifle. If they won't shoot with a hot load I use the 95's. My goal is always to have the bullet above a chronographed 3000 fps. I've had mostly one shot kills with the deer within a few feet of where shot. I've never lost a deer with Partition bullets in 6mm. My powder of choice is H-414 but I will try others.

 

[shortroot]

Thebear_78, Eagleye.

No offense taken at all. I agree that over confidence (aka arrogance) can create a lot of problems. I don't feel comfortable taking headshots on every deer in every situation, and would not advocate doing so. I also won't advocate shooting a deer through the shoulders as many suggest. I have nothing against someone who does, but I hunt for the meat 1st, horns 2nd. This may be the other way around in some peoples books, but I have been raised to hunt for meat.

The headshots I take are no more than 50-75 yards. I would not take this shot if I felt a broadside opportunity would present itself. All headshots I have taken are either with the deer looking directly at me or directly away from me. I have only taken two of these shots myself, both with dead deer after the shot. I prefer the broadside shot behind the shoulder, and will take this shot at all times it is available.

What I was getting at was that I will not attempt to shoot a deer through the shoulders or lengthwise through its body, and therefore do not require a bullets that penetrates. Hence my suggestion of the 95gr. NBT or 100gr. NP.

For any hunting I do out past 150-200yds, I will use the .300 Win Mag, and no headshots will be taken at these distances. Broadside only or the buck walks.

I did shoot a nice little 4X4 this weekend (.243 95gr. NBT). Broadside at about 60yds, no headsot taken, but rather a heart-lung shot.

 

[NOSLER]

I think we can all agree on head shots.

All you have to do is come across an animal that has been shot near the head. I would bet more head shots are missed, and the animal is wounded for days. Not a pretty picture.

 

[Larry in SD]

Thanks guys for all the responces. I may have been a little vague in my question as to bullet preference.

I have shot Handguns using Rifle Cartridges (ie 6mm-223, 6mm T/CU, .250 Savage, 7-30 Waters & the .30-30 Ackley Improved) for so many years, I am not sure what to expect from some of the different bullets at the increased velocities Rifles produce. I have had excellent results using Nosler Ballistic Tips out of these Handguns, my concern is what is the bullet performance going to be once the velocity is increased, and or do I need to switch to a Nosler Partition.

Finally if a Partition is needed (going from the theory of the smaller caliber needs a premium bullet) what is the best bullet weight fo consider?

Larry

 

[Eagleye]

Larry; In your 243 rifle, any of the Partitions will work on deer. But I have always preferred the heavier weights once diameter drops below 6.5mm. Therefore, I am going to recommend the 95 or 100 Partition, whichever shoots best in your rifle. I have a couple of 6mm Remingtons, and the one I hunt deer a lot with has a marked preference for the [now discontinued] 100 Partition Semi-Spitzer. It will shoot this bullet into very small groups, and it is poison on deer sized game out to 300 yards or so, about as far as you should be poking away at deer with a 243 anyway. In my experience, [a substantial number of deer shot with 6mm's], the difference in performance of the 100 or the 95 is negligible. Regards, Eagleye.

 

[Savage99]

Larry,

I am using a 58 gr VMax in the 243 for varmints because I can see the bullets hit due to the low recoil. The 55 gr Noslers shot just as well and I am using them for reduced loads.

If the 55's don't shoot in your rifle then just use 70's. The COL for the light bullets is 2.6" or less.

 

[bailey1474]

55 gr Nosler BT for varmits. I worked up a load using 52 grains of w760 with these bullets. Could cover three shots with a dime. Oh yeah, my average velocity was also 4069 ft/s!!!

 

[Larry in SD]

THanks for the info guys. Currently I am using some Federal Premium Ammo I picked up on sale for this year (needed the brass anyway). But plan on working up a couple loads next spring.

Thanks again

Larry

 

[designated harvester]

Congratulations on your choice of rifle.
My Dad built me my first 243 in the 50s using a FN barrelled action. I now have 3, the FN, a '58 Model 70 that I inherited from my Dad and a recently purchased L 57 Sako.
The only bullets I use are Noslers. For the last several years I managed the hunting on a 7000 acre So. Tx. ranch in the thickest brush in So. Tx. The ranch was on a Managed Land Deer Program which required us to maintain the herd at the carrying capacity of the ranch so toward the end of September I was given permits to harvest 115 to 160 deer according to the results of helicopter surveys.
I personally took 50 to 70 deer per year. Varmint control was also in the job description, lots of coyotes and bobcats.
I used 95 gr. NBTs in the 243s and the 55gr. NBT in a 6MM and a Sako L46 222 with 40 gr.NBTs. The 222 was used primarily for varmints but occasionally was used on deer.
I needed to drop the deer in their tracks because of the extremely dense cover consisting of every thorny plant that grows in So. Tx. The 243 and 6MM do this better than any calibers I have used or seen used and I saw a lot guiding hunters from all over the U.S.
The only time I saw a less than desirable result with a 243 was a hunter that hit the heaviest part of the front leg bone using a factory Rem. 100 gr. load. That deer took a follow up shot. My preferred shot was behind the shoulder, about 2-2 1/2 inches below the spine, the shock knocks 'em down and they bleed out before recovering from the initial shock. A shot high in the shoulder works just as well and you avoid any damage to the loin, just stay away from the leg bone.
I'm going to try attaching a photo of the torso of a yearling buck shot with a 55 gr. NBT, on this deer the bullet passed through the fleshy part of the shoulder, opened up a hole the size of a silver dollar entering torso and exited with a near fist sized hole.
Forgot to mention hogs. They were a real problem and the main reason I used the 95 grs. as first choice in bullet weight.
Try the 70 NBT with 47.5 grs. H414 and Federal 215 GMM.
Guess I'll have to work on attaching photo.

Pancho

 

[Larry in SD]

Thanks for the info. I too need to drop em in their tracks so to speak. I normally hunt the Mud Lake Bottom, which was originally intended as a flood control area. However most years it is dry and the high spots get cut for hay for cattle. Surrounding these meadows is dense cover, 6 + foot tall Rice Cane and Bull Rushes. Believe me if a wounded Whitetail makes it into this cover surrounding these meadows the tracking job is a nightmare.

I normally hunt from a ground blind of sorts on the edges of these meadows. The Deer travel through the trails cut through the Rice Cane and Bull Rushes to get from meadow to meadow between their food source and bedding areas.

We had a good season this year. Between my wife and I we had 4 tags (1 Any Deer Tag & 3 Antlerless Deer Tags) and had a 32 day season. The first 16 days was the regular season. Once the Regular Season Closed the first Antlerless Season opened and ran for 7 days. Then January 1st the second Antlerless Season opened and closed the 9th. My wife and I had the good fortune of hunting (at least part of the day) for 27 of the 32 day season. Granted most of these days we would venture out a couple hours before sunset and sit on stand till the end of shooting time. We saw a lot of Game, and did something this year I had never done before, Rattled up a couple Bucks. We ended the season filling 3 of the 4 tags, and have lots of Venison for the family to enjoy.

Again thanks one and all for the suggestions. Now I just need to make up my mind what I want to try next year.

Larry

 

[designated harvester]

Larry, Glad you had a good season. I just posted a reply to the other string you started, sorry about posting mostly same things again.
The So. Tx. regular season ends today and a special doe and spike buck season opens tomorrow and runs 2 weeks. For ranchs under Mananged Land Deer Programs the season starts the Saturday nearest the 1st. of October and runs through February. On MLDP ranchs the only tag used is the permit issued to the ranch by the state so effectively there are no limits per se to individuals, the only limit is how many deer need to be harvested on each ranch under the program, determined by the biologist assigned by the state.
With the rains we have enjoyed the last few years there are many deer to be taken and the quality of trophys this year is incredible.
Here's a link to the local deer contest, check 'em out when you have some time.
http://www.loscazadores.com/
Pancho